Heroes and Howlers
A quizzical look at some of history’s quirkiest moments and unpredictable people. Mikey Robins, celebrated Australian comedian, and Paul Wilson, Oxford Historian and author, take you on a raucous tour across many of the strangest turning points in history. This series celebrates the unsung heroes of history and puts the boot into the howlers. It revels in the characters, the cock ups, and the bizarre twists of fate that have changed the course of mankind – sometimes tragic, sometimes comical, sometimes just plain stupid. Follow and Contact on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Episodes
Oh!" said Pooh again. "What is the North Pole?"
"It's just a thing you discover," said Christopher Robin, not being quite sure himself.
Paul and Mikey take the road north to balance out the series, stopping off to seek a route through the fabled NorthWest Passage on their way. But how can you discover a land that has no land?!
“Every human longs for peace and love.” Hiawatha
Separating ‘Fact’ from ‘Fiction’ is the constant challenge of an historian. None more so than the early history of North America’s First Nations peoples. Research relies heavily on oral traditions handed down from generation to generation but that hasn’t stopped Paul and Mikey digging for nuggets of truth.
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"If every fool wore a crown, we should all be Kings." Welsh Proverb
Everybody’s favourite day of the year - well, certainly Paul and Mikey’s. But some of the stories behind the pranks and foolishness might surprise you. Just what is a Scottish gowk? And why should we hunt it?
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Produced by DM Podcasts
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“The world is a drama, staged in a dream.” Guru Nanak
Mata Khivi and the tradition of serving free communal meals (Langar) changed the face of Sikhism for ever. It has grown to become one of the most cherished institutions all over the world.
Get in touch, follow Heroes & Howlers and find them everywhere HERE
Produced by DM Podcasts
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“I would travel down to hell and wrestle a film away from the devil if it was necessary.” Werner Herzog
But if that film was Birth of a Nation, Werner, you can just leave it there. In this episode Paul and Mikey look at how one film single-handedly resurrected the KKK. Then take a sideways glance at a few other early 20th-century repugnant (and sometimes costumed!) misfits/Howlers.
“Christmas is a season not only of rejoicing but of reflection.” Winston Churchill
It's that time of year again! The halls are decked with holly and there’s a big tree blocking Martin Place. Listen in on the last of this Season’s episodes to get you in the Festive Spirit. Bottoms Up!
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Produced by DM Podcasts
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
"England was merry England, when Old Christmas brought his sports again.
'Twas Christmas broach'd the mightiest ale; ‘Twas Christmas told the merriest tale;
A Christmas gambol oft could cheer, The poor man's heart through half the year."
Walter Scott - Marmion
Paul and Mikey are unwrapping presents for everyone - they’ve got Wars on Christmas, Coke bottle Santas, and drunken sleigh rides across New England.
The boys have had a bumper year, and with the 'Giving Season' upon us they're delivering their final treats. When did a 'cab' become a 'taxi'? Who really was that 'Third man'? And which Hero had the worst Howler of a school report card?
Get in touch, follow Heroes & Howlers and find them everywhere HERE
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In this episode Paul and Mikey chat to academic and Theatresports legend Professor Jioji Ravulo. It’s a fascinating look into the history of sexual and gender diversity in communities across the Pacific, as well as a discussion about the arrival of and the repercussions brought about by those pesky missionaries.
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Produced by DM Podcasts
New Guests. New Heroes. New Howlers. All of which have inspired Mikey and Paul to do a deep dive into more 'stories behind the story'. Sir Francis Drake, Lord Byron, Quack Doctors, and the North-West Passage - which side of the ledger will this lot fall?'
Get in touch, follow Heroes & Howlers and find them everywhere HERE
Produced by DM Podcasts
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode Paul and Mikey chat with American comedy legend Jessie Joyce. He’s written a fantastic book with the wonderful title ‘Killing the Guys Who Killed the Guy Who Killed Lincoln”
We look at Edwin Booth the brother of John Wilkes Booth and ask the question, “was there ever a stranger character in Civil war history than Boston Corbett?"
Find Killing the Guys who Killed the Guy who Killed Lincoln by Jesse Joyce availabl...
Award-winning journalist and and broadcaster Tracey Spicer joins Mikey and Paul to shift the debate a notch or two. Women have long been written out of schoolbook History but why The Sciences too? In the life of Ada Lovelace, Tracey believes lies the answer.
Follow Tracey on X HERE, Instagram HERE and purchase her book 'Man Made' HERE
Get in touch, follow Heroes & Howlers and find them everywhere HERE
Produced by DM P...
The boys are joined by Otto English and together they set out to skewer some of the biggest names in the pantheon. Did Coco Chanel collaborate with the Nazis? Was JFK really 'The Man'? Or more of a myth? Not even Mother Teresa escapes untarnished.
Otto English is the pen name of author and journalist Andrew Scott - find him on X HERE and purchase his latest book 'Fake Heroes' HERE
“The only reason a warrior is alive is to fight, and the only reason a warrior fights is to win, otherwise why be a warrior? It is easier to count beads.” Miyamoto Musashi
Well, the Japanese navy was certainly not “counting beads” when it took on the Russians in 1904-5. In this episode Paul and Mikey look at the ‘Wild East’: Russian expansion, Japanese expansion and a naval battle that changed the world.
“Antarctica has this mythic weight. It resides in the collective unconscious of so many people, and it makes this huge impact, just like outer space. It's like going to the moon.” Jon Krakauer
The race to the South Pole was always going to throw up some Heroes, maybe a few Howlers too - but who should really get the credit for discovering the Seventh Continent? Paul and Mikey wrap up warm to take a look.
“Rather fail with honour, than succeed by Fraud” Sophocles
If only Gregor McGregor had spent more time studying the Classics. This week Paul and Mikey go hunting for a Scottish rogue and find themselves marooned on Central America’s Mosquito Coast.
Get in touch and follow Heroes & Howlers and find them everywhere HERE
Produced by DM Podcasts
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“As for all your latest Mayan discoveries and poems, I want to hear every word of it.” Jack Kerouac, Letters to Allen Ginsberg
The Americas were home to many fascinating nations and cultures, long before the Europeans arrived. And they did pretty well on the fruit and veg front too. In this episode, the boys take an in-depth look at the Maya, and see what Heroes and Howlers Meso-America might have to offer.
“Like the English in New Holland, we live only on the shores of a continent even yet, and hardly know where the rivers come from which float our navy” Henry David Thoreau
Captain Cook was the first to admit that the Dutch had been mapping New Holland decades before he set sail on The Endeavour. Could the Chinese have travelled that way too? The Spanish? The Portuguese? Paul and Mikey weigh anchor to find out.
“Are we not like people sitting up with a corpse, and making merry in the house of the dead?” Herman Melville
Over a thousand years before Melville wrote his words one Pope actually did this very thing. In this episode Paul and Mikey look at the Cadaver Synod and the perilous political games played out amongst the early medieval papacy.
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“Do not to look upon the loss of 10 days with wonder or scorn. Do not regret the removal of 10 days from the calendar. All those who love sleep can console themselves by thinking about how wonderful it will be to go to bed on the second of the month and to sleep until the morning of the 14th” -Benjamin Franklin
Julian vs Gregorian. Ten months vs twelve. Lunar vs solar. Paul takes Mikey for a spin around the zodiac and ends up… in...
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