History

History Dispatches

History Dispatches is a daily history show hosted by father and son duo Matt and McKinley Breen. The show covers people, places, events and even objects from throughout history. While any topic is fair game, Matt and McKinley hold a soft spot for the offbeat and wacky stories that most people don’t know about.

Latest Episodes:

St. Valentine's Day Feb 13, 2026

Show notes

Valentine’s Day is a $20 billion a year industry in the United States. So how did St. Valentine’s Day become such a big deal? Today we will tell you by looking at who St. Valentine really was - and how his day has evolved into one of the biggest holidays - money wise - in the world.

Sources

https://www.history.com/articles/real-st-valentine-medieval

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine%27s_Day

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Matija_Bradaška_-_Sv._Valentin.jpg

History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

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Stockholm Bloodbath Feb 12, 2026

Show notes

In November of 1520 the king of Sweden and Denmark, King Christian II, betrayed the Swedish nobility. After a feast, he imprisoned dozens of nobles and clergymen and then proceeded to execute 82 of them in the town square of Stockholm for heresy. This is the story of the Stockholm Bloodbath.

Sources

https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2021/11/the-stockholm-bloodbath-of-november-1520/

https://www.britannica.com/event/Stockholm-Bloodbath

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm_Bloodbath

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stockholm_Bloodbath.jpg

History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

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Rachel Wall - America's First Female Pirate Feb 11, 2026

Show notes

In 1781, Rachel Wall and her husband desperate for a better life - turned to piracy. Over a two-year period, their small band of marauders captured a dozen ships - and murdered 24 men. This is the story of Rachel Wall - America’s first female pirate.

Sources

https://pastispresent.org/2025/good-sources/in-her-own-words-the-life-and-death-of-rachel-wall-massachusetts-female-pirate/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Wall

https://www.annebonnypirate.com/famous-female-pirates/rachel-wall/

History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

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Discovery of Insulin Feb 10, 2026

Show notes

Diabetes is one of the most prevalent diseases in the world, affecting over 500 million people. Today it is very manageable, and thanks to modern medicine most people can live a long, normal life. But that was not always the case. Before the 1920s diabetes was often a death sentence. At least until Frederick Banting and Charles Best found a way to isolate insulin from dog pancreases. This is the story of the discovery of insulin.

Sources

https://diabetes.org/blog/history-wonderful-thing-we-call-insulin

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6205949/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666970621000494

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:C._H._Best_and_F._G._Banting_ca._1924_Insulin_P10103_0001.jpg

History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

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Assassination of Lord Mountbatten Feb 09, 2026

Show notes

On the morning of August 27, 1979, a bomb exploded on a fishing boat off the coast of Ireland. Two children were amongst the dead, as was British statesman and naval officer Lord Mountbatten. The bombing was one of the most polarizing moments in the conflict simply known as ‘The Troubles’. This is the story of the Assassination of Lord Mountbatten.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Lord_Mountbatten

https://www.history.com/articles/mountbatten-assassination-ira-thatcher

History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

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Adam's Peak Feb 06, 2026

Show notes

On the island of Sri Lanka there is a mountain that is sacred to multiple religions. For thousands of years people have made pilgrimages to the summit of this peak to see the great rock formation that some say is the footprint of Adam - or Buddha - or St. Thomas the Apostle - or Shiva. This the story of Sri Pada - or Adam’s Peak.

Sources

https://sacredland.org/sri-pada-sri-lanka/

https://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhistworld/sri-pada/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam%27s_Peak

History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

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William Henry Harrison Feb 05, 2026

Show notes

William Henry Harrison became the 9th president of the United States on March 4, 1841, and served out his presidency admirably. He generated no scandals, entered no wars, and caused no economic crisis. Of course that was helped by the fact that he served for one month before his untimely death. This is the story of William Henry Harrison, the shortest serving U.S. president.

Sources

https://millercenter.org/president/harrison

https://www.whitehousehistory.org/bios/william-henry-harrison

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:William_Henry_Harrison_crop.jpg

History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

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Lonnie Johnson - Inventor of the Super Soaker Feb 04, 2026

Show notes

Lonnie Johnson is an accomplished aerospace engineer who has worked for NASA and the United States Air Force. He worked on the Stealth Bomber, and owns three tech companies. He has many awards, prizes, and patents. But Johnson is most famous for inventing one of the most beloved toys in history - the Super Soaker.

Sources

https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-37062579

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lonnie_Johnson_(inventor)

Image courtesy of Office of Naval Research: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:160202-N-PO203-046_%2824659795822%29.jpg

History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

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Project Azorian Feb 03, 2026

Show notes

In 1968 a Soviet nuclear submarine was lost beneath the waves of the Pacific Ocean, at a depth of over 15,000 feet. It was considered unattainable. Unless you are the CIA, who contracted with Howard Hughes, the famed Hollywood director and mega inventor, to specially construct a vessel to dredge the sub from the bottom of the ocean - all under the utmost secrecy. This is the story of Project Azorian.

Sources

https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/nukevault/ebb305/doc01.pdf

https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/nukevault/ebb305/

https://www.cia.gov/legacy/museum/exhibit/project-azorian/

Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Azorian#/media/File:USNS_Glomar_Explorer_(T-AG-193).jpg

History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

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Cat Island Feb 02, 2026

Show notes

Japan is home to many unique places, but one of the most fascinating is Aoshima - aka - Cat Island. At its height, the tiny island of Aoshima was home to hundreds of cats - outnumbering humans by more than 35-1. This is the story of Cat Island.

Sources

https://japanswitch.com/ultimate-guide-to-aoshima-aka-cat-island-2/

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/27/japans-cat-island-falls-victim-to-demographic-crisis

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aoshima,_Ehime

History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

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