History Boiz

History Boiz

Meet Chris, Madi, Zach, and Jerry. They are the History Boiz. They’re going to tell you about historical figures and events and make you laugh at the same time. Drink a cheap beer, and get some history up in you. Like the founding fathers intended.

Episodes

May 5, 2025 157 mins

How did William Randolph Hearst become a media giant who shaped public opinion through yellow journalism? The short answer? A silver spoon; AKA silver and gold mines owned by his parents. Join us as we follow “Willy the Worst” on his way to untold riches and influence!


Sources:


Thomas Lennon and Michael Epstein. “The Battle over Citizen Kane.” PBS, 1996.


Nasaw, David. The Chief. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 12 Aug. 2013.


...

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The much venerated charge of the light brigade at the battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War was one of the biggest military blunders of all time. The poor decisions made that day had much to do with the personalities of the British high command.


Sources:


Aldrete, Gregory S. History’s Great Military Blunders and the Lessons They Teach. The Great Courses, 2015.


Figes, Orlando. Crimea. New York, Picador, 2012.

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March 31, 2025 154 mins

The second First Lady of the United States was the mother of a president, a remarkable woman of letters, and in many ways, a founder herself. Join us for Abigail Adams!


Sources:

Holton, Woody. Abigail Adams. Simon and Schuster, 2009.

McCullough, David. John Adams. Simon and Schuster, 2001.

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March 10, 2025 158 mins

Mussolini’s spectacular fall from power would become a legendary cautionary tale for any would-be (and/or contemporary) despot going forward. Join us for part 4, the brutal conclusion of our series on the Italian fascist dictator!


Sources:

Ben-Ghiat, Ruth. STRONGMEN : Mussolini to the Present. S.L., W W Norton, 2021.

Corner, Paul. Mussolini in Myth and Memory. Oxford University Press, 22 Sept. 2022.

Gooch, John. Mussolini’s War. Simon ...

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February 25, 2025 149 mins

In this episode, Mussolini names and renames things after himself and his fascist “revolution”, appears shirtless in news reels, and decides that Italy should reacquire and acquire land enough to make a new Italian Empire. Join us this week for part 3!


Sources:

Ben-Ghiat, Ruth. STRONGMEN : Mussolini to the Present. S.L., W W Norton, 2021.

Corner, Paul. Mussolini in Myth and Memory. Oxford University Press, 22 Sept. 2022.

Gooch, Joh...

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February 9, 2025 120 mins

In part 2, Benito goes from being the editor of the left wing paper Avanti!, to marching (well, not personally, but figuratively) on Rome with his ultranationalist right wing black shirts. Join us for part 2, the Mussolini switcharoo!


Sources:

Ben-Ghiat, Ruth. STRONGMEN : Mussolini to the Present. S.L., W W Norton, 2021.

Corner, Paul. Mussolini in Myth and Memory. Oxford University Press, 22 Sept. 2022.

Gooch, John. Mussolini’s War...

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February 1, 2025 113 mins

How does a young delinquent that is born and raised to be a fiery socialist rabble rouser, end up being the Italian fascist leader, Il Duce? It’s a long, winding road to say the least! Join us for part 1 of Benito Mussolini!


Sources:

Ben-Ghiat, Ruth. STRONGMEN : Mussolini to the Present. S.L., W W Norton, 2021.

Corner, Paul. Mussolini in Myth and Memory. Oxford University Press, 22 Sept. 2022.

Gooch, John. Mussolini’s War. Simon an...

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December 25, 2024 131 mins

Happy holidays from the History Boiz!

On December 23, 1927, a man walked into a bank in Cisco, Texas and robbed it - while dressed as Santa Claus. Join us for this bullet riddled comedy of errors! Listen wherever you get your podcasts.


Sources:

Greene, A C. The Santa Claus Bank Robbery. Denton, Tex., University Of North Texas Press, 1999.


Lumpkin, John. “Sinister Santa: A Look at the 1927 Cisco Bank Robbery.” Texas Highways, 1...

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November 28, 2024 147 mins

In the winter of 1924-25, a diphtheria outbreak in the remote Nome, Alaska, relied upon a desperate dog sled relay mission. You may know the heroic dog, Balto, but what about Togo?


Sources:


Salisbury, Gay, and Laney Salisbury. The Cruelest Miles. W.W. Norton & Company, Incorporated, 2005.


Mushing 101: A Primer for Someone Getting Started in Sled ..., dogscouts.org/base/tonto-site/uploads/2014/11/TRAIN_Mushing_101.pdf. Acc...

