Written In Blood History
History is people. These are their stories. They are written in blood.
Episodes
October 15, 2020 • 15 min
There are exactly three musicals that I actually like. The Phantom of the Opera is one of them. As my wife is very used to by now, when Autumn rolls around, I start playing the Phantoms ominous music. Its sort of a childhood tradition. For some reason during the days leading up to Halloween, my mom used to blast the 1986 version on the living room speakers. So, I suppose its learned behavior.
It’s as much a part of Halloween for me...
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Mark as Played
October 1, 2020 • 43 min
Welcome everyone to season 2 of Written in Blood History, now part of the Evergreen Podcast Network. I am truly grateful and honored to have you as a listener. Your continued listenership gives me the motivation to keep this little hobby of mine up, one which I thoroughly enjoy.
Today’s subject is one that I had on the docket for season one but kept getting postponing. Whenever I pick a biographical subject to do a show on, I need ...
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Mark as Played
September 15, 2020 • 3 min
I’ll keep this short since this isn’t really a history episode, but more of a transition from season one to season two.
I went into this thing with very little idea of how long I would be doing it, or even exactly who I would be covering. It began with my interest in genealogy, which is why many of my early episodes have somewhat of a pedigree connection to me. And I still have more of those episodes planned actually.
But ...
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Mark as Played
September 7, 2020 • 64 min
If this is your first time listening, you may want to go back and start with Part I of Patton, which bring you up to speed into the peace time era between world wars where Part II picks up.
Oh, and by the way, the subject of this episode was blunt and at times vulgar and insensitive person by today’s standards. Because I will be quoting him, it should be expected that there will be some rough language. So, this is an official langu...
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Mark as Played
September 1, 2020 • 42 min
I cannot believe I have gotten to this point in the podcast, but this is my 12th full length monthly episode. This episode completes an entire year of Written in Blood History. I am not going to get all sappy on you in this intro. That will all come later. Right now, I need to introduce my final subject of season 1.
Oh, and by the way, the subject of this episode was blunt and at times vulgar and insensitive person by today’s stand...
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Mark as Played
August 15, 2020 • 19 min
Imagine for a moment you’re at funeral of a beloved uncle, one of those guys who knew a ton of people, resulting in a massive who’s who of attendees. Then imagine yourself amongst all your other cousin’s and uncles, and other not so distant relatives. Usually something of a cathartic experience amid sadness, right?
But now introduce some family drama into the mix. Let’s say there’s some history between you and a few other members. ...
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Mark as Played
August 1, 2020 • 47 min
Before I dive into the prologue here I want to ask you for a favor. If you have been listening to this little podcast and have enjoyed its content, and feel it has been worth a dollar a month, would you be so kind as to become a patron of the show?
I am fairly certain that I will never, ever have formal adds on the show. I think the content discussed here is just too serious. But alas, it isn’t free to produce. There are audio hos...
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Mark as Played
July 15, 2020 • 13 min
Before I dive into this Almost Episode, I need to give a shout out to my excellent brother-in-law, Walter. Walter has very generously become my newest patron for the show. And so, as a patron, he gets this shout out, as well as early access to episodes and behind the scenes research I am diving into.
For just a buck a month, you too can be like Walter and help me offset the production values of this show such as hosting fees and th...
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Mark as Played
July 1, 2020 • 60 min
The American War for Independence was my first historical love. When diving into the details of the war, it doesn’t take long to discover all the near misses, and all the opportunities for alternative history. Washington’s coat riddled with bullet holes, Benedict Arnold’s nearly successful plan to sink the entire war effort, the battle of Trenton New Jersey, the arrival of the Baron Von Steuben at Valley Forge, the fog that saved t...
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Mark as Played
June 15, 2020 • 23 min
Before I get going here I need to give a shout out to Erin from Northwest Indiana. She recently signed up to be a patron of the show, and so not only will she be listening to this episode a few days earlier than its official release, she is also owed this particular shout out. Erin, thank you so much – I continue to be amazed that people find my voice tolerable. To learn more about the shows patreon page visit patreon.com/writtenin...
