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:

Green Children of Woolpit Jan 02, 2026

Show notes

Around 1150 AD, near the village of Woolpit - in East England - two mysterious children suddenly appeared. They wore odd clothing and spoke a strange language. And most shockingly - their skin was green. This is the story of Green Children of Woolpit.

Sources

https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/The-Green-Children-of-Woolpit/

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

https://www.historyskills.com/classroom/year-8/green-children/

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

Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bouvet Island - the most isolated island in the world Jan 01, 2026

Show notes

The most isolated island in the world is Bouvet Island. It is located over a thousand miles from any other location The nearest land Antarctica. It has an amazing history of discovery, loss, phantom islands, and much more. This is the story of Bouvet Island.

Sources

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

https://www.lifeinnorway.net/bouvet-island/

Image courtesy of the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center. http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov - ID# ISS017-E-16161

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

Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Death of Sigurd Eysteinsson Dec 31, 2025

Show notes

In 892, the Viking warrior Sigurd Eysteinsson was the scourge of the north of Scotland. Through unscrupulous means, he had just defeated one of his main rivals - a Pictish chief named Máel Brigte. He rode off the battlefield with the head of his foe hanging from his saddle - a trophy of his victory. However, despite being dead, Máel Brigte would have his revenge - killing Sigurd in a most unique manner. This is the story of the Death of Sigurd Eysteinsson.

Sources

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

https://theorkneynews.scot/2024/03/19/earl-sigurd-i-the-mighty/

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

Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Raft of the Medusa Dec 30, 2025

Show notes

In 1816, the 40-gun French frigate, the Medusa, departed for the overseas colony of Senegal, carrying 400 people. Incompetent and selfish decisions allowed the ship run aground, and 147 people were stranded on a raft. Only 15 survived. Their harrowing story includes murder and cannibalism. This is the story of the raft of the Medusa.

Sources

https://shipwrecks.hist.sites.carleton.edu/the-medusa/the-medusa-historical-background/

https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-147348

"Narrative of a Voyage to Senegal in 1816" by Jean Baptiste Henri Savigny and Alexandre Corréard

Raft the Medusa painting: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Raft_of_the_Medusa

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:JEAN_LOUIS_THÉODORE_GÉRICAULT_-_La_Balsa_de_la_Medusa_(Museo_del_Louvre,_1818-19).jpg#mw-jump-to-license

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

Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Robert Smalls Dec 29, 2025

Show notes

In 1862, a man born into slavery - Robert Smalls - pulled off an unlikely escape from his captors. He, his friends, and their families, stole a ship, and sailed out of Charleston harbor - right under the noses of the Confederates. But Smalls' extraordinary life was just beginning. He would serve with Union forces throughout the Civil War, then become a successful businessman, and politician. This is the life of Robert Smalls.

Sources

https://history.house.gov/People/Detail/21764

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

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Robert_Smalls,_captain_of_the_gun-boat_%22Planter%22_The_gun-boat_%22Planter,%22_run_out_of_Charleston,_S.C.,_by_Robert_Smalls,_May_1862._LCCN97512451_Trim.jpg

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

Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Portrait of the Four Tetrarchs Dec 26, 2025

Show notes

Constructed around the year 300 AD of the reddish purple stone porphyry, the Portrait of the Four Tetrarchs is the iconic image of the four men who ruled the Roman Empire at that time. Yet this one piece has moved around the Mediterranean world, and to this day generates controversy. This is the story of the statue - The Portrait of Four Tetrarchs.

Sources

https://genealogytrails.com/wis/brown/murderofcharlesarndt.html

https://www.facebook.com/jamesrvineyardmemesforleadminingteens

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

Image: By Matt Breen - http://historydispatches.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/tetrachs-scaled.jpeg

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

Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Prohibition Dec 25, 2025

Show notes

In 1919, the United States Congress passed the 18th Amendment to the constitution. This prohibited the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages nationwide. This is the story of Prohibition.

Sources

https://prohibition.themobmuseum.org/

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

https://www.americanprohibitionmuseum.com/

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:5_Prohibition_Disposal(9)_(cropped).jpg

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

Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James R. Vineyard - The man who shot and killed a fellow legislator - and got away with it Dec 24, 2025

Show notes

The American wild west was probably not as wild as pop culture would have us believe. However, sometimes it was far crazier. Such as when a lead miner turned politician pulled out a gun and shot a fellow delegate on the floor of the Wisconsin territorial legislator - and got away with it. This is the story of James R. Vineyard.

Sources

https://genealogytrails.com/wis/brown/murderofcharlesarndt.html

https://www.facebook.com/jamesrvineyardmemesforleadminingteens

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

Image: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=184187677453857&set=a.184187660787192

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

Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Krampus Dec 23, 2025

Show notes

St. Nicolas is famed for bringing gifts to good children. But in the Alpine regions of Europe, there is a legend about a grotesque creature - half human, half goat - that comes to punish naughty children. This creature - with horns and a long forked tongue - would beat bad children with birch rods - and even carry them away to be eaten. Today, this creature has become a world wide phenomenon. This is the story of Krampus.

Sources

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/krampus-could-come-you-holiday-season-180957438/

https://www.history.com/articles/krampus-christmas-legend-origin

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

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

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

Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ghost Fleet of the Potomac Dec 22, 2025

Show notes

30 miles south of Washington DC, in a small part of the Potomac River, lies an area called Mallows Bay. This bay is not home to a handful of shipwrecks or even a dozen. Or even 30 or 40 wrecks. Mallows Bay has over 200 wrecked vessels dating back to the 1920s. This is the story of the Ghost Fleet of the Potomac.

Sources

https://savingplaces.org/places/ghost-fleet

https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/news/press/mallows-potomac/

https://projects.wamu.org/the-ghost-fleet/

Image: By Amaury Laporte - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ghost_Fleet_of_Mallows_Bay_009_-_Accomac_Shipwreck_Close-Up.jpg

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

Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices