Unbuttoned History: Recent Episodes
Rox Labs Network
Informative, casual, and a little bit sexy. Unbuttoned History is the raucous history podcast for people who want to learn a bit about yesteryear, but with silly voices and swearing. Hosts Emma, Mike, a second Mike and Caleb guide you through time immemorial and play a few ridiculous games along the way.
The first episode of 2018 is packed to the gills with content! New updates about the podcast! A Friend departs! Then we talk about the Saints and how they all were manic but that doesn't take anything away from them for 2 hours. Mountains Levitate, Alphabets are invented, Animals are befriended!
In this episode, Captain Mike and Caleb tell you about two Swedes who were assassinated for very different reasons, and by that I mean one was a real mensch and the other was a real wang. We tackle King Gustav III and the General Secretary of the UN Dag Hammarskjöld.
If you love people doing utterly horrendous Scottish Accents, then this is your paradise.
Captain Mike tries to tell us about how the great Byzantine city o Constantinople fought off Crusaders, Latins, The Rus and a khannate or two before the Turks finally defeated them. But Mike Genuine Draft and Caleb are drunk and having too much fun going on tangents about the folly of not trusting Hungarians, being too cheap in regards to cannons, and how the Catholic Crusaders are basically heroin addicts whos teal copper piping from elementary schools.
Your favorite pseudo historians get to revive their first series: Newest Nations, and talk about the brief country of Catalonia. We cover the rise of Catalonian Nationalism, their oppression under Franco, and their efforts to become independence in the 21st century.
This week your favorite pseudo=historians take a look at America's Forgotten War: The Korean War. Where we learn the importance of Geography classes, that tanks versus people is lopsided and that having a billion people means you tip the scales no matter what.
We celebrate the 100th-anniversary of the October Revolution, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution. Fun story, this all actually happened in November because Russia was still using the Julian Calendar.
Capt. Mike attempts to wrap up his long running Ethiopian Epic series, but Mike Genuine Draft and Caleb play the Unbuttoned Drinking game and try to stop him at every turn. This is a sloppy and funny one, historians.
For 21 years Brazil was ruled by a brutal, and oppressive Military Dictatorship that specialized in torture and huge economic expansion for the ruling elites. Learn in this episode how there's only 12 names in 20th century Brazilian politics, how Superman defeated the KKK and why so many South American politicians are Italian.
Captain Mike finally gets to gush about how much he loves US President Theodore Roosevelt to his heart's extent. Caleb has a pretty great recurring bit about Taft getting stuck in bathtubs, and also why having your country actually matter sucks.
The Unbuttoned cast celebrates a huge milestone with some old friends of the show, Terry Torres, Julia Scherer-Hoock and Rebecca Bishop and discuss two very important questions: "Why is history important to you?" and "Why is history important to humankind?"
Frivolity ensues.
This week we learn about the one time a super left wing major city decided to make itself it's own country--and how poorly it went. We cover the Paris Commune, Zoo animal Cuisine, Ridiculous Calendars, Red Flags and all the things you shouldn't do when you try to rise up against your national government.
Game of Thrones is wrapping up their penultimate season, and the topic of Royal Incest as abounded. But what of when this happened in our world? This week we talk about the strange practice of Royalty marrying and having children with their own families. From the horrific birth defects of King Tut, to the ravages of having everyone be a Hapsburg.
A new series begins as we take a look at the horrific natural disaster that shaped San Francisco as we know it: the Massive Earthquake and subsequent fires. Here how the city and some very unlikely inhabitants were able build new, bigger and better after their whole city was wiped off the map.
It's vacation time at our satellite studio at the Bishop wharf, we have friend of the show Julia Scherer-Hoock on to talk about Witches, European and American.
That's right, folks. After a two eyer absence, Terry is back to guest on this episode looking at the differences between written and unwritten constitutions.
In this week's episode we bring back the beloved Atrocity deathmatch series, find out how easy it is to trick Blind Mike, and how bad Original Mike's memory and reading comprehension is.
In this week's episode we learn about how the British being routinely embarrassed pushes them to invent the concentration camp.
Finally we get around to Shaka and the Zulu people in this weeks episode. Learn about the things they don't tell you about Shaka himself, how the desire for making South Africa into Canada nearly destroyed it and how sometime syou can get carried away during the fun of the roads.
Take a hit of vicarious righteousness as you learn about the deeds of some of the bravest freedom fighters who ever lived and briefly imagine that you could be a sixteenth as awesome as they were before the bleak memory of your mediocre cowardice returns. This week we’re talking about the failed revolution at Harpers Ferry, Virginia.
Mike and Caleb have another two-hander as Blind Mike continues to save the lobsters. This week, we discuss all the times Native or Indigenous people were right and Europeans were wrong.
Caleb and Make have a short form two-hander about their favorite slave insurrection. Learn about how volcanic activity on the other side of a continent help cue an uprising, and how it's better to be in the slave rebellion than to stay out of it.
