Badass of the Week

In this episode, Badass of the week website creator Ben and professor of history Dr. Pat Larash discuss two badasses who were put in massively-stressful life-threatening situations and proved their badassitude by resolutely resolving to do... nothing. The RCSG Resolute, an antarctic icebreaker faced with seizure by the flagship destroyer of the Venezuelan Navy, and Lt. Col. Stanislav Petrov of the USSR's early-warning nuclear detection service each faced their own unique crises, and each was forced to remain steadfast even in the face of almost certain death.

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Author Ben Thompson and professor of history Dr. Pat Larash discuss a selection of war hero animals both furry and feathered, including the incredible tale of Voytek the Soldier Bear -- a massive beer-drinking Syrian brown bear who helped Polish artillery fight Nazis in World War II.

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In the first-ever episode of the Badass of the Week podcast, Badass of the Week website founder Ben Thompson and professor of history Dr. Pat Larash discuss the mythical Greek strongman Hercules, who had brains to go with his brawn, as well as Revolutionary War hero Peter Francisco, the "Virginia Hercules", a one-man army who backed his brawn up with even more brawn.

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Author Ben Thompson and Professor of History Dr. Pat Larash discuss the most-decorated American soldier of the Vietnam War, First Sergeant Robert Howard, a one-man army who survived 14 wounds and was nominated for the Medal of Honor three different times. His story might not be as well known as those of Sergeant York or Audie Murphy, but his unbelievable exploits battling for his life deep in the jungles of Southeast Asia are no less heroic.

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In Episode 007, Professor of History Dr. Pat Larash and author Ben Thompson cover the stories of a couple real-life inspirations for James Bond -- the multi-talented actor (and WWII Special Operations Executive soldier) Christopher Lee, and American super-spy Virginia Hall, the notorious "Limping Lady", who made life hard for the Nazis in occupied France.

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