History Unplugged Podcast
History Unplugged
15 Listeners
All episodes
Best episodes
Top 10 History Unplugged Podcast Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best History Unplugged Podcast episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to History Unplugged Podcast for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite History Unplugged Podcast episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
The Most Interesting American: Personal Encounters, Quotations, and First-Hand Impressions of Theodore Roosevelt
History Unplugged Podcast
12/14/23 • 37 min
He is mostly known for his many accomplishments in conservation, as a solider and explorer, and a successful presidency. Most photos of Roosevelt are formal portraits as we he was seldom recorded in motion pictures, and cartoonists often portrayed him as overexaggerated and hyperactive.
Today’s guest is Rick Marschall, and he has mined old newspapers, memoirs, diaries and letters for personal impressions to share almost five hundred vital and interesting accounts of the fascinating man who captivated a nation in his day in his new book, The Most Interesting American: Personal Encounters, Quotations, and First-Hand Impressions of Theodore Roosevelt
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
2 Listeners
Travelers and Explorers, Part 2: Marco Polo (1254-1324) -- Opening the Door to the East
History Unplugged Podcast
06/17/21 • 43 min
While much of his account is filled with incredible exaggerations or outright fictions – mythological animals make numerous cameos in the work – it inspired a new generation of explorers to push past the extents of the known world. His book was incorporated into some important maps of the later Middle Ages, such as the Catalan World Map of 1375, which was read with great interest in the next century by Henry the Navigator and Columbus. The effects of his journey on European intellectual and cultural life were far-reaching. Accounts of the lands in the East stimulated renewed interest in discovery and helped launch the European Age of Exploration.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
2 Listeners
What’s the Difference Between a Pirate, a Privateer, and a Naval Officer? In the 1700s, Very Little
History Unplugged Podcast
10/10/24 • 55 min
The pirates that exist in our imagination are not just any pirates. Violent sea-raiding has occurred in most parts of the world throughout history, but our popular stereotype of pirates has been defined by one historical moment: the period from the 1660s to the 1730s, the so-called "golden age of piracy."
The Caribbean and American colonies of Britain, France, Spain, and the Netherlands—where piracy surged across these decades—are the main theater for buccaneering, but this is a global story. From London, Paris, and Amsterdam to Curaçao, Port Royal, Tortuga, and Charleston, from Ireland and the Mediterranean to Madagascar and India, from the Arabian Gulf to the Pacific Ocean.
Familiar characters like Drake, Morgan, Blackbeard, Bonny and Read, Henry Every, and Captain Kidd all feature here, but so too will the less well-known figures from the history of piracy, their crew-members, shipmates, and their confederates ashore; the men and women whose transatlantic lives were bound up with the rise and fall of piracy.
To explore this story is today’s guest, Richard Blakemore, author of “Enemies of All: The Rise and Fall of the Golden Age of Piracy.”
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
2 Listeners
Andrew Jackson’s Victory in the Creek War Set the Stage for Southern Secession 50 Years Later
History Unplugged Podcast
04/11/23 • 39 min
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
2 Listeners
While Starving at Besieged Leningrad, Scientists Hid Drought-Resistant Crop Seeds That Could Prevent Future Famines
History Unplugged Podcast
12/24/24 • 40 min
In the summer of 1941, German troops surrounded the Russian city of Leningrad—now St. Petersburg—and began the longest blockade in recorded history, one that would ultimately claim the lives of nearly three-quarters of a million people. At the center of the besieged city stood a converted palace that housed the world’s largest collection of seeds — more than 250,000 samples hand-collected over two decades from all over the globe by world-famous explorer, geneticist, and dissident Nikolai Vavilov, who had recently been disappeared by the Soviet government. After attempts to evacuate the priceless collection failed and supplies dwindled amongst the three million starving citizens, the employees at the Plant Institute were left with a terrible choice. Should they save the collection? Or themselves?
These were not just any seeds. The botanists believed they could be bred into heartier, disease-resistant, and more productive varieties suited for harsh climates, therefore changing the future of food production and preventing famines like those that had plagued their countrymen before. But protecting the seeds was no idle business. The scientists rescued potato samples under enemy fire, extinguished bombs landing on the seed bank’s roof, and guarded the collection from scavengers, the bitter cold, and their own hunger. Then in the war’s eleventh hour, Nazi plunderers presented a new threat to the collection...