Caleb and Mike do a two hander about the time a dictator and his shoe obsessed wife, were overthrown by the clever use of theme songs and road blocks. Also hear someone decide not to plunge their country into horrific sectarian civil war.
Whether a vestigial relic of old pagan faiths, cultural quirks or a jeer to belittle a native faith--Superstitions can be found in every region of the globe. This week we have Rebecca Bishop on to talk about some of the most famous, and to detail our own personal superstitions.
This week, we continue our Badass Bitches series with a more modern icon. We take you to Myanmar, where Suu Kyi fights everyday for democracy.
It's just Blind Mike and Caleb this week, and they decide to challenge themselves to make an episode with the MPAA rules for a PG-13 movie rating. A lot of fun is had, and then they start using trailer voice over voices at each other and things get ridiculous. Oh and some Swedish History is briefly discussed.
This week we take a look at the major foundational Philosophies and Religious thought of the long living Middle Kingdom. We take on Confucianism, Legalism and Taoism. How they are similar, how they build upon each other and how they greatly differ.
This week we finally take a look at the Cuban Revolution. Mafiosi, American Elites, Spanish aristocrats, Communists, and Arawaks have all fought over the immense and beautiful island of Cuba. Let's find out how the first Adult Playground for Americans became one of the sole remaining communist nations in the world, also they have great coffee and sandwiches.
This week we whisk you away to a tropical island paradise and discuss: god incest, socially encouraged bisexuality, and the argument that you only need 12 letters. This week we talk about Hawaii from it's discovery all the way until it is annexed by the United States.
This week we take on Ancient Carthage, a great Mediterranean Civilization known more for their feuds with the much more famous Greeks and Romans. But as one fan put it: Carthage is a cooler, blacker Rome.
Caleb gets drunk and high and has a great time telling you about everyone's favorite stupid holiday.
This week Caleb and Blind Mike get together for the first intended uncut episode. They discuss Madagascar's Queen Ranavalona I or as butthurt Europeans called her, "The Mad Queen of Madagascar"
This episode was recorded March 17th, also known as St. Patrick’s day, a holiday celebrated exponentially more in the US than Ireland. And here in America’s most Irish region we thought it’d be perfect to honor that holiday by covering the Lebanese Civil War. Shout out to @monsone87 for requesting this topic!
This week fan favorite Rebecca Bishop comes back to give an amazing entry level intro into the history of Feminism, it's Waves, terms and figures. To get you to stay and pay attention the three of us Pseudo-Historians act like jackasses and yell things. Enjoy.
Money has ruled everything around us for several thousand years now. But where did it come from? And who invented it? Was it always the same way that we think of it now? This episode answers all of this and also why the people the most devoted to it may not even really understand what it is.
In this episode, we celebrate Mike A's newest Milestone, reveal Jeff Dunham was a Socialist Presidential candidate, Why the Boat and Wagon people will always be there when the trains are protesting, and that Socialists make better Presidential candidates when they're currently in prison.
Mike A has a singular fascination with the history of modern day Ethiopia. First he brought us Emperor Haile Selassie, a man made a god by Jamaicans. Then he brought us Beta Israel, the forgotten first Jewish Kingdom outside Israel. Last year he gave us Commie v. Commie when the Ethiopian DERG fought the Somali Supreme Revolutionary Council for communist supremacy of the Horn of Africa. Today he gives you his 4th of 5 parts: the Battle of Adwa, where Ethiopians brutally embarrassed a late to the imperialism game Italy.
We're minus one Mike but plus one Rebecca as we talk about real life legend John C. Frémont as he explore's, conquers, finds gold, discovers Grant, runs on a more left wing platform than Bernie Sanders and refuses to go to Arizona. All this and mor ein Frémont's incredible life.
There has been a number of fan requests to do South American Fascists, in this episode we talk about dictators from Chile, Brazil and Argentina and also why the term Fascist is so hard to pin down.
Traveling all around this week as several people go on or come back from their Grand Tours. Rebecca joins us this week as we discuss Caleb and Rebecca's Honeymoon, women who hover to pee, where the phrase Man Alive comes from and when we have time the Life and Complaints of John Milton. Also in this episode: all three of us finding out John Hurt died on air.
Back in late 2015 we did an episode called Traitors. We loved this episode so much that we thought: let's do a sequel! This time around we take on Slovakia's Jozef Tiso, Mughal India's Mir Jafar, and the US' Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. We present you with some pretty terrible excuses for human beings.
Three-time guest and super best friend of the show Gabe Graetz comes on, and the tangents are a-plenty. We pitch a book series called Cyber Wars, learn what having having sex 'The French Way' means, find out how gross Henry the VIII was and eventually talk about his wives. We got together with Gabe so this episode is like 9 hours long, enjoy!
The diplomatic ramifications of acknowledging Taiwan has been in the news recently. And we had fans call us in asking, "Hey, what's the deal with Taiwan, and why are the Chinese so angry about it?" Well Caleb and Mike Hachey bring you another two-hander, and tell you precisely why!