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October 31, 2024 156 mins

Join us for spooky season! This time we’ll talk about the rise of spiritualism, complete with seances, exclusive clubs, famous true believers, infamous fakes and frauds, and the most respected magician of all time, Harry Houdini. Sources: Dawson, Kate Winkler. The Ghost Club. Penguin, 2023. Houdini, Harry. A Magician Among the Spirits. Cambridge University Press, 2011. Jaher, David, and Simon Vance. The Witch of Lime Street:...

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October 20, 2024 181 mins

In 1845, Sir John Franklin led an expedition in search of the northwest passage with two boats, aptly named HMS Terror and HMS Erebus, and never returned. To this day people search for clues as to what became of them, and what they did find carried horrifying implications.


Sources:


Beattie, Owen, et al. Frozen in Time : The Fate of the Franklin Expedition. Vancouver ; Berkeley, Greystone Books, 2017.


Brandt, Anthony. Man ...

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October 7, 2024 129 mins

In this episode we talk about what could’ve (and what probably) happened to Pocahontas while she was in England. It’s not something you would find in a Disney movie!


Sources: Custalow, Linwood “Little Bear,” and Angela L. Daniel. The True Story of Pocahontas: The Other Side of History. Tantor Audio, 2023.

Editors. “John Smith’s Writings (U.S. National Park Service).” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 4 Feb...

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September 24, 2024 56 mins

Due to various life events the Boiz have decided to postpone our next official episode, instead we're giving our beloved listeners a taste of our exclusive Patreon show, Telling Jerry Something! 251.9 million years ago our planet suffered the most catastrophic event life on Earth has ever known. Join us as Chris regales the gang about the dreaded Permian-Triassic Extinction Event!


Sources:

GEE, HENRY. A (Very) Short History of Li...

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September 12, 2024 156 mins

Pocahontas has been used to tell different narratives throughout history, but few know the real story of her life. Join us for part 1!


Sources: Custalow, Linwood “Little Bear,” and Angela L. Daniel. The True Story of Pocahontas: The Other Side of History. Tantor Audio, 2023.

Editors. “John Smith’s Writings (U.S. National Park Service).” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 4 Feb. 2022, www.nps.gov/articles/00...

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August 28, 2024 180 mins

Join us for the 3rd and final part of our series on the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution! This time, high school and college students take over the country to stamp out bourgeois/counter revolutionary/reactionary/conservative elements that, according to Mao, are holding China back.


Sources: Baum, Richard. The Fall and Rise of China. The Teaching Company, 2010. Chang, Jung, and Jon Halliday. Mao: The Unknown Story. Random Ho...

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August 14, 2024 123 mins

Join us for part 2! This time, we talk about what Mao decides to do after a successful revolution. Ambitious projects are launched like The Great Leap Forward. The Great Chinese Famine ensues.

Sources: Baum, Richard. The Fall and Rise of China. The Teaching Company, 2010. Chang, Jung, and Jon Halliday. Mao: The Unknown Story. Random House, 2012. Han, Dongping. The Unknown Cultural Revolution. Monthly Review Press, 2008. Meisner, M...

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July 31, 2024 110 mins

One of the most divisive, misunderstood, and contradictory events in history was Mao Zedong’s Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in China. Join us for part 1 of our 3 part series!

Sources: Baum, Richard. The Fall and Rise of China. The Teaching Company, 2010. Chang, Jung, and Jon Halliday. Mao: The Unknown Story. Random House, 2012. Han, Dongping. The Unknown Cultural Revolution. Monthly Review Press, 2008. Meisner, Maurice J. Ma...

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July 16, 2024 120 mins
Carlos II AKA Charles II of Spain AKA Carlos the Bewitched was the last of the Spanish Habsburgs and marked the end of 200 years of Habsburg rule in Spain. Carlos was born with a litany of health problems and remained sickly throughout his ineffectual reign due to generations of inbreeding. Sources: Gaudi, Robert. The War of Jenkins’ Ear. the Forgotten War for North and South America and the World That Made It: 1665-1742. Pegasus...
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July 2, 2024 137 mins
The War of Jenkins’ Ear wasn’t really about an ear exactly and had more to do with trade. In a time of near constant warfare and the golden age of piracy nearing its end, Britain and Spain go to war yet again. Join us as we focus on the pivotal and disastrous Battle of Cartagena de Indias! Sources: Aldrete, Gregory S. History’s Greatest Military Blunders and the Lessons They Teach. History ed., Lecture 10, Great Courses, 2015. ...
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June 17, 2024 94 mins
In the final part 3 of our series on Ludlow, we talk about the massacre itself and the Rockefeller PR campaign that came afterward. Sources: Andrews, Thomas G. Killing for Coal: America’s Deadliest Labor War. Harvard University Press, 2010. Freese, Barbara. Coal: A Human History. Basic Books, 2016. Sinclair, Upton. King Coal. BIBLIOTECH PRESS, 2022.
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