History on Fire

[RERUN] EPISODE 66: Sex in Ancient Rome

This is a cultural history episode about sexuality in Ancient Rome. I thought the topic would be fun and juicy, but that’s because my memory of Roman sexuality was hazy. After refreshing it with lots of research, I can safely say that ‘fun’ is not a word I would apply to it. ‘Insanely disturbing’ is probably more fitting. Most of the ancient sources, in fact, seem to indicate that little to no attention was paid to the idea of sex being for mutual pleasure. Rather, sex was primarily seen as ...

EPISODE 105: Rationalizing Evil in El Salvador

I am sorry to be taking you on this dark journey, but I strongly feel this is an important story that everyone should know. Over the years, I've tackled some heavy topics. This is definitely one of the heaviest. This episode covers some of the things that happened in El Salvador in the 1980s, in particular the story of the massacre at El Mozote, and how policies formulated by the White House supported death squads unleashing hell on civilians. As much as humanly possible, I'll try to let the...

EPISODE 104: The Saint and the Death Squads

I’d like you to picture some of the most awful human beings you could possibly imagine… genocidal maniacs, torturers, child rapists. Got the picture? Ok. Now I’d like you to imagine if you can conceive of any circumstances in which not only you wouldn’t do everything in your power to stop them, but you would actually support them. Can you think of any scenario that would warrant you supporting people like that? Can you picture yourself fighting hard to make sure they have millions of dollars...

[RERUN] EPISODE 65: The Taiping Rebellion (Part 3): A River of Death

[RERUN] EPISODE 64: The Taiping Rebellion (Part 2): Jesus’ Chinese Younger Brother

[RERUN] EPISODE 63: The Taiping Rebellion (Part 1): Drug Dealers and Visionaries

EPISODE 103: The Lone Samurai, Miyamoto Musashi (Part 2)

Ever since I started History on Fire, one topic has been the most consistently requested by listeners. Over the years, I received hundreds of messages asking me to cover the life of Miyamoto Musashi. That time has come. Here we go.  Musashi has been the subject of one of the greatest bestsellers ever written, a novel by Eiji Yoshikawa that sold over 120 million copies. And yet, the story of his life is mixed with so many myths and legends that it’s rather difficult to separate fact from fic...

EPISODE 102: The Lone Samurai, Miyamoto Musashi (Part 1)

Ever since I started History on Fire, one topic has been the most consistently requested by listeners. Over the years, I received hundreds of messages asking me to cover the life of Miyamoto Musashi. That time has come. Here we go.  Musashi has been the subject of one of the greatest bestsellers ever written, a novel by Eiji Yoshikawa that sold over 120 million copies. And yet, the story of his life is mixed with so many myths and legends that it’s rather difficult to separate fact from fic...

EPISODE 101: The History Behind Killers of the Flower Moon

[RERUN] EPISODE 62: Plagues, Mystery and Dancing

[RERUN] EPISODE 61: Raiders in the Night

EPISODE 100: Benvenuto Cellini (Part 2)

EPISODE 99: Thug Life: Benvenuto Cellini (Part 1)

[RERUN] EPISODE 60: Fear and Loathing in Mongolia (Part 2)

[RERUN] EPISODE 59: Fear and Loathing in Mongolia (Part 1)

EPISODE 98: Machine Gun Blues

[RERUN] EPISODE 58 Sitting Bull: Wounded Knee (Part 5)

[RERUN] EPISODE 57 Sitting Bull: Compulsory Civilization with a Side of Murder (Part 4)

[RERUN] EPISODE 56 Sitting Bull: Compulsory Civilization with a Side of Murder (Part 3)

[RERUN] EPISODE 55 Sitting Bull (Part 2)

[RERUN] EPISODE 54 Sitting Bull (Part 1)

EPISODE 97: The Psychology of Power in History: A Conversation with Aziz Al-Doory

[RERUN] EPISODE 51 A Life for a Whistle: Emmett Till and the Birth of the Civil Rights Movement

EPISODE 96: The Wildest Man You Have Never Heard Of: Thomas Morton

[RERUN] EPISODE 50 Philosophers and Thugs: Jigoro Kano (Part 2)

Feed Drop For "This Job Is History"

[RERUN] EPISODE 49 The Father of Martial Arts: Jigoro Kano (Part 1)

EPISODE 95: Tom Le Forge: The Real Dances with Wolves

[RERUN] EPISODE 48: Give Me Back My Legions! (Part 2)

EPISODE 94: The Last War Chief

EPISODE 93: The Beast of Gevaudan

EPISODE 92: Jujitsuffragettes With Attitude

EPISODE 85: The Siege That Changed All of History

EPISODE 84: History and Video Games

EPISODE 83: From Slavery to Boxing: The Story of Bill Richmond

EPISODE 82: The Other 300 (Part 2)

EPISODE 81: The Other 300 (Part 1)

EPISODE 80: The Patriotic Mobsters

EPISODE 79: Slavery (with Darryl Cooper)

EPISODE 78: Bruce Lee (Part 2)

EPISODE 77: Bruce Lee (Part 1)

EPISODE 76: Poets and Pirates, Sex and Drugs, Love and Music: D’Annunzio and L’Impresa di Fiume (Part 2)

EPISODE 75: Poets and Pirates, Sex and Drugs, Love and Music: D’Annunzio and L’Impresa di Fiume (Part 1

EPISODE 78 Bruce Lee (Part 2)

“Jeet Kune Do favors formlessness so that it can assume all forms and since Jeet Kune Do has no style, it can fit with all styles. As a result, Jeet Kune Do utilizes all ways and is bound by none and, likewise, uses any techniques or means which serve its ends.” — Bruce Lee  Bruce Lee’s methodology : “1. Research your own experience. 2. Absorb what is useful. 3. Reject what is useless. 4. Add what is specifically your own.” “I maintain that truth is a pathless land and you cannot approach i...

EPISODE 77 Bruce Lee (Part 1)

“Energy is eternal delight.” William Blake  “Hong Kong in the 1950s was a depressed place. Post–World War II Hong Kong had suffered from unemployment, a poor economy, over-crowding, homelessness, and people taking advantage of each other. Gangs roamed the street, and juvenile delinquents ran rampant.” Hawkins Cheung “Teachers should never impose their favorite patterns on their students—he said—They should be finding out what works for them, and what does not work for them. The individual i...

EPISODE 74: The Life of Marcus Aurelius (Part 2): Stoicism, Pandemic and War

EPISODE 73: The Life of Marcus Aurelius (Part 1): Stoicism, Pandemic and War

EPISODE 72: John Brown (Part 3): Violent Delights, Violent Ends

EPISODE 71: John Brown (Part 2): A Reckoning in Blood

EPISODE 70: John Brown (Part 1): Heartbreak & Slavery