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:

The Kyūjō Incident - the coup that almost extended World War II Apr 28, 2025

Show notes

In August, 1945, the Japanese government was on the verge of surrendering to Allied forces - and ending WWII. But on the night of August 14-15, a group of Japanese officers went into action. Their plan was to take the emperor hostage, and scuttle peace talks - and thus continue the war - which would have likely cost the Allies hundreds of thousands of lives - and the Japanese - millions.

Sources

The Kyujo Incident: The Coup that Almost Kept Japan in WWII - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUM2ccfQJMc

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyūjō_incident

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

The Explorers Podcast is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

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The Cod Wars - The battle for fishing rights in the North Atlantic Apr 25, 2025

Show notes

From the 1950s through the 1970s, a David and Goliath story would play out across the North Atlantic. The United Kingdom and Iceland engaged in a viscous dispute over fishing rights. And the winner may surprise you. This is the story of the Cod Wars.

Sources

"How Iceland Beat the British in the Four Cod Wars" - https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/what-were-cod-wars

"The Cod Wars explained: The conflict between Iceland and Britain" - https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/the-cod-wars-explained-the-conflict-between-iceland-and-britain

"Cod wars and how to lose them" by Andrew Gilchrist

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Scylla-Odinn.jpg

The Explorers Podcast is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

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Bobbi Gibb - the First Woman to Run the Boston Marathon Apr 24, 2025

Show notes

On an April morning in Boston in 1966, despite being told she was physically incapable of running 20+ miles, Bobbi Gibb slipped into the crowd of 500 runners. Three hours and 21 minutes later, she became the first woman to ever run the fabled Boston Marathon.

Sources

Bobbi Gibb Marathon Pioneer: https://www.sportsmuseum.org/curators-corner/bobbi-gibb-marathon-pioneer/

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobbi_Gibb

"A Run of One's Own" by Roberta 'Bobbi' Gibb: http://www.runningpast.com/gibb_story.htm

The Explorers Podcast is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

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The Zimmerman Telegram - the note that brought America into World War I Apr 23, 2025

Show notes

In 1917, Germany was desperate to keep the United States out of World War I - even as they prepared to launch unrestricted submarine warfare on all shipping in the European theater. To that end, German officials sent a telegram to the Mexican government, proposing they declare war of the United States - tying up American resources. The only problem was the message was intercepted and the plot exposed - causing the plan to completely backfire.

Sources

"Documents that changed the way we live" by Joseph Janes

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zimmermann_telegram

Image: File:Zimmermann_Telegram_as_Received_by_the_German_Ambassador_to_Mexico_-_NARA_-_302025.jpg

The Explorers Podcast is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

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William Walker and the Filibuster War Apr 22, 2025

Show notes

In 1855, an American newspaperman, lawyer and doctor, William Walker, led a small, private army to Central America, and within a year, was recognized as the President of Nicaragua. Walker’s actions would unite people from five nations to rise up against him. This is the story of the Filibuster War.

Sources

"William Walker's Wars" by Scott Martelle

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Walker_(filibuster)

Image - Library of Congress: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:William_Walker_by_Brady.jpg

The Explorers Podcast is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

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Enheduanna: History's First Author Apr 21, 2025

Show notes

Over 4,000 years ago, the high priestess Enheduanna put pen to clay and wrote the Exaltation of Inanna, making her the earliest known named author in world history.

Sources

"Documents that changed the way we live" by Joseph Janes

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enheduanna

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Disk_of_Enheduanna.JPG

The Explorers Podcast is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

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Captain Vernice Armour: The first African American female combat pilot Apr 18, 2025

Show notes

In the early 2000's, Vernice "FlyGirl" Armour took to the skies piloting a Cobra heliocopter, defying the odds of everyone saying she can't. This is the story of Captain Vernice Armour, the first African-American female combat pilot.

Sources

https://www.unsungheroeseducation.com/Transcripts/Vernice%20Armour%20Interviews.pdf

Image (cropped from original): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USMC-120518-M-HF911-372.jpg

The Explorers Podcast is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

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1527 Sack of Rome Apr 17, 2025

Show notes

In May of 1527, 20,000 mutinous soldiers of Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire descended on Rome. What would follow was the absolute devastation of the city and its population, the gutting of the power of the Papacy, and the end of the High Renaissance era.

Sources

Medievalists.net: https://www.medievalists.net/2022/06/sack-rome-1527/

Smart History: https://smarthistory.org/sack-of-rome/

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sack_of_Rome_(1527)

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

The Explorers Podcast is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

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Anders' Exiled Polish Army of WWII Apr 16, 2025

Show notes

In the first months of WWII, millions of Polish citizens and soldiers were deported to the Soviet Union. As prisoners of war, hundreds of thousands perished from cold, starvation and execution. But after the German invasion of Russia, these exiles and prisoners were crafted into an army to fight the Nazis. The man to lead them was Wladyslaw Anders. This is the tale of Ander’s exiled Polish army.

Sources

"An Army in Exile: The Story of the Second Polish Corps" by Władysław Anders

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W%C5%82adys%C5%82aw_Anders

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

The Explorers Podcast is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

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Sidi Mubarak Bombay Apr 15, 2025

Show notes

Sidi Mubarak Bombay grew up a slave - taken from his home in Africa to India. But that didn't stop him from being one of the most accomplished explorers and travelers of Central Africa. Over a period of 20 years, Bombay traveled = with the most famous African explorers, including Richard Francis Burton, Henry Morton Stanley, David Livingston, and Richard Speke.

Sources

Black Past: https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/sidi-mubarak-bombay-a-k-a-mbarak-mombee-1820-1885/

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidi_Mubarak_Bombay

Image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Sidi_Mubarak_Bombay._Across_Africa_%281877%29.jpg

The Explorers Podcast is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

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