It's the first episode of 2017 and it starts with a real bang. In this two-hander Caleb and Mike discuss one of the most enigmatic and controversial Statesmen of 20th Century America. To many he was a Savior of the lower classes to others, the closest an American got to being a totalitarian dictator. This week we talk about the King of Louisiana, Huey Long.
It's the last episode of 2016, are we talking about Christmas, Chanukah or New Years eve? Nope, we're talking about an insane racist battle in New Orleans. Merry Merry!
You've heard it talked about in the news for 52 years, Communist guerillas fighting the Colombian government in interior jungles. What do any of us really know what The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia—People's Army is really about? Where did they come from? What do they want? Why have they been fighting for so long that almost all the other Communists are gone?
What if I told you there could have dozens of different States than we see on the map? This week a rather congested Caleb is rocking solo in the Rox Labs Studios and goes over states that's proposals, partitions and secessions were rejected.
This week we bring you the tale of how the IMF and Communist Megalomaniacs worked together to decimate a country. Also covered: Russian Anti-Semitism, Modern Day Druids, Why Blind Mike decided to be a Civil Engineer and a fan who is an enigma.
The 2016 US Presidential Election has happened. Caleb and Blind Mike made a pact to not talk about it. But Mike has different plans. What starts as next week's episode devolves into an hour plus conversation about everything that has happened, and what might be coming down the line.
What came first, the satanist or the lunatic christian? Let us take you back to a simpler time when everyone believed in magic - the 1980s.
Presidential UFO Sightings. Medieval Eastern European Serial Killers. And maybe if you're good, just how the hell Halloween even came together. All of this and more on this week's Unbuttoned History!
We finish our two part series on the Congo and Colonialism. We shift from direct Colonial Oppression to Post-Colonial neglect. We cover the Rise and Fall of Patrice Lumumba, Mobutu's brutal rule of Zaire, and the unending wars of the DRC era.
The Tale of today's Democratic republic of Congo is so long that we had to split it into two episodes. In the first installment we briefly talk about the Pre-European Colonization Kingdom of Kongo. Then we talk about the horrific Congo Free State and the slightly less horrific Belgian Congo.
Atrocity Deathmatch rears it's ugly head once again. This time we focus on three WWII and beyond era horrors. The tales that were so disgusting that amid a world rife with Atrocities, these stories lived in even darker shadows. From the Holocaust's Josef Mengele, to the Japanese Unit 731 all the way to America's own shame in the Tuskeegee Experiments. Who wins? Should anyone really win?
While Blind Mike tries to tell the listener about the Rus Khaganate, Caleb and Mike interrupt him with tangents ranging from Trinidadian Musicians all the way to the Problem with Uncircumcisedmen.
The Badass Bitches Series continue with a woman who is the greatest example of the American Dream.
The Mikes have finally returned for this doozy about Megalomaniacs, Sociopaths and a sorta Dumb guy who might have actually become a Messiah just as he told everyone he wasn't one.
Badass Bitches is back with American Legend Sojourner "Ain't I a Woman" Truth. This week a totally not sick Caleb is joined by a clearly not sicker Rebecca and a Healthy Julia who is back by popular demand.
Caleb and Mike are joined by Rebecca to talk about the time a Prime Minister got drunk and called an election to prove a point--only for it to blow up in his face. The gang decides to drink heavily in honor of the infamous PM Robert Muldoon, only to have this episode blow up in their face.
What is nothing? How can something be nothing? And why is understanding the concept of zero so important? Today special guest Rebecca Bishop joins us to find out how something we take for granted was conceived in Gupta India and broadcast to the world.
We talk about the Prime Minister of Sweden who was killed by either Reagan and Thatcher, South African Spies, Kurdish Separatists, the nation of Yugoslavia, IKEA or just some guy by accident.
Today we discover that all the problems of the world can be blamed on the British...again.
2 African Communists fight in the desert--also featuring an in-depth look at Communist sweetheart Leonid Brezhnev’s eyebrows.
The roof is on fire, the roof is on fire, we don’t need no water--though we could use some water as the Philly PD has dropped an actual bomb on us.
The gang digs up the rotting corpse of Niccolò Machiavelli in order to learn a thing or two about being a power-hungry douchebag.
“Hey, Caleb, I found these golden discs in the trash. Let’s con some people.” - John Smith
In today's show Unbuttoned History tries to tackle the murky, complex and erratic history of the Black Panther Party.
Journey down the misty waters of the Mekong River and see the city-sized temples of indescribably ornate masonry and refinement; the unparalleled landscaping, and artificial bodies of water; and cities of millions in the 1100s. Have you entered a mythic land of gods? Or could Could it be, the Khmer Empire.
Oh gee, monotheism. Are they magicians? Are they fire-worshippers? Who are these Zoroastrians?!
Wait--you’re telling me that Cinco de Mayo isn’t about Mexican Independence and drinking…?! Here’s a truth shot, bro. Take it with salt.
From nomads to losers of colonial border disputes, to freedom fighters, today we speak about Stateless People: those distinct ethnicities, cultures and history of Peoples without a Nation.
