History on Fire

[RERUN] EPISODE 86: The French Wars of Religion May 18, 2026 6201 “Nation… a term inherently so vague and so contradictory that it must always be taken in a mystic sense, as meaning whatever the ruling classes hold it convenient to mean at the moment.” Lewis Mumford This is a story about politics, faith, paranoia, betrayal and conspiracy theories. More specifically, this is about the origin of the French wars of religion. In this episode, we play with Martin Lu

EPISODE 118: Woe to the Vanquished Apr 20, 2026 6015 “Everything resounded with the confused noise of terrifying threats and shrieks of despairing anguish blended with the wailing of women and children.” - Livy Later this year, I will launch a podcast that will run separately from History on Fire, and it will be entirely dedicated to Roman history. Today, I’ll give you a little taste of what’s coming up. In this episode, I’ll share with you a tale

EPISODE 117: The Amistad Rebellion Mar 16, 2026 5452 This story has everything. Raids to enslave people. A bloody rebellion at sea. Piracy. A diplomatic crisis pitting Spain, the United States and England at odds with each other. High stakes courtroom drama which sparked intense clashes between abolitionists and cheerleaders of slavery. Some of the most powerful people in the world debating the pros and cons of the case, including government officia

[RERUN] EPISODE 84: History and Video Games Feb 16, 2026 8308 “We don’t need anyone to tell us what to do; not Savonarola, not the Medici. We are free to follow our own path. There are those who will take that freedom from us, and too many of you gladly give it. But it is our ability to choose—whatever you think it is true—that makes us human… There is no book or teacher to give you the answers, to show you the path. Choose your own way! Do not follow me, or

EPISODE 116: The Daring Ones - The Arditi in WWI Jan 19, 2026 7302 “Se non ci conoscete, guardateci i coglioni, siamo gli Arditi del Capitan Mattioni.” Arditi song The Italian Army during WWI was not exactly a well-oiled military machine. In terms of supplies, logistics and leadership, it was a disaster… that is, until someone came up with an idea that didn’t rely on supplies, or advanced technologies. Just a stupid degree of bravery. That was the formula behin

[RERUN] EPISODE 83: From Slavery to Boxing: The Story of Bill Richmond Dec 15, 2025 7195 “Every talent must unfold itself in fighting.” Friedrich Nietzsche “Boxing inhabits a sacred space predating civilization; or, to use D.H. Lawrence’s phrase, before God was love.” Joyce Carol Oates Stories that begin with slavery rarely end in happiness. I’m a huge fan of celebrating individual achievements in the face of terrible circumstances, but the reality is that the cards you are handed

EPISODE 115: Us vs. Them Nov 17, 2025 5037 “I love people as I meet them one by one. People are just wonderful as individuals. You see the whole universe in their eyes if you look carefully. But as soon as they begin to group, as soon as they begin to clot, when there are five of them or ten or even groups of smallest two, they begin to change, they sacrifice the beauty of the individual for the sake of the group… Cause pretty soon they ha

Listen Now: American History Tellers | The Mayflower Nov 10, 2025 224 The Cold War, Prohibition, the Gold Rush, the Space Race. Every part of your life - the words you speak, the ideas you share - can be traced to our history, but how well do you really know the stories that made America? We'll take you to the events, the times and the people that shaped our nation. And we'll show you how our history affected them, their families and affects you today. Hosted by

[RERUN] EPISODE 82: The Other 300 (Part 2) Nov 3, 2025 6321 “Take me back to the quarries.” Philoxenus “Pelopidas died as he’d lived, a freedom fighter who rushed fearlessly into the fray.” James Romm “As one approaches Chaeronea, there is a tomb of the Thebans who died in the battle with Philip. No inscription adorns it, but a monument stands over it in the form of a lion, the best emblem of the spirit of those men. It seems to me the inscription is lac

[RERUN] EPISODE 81: The Other 300 (Part 1) Oct 20, 2025 7463 “There was no uproar, and no silence either, but that certain type of noise that results from anger and battle. Clashing shield on shield, they were shoving, fighting, killing, dying.” Xenophon “Pelopidas, after receiving seven wounds in front, sank down upon a great heap of friends and enemies who lay dead together; but Epaminondas, although he thought him lifeless, stood forth to defend his bod

EPISODE 114: The Years of Lead: Piazza Fontana Sep 15, 2025 4847 “With P2, we had Italy in our hands. The Army, the Guardia di Finanzia, the police… they were all ruled by our members.” - Licio Gelli “Every week the streets of Milan were the theater of demonstrations, and were lit up by the fires of Molotov cocktails.” - Guido Passalacqua My childhood took place at a time known in Italy as The Years of Lead. It was a time of tear gas, terrorist attacks, fals

EPISODE 113: Rome’s Forgotten Guerrilla Master Aug 18, 2025 5944 “For many of those for whom there is no light at the end of the tunnel, the story of Sertorius should be an example and an inspiration.” - Philip Matyszak Here’s the tale of one of Rome’s greatest and least known generals. A master of guerrilla warfare, he defeated many legions sent after him, and even outclassed Pompey the Great. His story is about the defiance that makes a man stand in the face

[RERUN] EPISODE 80: The Patriotic Mobsters Jul 21, 2025 7654 “Lucky will not be pleased to hear that you have not been helpful.” - Joe Adonis “The outcome of the war appeared extremely grave. In addition, there was the most serious concern over possible sabotage in the ports. It was necessary to use every possible means to prevent and forestall sabotage and to prevent the possible supplying of and contact with enemy submarines.” - Captain Roscoe C. MacFal

EPISODE 112: Historical Daddy Issues Jun 16, 2025 6000 “The thought of him now and always has been a sense of comfort. I could breathe, I could sleep, when he had me in his arms. My father—he got me breath, he got me lungs, strength—life… The best I ever knew. He combined strength and courage with gentleness, tenderness and great unselfishness.” - Theodore Roosevelt about his father. Since my daughter was born, I have been trying my best to be as goo

[RERUN] EPISODE 79: Slavery Jun 2, 2025 7403 It was only a few generations ago when large numbers of people in United States saw nothing wrong with the notion of buying, selling and owning human beings. Weirder yet, some slave owners were masters in the mental gymnastics required to feel morally justified in enslaving members of their own families, including their own children. In this episode, I am joined by Darryl Cooper from The Martyrmad

EPISODE 111: When Monsters Choose War May 19, 2025 4219 “It is our belief that Saddam wishes to return Islam to blasphemy and polytheism...if America becomes victorious...and grants victory to Saddam, Islam will receive such a blow that it will not be able to raise its head for a long time...The issue is one of Islam versus blasphemy, and not of Iran versus Iraq.” - Ayatollah Khomeini "We do not repent, nor are we sorry for even a single moment for

[RERUN] EPISODE 76: Poets and Pirates, Sex and Drugs, Love and Music: D’Annunzio and L’Impresa di Fiume (Part 2) Apr 21, 2025 5357 “I am beyond Right and Left, just as I am beyond good and evil… I am a man devoted to life, not to formulas.” - Gabriele D’Annunzio “We are the only Italians worthy of being called Italians.” - Gabriele D’Annunzio This is the tale of one of the cultural-political experiments in modern history. The brutal end of WWI left many Italian soldiers dissatisfied, since the Allies refuse to grant them

Poets and Pirates, Sex and Drugs, Love and Music: D’Annunzio and L’Impresa di Fiume (Part 1) Mar 17, 2025 5720 “We heard that D’Annunzio was coming, and Italy and freedom were coming with him.” - Anonymous Italian citizen of Fiume “The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom.” - William Blake “Legionaries adore him. The men from the palace fear him. Little kids think he’s the devil.” - Leon Kochnitzky about Guido Keller This is the tale of one of the weirdest cultural-political experiments in

EPISODE 110: A Tale of Two Saints, St. Francis and Drukpa Kunley Feb 17, 2025 6099 “What are servants of God good for, if not for moving the hearts of men and elevating them to spiritual joy?” - St. Francis “I’ve come to help you all. Where can I find the best beer and the most beautiful women?” - Drukpa Kunley “I tried going to hell, but the path there was so packed with hypocritical priests that I had to turn back.” - Drukpa Kunley For once, here’s an episode about in