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Mark as Played
June 1, 2020 • 74 min
I go into these stories with a great deal of ignorance. What I thought would be a biography of a man became a biography of a city. When I first heard of Orban, he seemed like an endlessly fascinating and unbelievably consequential biographical subject. However, except for his brief yet significant appearance on the world stage, almost nothing is known about him.
And so, since I have no points to make, no arguments to win, and no ov...
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Mark as Played
May 15, 2020 • 11 min
I need to start off by saying thank you to my very cool brother in law, Peter for becoming a show patron. By being a patron he get’s exclusive access to what I’m working on in the background, research material and the like.
And Peter’s dollar a month helps me pay the bills for the podcast as well as purchase more research material for me to consume, digest and turn into more episodes.
So, Peter, thank you.
I need to give another t...
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Mark as Played
May 1, 2020 • 45 min
The following story is one that was forgotten, and then rediscovered. When the writings of Roman historian Tacitus were found in the 15th century – this “David VS Goliath” tale was among them.
The principle sources are a few different Roman historians, some contemporary, some a few decades to a few centuries later. None were present for these events. So, while I’ll recount the events in what is the generally accepted narrative, kee...
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Mark as Played
April 15, 2020 • 27 min
I want to be careful in explaining the reason for this episode at this time. This subject of this episode is the master storyteller Orson Welles – but more specifically, it’s about something he did that made him both famous, and infamous. He convinced a fair number of people that the world was ending. And he did it with a fake news broadcast.
In our present situation with the Covid-19 virus bringing earthly activity to a halt, and...
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Mark as Played
April 1, 2020 • 85 min
The episode you’re about to hear has a lot of quoted oratory in it, which not only makes my job a little easier, but it is also probably more pleasing to your ear since the subject was infinitely better with words than I could ever pretend to be. It’s actually quite fun to have a great orator as a biography subject… I get to relish in the speeches.
My subject in this episode was a man born for a different time. And when you listen...
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Mark as Played
March 13, 2020 • 15 min
I’m pretty excited about this episode. I had never heard this story until I relocated to South Bend about five years ago. It’s been on my list of potential episodes since I started this podcast and I think March is an appropriate month to finally do, one because it’s about the fighting Irish and will be released right around St. Patrick’s day, and two because my next full episode, The Deeds of Easter Week takes place in Dublin just...
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Mark as Played
March 2, 2020 • 59 min
I should probably begin with an apology. This episode is by far the most audacious one for me so far, at least in terms of scope. Over the next hour, I’m going to traverse 50 years and 4 countries, and many characters with interweaving plots, interests, marriages; but through my podcasters distillation process I was forced to skim over and in some cases totally remove elements that though important in their own right, didn’t really...
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Mark as Played
February 15, 2020 • 12 min
So, this is the first in a series called ‘Almost Episodes’. And the idea is for them to be quick one-off episodes that I can deliver in a shorter amount of time, and thus, publish in between my monthly biography series.
But they serve another purpose as well. In a way, they’ll keep the people I come to love through research, from being left behind.
When I begin research for a potential subject, my first sources are the easy ones… ...
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Mark as Played
February 4, 2020 • 45 min
Prologue:This story begins with a chair. During my childhood in my grandparents’ home there was a chair that no one was allowed to sit in. It was made of simple dark stained wood, with a square frame and ladder back… it was conspicuously placed outside of the natural seating arrangement in the room, up against a wall. When visitors would see the lone and peculiar chair, they would ask my grandmother, “What’s with the chair?”. She ...
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Mark as Played
January 7, 2020 • 51 min
The land of the rising sun, Japan, is actually over six and a half thousand islands. And in the 16th century, it was a land of contradiction. Though technically ruled by an emperor, and Zen Buddhism long held as the official religion, the island was thrashing and convulsing from end to end at the bloody hands of the daimyo… the territorial warlords vying for power, always clawing for greater dominion, and all coveting a unified Jap...
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