Today the gang discovers that no matter the politics or ideologies Chinese and Russian People just don’t like each other. Listen as TWO communist nations’ incompetence nearly sends us spirally towards thermonuclear war.
Listen to the Russians work out the principles of the enlightenment a couple hundred years too late and completely cock it up. Think of it as the rejected pilot of the Communist Revolution.
We are governed by foolish men. Today we learn that those sent to covertly protect us are actually dipshits and sociopaths. It’s CIA FuckUps.
From the Delhi Sultanate to the Ming Dynasty to modern day Indonesia, the gang explains why Islam is more FAR East than Middle East.
Much like the Tootsie Pop, how many revolutions does it take to free a country from Spain...One, Two, Threeeeeee--Crunch! Simon Bolivar: Monster or Mensch?
Hey! Turns out genocide is not super funny. But listen to this anyway! The gang dissects the Armenian and Rwandan Genocides without ever referencing the Kardashians--oh goddamnit.
Punch your way to liberty, fuck your way to fame. The gang talks about the man who would have his head on Mount Rushmore 4 times if it were up to Caleb - Frederick Douglass!
Take 1.2 million squares miles of arable land.
Add 1.2 billion human beings.
Season with armor plated war elephants and values of religious tolerance and learning.
Shake vigorously.
This is the how you make a great empire of India.
Pin-up Girls? Rosie the Riveter? They got nothing on these badass bitches. Learn about the super spies, skirted snipers, and tank piloting girlfriends that led the allies to victory in World War Two.
The best person who will ever live has already come and gone, so you can stop trying so hard.
Do you believe in magic? What are you, a fucking idiot?! Join the gang in a gynecological journey through the spirit world. From ectoplasm to Anti-Semitism, we cover it all.
teamhoudini #teammargery
7 foot tall, Chinese Muslim eunuch badass sails around the world collecting giraffes and beating people up. What are you gunna do about it? Nothing. Zheng He.
Jews have been oppressed for thousands of years. Now find out about the Jews that the Jews oppress! The gang discusses the African Jewish Kingdom of Beta Israel.
This week Blind Captain Mike really hits the mark -- the BISMARCK that is. Your Unbuttoned hosts have been saving up the tangents all holiday break and they’re ready to unleash their hilarity across a unified Germany.
We’ve got a new name, but it’s an, old old world. On the inaugural episode of the newly-renamed Unbuttoned History, we discuss the indigenous peoples of Africa, Asia, and Europe. So light a fire, put on a robe and get casually sexy with Unbuttoned History. Unbutton it.
In this episode the gang talks about the fascinating history of the Birth Control Pill from Greek Goddesses eating pomegranate seeds to the Political War over Women's Healthcare in 21st Century America. Yes, they discuss this in the manner that you are accustomed to, nothing is different about yours hosts this week, absolutely nothing at all.
Emma tells the ridiculous tale of when the Australian Military faced their greatest threat at home: large flightless birds. Buckle up this one is gonna be absurd.
The gang get a little sensational as they discuss an article on Norman Ohler's book The Total Rush: Drugs in the Third Reich. Learn how pretty much everyone was out of their gourds on drugs before, during and after World War II. We also have a discussion on how pervasive narcotics have been for war efforts.
The Badass Bitches series continues as Mike & Mike discuss Theodora empress of Byzantine, in Mike's Somerville cave.
When Mike is away, the gang will play….a lot of shitty games. Learn how Korean women look like babies, how Mike Hachey as wrong about moveable type and why Dan Kruger’s girlfriend hates Caleb.
This week Americans celebrate a feast holiday of Thanksgiving merging the ideas of having a great late fall feast and to remember our centuries long issues with racial interaction, but this week we look at notable food fails born of pride, greed, and just straight up dumbassery. Caleb encourages listeners to listen to the Hot 8 Brass Band's cover of "Sexual Healing" and talks about a new podcast coming out.
Learn about how the Spanish conquered a more advanced civilization through never bathing and having gross pig diseases.
The gang explains how Metacomet’s post-mortem revenge on English Colonists leads to the heroin epidemic in New England.
Caleb, Mike and Mike discuss the finer points of 19th century sexual harassment and Rasputin.
Lord Byron, Mary Shelley and Percy Shelley invent Gothic Post Punk while Methos the Immortal and DJ Dr. John Williams Polidari invent the first mixtape. We learn that Lord Byron is a Sex Monster. Oh, and Frankenstein is written.
The gang minus Mike the Intern, assemble to talk to one of the greatest minds in history: Isaac Newton. In an interesting turn of events, he's a complete freak. Special Guest Appearance by Gabe Graetz!
Forced migration: fun for the whole family! Listen to the latest installment of Atrocity Deathmatch and let us know which is more atrocious: the American Trail of Tears or Soviet Russia’s Operation Lentil.
Grab a Guinness, turn on that Cranberries CD, and see how Irish petty grievances, World War I, and English underestimation leads to the worst Dublin's ever seen.