[RERUN] EPISODE 74: The Life of Marcus Aurelius (Part 2): Stoicism, Pandemic and War Feb 3, 2025 9248 “No matter how big a guy might be, Nicky would take him on. You beat Nicky with fists, he comes back with a bat. You beat him with a knife, he comes back with a gun. And you beat him with a gun, you better kill him, because he'll keep comin' back and back until one of you is dead.” - From the film Casino “The condition of the people was pitiable to behold. They sickened by the thousands daily a

[RERUN] EPISODE 73: The Life of Marcus Aurelius (Part 1): Stoicism, Pandemic and War Jan 20, 2025 5828 “Rise up and do battle.” - Homer “Discipline is freedom, and the companion to imagination. Discipline makes it possible for you to become whatever you want to be.” - Deng Ming Dao Marcus Aurelius would have loved nothing better than studying philosophy for the rest of his days. Instead, destiny chose him to be the head of the Roman Empire. As a philosopher-emperor, Marcus turned to Stoicism

EPISODE 109: The Mesoamerican Godfather Dec 16, 2024 7308 “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer” - Mario Puzo “Grant me revenge!” from Conan the Barbarian, 1982 “I am immortal” - Nezahualcoyotl I originally created this episode years ago, as I was researching the Spaniards’ invasion of the Mexica (aka Aztec) empire, when I run into this little nugget of a story, which predates the arrival of the Spaniards. This is the first time this

EPISODE 108: Tattooed Headhunters of the Steppes Nov 18, 2024 6856 "Barbarism is the natural state of mankind… Civilization is unnatural. It is a whim of circumstance. And barbarism must always ultimately triumph." - Robert E Howard “Becoming a barbarian was often a bid to improve one’s lot.” - James C. Scott “We are riders; our business is with the bow and the spear, and we know nothing of women’s work. But in your country no woman has anything to do with

[RERUN] EPISODE 72: John Brown (Part 3): Violent Delights, Violent Ends Oct 21, 2024 8515 “I, John Brown, am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away but with blood.” - John Brown “If you seek my blood, you can have it at any moment without the mockery of a trial.” - John Brown “John Brown, and a thousand John Browns, can invade us, and the Government will not protect us. To secure our rights and protect our honor we will dissever the ties

[RERUN] EPISODE 71: John Brown (Part 2): A Reckoning in Blood Sep 23, 2024 7466 “I think he [God] has used me as an instrument to kill men; and if I live, I think he will use me as an instrument to kill a good many more.” — John Brown “I had reached the point at which I was not afraid to die. This spirit made me a freeman in fact, while I remained a slave in form.” — Frederick Douglass “I have only a short time to live, only death to die and I will die fighting for th

[RERUN] EPISODE 70: John Brown (Part 1): Heartbreak & Slavery Sep 9, 2024 5094 In this first episode of a three-part series, we’ll introduce the early part of John Brown’s life and his crusade against slavery. Among today’s topics, we’ll have the ethics of punching a Nazi, how the beating of an enslaved child set Brown on his path, how both pro and anti-slavery forces used Christianity to justify their stances, racism masquerading as philanthropy, the Nat Turner rebellion, g

EPISODE 107: The Forge of the Samurai: The Genpei War Part 2 Aug 26, 2024 5777 “This is how 70,000 horsemen of the Taira died, buried in this one deep valley; the mountain creeks ran red with their blood and the mound of their corpses was like a small hill.” - The Tale of the Heike “Tomoe had long black hair and a fair complexion, and her face was very lovely; but she was also a fearless rider, who could not be thrown by neither the fiercest horse nor the roughest ground;

EPISODE 106: The Forge of the Samurai: The Genpei War Part 1 Jul 30, 2024 5075 “The sound of the Gion Shoja bells echoes the impermanence of all things; the color of the sala flowers reveals the truth that the prosperous must decline. The proud do not endure, they are like a dream on a spring night; the mighty fall at last, they are as dust before the wind.” - The Tale of the Heike “When you grow up, if you still feel raw about it, I'll be waiting.” - Kill Bill "Let th

[RERUN] EPISODE 69: Capturing Mussolini Jun 17, 2024 7341 “He must be handed over to a tribunal of the people so it can judge him quickly. We want this, even though we think an execution platoon is too much of an honor for this man. He would deserve to be killed like a mangy dog.” - Future Italian President Sandro Pertini about Benito Mussolini “The world unfortunately continues to be a battlefield where different egos clash, repeating the mistakes of

