pplpod
pplpod is a podcast about people, places and lots of other stuff. Each episode takes a deep dive into the lives, choices, and legacies of fascinating figures from history, culture, music, and beyond. From icons who shaped entire generations to hidden stories that deserve the spotlight, pplpod brings you closer to the people behind the headlines and the legends. Thoughtful, engaging, and story-driven, pplpod explores what makes these lives extraordinary—and what we can learn from them today.
Episodes
Why Napoleon Lost at Waterloo
Why Napoleon Lost at Waterloo
Why Modern Armies Still Use Trebuchets
Why Modern Armies Still Use Trebuchets
Why Janissaries Threw Fruit at Lepanto
Why Janissaries Threw Fruit at Lepanto
Why Germany Lost the Marne
Why Germany Lost the Marne
Why Geography Made Orléans a Constant Battlefield
Why Geography Made Orléans a Constant Battlefield
Why Empires Lose to Guerrilla Warfare
Why Empires Lose to Guerrilla Warfare
Why Custer Failed at Little Bighorn
Why Custer Failed at Little Bighorn
Why Crusaders Sacked Constantinople
Why Crusaders Sacked Constantinople
Why Blitzkrieg Never Actually Existed
Why Blitzkrieg Never Actually Existed
Why Bayonets Were a Psychological Weapon
Why Bayonets Were a Psychological Weapon
Why Baghdad Fell to the Mongols
Why Baghdad Fell to the Mongols
Why Armies Burn Their Own Land
Why Armies Burn Their Own Land
Why Alaric Really Sacked Rome
Why Alaric Really Sacked Rome
Why Aetius Spared Attila the Hun
Why Aetius Spared Attila the Hun
What Really Defeated the Spanish Armada
What Really Defeated the Spanish Armada
What History Got Wrong About Talas
What History Got Wrong About Talas
What Doomed the Light Brigade
What Doomed the Light Brigade
What Cinco de Mayo Really Celebrates
What Cinco de Mayo Really Celebrates
Wellington's Greatest Victory at Assaye
Wellington's Greatest Victory at Assaye
Weaponizing the Fifth Column
Weaponizing the Fifth Column
Thutmose III and the Real Armageddon
Thutmose III and the Real Armageddon
The Warrior King Behind the Tudor Myth
The Warrior King Behind the Tudor Myth
The WWI Paris Gun That Reached Space
The WWI Paris Gun That Reached Space
The Truth Behind the Spartan Mirage
The Truth Behind the Spartan Mirage
The True History of Persian Immortals
The True History of Persian Immortals
The Tragic Inventor of Kriegsspiel
The Tragic Inventor of Kriegsspiel
The Sixty Minute Battle for Quebec
The Sixty Minute Battle for Quebec
The Rise and Fall of War Elephants
The Rise and Fall of War Elephants
The Real Mercenary Behind El Cid
The Real Mercenary Behind El Cid
The Real History of William Wallace
The Real History of William Wallace
The Real History of Japan's Shinobi
The Real History of Japan's Shinobi
The Physics of Two Mile Shots
The Physics of Two Mile Shots
The Myth of Spain's Reconquista
The Myth of Spain's Reconquista
The Myth of Korea's Ironclad Turtle Ship
The Myth of Korea's Ironclad Turtle Ship
The Myth of Alexander Nevsky's Ice Battle
The Myth of Alexander Nevsky's Ice Battle
The Military Genius of General Belisarius
The Military Genius of General Belisarius
The Lawyer Who Led the Lost Battalion
The Lawyer Who Led the Lost Battalion
The Industrial Slaughter at Omdurman
The Industrial Slaughter at Omdurman
The Hidden Brain Damage of Shell Shock
The Hidden Brain Damage of Shell Shock
The Harlem Hellfighters Battle for America
The Harlem Hellfighters Battle for America
The Fire Ships of Red Cliffs
The Fire Ships of Red Cliffs
The Evolution of False Flags
The Evolution of False Flags
The Deadly Deception of the 1918 Armistice
The Deadly Deception of the 1918 Armistice
The Byzantine Emperor's Viking Bodyguards
The Byzantine Emperor's Viking Bodyguards
The Brutal Reality of Henry V
The Brutal Reality of Henry V
The Brutal Mechanics of Roman Legions
The Brutal Mechanics of Roman Legions
The Brutal History of Decimation
The Brutal History of Decimation
The Botched Retreat That Saved Greece
The Botched Retreat That Saved Greece
The Bodyguards Who Auctioned Rome
The Bodyguards Who Auctioned Rome
The Bloody Battle of Towton
The Bloody Battle of Towton
The Blood and Mud of Passchendaele
The Blood and Mud of Passchendaele
The Betrayal That Doomed Emperor Romanos
The Betrayal That Doomed Emperor Romanos
The Art and Science of Military Camouflage
The Art and Science of Military Camouflage
The Alamo Was a Tactical Disaster
The Alamo Was a Tactical Disaster
The Absurd 1784 Kettle War
The Absurd 1784 Kettle War
The 335 Year Bloodless War
The 335 Year Bloodless War
The 21-Year Siege of Candia
The 21-Year Siege of Candia
Subutai the Genius Behind Mongol Conquests
Subutai the Genius Behind Mongol Conquests
Napoleon's Fatal Victory at Borodino
Napoleon's Fatal Victory at Borodino
Medals of Honor at Wounded Knee
Medals of Honor at Wounded Knee
Korea's Undefeated Admiral Betrayed By His King
Korea's Undefeated Admiral Betrayed By His King
King Pyrrhus and the Pyrrhic Victory
King Pyrrhus and the Pyrrhic Victory
King Harold's Forgotten Victory at Stamford Bridge
King Harold's Forgotten Victory at Stamford Bridge
Julius Caesars Double Siege at Alesia
Julius Caesars Double Siege at Alesia
Inside the Brutal Spartan Agoge
Inside the Brutal Spartan Agoge
How the Treaty of Versailles Backfired
How the Treaty of Versailles Backfired
How the Spartan Calendar Doomed Thermopylae
How the Spartan Calendar Doomed Thermopylae
How the Somme Reshaped Modern Warfare
How the Somme Reshaped Modern Warfare
How the Siege of Mafeking Created Scouting
How the Siege of Mafeking Created Scouting
How the Peninsular War Destroyed Napoleon
How the Peninsular War Destroyed Napoleon
How the Maxim Gun Reshaped Warfare
How the Maxim Gun Reshaped Warfare
How the Hundred Years War Ended Feudalism
How the Hundred Years War Ended Feudalism
How the Goths Defeated Rome at Adrianople
How the Goths Defeated Rome at Adrianople
How the French Revolution Invented Conscription
How the French Revolution Invented Conscription
How the French Foreign Legion Erases Identity
How the French Foreign Legion Erases Identity
How the English Longbow Deformed Archers
How the English Longbow Deformed Archers
How the Crimean War Forged Modern Warfare
How the Crimean War Forged Modern Warfare
How the Boxer Rebellion Shattered Imperial China
How the Boxer Rebellion Shattered Imperial China
How the Boshin War Forged Modern Japan
How the Boshin War Forged Modern Japan
How the Black Prince Captured France's King
How the Black Prince Captured France's King