A new series is introduced: Atrocity Deathmatch where two horrific nightmare events are compared, contrasted, evaluated and ranked. In our first edition Caleb decries Apartheid while Mike says Jim Crow is really bad.
Vote for which one you think is worse at facebook.com/historycmt
We ahve a full house today, as all four of your favorite pseudo-historians tell the tales of the four most despicable people in history.
Both Mikes are thousands of miles away in sperate directions but thankfully two incredible guests take their place: Julia L. Scherer-Hoock and Gabriel Graetz from the freedom Trail and Tea Party Ships and Museum come to go IN DEPTH on the Boston Tea Party. Yes we finally did the Tea Party.
Caleb is showing Emma and Capatin Intern Mike how to use the Ghostphone. But when Caleb leaves the room to moisturize, the two newbies dick around with it. Thankfully everyone's American Dreams come true.
There's a full house at the Roxbury Laboratory and today the gang discusses the worst and most evil Popes in history. Man, who'd a thought that having a singular king of your religion would lead to such gross and worldly corruption?
Captain Intern Mike takes historians on a journey to the dark side, exploring bizarre and horrific myths from his curio of the macabre.
Still down at the Bishop Wharf for vacation: Emma, Mike and Caleb chat with infamous Rhode Islander and Horror Writer HP Lovecraft. We discussthe number of mental health facilities in RI, swarthy immigrants, hisfeelings on women and much much more!
While vacationing at the Bishop Wharf Caleb, Mike, Emma and Cpt. Mike the Intern talk about the three dictators that ran Paraguay in the 1800s. The good ideas, the bad ideas, and the catastrophic ideas of three very different dictators. Listen to Paraguayan rock band Flou's "A Tu Lado" at the end of the 'cast.
We have a full house tonight at the Roxbury laboratory. This episode is a banger: weird characters, Senators revealing their sexual and intellectual ineptitude, a ratio of 50% topic and 50% tangents and sad Gaelic Violin music. Enjoy our discussion of how the American Government persecuted homosexuals for most of the Cold War.
Today Caleb talks about a hidden Pyramid in the Mexican jungle. Then he chats with the foreman of the project and the crazy way this Pyramid was found.
What if I told you that the Navy decided to find out if gay men were in the navy by trying to get gay decoys? And What If i told you, that job was suddenly really popular? And then what if I told you that the Clergy got caught up in it?
Captain Intern Mike and Emma battle for your affection while Christendom battles for the Holy Land. Join us for a guided tour of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
Captain Intern Mike joins Mike and Caleb to discuss the Spread of Buddhism starting from it's Homeland in Northern India and why modern India has so few Buddhist.
Caleb sits down with friend-of-the-show Jeff Marcus to discuss Jeff's bid to run for King of America on the Fascist Party ticket in the 2020s. Also, Caleb finds out a person in the News went to his High School.
Mike the Intern helps Mike and Caleb learn life lessons from the medieval Khazars, including how to not care about religion, surviving on the steppe, and being Jewish way before it was cool (an era dating from 3500 BCE to the present).
Fascism Pie
1 fluid ounce of frustrated nationalism
3 tablespoons of racism
1 nostalgic bygone era
A crumble of socialist economy
Sprinkle liberally with corrupt democratic politicians
Soupçon of Dope Ass Flag Design
Shake Vigorously until all Communists are dead
Services a population of 50 million
There were many proud Bostonians who helped guide the United States of America to greatness, but Fate had something fantastic in store for one in particular! Which is good, because he probably wouldn't have managed on his own. Terry recounts the tale of the early American "philosopher" and trade magnate, Timothy Dexter.
In this episode your favorite Pseudo-Historians compare a Communist Leader to an obscure Music Genre.
In this episode the boys talk about McCarthyism and it brings the worst out in them: Caleb gets drunk and violent, Terry exploits his position as host for personal gain, and Mike submits to Sexual Mania.
Who are the Phoenicians and why should I give a shit? Well, Caleb and Mike tell you that if it weren’t for these rag-tag Mediterranean traders we wouldn’t know anything today. It’s as easy as A, B, C. But in this instance A isn’t a vowel. They didn’t get around to vowels.
Terry tells the tale of the most trustworthy man involved in illegal activities in Jersey City, and the unlikely event that defined his career. A story of honesty, destiny, and old, old cars.
In this episode we close out our Badass Bitches series with Milwaukee’s Greatest Daughter: Golda Meir. Also discussed: Her Campaign promise, ‘A Missile in Every Silo, and a Moshe in every House’
The Badass Bitches are back! The boys go to India to discover the life, time, and superpowers of one of the country's greatest... something! Three of us are in the studio, but maybe not who you think...
Berserk Marauders? Or Global Traders? Stoic warriors? Or Unparalleled Sailors? On this episode of History Lessons with Caleb, Mike & Terry we talk about the Vikings.
Last time we saw the boys, they were in quite the sticky situation - but it looks like things'll be getting worse before they get better! And then worse again?! What does fate have in store for Caleb, Mike, Terry, and the rest of the universe? Clap your hands if you believe!