[RERUN] EPISODE 68: My Grandma and Her Bombs: A Story of WWII May 20, 2024 6702 “Women must obey… My opinion of women’s role within the state is against any kind of feminism. In our state, women must not count.” - Benito Mussolini “Yes, I participated in the actions. I usually had the task of carrying the weapons and would hand them to our shooters. As soon as they had used them, I’d get them back from them—still hot.” - Liana Germani “I was mostly afraid of torture had

[RERUN] EPISODE 66: Sex in Ancient Rome Apr 22, 2024 8004 “From an author’s perspective, writing about sex is risky, because if you write well enough, evocatively enough, vividly enough, you make the reader want to put the book aside and go get laid.” - Tom Robbins “Let's live and love, Caring less than nothing for The moralizing of stern old men. The sun sets and rises back again, But an eternal night of sleep awaits us When our brief light turn

EPISODE 105: Rationalizing Evil in El Salvador Mar 25, 2024 5049 “I didn’t know what to do. They were killing my children. I knew that If I went back there to help my children I would be cut to pieces. But I couldn’t stand to hear it, I couldn’t bear it. I was afraid that I would cry out, that I would scream, that I would be crazy. I couldn’t stand it, and I prayed God to help me.” Rufina Amaya “In El Salvador the rich and powerful have systematically defrau

EPISODE 104: The Saint and the Death Squads Feb 13, 2024 6015 “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter he kingdom of God.” Matthew 19: 24 "And the great owners, who must lose their land in an upheaval, the great owners with access to history, with eyes to read history and to know the great fact: when property accumulates in too few hands it is taken away. And that companion fact: when a majority of the peo

[RERUN] EPISODE 65: The Taiping Rebellion (Part 3): A River of Death Jan 15, 2024 8748 “Everywhere in southern Anhui they are eating people.” Zeng Guofan “Infants but recently born were torn from their mother’s breasts, and disemboweled before their faces. Young strong men were disemboweled, mutilated, and the parts cut off thrust into their own mouths…” A British testimony on the Qing treatment of POWs If I were to ask you which is the deadliest conflict in history, you’d pro

[RERUN] EPISODE 64: The Taiping Rebellion (Part 2): Jesus’ Chinese Younger Brother Dec 4, 2023 8212 “Is not this insurgent movement truly wonderful? These rebels keep Sabbath as we do, they pray to God daily, they read the Scriptures, they break the idols, and they long for the time when, instead of those heathen temples, they shall have Christian chapels, and worship together with us… is it not a remarkable era in China?” A Christian missionary wife about the Taiping Rebellion “Jesus our Elder

[RERUN] EPISODE 63: The Taiping Rebellion (Part 1): Drug Dealers and Visionaries Nov 20, 2023 5376 “The entire story of the Taiping Rebellion might be told, from one perspective, as the rage of a failed exam candidate writ large.” Stephen Platt “They may not intend to harm others on purpose, but the fact remains that they are so obsessed with material gain that they have no concern whatever for the harm they can cause to others.” Lin Zexu about British opium traders “Heaven is furious with a

EPISODE 103: The Lone Samurai, Miyamoto Musashi (Part 2) Nov 6, 2023 8217 “If you know the way broadly you will see it in everything.” Miyamoto Musashi 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

EPISODE 102: The Lone Samurai, Miyamoto Musashi (Part 1) Oct 9, 2023 6324 “All warfare is based on deception.” Sun Tzu 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

EPISODE 101: The History Behind Killers of the Flower Moon Sep 11, 2023 5113 “But the years of peace and plenty was not to last. Slowly the days turned sour and the watchful nights closed in. Thrór's love of gold grown too fierce and sickness had begun to grow within him. It was a sickness of the mind. And where sickness thrives, bad things will follow...” JRR Tolkien “The more White investigated the flow of oil money from Osage headrights, the more he found layer upon la

[RERUN] EPISODE 62: Plagues, Mystery and Dancing Aug 14, 2023 6711 “The universities do not teach all things, so a doctor must seek out old wives, gypsies, sorcerers, wandering tribes, old robbers, and such outlaws and take lessons from them. A doctor must be a traveler… Knowledge is experience.” Paracelsus “They indulged in disgraceful immodesty, for many women, during this shameless dance and mock-bridal singing, bared their bosoms, while others of their own

