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:

Oleg Gordievsky - MI6's most valuable Cold War Spy Oct 24, 2025

Show notes

In 1983, the Kremlin became convinced NATO was preparing to strike first with nuclear weapons. However, British Intelligence had a man inside London’s Soviet Embassy who discovered just how dangerously close the world was to nuclear war. His warnings to MI6 and Washington may be the only reason the Cold War didn’t go hot. This is the story of Oleg Gordievsky - MI6's most valuable Cold War Spy. Presented by Ian Sanders of the Cold War Conversations Podcast.

Sources

Cold War Conversation by Ian Sanders - https://coldwarconversations.com

Select Podcast Episodes

1983 - the year the Cold War almost turned hot: https://coldwarconversations.com/episode316/

Fred Haise Conversation: https://coldwarconversations.com/episode254/

Codename Sunbeam – The story of MI6’s greatest Cold War spy: https://coldwarconversations.com/episode418/

Shooting down of KAL 007 - https://coldwarconversations.com/episode229/

Image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/Reagan_and_Gordievsky.jpg

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

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St. Guinefort the Greyhound Oct 23, 2025

Show notes

In the Middle Ages a cult emerged based up around a dog - a greyhound - named Guinefort. The dog had saved the life of a baby from poisonous snake - but had then been killed by the baby’s father - a knight - who thought the dog had attacked his child. The local people would embrace the heroics of the animal - and proclaim him a saint. This is the story of St. Guinefort the Greyhound.

Sources

https://www.thegreyhoundsaint.com

https://barteredhistory.wordpress.com/2024/05/28/the-dogma-of-saint-guinefort-the-holy-greyhound/

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

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

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Tarrare - the World's Hungriest Man Oct 22, 2025

Show notes

Around 1772, in Lyon, France, a man who today is known only as Tarrare was born with an absolutely insatiable appetite. He would eat garbage, live cats, dead bodies, and even allegedly a toddler. He was a medical marvel that became a street performer, and even got noticed by the French army for the potential to be a spy. This is the story of Tarrare - the World's Hungriest Man.

Sources

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

London Medical and Physical Journal: Volume 42 page 203-205

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

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Rosie Ruiz and the Boston Marathon Fraud Oct 21, 2025

Show notes

On April 21, 1980, Rosie Ruiz stunned the world by winning the women’s crown at the Boston Marathon with a record time. The only problem was she had actually only run about one mile of the race - making it one of the great frauds in sports history.

Sources

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

https://www.thisisjogon.com/videos/this-is-the-template-title-abn2m

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

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Julius Caesar and the Pirates Oct 20, 2025

Show notes

While a young man and on his way to college none other than Julius Caesar's ship was attacked by pirates. He was captured for ransom. But rather than a normal experience, he treated his captors like his servants, and told them exactly what he was going to do to them when he was freed. And in true Caesar fashion, he did exactly that.

Sources

https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/e/roman/texts/velleius_paterculus/2b*.html

https://www.livius.org/sources/content/plutarch/plutarchs-caesar/caesar-and-the-pirates/

https://www.britannica.com/story/the-time-julius-caesar-was-captured-by-pirates

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:M443922_Julius-Caesar-taken-prisoner-by-Cilician-pirates-while-crossing-the-Aegean-Sea-c75-BC.jpg

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

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Battle of Mers-el-Kébir Oct 17, 2025

Show notes

On July 3, 1940, British forces attacked French ships at the naval base at Mers-el-Kébir on the coast of Algeria. The attack was part of a British plan to neutralize French ships to prevent them from falling into German hands after the Allied defeat in the Battle of France. The British attack killed nearly 1,300 French servicemen, and sank and damaged numerous vessels. It also seriously jeopardized French and English relations throughout the world. This is the story of the Battle of Mers-el-Kébir.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Mers-el-Kébir

https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2022/august/force-h-mers-el-kebir

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Croiseur_de_bataille_Strasbourg_03-07-1940.jpg

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

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Beautiful Jim Key Oct 16, 2025

Show notes

Beautiful Jim Key was no ordinary horse. This remarkable creature could preform tricks, do basic math, recognize written words, and even write names. And he did this with the help of his trainer and friend - Doctor William Key - a former slave, self-taught veterinarian, and animal rights activist. This is the story of Beautiful Jim Key, the world's smartest horse.

Sources

"Beautiful Jim Key: The lost history of a horse and a man who changed the world" by Mim Eichler Rivas

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jim_Key,_the_spelling_horse_standing_by_his_numbers_and_letters._(attraction_on_the_Pike_at_the_1904_World%27s_Fair).jpg

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

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Grace Hopper Oct 15, 2025

Show notes

Grace Hopper was a trailblazer. An American mathematician, she would go on to be known for her contributions to computer programming, software development, and the design and implementation of programming languages. She enjoyed a long and influential career in the computer industry - as well as the United States navy - rising to the rank of rear admiral. This is the story of computer programming innovator Grace Hopper.

Sources

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

https://www.amphilsoc.org/blog/grace-brewster-murray-hopper-mathematician-computer-science-pioneer

https://president.yale.edu/biography-grace-murray-hopper

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Grace_Murray_Hopper,_in_her_office_in_Washington_DC,_1978,_©Lynn_Gilbert.jpg

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

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Cottingley Fairies Oct 14, 2025

Show notes

In the summer of 1917 two girls would photograph the remarkable. Proof of fairies, dancing in the beautiful Cottingley Beck in England. The photos were so convincing that they became a national sensation, convincing the millions that they were indeed proof of the magical. And it took half a century for the truth to come out. This is the story of the Cottingley Fairies.

Sources

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leeds-55187973

https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/The-Fairies-of-Cottingley/

https://hoaxes.org/photo_database/image/the_cottingley_fairies

Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cottingley_Fairies_1.jpg

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

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Bloody Monday Oct 13, 2025

Show notes

On August 6, 1855, in Louisville, Kentucky, a bitter rivalry between the Democrats and the Nativist Know-Nothing Party erupted in a series of riots. Protestant mobs attacked Irish and German Catholic neighborhoods - leaving 22 people dead, dozens injured, and more than 100 homes and businesses torched and looted. This is the story of Bloody Monday.

Sources

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

https://www.louisvilleirish.com/bloody-monday-memorial/

Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Krakatoa_eruption_lithograph.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bloody_Monday_Election_Riots.jpg

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

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