Stuff You Missed in History Class
2,695 episodes — Page 53 of 54
How the Tuskegee Airmen Worked
The Tuskegee Airmen made up the first African American air squadron. Tune in to this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com to learn more about desegregation in the American army and how the Tuskegee Airmen helped win World War II. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Did Betsy Ross really make the first American Flag?
Did Betsy Ross really make the first American flag, or is this just another revolutionary legend? Learn the myths and facts about Betsy Ross and the first American flag in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mesopotamia: The First Civilization
Mesopotamia is often called the 'cradle of civilization,' but some scholars believe other ancient areas (such as Catal Huyuk) hold a better claim to the title. Tune in and learn more with this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How the Battle of Gettysburg Worked
The Battle of Gettysburg remains the most memorable conflict of the Civil War, and historians continue to analyze the events preceding and following from the battle. Tune in and learn more about Gettysburg in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Were people vying to become slaves in the Ottoman Empire?
Under a loophole of Muslim law, a sultan could take one-fifth of the spoils of war, including slaves. Learn how the sultan began a slave army -- and why would someone would want to be a soldier-slave -- in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Gandhi's Salt March
When the British Empire controlled India, it used legislation like the salt tax to control the population. Learn how Gandhi's non-violent salt march triggered a wave of protest leading to Indian independence in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Was Manhattan traded for nutmeg?
It's hard to believe that anyone would trade the thriving island of Manhattan for a spice, but history is full of surprises. Find out why -- and how -- the Dutch traded Manhattan for nutmeg in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Were ancient Egyptians the first feminists?
When Herodotus explored Egypt, he was startled by the contradictory gender roles -- women were doing tasks the Greeks restricted to males. Does this mean the Egyptians were the first feminists? Learn more in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Joan D'Arc Worked
Joan of Arc was a startling, larger-than-life figure, and she had a very strange trial. Learn why the Joan of Arc trial is so contentious -- along with much more -- in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Charlemagne's Coronation
On Christmas Day in 800 AD, Charlemagne became the emperor of Rome in a coronation headed by none other than Pope Leo III. Learn more about the growth of the Holy Roman Empire in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How the Marshall Plan Worked
During a Harvard commencement speech, Secretary of State George Marshall outlined a plan to assist Europe after World War II. Listen in and learn how this 12 minute speech changed the future of Europe in this HowStuffWorks.com podcast. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Archimedes' Death Ray Worked
Archimedes' death ray is one of history's most fabled legendary weapons -- but what was it? Was it even real? Listen in as Candace and Jane sift through the legends and find the facts behind the ancient death ray in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How did a shipwreck double the size of the US?
Originally, Spanish silver was meant to stabilize the Louisiana territory -- but the ship carrying the necessary funds sank in the Gulf of Mexico. Find out more about the El Cazador shipwreck in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How the Terracotta Army Works
Approximately 7,000 clay soldiers guard the burial site of Qin Shi Huangdi, China's first emperor. Learn more about the emperor's mysterious army in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How did the East India Company change the world?
From the Opium Wars to the Boston Tea Party, the British East India Company had a profound effect on the course of history. Tune in and learn more about the influence of the British East India Company in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Historically Inaccurate Movies
Although moviegoers love period pieces, filmmakers are notorious for getting the details wrong. Tune in as our resident history buffs take a look at historically inaccurate movies -- from Pocahontas to The Bridge on the River Kwai -- in this podcast from Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How the Code of Hammurabi Worked
The Code of Hammurabi is one of humanity's earliest, most intact code of laws. Historians continue to discuss the effects and importance of this code today. Listen in and learn more about the Code of Hammurabi in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Bloodiest Battles of World War II
50 million people died over the course of World War II, and historians often cite it as the bloodiest war in human history. Tune in to learn more about World War II in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Typhoid Mary Worked
Historians agree that Typhoid Mary really existed -- but who was she, and how did she come to infect so many people? Tune in and learn more about Typhoid Mary in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Was there really a Pied Piper of Hamelin?
Everyone knows the story of the Pied Piper -- but how much of this legend is factual? Learn more about the fact and fiction behind the story of the Pied Piper in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Hitler's Propaganda Machine Worked
Adolph Hitler's legendary propaganda programs steered public opinion with unprecedented precision. Learn how this massive campaign influenced the average war-time German in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How the Alamo Worked
Legends and lore surround the story of the Alamo. As a result, it can be difficult to separate the fact from fiction. Listen in as our resident historians take a look at the true story of the Alamo in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Knights Work
The knights of medieval Europe are often associated with a code of behavior known as chivalry -- but what were these knights actually like? Learn more about the reality behind the popular image of knights in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How the Spanish-American War Worked
Although the Spanish-American War was a short conflict, many historians believe this conflict marked the United States' emergence as a major world power. Tune in and learn more about the Spanish-American War in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How the Black Death Worked
When the Black Death swept across Europe, it killed an estimated 25 million people -- one third of Europe's total population. Tune in and learn more about the lasting effects of the Black Death in this HowStuffWorks podcast. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Thomas Jefferson's Bible Worked
Thomas Jefferson, one of America's founding fathers, was a very unorthodox thinker. His revision of the Bible was one of his most controversial projects -- tune into this HowStuffWorks podcast to learn why. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why did it take more than 20 years to bury Eva Peron?
