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:

Deborah Sampson - America's First Female Soldier Nov 21, 2025

Show notes

In 1782, 22-year old Robert Shirtliff enlisted into the Continental Army to defend her young country. Robert would serve for a year, including seeing combat near Tarrytown, and being wounded. This would be a typical story of a revolutionary war soldier. Except that Robert Shirtliff was an alias for Deborah Sampson. This is the story of the American War for Independence's most famous female soldier, Deborah Sampson.

Sources

https://www.mass.gov/info-details/deborah-sampson-american-revolutionary-war-hero

https://www.samsonhistorical.com/blogs/reliving-history/deborah-sampson?srsltid=AfmBOorrqqUOKCvNDoYLvhP01nytyu_Qj3YLulu1JYPd_Yy5AlyLNwLq

https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/deborah-sampson

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

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

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Lascaux Cave Nov 20, 2025

Show notes

In September of 1940, near Montignac, France, an 18-year old boy and his dog went to investigate a hole left by an uprooted tree. What they found was a network of caves - hidden from the world for 20,000 years. These caves feature some of the most magnificent pre-historic art that exists in the world today. This is the story of the Lascaux cave.

Sources

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

https://lascaux-ii.fr/en/

https://lascaux.fr/en/

Image: By Jack Versloot - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lascaux_II.jpg

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

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Concord Video Game Flop Nov 19, 2025

Show notes

In 2024, the video game Concord released to the public after eight years of development and hundreds of millions of dollars spent. After release it would stay online for just two weeks, becoming one of the biggest flops in not just video game history, but any entertainment medium.

Sources

https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2025/08/23/a-year-ago-concord-had-the-worst-video-game-launch-of-all-time/

https://www.theverge.com/2024/9/4/24235163/concord-cancellation-live-service-games

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concord_(video_game)

Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Concord_key_art.png

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

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Nellie Bly Nov 18, 2025

Show notes

In the late 1800s, a young woman from Pennsylvania arrived in New York City with dreams of being a news reporter. It took her four months to land her first assignment - a shattering undercover expose of the city’s mental institution for women. Many more adventures would follow, and the woman, Nellie Bly, would go on to become one of the nation’s most famous reporters.

Sources

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

"Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History-Making Race Around the World" by Matthew Goodman

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nellie_Bly_2.jpg

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

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William Buckley - The Wild Man of the Australian Wilderness Nov 17, 2025

Show notes

After being wrongly accused and sentenced to prison, William Buckley managed to make a daring escape. He slipped into the Australian wilderness, and was saved by several Australian Aboriginal tribes. He spent the next 32 years among them, before returning to British society. This is the story of William Buckley.

Sources

https://ergo.slv.vic.gov.au/explore-history/colonial-melbourne/convicts/william-buckleys-escape

https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/buckley-william-1844

Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Buckley_(convict)#/media/File:William_Buckley_portrait.jpg

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

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Resolute Desk Nov 14, 2025

Show notes

The Resolute Desk has been used by American Presidents since 1880, and resided in the Oval Office for nearly 50 years. So, where did this stout wooden desk come from? And where did it get its formidable name? You might be surprised that all those answers rest with a British exploration vessel from the 1850s. This is the story of the Resolute Desk.

Sources

https://www.whitehousehistory.org/photos/treasures-of-the-white-house-resolute-desk

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

https://www.thoughtco.com/the-resolute-desk-4121120

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Photograph_of_President_Reagan_working_at_his_desk_in_the_Oval_Office_-_NARA_-_198593_(cropped).jpg

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

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Joan Anderson - The Hula Hoop Queen Nov 13, 2025

Show notes

In the mid 1950s, Australian-born Joan Anderson brought back an innocuous bamboo hoop from her home country to the United States. She would dub it the hula hoop, and present it to a major toy manufacturer. What followed was the hula hoop craze. Unfortunately, she did not see a single penny from the wildly popular toy. This is the story of Joan Anderson and the Hula Hoop.

Sources

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6J32JLRNOk

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c70x4w4z138o

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

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Vikings of Greenland Nov 12, 2025

Show notes

In 982 AD, Vikings came to Greenland. Several colonies were established, and for more than 400 years there was a Scandinavian presence on the island. But then, there was silence. And when Europeans finally returned - they found nothing but the ruins of farmhouses and churches. This is the story of the Vikings of Greenland.

Sources

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

https://medium.com/a-maverick-traveller/the-rise-and-fall-of-viking-greenland-a-non-fishy-tale-876bf782dc5

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

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

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John Basilone Nov 11, 2025

Show notes

John Basilone served in the United States Army, then enlist in the Marine Corps just before the outbreak of WWII. He earned a Medal of Honor on Guadalcanal, conducted war bond tours stateside, and gave his life on Iwo Jima. This is the story of John Basilone - perhaps the greatest United States Marine to ever where the uniform.

Sources

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2005-11-18/pdf/CREC-2005-11-18-pt1-PgS13334-2.pdf

https://homeofheroes.com/heroes-stories/world-war-ii/john-basilone/

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Basilone,_September_1943_(10931006014).jpg

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

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Blarney Stone Nov 10, 2025

Show notes

By kissing the famed blarney stone a person is said to be imbued with the gift of gab. But what is the story behind his fanciful tale? Did the stone come from the Holy Land? Or Scotland? Did it involve Queen Elizabeth or Robert the Bruce? This is the story of the Blarney Stone.

Sources

https://blarneycastle.ie

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

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kissing_the_Blarney_Stone_1897.jpg

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

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