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:

Library of Alexandria Mar 17, 2025

Show notes

More than 2,000 years ago, in Alexandria Egypt, Ptolemy II had a dream - to establish the greatest library the world had known. What emerged was one of the grandest institutions ever built, and the forerunner to all modern libraries. This is the story of the Library of Alexandria.

Sources

"Libraries in the Ancient World" by Lional Casson

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

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

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

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Drake's Brass Plate - Relic or Hoax? Mar 17, 2025

Show notes

In 1933, a small brass plate was discovered near San Francisco - not far from where famed English privateer Francis Drake had supposedly landed back in 1579. It fit the description of a plate reportedly left by Drake - making it potentially one of the great relics of North American Exploration.

Sources

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drake%27s_Plate_of_Brass

Science Beat: Drake's Plate -- the end of the mystery? https://www2.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/NSD-Drakes-plate.html"

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1583_portrait_of_Sir_Francis_Drake.jpg

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

Interested in advertising on the Explorers Podcast? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com

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Rosa Parks Mar 17, 2025

Show notes

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks would have enough. Sitting on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, she was told to give up her seat. She said no. Sick and tired of decades of segregation, racism and oppression, she would sit defiantly. This would lead into some of the most pivotal moments in the American civil rights movement.

Sources

Montgomery Bus Boycott - https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/montgomery-bus-boycott

"The Rebellious life of Rosa Parks" by Jeanne Theoharis

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rosa_Parks_in_watercolour.png

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

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The Head of Oliver Cromwell Mar 17, 2025

Show notes

On January 30, 1661, Oliver Cromwell, one time Lord Protector and ruler of the English Commonwealth, was hanged for treason. After being cut down, his head was chopped off, and placed on a 20-foot pole above Westminster Hall. While that sounds nasty, the truly weird thing is that Oliver Cromwell had died three years earlier. In this episode, we take you on the story of the Head of Oliver Cromwell.

Sources

"The macabre tale of Oliver Cromwell's head" - https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0j8vn2ne70o

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Cromwell%27s_head

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Narrative_relating_to_the_real_embalmed_head_of_Oliver_Cromwell,_now_exhibiting_in_Mead-Court,_in_Old_Bond-Street_Fleuron_T135438-1.png

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

Interested in advertising on the Explorers Podcast? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Dancing Plague of 1518 Mar 17, 2025

Show notes

In the boiling summer of 1518 in Strasbourg, France, one women started to dance in the street. But this was no ordinary dance. She continued until her feet were bloody And soon, she was joined by hundreds of other dancers, dancing until they passed out from exhaustion or death.

Sources

"A Time to Dance, a Time to Die" by John Waller

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

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

Interested in advertising on the Explorers Podcast? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Junko Tabei - the First Woman to Summit Mount Everest Mar 17, 2025

Show notes

On May 16, 1975, Japanese mountaineer Junko Tabei reached the summit of Mount Everest - and in the process became the first woman to ever climb the highest point on earth.

Sources

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

Women in Exploration: https://womeninexploration.org/timeline/junko-tabei/

Junko Tabei, first to summit Everest in 1975: https://www.jobradshaw.co.uk/blog/junko-tabie-pioneering-mountaineer-and-first-women-to-summit-everest"

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Junko_Tabei_85_(3to4).jpg

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

Interested in advertising on the Explorers Podcast? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wojtek the Bear Mar 17, 2025

Show notes

In 1941, an exiled Polish army would find itself in Iran. There it would adopt an orphaned bear cub who would go on to serve the army as their mascot, fellow soldier, and their friend.

Sources

"The bear who was a private in the Polish army" - https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy4nd3n33yeo

Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wojtek_(bear)

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_badge_of_the_22nd_Artillery_Support_Company_of_the_2nd_Polish_Corps.jpg

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

Interested in advertising on the Explorers Podcast? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Great Emu War Mar 17, 2025

Show notes

In 1932, the Australian army began a military campaign to take on a horde of menacing invaders. These swarms of great beasts threatened the nation’s food supply, and the livelihoods of thousands of decent Australians. This is the Great Emu War.

Sources

"The Great Emu War: When Australians Lost to Flightless Birds: https://www.thecollector.com/great-emu-war/

The Real Story Behind Australia’s Great Emu ‘War’ Of 1932 (And Why They Lost—Twice): https://www.forbes.com/sites/scotttravers/2024/12/26/the-real-story-behind-australias-great-emu-war-of-1932-and-why-they-lost-twice/

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emu_War"

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Natural_History,_Birds_-_Emu.jpg

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

Interested in advertising on the Explorers Podcast? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Saint Patrick: The Man Behind the Legend Mar 17, 2025

Show notes

Saint Patrick holds the honor of being one of the most celebrated saints in history. But behind all of the celebration, shamrocks and myths, there is a real person. A man who lived 1,500 years ago and forever changed the history of Ireland, and the world.

Sources

"Saint Patrick Retold" by Roy Fletchener

Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Patrick

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lá_Fhéile_Pádraig_Sona_Duit_-_Happy_Saint_Patrick%27s_Day.jpg

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

Interested in advertising on the Explorers Podcast? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Introducing History Dispatches Feb 28, 2025

Show notes

History Dispatches debuts Monday, March 17. 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.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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