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:

Harry Colebourn and a bear named Winnie Dec 19, 2025

Show notes

Most people probably know that Winnie the Pooh was based upon the stuffed toy bear of Christopher Robin Milne - the son of author A.A. Milne. But there is another tale behind the famed bear - which involves a Canadian veterinarian, a black bear cub, and World War 1. This is the story of Harry Colebourn and a bear named Winnie.

Sources

https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/gallery/2015/nov/24/winnie-the-pooh-inspired-by-a-real-bear

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winnipeg_(bear)

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

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

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Radium Girls Dec 18, 2025

Show notes

With the discovery of Radium in 1898 it began to be used in numerous applications. The most famous was a glow in the dark paint. Thousands of women applied for jobs painting watch dials and other instruments, and to keep their paint brush extra fine, they were instructed to lick the brush. This would all be fine, if a bit unsanitary, except that radium is radioactive, and dozens of these women started to die. This is the story of the Radium Girls.

Sources

https://text-message.blogs.archives.gov/2018/01/04/the-radium-girls-at-the-national-archives/

https://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2019/03/radium-girls-living-dead-women/

https://www.britannica.com/story/radium-girls-the-women-who-fought-for-their-lives-in-a-killer-workplace

Images: https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83045462/1928-05-13/ed-1/?sp=58

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:All_women_or_girls_using_radium_paint_with_no_protection_or_warnings_in_1922,_from-_USRadiumGirls-Argonne1,ca1922-23-150dpi_(cropped).jpg

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

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How the French Stole Christmas Dec 17, 2025

Show notes

The French Revolution would bring about many, many changes in Europe. One of the most radical was the dechristianization of France - including the banning of religious holidays. Will Clark, the host and creator of Grey History - a French Revolution Podcast - joins us to tell the story of How the French Stole Christmas.

Sources

Learn more about Will Clark and his podcast, Grey History, at https://greyhistory.com

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

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Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) Dec 16, 2025

Show notes

At the outset of World War II, the United States faced a shortage of pilots. As a result, a plan was launched to help ease the situation. This was the creation of a unit of women to fly non-combat duties - such as delivering airplanes to bases. More than 1,000 female pilots would go on to deliver over half of newly made military aircraft during the war to bases all over the nation. This is the story of the Women Airforce Service Pilots - better known as the WASPs.

Sources

https://www.afhistory.af.mil/FAQs/Fact-Sheets/Article/458964/womens-airforce-service-pilots-wasp/

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

https://www.npr.org/2010/03/09/123773525/female-wwii-pilots-the-original-fly-girls

https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/wasp-women-airforce-service-pilots

Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Elizabeth_L._Remba_Gardner,_Women%27s_Airforce_Service_Pilots,_NARA-542191.jpg

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

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Eradication of the Guinea Worm Dec 15, 2025

Show notes

How do you fight a disease with no known cure - and spreads by just drinking water? This disease is no fantasy but rather Dracunculiasis, or Guinea Worm Disease. While not necessarily fatal, it is extremely painful, and can leave the infected crippled for the rest of their life. But this being a parasite means there are no vaccines or antibiotics to fight it. In 1985, the disease infected more than 3.5 million individuals, and the global community decided it was time to eliminate the disease. And by 2024, there were just 15 cases. This is the story of the eradication of Dracunculiasis.

Sources

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02306-8

https://www.cartercenter.org/programs/guinea-worm/

https://www.who.int/activities/eradicating-dracunculiasis

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

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

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Origins of Dungeons & Dragons Dec 12, 2025

Show notes

In the early 1970s, in a small town in Southeastern Wisconsin, two young gaming enthusiasts, Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, would concoct an idea for a new game. Little did they know they would create something that would revolutionize the industry - and to this day - remains the biggest role-playing game in the world. This is the story of the origins of Dungeons & Dragons.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_%26_Dragons

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

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

https://medium.com/@louis-fiori/dungeons-dragons-the-history-impact-and-legacy-of-a-cultural-phenomenon-b6a6b8c9e3af

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

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The Rif War Dec 11, 2025

Show notes

From 1921-1926, in the dry craggy mountains of northern Morocco, a brutal conflict would unfold. Claiming tens of thousands of lives, it would see guerrilla warfare, massacres, poison gas attacks, and amphibious landings of tanks. And the amazing thing is that this conflict has been all but forgotten in the English-speaking world. This is the story of the Rif War.

Sources

https://www.britannica.com/event/Rif-War

https://international-review.icrc.org/articles/the-rif-war-a-forgotten-war-923

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Camion_transform%C3%A9_en_auto-mitrailleuse_par_les_guerriers_d%27Abd-el-Krim,_dans_le_Rif_oriental_-_btv1b53213097z.jpg

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

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Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald Dec 10, 2025

Show notes

On Nov 10, 1975, a storm swept over Lake Superior. For hours and hours, the freighter Edmund Fitzgerald was tossed and battered. Then, a little after 7:00 pm, contact was lost with one of the biggest and most celebrated vessels to ever sail the Great Lakes. This is the story of the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Sources

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

https://shipwreckmuseum.com/edmund-fitzgerald/

Gordon Lightfoot's 'Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald' - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuzTkGyxkYI

Image: Credit: Greenmars - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edmund_Fitzgerald,_1971,_3_of_4_(restored;_cropped).jpg

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

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Spruce Goose Dec 09, 2025

Show notes

During WWII, America was seeking a way to avoid the German submarine fleet that prowled the waters of the Atlantic. Businessman Henry Kaiser would team up with aviation pioneer and film director Howard Hughes to find a way to bypass to this problem. That solution was the largest plane ever constructed. And the amazing thing is that they were going to construct it out of wood. This is the story of the Spruce Goose.

Sources

https://www.evergreenmuseum.org/exhibit/the-spruce-goose/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hughes_H-4_Hercules

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:H-4_Hercules_2.jpg

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

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Sink the Bismarck Dec 08, 2025

Show notes

On May 24, 1941, the German battleship Bismarck faced off against the pride of the British Navy - the HMS Hood. The Hood lasted eight minutes - sending the British admiralty into a frenzy. If the new, powerful Bismarck could get into the shipping lanes in the North Atlantic - Great Britain could be choked off of critical supplies from Canada and the United States. And so word was sent from the highest sources, Sink the Bismarck.

Sources

https://www.kbismarck.com

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

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_193-04-1-26,_Schlachtschiff_Bismarck.jpg

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

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