Eva Peron died on July 26, 1952. After a 13-day wake, Dr. Pedro Ara mummified the body -- but it would take more than twenty years to bury the corpse. Learn more about Eva Peron's decades-long travel to the grave in this podcast from HowStuffWorks. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Will the world really end in 2012?
The Mayan empire produced a unique calendar that's still followed in parts of the world today. Curiously, this calendar predicts a monumental, world-wide change on December 21st, 2012. Learn more about 2012 in this podcast from HowStuffWorks. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Navajo Code Talkers Work
During World War II, Axis and Allied powers struggled to discover the enemies' information while hiding their own. Tune in to this HowStuffWorks podcast to learn how the Navajo code talkers turned the tide of World War II. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How the Underground Railroad Worked
The Underground Railroad may have saved as much as 100,000 slaves. Tune into to this HowStuffWorks podcast to learn how the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act and a secret network of abolitionists led to the creation of the Underground Railroad. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Revisionist History Works
Like any other discipline, history often becomes a matter of interpretation. Check in with HowStuffWorks' resident history experts as they explore the phenomenon of revisionist history in this podcast. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How the Vikings Worked
In most films Vikings are depicted as bloodthirsty, relatively ignorant berserkers who did little more than plunder and pillage their way across Europe. However, the story doesn't end there -- tune in to this HowStuffWorks podcast to learn more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Medieval Torture Devices Worked
Building on an earlier examination of the Spanish Inquisition, HowStuffWorks' history experts take a look at the disturbing world of medieval torture devices. Check out this podcast to learn more about torture and more Stuff You Missed in History Class. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How the Civil Rights Movement Worked
Explore the complicated history of the civil rights movement in this HowStuffWorks podcast. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How the Spanish Inquisition Worked
Nowadays, the Spanish Inquisition is best known as a symbol of religious intolerance and extreme cruelty. Tune in to this HowStuffWorks podcast to learn more about the people and politics behind the Spanish Inquisition. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why were some Japanese soldiers still fighting decades after World War II?
During World War II, the bravery of Kamikaze pilots was legendary. When the war concluded, several Japanese soldiers remained in hiding on islands across the Pacific. Learn more about Japanese holdouts and the Bushido code in this HowStuffWorks podcast. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Did the Chinese reach America before Columbus?
Author Gavin Menzies believes a fleet of Chinese explorers reached the Americas before Christopher Columbus, but he's been repeatedly challenged to defend this claim. Check out this podcast from HowStuffWorks to learn more about revisionist history. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How the Emancipation Proclamation Worked
When Lincoln delivered the Emancipation Proclamation, he hoped to demoralize the South. Learn the details behind President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation in this podcast from HowStuffWorks. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Could treasure hunters have discovered Nazi Gold?
Several treasure hunters think they might have found Nazi gold. Learn about the history of Nazi gold, the role of Swiss banks and much more in this podcast from HowStuffWorks. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How the Great Wall of China Works
The Great Wall of China is incredibly long, and was originally built for military purposes. Check out this HowStuffWorks podcast to learn more about the Great Wall. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Agent Orange Worked
Agent Orange was a potent herbicide and defoliant used across Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Listen to this podcast from HowStuffWorks to learn about Agent Orange and its atrocious legacy. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Who was Marco Polo?
Marco Polo was an 11th-century Italian explorer famous for his extensive travels through China along the Silk Road, but it can be difficult to separate the truth from the fiction in his stories. Check out this HowStuffWorks podcast to learn more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How the African Diamond Trade Works
Diamond were first found in Africa sometime in the 1860s, and have troubled the continent ever since. Check out this podcast from HowStuffWorks to learn more about the De Beers monopoly, blood diamonds and the African conflicts resulting from these gems. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Prohibition Works
The alcohol prohibition of the 1920s was known at the time as 'the noble experiment.' Check out this podcast from HowStuffWorks to learn more about this constitutional amendment banning the sale and production of alcoholic products. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Henry VIII Worked
From 1509 to 1547, thousands of people were beheaded under the bloody, violent reign of Henry VIII. Check out this HowStuffWorks podcast to learn more about Henry VIII and his effect on history. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How the Boston Tea Party Worked
During the Colonial period in North America, Britain taxed colonists without allowing the colonies to have governmental representation. Learn how the Boston Tea Party came about as a result of British colonial policies in this HowStuffWorks podcast. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Who was Rosie the Riveter?
With much of America's workforce fighting in World War II, women broke past traditional gender stereotypes and gained employment in industries formally restricted to men. Check out this HowStuffWorks podcast to learn more about Rosie the Riveter. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How the Rosetta Stone Works
Prior to the modern discovery of the Rosetta stone, Ancient Egypt was an enigma. Even many pre-Napoleonic Egyptians had no concept of their forbearers' culture. Check out this HowStuffWorks podcast to learn more about the Rosetta Stone. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Easter Island Works
Home to hundreds of mysterious, gigantic stone statues, Easter Island is an isolated, tiny island in the Pacific. Check out this podcast to learn more about the astonishing history of Easter Island. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How the Titanic Worked
The Titanic was famously considered 'unsinkable' by the engineers who built it. However, the Titanic's reputation could not save it from the infamous iceberg that sank the ship on its maiden voyage. Check out this HowStuffWorks podcast to learn more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.