Stuff You Missed in History Class
2,780 episodes — Page 55 of 56
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.
How the French Revolution Worked
Several factors contributed to the French Revolution. Check out this HowStuffWorks podcast to learn how an incompetent monarchy, the age of Enlightenment and widespread famine created the perfect storm for a country-wide revolution. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How the Crusades Worked
The first Crusade began in 1095, and launched a struggle for control of Jerusalem in a series of arduous battles spanning more than two centuries. Learn more about the origin, escalation and consequences of the Crusades in this podcast from HowStuffWorks. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What was Australia's Stolen Generation?
When British explorers reached Australia in 1768, Aborigines were seen as savages in need of assimilation. Check out this HowStuffWorks podcast to learn more about the Lost Generation, and the laws Australia passed to force assimilation on the Aborigines. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How the Louisiana Purchase Worked
When Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory for 15 million dollars, the US nearly doubled in size. Check out this HowStuffWorks podcast to learn more about the effects of the Louisiana Purchase. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Presidential Salaries Work
Compared to the average American salary, the President is well-off. However, most Presidents are wealthy when they arrive in office. Check out this HowStuffWorks podcast to learn more about the fact and fiction surrounding the President's salary. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How the Swing States Works
During presidential elections, campaign coverage often focuses on states whose populations are divided between candidates. Check out this HowStuffWorks podcast to learn more about the fact and fiction surrounding the electoral college and swing states. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why did Lady Godiva take a naked horse ride?
In an argument over taxing peasants, Lady Godiva -- whose real name was actually Godgifu -- called her husband's bluff and rode naked through the marketplace. Or did she? learn more about the fact and fiction surrounding Lady Godiva in this podcast. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How can a corpse be incorruptible?
Within hours after death, decay usually sets in and the human body begins to rot. However, some human bodies simply don't seem to decompose, and scientists have yet to figure out why. Check out this podcast to learn more about incorruptible corpses. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What happened to the lost colony at Roanoke?
In 1587, English colonists in Roanoke mysteriously disappeared, leaving only a few cryptic clues behind. For centuries since, researchers have wondered what became of the lost colonists. 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.
Do political parties influence the First Lady's duties?
The role of First Lady is extraconstitutional, and the functions of this position have varied across administrations. Check out this HowStuffWorks podcast to learn more about the influence political parties may have on the role of the First Lady. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Was an Irish monk the first European to find America?
Although Columbus is often thought to be the first European in America, an Irish monk may have reached the New World in the sixth century. Check out this HowStuffWorks podcast to learn more about the fact and fiction surrounding St. Brendan. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Presidential Pardons Work
The U.S. Constitution grants several powers to the President, including the ability to pardon anyone for several types of crime. Learn about the origins of pardons in this podcast from HowStuffWorks. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What was America's first terrorist threat?
When the U.S. was still a young nation, the notorious Barbary pirates demanded tribute from countries across the world. Rumor has it that President Jefferson was the first to stand up to the pirates. 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.
Does my vote count?
The framers of the Constitution put the electoral college in place as a compromise, and ever since voters have wondered if their vote counts. Check out this podcast from HowStuffWorks to learn more about the fact and fiction of the electoral college. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Did someone really escape from Alcatraz?
Alcatraz was one of the United States' most notorious prisons -- isolated on an island and surrounded by sharks. Check out this HowStuffWorks podcast to learn more about the fact and fiction surrounding escape attempts at Alcatraz. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.