Caleb, Mike 7& Terry gab about a new Badass bitch: Alice Roosevelt. Then Caleb, Mike & Terry show up. It get's weird.
The boys finally reap the rewards for all their hard work with a spectacular celebration. Everyone but Bob Hope shows up to congratulate History Lessons on a job well done. It will be totally fine.
In this episode Caleb is alone and semi-coherently tells the tale of Vanport, Oregon and how a Flood integrated Portland, Oregon. Also exciting news abounds!
Unleashing the fury on some Romans with your tits out. This week we tell you why you should never mess with a chick from Norfolk.
As we all wait for the St. Bernards to come and rouse us with their tiny, warming barrels of booze during this winter hellstorm, we dip again into the lustrous pool of Badass Bitches to uncover the exploits of the greatest pirate of all time.
Your favorite Pseudo-Historians start a new series: Badass Bitches. Where we concentrate on Women from history who can not, will not be forgotten. Our inaugural episode is on Catherine the Great aka Catherine II of Russia. Hear how a Prussian girl can be so dope that the people of Russia back her in a bloodless coup of their own ruler.
While snowed in alone at the Roxbury Laboratory for Snow, Snow and more fucking Snow. Caleb rememebrs a different Blizzard with the help of family tales, way back in the seventies when trucks didn't beep when they backed up and people chose to go to colllege hockey games instead of listen to the National Weather Service.
With sickness sweeping the studio, only Terry is left to interview a guest on the Ghost Phone. Along with him, you'll find out about Quebec's potential sovereignty, the hated British, and all of the delectable cuisine you can only find in a region full of Francophonics.
Your three favorite Petit Blancs try and keep their lives while they tell you about the most complex Risk game ever attempted: the Haitian Revolution. Learn how the Black Napoleon defeats the white Napoleon, How rich Haiti once was and why Spain and France named their territories on the same Island, the same name.
It's getting chilly out there! Y'know, depending on where you live. Sidle up to the hearth with Terry and warm up with a cheery Christmas tale of one of the worst accidents to have ever happened. Don't worry - it works out in the end.
Season's Greetings, Historians! In this mini episode, Caleb sits alone in the Roxbury Laboratory, and brings you the curious tale of the city of Gävle's Yuletide Goat. Which no matter how hard the builders try, gets burnt down or destroyed nearly every year. Also, why the film "The wicker Man" should never have been Americanized.
Liberia: Blooper reel of a country or living example of the failure of humans? Today we look at a country who's altruistic beginnings gave way to hell on Earth.
Caleb and Mike really want to talk to William Blackstone and they're committed to getting him on the Ghostphone--even if it means hanging up on a couple of historical figures along the way. This week we talk about how riding a bull feels between a man's legs, potable water and how annoying the Puritans were.
Archery, the origins of rude gestures, and people drowning to death in mud. In our newest episode, your favorite pseudo-historians take their topic from you the fanbase, as we discuss the Battle of Agincourt.
One of the few countries to have a bloodless revolution, in this episode your favorite pseudo-historians take a look at the emerging South American Powerhouse that is Brasíl. Colony, Kingdom, Empire, Republic, Military Junta, Melting Pot of people--learn why Caleb call's it the telenovela version of the United States of America.
Something creepy, dumb, and unexplainable occurred in Victorian England! For what has turned out to be our Halloween episode, follow as Terry tries to make sense of this weird ghost story!
Usually History is about far off lands and powerful people making changes to the world. But in today's tangent-laden episode we talk about the history that's closer to home: Family Folklore.
Terry is alone in the Roxbury Laboratory on National Homemade Cookies day, but instead of the woman who invented them he Gets the inspiration for Dracula, Vlad Draculea. Also we find out what happens when the ghostphone rings for us.
Terry stumbles upon a not ready for primetime Caleb. they talk about his Great grandfather and family folklore. Then they go on a 20 minute tangent. You know our show.
Something creepy happened in the Ural Mountains of Russia, and it can't be explained. Or can it? Come with Terry and find out on this presumably spooky excursion into the weird and mildly unusual.
'Twas the day before Caleb's Birthday and everyone was coming to the Roxbury Laboratory for BBQ and day drinking. So what better way to pass the time before the party starts then to talk about the Native American/Indios/Indian/First Nation Civil Rights movement! Emma Wiegand comes on for definitely the first time and certainly not the third as our special guest star!
It's Carnivale in Roxbury, and while music booms, Indians groom their feathers and jerk is grilled, we bring you the conclusion of our two parter on the Mongols. In this episode we take from Genghis Khan's Death and take you on a journey around the enormous Mongol empire. from Kublai Khan and the Yuan Dynasty in China, to the Golden Horde's ravaging of Eastern Europe. We learn how one of the world's greatest empires, splits into four groups and then slowly disintegrates for hundreds of years. Also we talk about what kind of fruit we like.
Hey, remember when like most of the World was conquered by people from Mongolia? In this episode Caleb, Mike and Terry try to figure out how a bunch of nomadic horsemen from the steppe of Asia the ran from the Chinese Coasts to Eastern Europe. And the dichotomy of people of utter religious tolerance who also believed that the killing of animals, under penalty of death, was to be done purely by crushing their hearts with their hands.
Caleb and Mike are drunk and on vacation. They don't want to do any work, but they have to record an episode of the show. So why not just dial a random number on the ghostphone?
In a totally normal, not different in anyway episode, the clearly male Pseudo-Historians talk about a great woman: Isabella Stewart Gardner.
It's Friday night on the Internet; Caleb and Terry really want to start talking about the Mongols but, Mike is nowhere to be seen. Do they dive right in? Do they wait for him to show up? Is he coming? Why are we getting amber alerts from Fitchburg? Find out in this weeks episode.
Wading through the religious hatred of the Middle East, your favorite pseudo-historians go through the Intafada, parts one and deux.
We go back to our own City's past in 1919 when for two day there was no law, because the cops went on strike. Which led to a hate of the AFL and to Calvin Coolidge being a shitty president. This is why we can't have nice things, like labor movements.
Failed Revolutions continue's with Bacon's Rebellion, the most important Pre-Colonial event to have almost no information about. See how a screwball story of people killing the wrong Indian Tribe and pissing contest between in-laws, becomes one of the great metaphors and benchmarks of America's culture for the next several hundred years.
On this very special 50th episode, your favorite Pseudo-Historians discuss who they think are the 7 shittiest presidents, why they sucks and why other notable shitty presidents didn't make the list.
Celebrate the anniversary of the Great War with the racist ruminations of a bloodthirsty poof.
To pay for the suffering of black people, we will take your joy in this mirthless episode: we examine Ta-Nehisi’s article of the same name and get real mad and sad.
Since we just finished a series on the 6 Newest Nations, we thought, why not keep it going with a new Series? History Lessons presents Failed revolution, a series on some of histories most and least known failed revolts, uprisings, revolutions and Armed protests. This week we being with The Jewish Uprising or Great Revolt between the Jews of Judea and the Roman empire. Learn about how political infighting ruins revolutions and that if you're a middle aged white man and super into the Roman Empire, you're probably a fascist.
The boys peer through the kaleidoscope of violence that is South Sudan see all of human history. This is the final installment of the 6 Newest Nations series.
From the annals of Russian Incompetence Volume #8097, The Winter War, or: How Cross Country Skiing and Frozen Swamps Humiliated the Soviet Union.
Caleb is alone in the studio which means only one thing: Stuff that's not true! On this edition of Today in Fake History, Caleb weaves a tapestry of sorrow, joy and intrigue that is how your three favorite pseudo-historians met. Enjoy this globe-trekking tale!
The boy crack the code on the Ghost Phone trying to call Hong Xiuquan. They discuss how to delegate power to kings. That TBAs are better than TBDs and that the one topic Hong Xiuquan doesn't talk to God about is the civil servant's exam.
Your favorite Pseudo-Historians continue their series on the youngest countries in the world with number 2: Kosovo. We talk about rape as a weapon, whether Mike is on drugs or not and that you wanna go way down to Kosovo. Also we talk about our First Anniversary as a show! yes can you believe it's been 1 whole year?
On this weeks episode your favorite Pseudo-Historians invite special Guest Will Dickerson (Mixer/Masterer of the Show and in the band Heartwell) to tell us about the most important Water Polo game in history. The 1956 Olympic meeting between Hungary and (friend of the show) the USSR. Also a very big announcement!
In this episode of History Lessons with Caleb, Mike & Terry Caleb reports alone from his house and does a whole episode on the History you never heard of, because it never happened. Three tales from across space and time: 1969 San Francisco, the Big Bang and also early 80s Minneapolis and Paris in the year 875. Follow Caleb on his journey through time, but probably don't 'cause it's all bullshit.
In this weeks episode we continue our Series of the 6 Newest Nations with Montenegro. Caleb and Mike try to stay on topic in this Terry-less episode. Hear about the EU, The Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, Josip Broz Tito, Christopher Hitchens, which Pseudo-Historian is the fans' favorite--and maybe if they have time Montenegro.
The boys tackle what some call the Bloodiest War in History. Thousands dead. Total War. Proto-Communism. All this from an Asian guy being stressed out by a test.
We continue our series of the 6 Newest Nations with East Timor. The Boys talk about Sub-par Colonization, Revolutionary Groups with cool Acronym names and the Winter Olympics.
Your favorite Pseudo-Historians welcome Boston rapper/Producer/Engineer and Hip Hop Historian Myart. We Discuss the music and culture from it's forebearers in the Caribbean and it's humble South Bronx Block Party starts to it's current status as the most dominant music in the World. Check out Myart at: facebook.com/myartsmash @MyartSmash on twitter hulkshare.com/myartsmash and Youtube.com/Myartsmash
Caleb and Terry continue our new Series The 6 Newest Nations with number 5 on our list: Palau. Palau's history is very much like the country: small, relatively unimportant, and changing hands every 20 years. Later an uninvited guest drops by and things descend from there.