[RERUN] EPISODE 61: Raiders in the Night Jul 3, 2023 8313 “Never in history had the United States Army been called on to rescue such a large number of POWs from so deep in enemy territory.” William Breuer “We were in the best shape of our lives, and with this mission we understood why he had driven us so hard.” Alvie Robbins speaking about Henry Mucci’s physical training “As far as we were concerned, they were gods.” Bob Body about the Rangers who res

EPISODE 100: Thug Life, Benvenuto Cellini (Part 2) Jun 19, 2023 7065 “Brother, this is the greatest sorrow and the greatest trial that could happen to me in the whole course of my life. But don’t despair; before you lose sight of him who did the mischief, you shall see yourself revenged by my hand.” Benvenuto Cellini “Folk too gathered round us, for it had become clear that our words meant swords and daggers.” Benvenuto Cellini Italian artists from the Renaissan

EPISODE 99: Thug Life: Benvenuto Cellini (Part 1) Jun 5, 2023 6986 “If one of you comes out of the shop, let the other run for a priest, because there’ll be no need for a doctor.” Benvenuto Cellini “The whole world was now in warfare.” Benvenuto Cellini “And then falling on my knees, I begged him to absolve me of that homicide, and of the others I had committed while serving the Church in the castle. At this the Pope raised his hand, carefully made a great sign

[RERUN] EPISODE 60: Fear and Loathing in Mongolia (Part 2) May 22, 2023 6711 “On these hills, where everywhere were rolling skulls, skeletons, and decaying body parts, Baron Ungern used to like to go to rest.” One of Ungern-Sternberg’s officers “Look at [Europe's] past full of fire and blood and the vicious, savage struggle of man against God. The West has given man science, wisdom, and power, yet it has also brought godlessness, immorality, treason, the abnegation of tru

[RERUN] EPISODE 59: Fear and Loathing in Mongolia (Part 1) May 8, 2023 7035 “My name is surrounded with such hate and fear that no one can judge what is the truth and what is false, what is history, and what is myth.” Roman von Ungern-Sternberg “Ungern had fused with the war, and equally, the war, in turn, had fused with him.” Willard Sunderland A recurring thread in History on Fire episodes is my soft spot for individuals who are mildly mentally deranged, but have so

EPISODE 98: Machine Gun Blues Apr 24, 2023 6167 “Most people go through life thinking they’re totally safe. People like us, we know the truth. Life is hard and dangerous, and sometimes you just got to chop off somebody’s head to survive.” Ash vs. Evil Dead “No friend ever served me, and no enemy ever wronged me, whom I have not repaid in full.” Lucius Cornelius Sulla “Around four o’clock on that Monday afternoon of the thirteenth, with a li

[RERUN] EPISODE 58 Sitting Bull: Wounded Knee (Part 5) Mar 31, 2023 10744 “There a papoose cries by its mother’s breast which, cold and insensible, can nourish it no more; there lies a young girl with her long hair sticky of blood, hiding her mutilated face… And here—here rests the beautiful young squaw whom yesterday I offered a cigarette—dying, with both her legs shot off. She lies there without wailing and greets me with a faint smile on her pale lips.” First Sergean

[RERUN] EPISODE 57 Sitting Bull: Compulsory Civilization with a Side of Murder (Part 4) Mar 14, 2023 5830 “Sent to report on a story that wasn’t there, reporters invented one.” Heather Cox Richardson “Lakota will kill you.” A meadowlark speaking to Sitting Bull in a vision “If the white men want me to die, they ought not to put up the Indians to kill me… Let the soldiers come and take me away and kill me, wherever they like. I am not afraid. I was born a warrior.” Sitting Bull In historical ter

[RERUN] EPISODE 56 Sitting Bull: Compulsory Civilization with a Side of Murder (Part 3) Feb 28, 2023 10497 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

[RERUN] EPISODE 55 Sitting Bull (Part 2) Feb 16, 2023 6697 “I don’t want to have anything to do with people who make one carry water on the shoulders and haul manure. You are fools to make yourselves slaves to a piece of fat bacon, some hardtack, and a little sugar and coffee. The whites may get me at last, but I will have good times till then.” Sitting Bull “Let me live deep while I live.” Robert E. Howard “Were I to run away from the enemy, no one wi

[RERUN] EPISODE 54 Sitting Bull (Part 1) Jan 30, 2023 7397 “Sitting Bull, leader of the largest Indian nation on the continent, the strongest, boldest, most stubborn opponent of European influence, was the very heart and soul of the Frontier. When the true history of the New World is written, he will receive his chapter. For Sitting Bull was one of the Makers of America.” Stanley Vestal “If you intend to do this for my sake, take good care of them and le

EPISODE 97: The Psychology of Power in History: A Conversation with Aziz Al-Doory Jan 16, 2023 7239 “…we venerate the crooks, rapists, and pillagers credulous historians have repackaged as ‘founders,’ ‘conquerors,’ and ‘civilize.’ We erect statues and consecrate tombs to commemorate their difference-making. But in fact, most of these monuments memorialize the dark deeds of unhinged lunatics driven by rampant ego and raving greed… most of the supposed ‘great men of history’ were criminals on a ra

[RERUN] EPISODE 51: A Life for a Whistle: Emmett Till and the Birth of the Civil Rights Movement Dec 20, 2022 6616 “Until the philosophy Which hold one race superior and another Inferior Is finally And permanently Discredited And abandoned Everywhere is war” Bob Marley, War, inspired by a speech by Haile Selassie “Emmett Till is dead and gone… Why can’t people leave the dead alone and quit trying to stir things up?” Roy Bryant “I think black peoples' reaction was so visceral. Everybody knew we were under a

EPISODE 96: The Wildest Man You Have Never Heard Of: Thomas Morton Dec 6, 2022 8996 “The Puritans feared that which was undomesticated.” Jeff Hendricks “Our earliest American heroes were Morton’s oppressors, Endicott, Bradford, Miles Standish. Merry Mount’s been expunged from the official version because it’s the story not of a virtuous utopia but of a utopia of candor. Yet it’s Morton whose face should be carved in Mount Rushmore.” Philip Roth “He held out the promise of Ameri

[RERUN] EPISODE 50 Philosophers and Thugs: Jigoro Kano (Part 2) Nov 23, 2022 8683 “I teach Kodokan judo as a way of life.” Jigoro Kano “Even though he was drunker than usual, Saigo came to the driver’s aid. The burly sailors laughed out loud: “Scram, midget!” Much to their great surprise and considerable pain, in a flash, the pocket Hercules subsequently hurled each of them into the river.” John Stevens “I have not been able to transmit my ideals to many students, and there a

[RERUN] EPISODE 49 The Father of Martial Arts: Jigoro Kano (Part 1) Nov 7, 2022 6653 “It was a period of stupendous change and immense challenge; the entire social, political, and economic landscape of Japan would be transformed within a few decades. Just as this new era was dawning in Japan, Jigoro Kano was born, on October 28, 1860.” John Stevens “In my childhood, I had heard that there was a thing called jujutsu thanks to which even a weak person could defeat a strong person.

EPISODE 95: Tom Le Forge: The Real Dances with Wolves Oct 24, 2022 6382 “The adopted father gave away many presents to the people, and these in turn gave presents to me. Thus I became a Crow Indian, a brother of Three Irons and a son of Yellow Leggings, who was a leading counselor of Blackbird, chief of the Mountain Crow tribe.” Tom Le Forge “Cherry was utterly cool… under fire. She was as brave as the bravest. She liked to sing and pray, she was jolly and amiable, b

[RERUN] EPISODE 48: Give Me Back My Legions! (Part 2) Oct 10, 2022 7176 “In order to depict a battle, there is required one of those powerful painters who have chaos in their brushes” Victor Hugo “Inconceivable!” From The Princess Bride A little over 2,000 years ago, Rome was a well-oiled war machine crushing everything in its path. At that time, the Roman legions were the most deadly military force in the Western world, and possibly in the whole world. Every year,

EPISODE 94: The Last War Chief Sep 24, 2022 9266 “Reflecting upon the chiefs I had known, I realized that here had never been one who was very well off. Poverty was part of a chief’s obligations…” Frank Bird Linderman Plenty Coups “While we painted ourselves the drums kept beating, and our women sang war-songs. No man can feel himself a coward at such a time. Every man that lives will welcome battle while brave men and women sing war-songs. I

