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:

Dummy Hoy - Baseball's deaf star Oct 19, 2026

Show notes

William Hoy - known as Dummy - was a celebrated major league baseball player in the early days of the game. He led the league in stolen bases, hit over .300, and was one of baseball’s finest centerfielders. The amazing thing about Dummy Hoy is that he was deaf.

Sources

Join the campaign to add Dummy Hoy to the Hall of Fame: https://www.signforhoy.com

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7610652/2026/09/20/deaf-mlb-dummy-hoy-hall-of-fame/

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

https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/William-Hoy/

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

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

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Aral Sea Disaster Oct 16, 2026

Show notes

Once called the Jewel of Central Asia, the Aral Sea was the third largest lake in the world, and supported a unique ecosystem, and millions of people. But after irrigation projects in the 1960s began diverting water, the Aral Sea started to shrink. Today it is almost completely gone, replaced by desert, in one of the greatest ecological catastrophes of modern times.

Sources

https://www.columbia.edu/~tmt2120/introduction.htm

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

https://growtheflowutah.org/2025/08/27/overview-of-the-aral-sea-disaster/

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ship_in_the_Aral_Sea,_Mo‘ynoq.jpg

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

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Ötzi the Iceman Oct 14, 2026

Show notes

In 1991, two German tourists spotted something in the Alps at an elevation of more than 10,000. It was the remains of a human being. But not just any human - this was a man who had died a violent death more than 5,000 years ago. This is the story of Ötzi the Iceman.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%96tzi

https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/otzi-the-iceman/

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ricostruzione_di_Ötzi_-_Particolare_del_volto.jpg

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

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Dorothy Molter - The Root Beer Lady Oct 12, 2026

Show notes

In the Boundary Waters of Minnesota, in some of the most pristine and untouched wilderness in the world, lived Dorothy Molter, the last permanent resident of the region. She lived alone for decades, and was called the loneliest woman in America. Except she wasn't quite alone - considering she was visited by thousands of tourists every year to drink her world famous root beer.

Sources

https://www.rootbeerlady.com/dorothy/

Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Molter#/media/File:DorothyMolterWelcome.jpg

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

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Margery Booth - Opera Singer and Spy Oct 09, 2026

Show notes

Margery Booth was a British opera singer who became popular in Germany in the 1930s - and was even a favorite of Adolf Hitler. She married a German man, and became a naturalized German citizen. In WWII, she continued her career as best as she could - but also, she became a spy for her native land. This is the story of the daring - and often overlooked - exploits of Margery Booth.

Sources

https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a73538836/margery-booth-spy-hitler/

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

https://www.wiganlocalhistory.org/articles/margery-booth-the-operatic-spy

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

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

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The Brazen Bull - One of the cruelest torture devices in history Oct 07, 2026

Show notes

What goes around comes around is often a saying to make someone feel better - but in the case of the Brazen Bull it was apt. The Brazen Bull was a legendary and cruel torture device from the ancient world. And its first victim was the man who created it.

Sources

https://www.livius.org/articles/person/phalaris/bull-of-phalaris/

https://www.livius.org/articles/person/phalaris/

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pierre_Woeiriot,_The_Brazen_Bull_of_Phalarus,_NGA_54032.jpg

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

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Rikers Island Salvador Dali Art Heist Oct 05, 2026

Show notes

Rikers Island - the New York City jail complex - was the home for nearly 40 years to a painting by surrealist master Salvador Dali. He donated the painting to Rikers in 1965, and it hung in the facility until 2003 - when it disappeared - and has never been found. This is the story of the Rikers Island Art Heist.

Sources

https://www.insideedition.com/how-a-salvador-dali-drawing-was-stolen-from-rikers-island-58539

https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/news/2004/jul/15/warden-sentenced-for-stealing-dali-painting-from-rikers-island-jail/

https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a22854081/rikers-island-stolen-salvador-dali-painting/

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

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

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The SS Eastland Disaster: The worst disaster in Great Lakes history Oct 02, 2026

Show notes

The deadliest day in on the Great Lakes was not a ferocious storm far out to sea. But rather a calm day in a Chicago harbor. That is when a passenger steamer listed and rolled into the lake, claiming 844 lives. This is the story of the SS Eastland Disaster.

Sources

https://eastlanddisaster.org/

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Eastland_disaster#/media/File:Eastland_Postcard_-_View_of_Eastland_taken_from_south_side_of_river_shortly_after_accident.png

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

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Loving Day - The story of Richard and Mildred Loving Sep 30, 2026

Show notes

In 1958, Richard Loving - a white man - married Mildred Jeter - a black woman. The newlyweds would be arrested a year later in Virginia - where mixed race marriages were illegal. Eight years and countless court cases later, the Supreme Court - on June 12, 1967 - would strike down that law. This is the story of Richard and Mildred Jeter - and Loving Day.

Sources

https://time.com/archive/6916188/loving-day/

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loving_v._Virginia

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

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mildred_and_Richard_Loving_1967_by_UPI.jpg

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

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Hannibal's most daring achievement: Crossing the Alps Sep 28, 2026

Show notes

When Hannibal - the sworn enemy of Rome wanted to attack Italy - he had a problem. Going by sea was impossible, and invading by land was almost as difficult as it required crossing the Alps, which are some of the most formidable mountains in the world. The key word though is 'almost.' Because in 16 harrowing days Hannibal and his army did exactly that - crossed the Alps - in one of the greatest achievements in military history.

Sources

https://www.livius.org/sources/content/hannibal-in-the-alps/

https://www.livius.org/articles/person/hannibal-3-barca/hannibal-in-the-alps/

https://www.maajournal.com/index.php/maa/article/view/490/416

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Heinrich_Leutemann_-_Hannibals_%C3%9Cbergang_%C3%BCber_die_Alpen_(cropped).jpg

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

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