This week we start our new series "The 6 Newest Nations" where we focus on the world's youngest countries and their short and sometimes long histories. This week Caleb and Terry kick it off with #6 Eritrea.
Your favorite pseudo-historians try and figure out why people talk funny in different places.
The Boys have their first Living guest: Musician and Spoken Word Artist Duncan Wilder Johnson. We discuss his upcoming Documentary "Leave Behind a Groove in the Earth" which tells the tale of the band Sam Black Church.
Kickstarter Details here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/943874932/sam-black-church-documentary
Reefer Madness is a real thing that will kill you -- and other very true facts about weed, in this most dank episode of History Lessons.
Slavery--not just for black people anymore. Join your favorite pseudo-historians as they uncover the experience of Chinese Immigrants in the West.
Following a fan’s suggestion, the boys take a whirlwind tour around the globe in 1491. Spoiler Alert: Columbus didn’t discover shit.
This week picks up right from our cliffhanger ending. Why did the Ghostphone turn itself on? Who was James Sokolove warning us about? What is the Armenkamp Foundation, really? All this and more in our exciting new Minisode.
Mike is in the studio alone with show intern, Tucker Ramses. Friend of the show James Sokolove drops by to talk about his new legal social network, Sokolaw, and to give the boys a celestial warning. Guest starring Joe Ruscio.
Insane Violent crime levels, Actor Presidents, Shoulder Pads, and Live Aid all this and more on our dissection of the 80's.
Discover the true and bloody meaning behind this seemingly innocuous holiday. Employer versus Employee! Historians of the world, unite!
With the help of the Ghost Phone, Caleb and Mike call up gothic fictionist Edgar Allen Poe. We also introduce a new member of the History Lessons team! Guest starring Joe Ruscio.
Using the Ghost Phone, Mike and Terry reach out to one of America’s most historic duos – the Wright Brothers! Meanwhile, Caleb screams in an endless tunnel of fire and wind. Guest starring Joe Ruscio.
Welcome to the Land of the Rising Sun! Now get out. Today, you're gonna learn about the Meiji Restoration, when Japan learned how to be like the West, in terms of conquering people, killing them for having different skin tones, etc.
This week, the boys try desperately not to say disparaging things about religious figures, five in all! Rumi, Jan Hus, Bahá'u'lláh, Malcom X, and Dorothy Day all get the History Lessons treatment.
In this minisode, Mike and Terry conduct an interview with the creator of a new historical chronology, Anatoly Fomenko. This is mostly true.
To celebrate the independence of their country, the boys are goin' to West Africa! Learn about the Land of Gold, the apparently real city of Timbuktu, the most extravagant road trip to Mecca, and how being too kind can ruin a sensitive economy. And: a special secret guest. I NEED GOOOOOLD!
Enjoy a bite size episode about a special fish in the Massachusetts State House. Listen to guaranteed evidence that we're all goddamn crazies around here.
Olmecs? Toltecs? Aztecs? Who the heck are all these ‘ecs?! Find out today about these people, their sports, their sacrifices – and learn to love again.
Rich people. Who are they? And how did the get that way? Caleb, Mike, and Terry give you the deets. Also: labor unions, locusts, and Liberace.
Let's discover how the Second Great Awakening defined the character of the American religious experience. And also, how to trick people into letting you bang their wives and daughters.
From Angkor Wat through French-Indochina, the Khmer Rouge, and Civilization IV. Caleb, Mike, and Terry delve into some wonderful and terrible things that happened in Cambodia over the course of many years.
In this episode, Caleb, Mike, and Terry discuss 5000 amazing years in the cradle of civilization.
In this episode, Caleb, Mike, and Terry discuss 5000 amazing years in the cradle of civilization.
It's been a long week in Boston, the place which Caleb, Mike, and Terry call home. They discuss the bombing at the Boston Marathon and the events of the days following, as well as their experiences at the time and their reflections on the aftermath.
In this episode, Caleb, Mike, and Terry discuss the French Revolution. Get that brie to room temperature, 'cause heads'll roll!
With their tanks, and their bombs, and their bombs, and their guns... Man, it was exhausting in Northern Ireland for a couple of decades. Find out about the involvement of the IRA, the Ulster Volunteer Force, and Margaret Thatcher in the ethno-nationalist conflict known as The Troubles. Oh, wait... It looks like the podcast has been cancelled to make way for an Apprentice Boys of Derry March. Son of a...
Before it was the Picasso painting, it was a horrible atrocity committed during the Spanish Civil War! Find out about the Republicans, the Nationalists, and all their friends in a conflict that Francisco Franco called, "A Triumph! Four stars!"
The causes, the revolution, the rise and fall of a great social experiment, as well as a recipe for a smashing soft drink. All this and more in our episode on the Soviet Union.
Through! Tough! How can these two words be in the same language? Find out in today's episode of History Lessons. Beowulf!!
In this debut, three pals embark on their journey of historical enlightenment by beginning in their humble home: Boston, the Athens of America. With a special emphasis on the tourism industry, which some of the boys know intimately!