EPISODE 93: The Beast of Gevaudan Aug 17, 2022 5537 “This animal is a monster whose father is a lion; it remains open what the mother is.” Jean-Baptiste Boulanger Duhamel “I would be tempted to imagine that we are dealing with a witch, or the devil in person, if only I could believe it.” Jean-Baptiste Boulanger Duhamel It’s the 1760s, in the Gevaudan area of South Central France. Imagine being a kid. Maybe 12 years old. Maybe as young as 8. Y

EPISODE 92: Jujitsuffragettes With Attitude Jul 15, 2022 9016 “…a mad, wicked folly…” Queen Victoria about the notion of women having the right to vote “When I watched a policeman fell a girl to the ground and kick her across the platform, my only regret was that I had no weapon with which to strike him an effective blow.” Eunice G. Murray “£100 to any man who can defeat him. Notwithstanding the physical disadvantages against heavier men (for Tani weighs

EPISODE 85: The Siege That Changed All of History Jan 18, 2022 9293 “I cut off their heads. I burned them with fire. With their blood I dyed the mountain red like red wool. Men I impaled on stakes. The city I destroyed, devastated… the young men and maidens I burned in the fire.” Ashurnairpal II “I filled the wide plain with the corpses of his warriors…. These [rebels] I impaled on stakes. …A pyramid of heads I erected in front of the city.” Salmaneser III “Don

EPISODE 78: Bruce Lee (Part 2) Jan 17, 2022 9137 “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 “1. Research your own experience. 2. Absorb what is useful. 3. Reject what is useless. 4. Add what is specifically your own.”

EPISODE 77: Bruce Lee (Part 1) Jan 17, 2022 8347 “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 sai

EPISODE 72: John Brown (Part 3): Violent Delights, Violent Ends Mar 26, 2021 8259 “I, John Brown, am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away but with blood.” John Brown “If you seek my blood, you can have it at any moment without the mockery of a trial.” John Brown “John Brown, and a thousand John Browns, can invade us, and the Government will not protect us. To secure our rights and protect our honor we will dissever the ties that b

EPISODE 71: John Brown (Part 2): A Reckoning in Blood Mar 26, 2021 7250 “I think he [God] has used me as an instrument to kill men; and if I live, I think he will use me as an instrument to kill a good many more.” John Brown “I had reached the point at which I was not afraid to die. This spirit made me a freeman in fact, while I remained a slave in form.” Frederick Douglass “I have only a short time to live, only death to die and I will die fighting for this caus

EPISODE 70: John Brown (Part 1): Heartbreak & Slavery Mar 26, 2021 5008 “You know what John Brown did? He went to war. He was a white man who went to war against white people to help free slaves. White people call John Brown a nut. Go read the history, go read what all of them say about John Brown. They’re trying to make it look like he was a nut, a fanatic… But they depict him in this image because he was willing to shed blood to free the slaves. And any white man wh

EPISODE 69: Capturing Mussolini Mar 26, 2021 7017 “He must be handed over to a tribunal of the people so it can judge him quickly. We want this, even though we think an execution platoon is too much of an honor for this man. He would deserve to be killed like a mangy dog.” Future Italian President Sandro Pertini about Benito Mussolini “The world unfortunately continues to be a battlefield where different egos clash, repeating the mistakes of the

EPISODE 68: My Grandma and Her Bombs: A Story of WWII Oct 4, 2020 6495 “Women must obey… My opinion of women’s role within the state is against any kind of feminism. In our state, women must not count.” Benito Mussolini “Yes, I participated in the actions. I usually had the task of carrying the weapons and would hand them to our shooters. As soon as they had used them, I’d get them back from them—still hot.” Liana Germani “I was mostly afraid of torture had they ca

EPISODE 67: Ripples of History Sep 13, 2020 10652 “If I knew the way, I would take you home.” From the song Ripple by the Grateful Dead “The only thing that will redeem mankind is cooperation.” Bertrand Russell “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.” Michael Jordan “A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” Tao Te Ching In most fields, we are taught that people in your same profession are your compe

EPISODE 66: Sex in Ancient Rome Sep 6, 2020 7860 “From an author’s perspective, writing about sex is risky, because if you write well enough, evocatively enough, vividly enough, you make the reader want to put the book aside and go get laid.” Tom Robbins “Let's live and love, Caring less than nothing for The moralizing of stern old men. The sun sets and rises back again, But an eternal night of sleep awaits us When our brief light turns to dark

EPISODE 65: The Taiping Rebellion (Part 3): A River of Death Sep 5, 2020 8527 “Everywhere in southern Anhui they are eating people.” Zeng Guofan “Infants but recently born were torn from their mother’s breasts, and disemboweled before their faces. Young strong men were disemboweled, mutilated, and the parts cut off thrust into their own mouths…” A British testimony on the Qing treatment of POWs If I were to ask you which is the deadliest conflict in history, you’d probabl

EPISODE 64: The Taiping Rebellion (Part 2): Jesus’ Chinese Younger Brother Sep 5, 2020 8004 “Is not this insurgent movement truly wonderful? These rebels keep Sabbath as we do, they pray to God daily, they read the Scriptures, they break the idols, and they long for the time when, instead of those heathen temples, they shall have Christian chapels, and worship together with us… is it not a remarkable era in China?” A Christian missionary wife about the Taiping Rebellion “Jesus our Elder

EPISODE 63: The Taiping Rebellion (Part 1): Drug Dealers and Visionaries Sep 5, 2020 5143 “The entire story of the Taiping Rebellion might be told, from one perspective, as the rage of a failed exam candidate writ large.” Stephen Platt “They may not intend to harm others on purpose, but the fact remains that they are so obsessed with material gain that they have no concern whatever for the harm they can cause to others.” Lin Zexu about British opium traders “Heaven is furious with a

EPISODE 62: Plagues, Mystery and Dancing Sep 5, 2020 6425 “The universities do not teach all things, so a doctor must seek out old wives, gypsies, sorcerers, wandering tribes, old robbers, and such outlaws and take lessons from them. A doctor must be a traveler… Knowledge is experience.” Paracelsus “They indulged in disgraceful immodesty, for many women, during this shameless dance and mock-bridal singing, bared their bosoms, while others of their own

EPISODE 61: Raiders in the Night Apr 17, 2020 8256 “Never in history had the United States Army been called on to rescue such a large number of POWs from so deep in enemy territory.” William Breuer “We were in the best shape of our lives, and with this mission we understood why he had driven us so hard.” Alvie Robbins speaking about Henry Mucci’s physical training “As far as we were concerned, they were gods.” Bob Body about the Rangers who res

EPISODE 60: Fear and Loathing in Mongolia (Part 2) Apr 6, 2020 6570 “On these hills, where everywhere were rolling skulls, skeletons, and decaying body parts, Baron Ungern used to like to go to rest.” One of Ungern-Sternberg’s officers “Look at [Europe's] past full of fire and blood and the vicious, savage struggle of man against God. The West has given man science, wisdom, and power, yet it has also brought godlessness, immorality, treason, the abnegation of tru

EPISODE 59: Fear and Loathing in Mongolia (Part 1) Apr 6, 2020 6913 “My name is surrounded with such hate and fear that no one can judge what is the truth and what is false, what is history, and what is myth.” Roman von Ungern-Sternberg “Ungern had fused with the war, and equally, the war, in turn, had fused with him.” Willard Sunderland A recurring thread in History on Fire episodes is my soft spot for individuals who are mildly mentally deranged, but have so

EPISODE 58 Sitting Bull: Wounded Knee (Part 5) Apr 5, 2020 10573 “There a papoose cries by its mother’s breast which, cold and insensible, can nourish it no more; there lies a young girl with her long hair sticky of blood, hiding her mutilated face… And here—here rests the beautiful young squaw whom yesterday I offered a cigarette—dying, with both her legs shot off. She lies there without wailing and greets me with a faint smile on her pale lips.” First Sergean

EPISODE 57 Sitting Bull: Compulsory Civilization with a Side of Murder (Part 4) Apr 5, 2020 5607 “Sent to report on a story that wasn’t there, reporters invented one.” Heather Cox Richardson “Lakota will kill you.” A meadowlark speaking to Sitting Bull in a vision “If the white men want me to die, they ought not to put up the Indians to kill me… Let the soldiers come and take me away and kill me, wherever they like. I am not afraid. I was born a warrior.” Sitting Bull In historical ter

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