Today’s guest is Simon Parkin, author of “The Forbidden Garden: The Botanists of Besieged Leningrad and Their Impossible Choice.” We look at the story of the botanists who held their posts at the Plant Institute during the 872-day siege and the remarkable sacrifices they made in the name of science.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
2 Listeners
When Did People Start Using Last Names?
History Unplugged Podcast
05/26/17 • 7 min
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
2 Listeners
Knights Could Still Be Found on English Battlefields in the 1640s. What Were They Doing There?
History Unplugged Podcast
11/19/24 • 42 min
The 17th-century battlefield ushered in a new era, with formed musketeers and pistol-wielding cavalry gradually taking over from the knights and men-at-arms that had dominated the European battlefield. But knights could still be found on these battlefields as late as the 1640s, proudly donning their full-plated armor as their lightly clad compatriots looked on in a mix of envy and confusion. What were they doing fighting 17th-century battles?
Today’s guest is Myke Cole, author of “Steel Lobsters: Crown , Commonwealth, and the Last Knights in England.” We examine the life and times of Sir Arthur Hesilrige and his Regiment of Horse, known as "the Lobsters" as they were encased in plate armor. We cover the full history of England's last knights, from the seeds of their creation in Hesilrige’s experience as a young cavalry officer, to their final defeat at Roundway Down in July 1643, and the decision to abandon their armor.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
2 Listeners
Key Battles of the Barbary Wars, Episode 2: The British Origins of the US Navy
History Unplugged Podcast
10/24/24 • 40 min
The American Navy was birthed in the Barbary Wars. Sure, there was a token navy in the Revolutionary War, but battles were mostly won in that war by American privateers (or, if you were British, pirates). To understand where the U.S. Navy came from, we need to take a step back and look at the stake of naval warfare in the 18th century.
The early American Navy resembled the British Navy in its use of British ship designs, naval tactics, and organizational structures, largely inherited from the colonial period when the colonies relied on British maritime power. Many American naval officers had British training or were influenced by British traditions, such as ship discipline, officer ranks, and the use of frigates for protecting trade routes.
However, the U.S. Navy was different in its focus and scale. While the British Navy was a vast global force designed for empire-building and large-scale warfare, the early American Navy was smaller and more focused on defending American merchant ships, often relying on nimble frigates rather than large ships-of-the-line. Additionally, the U.S. Navy operated with a more democratic ethos, as naval officers in America were often more accountable to elected officials, reflecting the values of the new republic.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
2 Listeners
The 15-Hour Work Week Was Standard For Nearly All of History. What Happened?
History Unplugged Podcast
04/30/24 • 35 min
So what happened? Why does work today define who we are? It determines our status, and dictates how, where, and with whom we spend most of our time. It mediates our self-worth and molds our values. But are we hard-wired to work as hard as we do? Did our Stone Age ancestors also live to work and work to live? And what might a world where work plays a far less important role look like?
To answer these questions, today’s guest James Suzman, author of Work: A Deep History, from the Stone Age to the Age of Robots charts a grand history of "work" from the origins of life on Earth to our ever more automated present, challenging some of our deepest assumptions about who we are. Drawing insights from anthropology, archaeology, evolutionary biology, zoology, physics, and economics, he shows that while we have evolved to find joy meaning and purpose in work, for most of human history our ancestors worked far less and thought very differently about work than we do now. He demonstrates how our contemporary culture of work has its roots in the agricultural revolution ten thousand years ago. Our sense of what it is to be human was transformed by the transition from foraging to food production, and, later, our migration to cities. Since then, our relationships with one another and with our environments, and even our sense of the passage of time, have not been the same.
Arguing that we are in the midst of a similarly transformative point in history, Suzman argues that automation might revolutionize our relationship with work and in doing so usher in a more sustainable and equitable future for our world.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
2 Listeners
Did People in the Past Get 8 Hours of Sleep a Night?
History Unplugged Podcast
08/29/17 • 8 min
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
2 Listeners
Show more best episodes
Show more best episodes
Featured in these lists
FAQ
How many episodes does History Unplugged Podcast have?
History Unplugged Podcast currently has 963 episodes available.
What topics does History Unplugged Podcast cover?
The podcast is about Society & Culture, History and Podcasts.
What is the most popular episode on History Unplugged Podcast?
The episode title 'The First War on Terror: How Europe Fought Anarchist Suicide Attacks, From 1850 to WW1' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on History Unplugged Podcast?
The average episode length on History Unplugged Podcast is 40 minutes.
How often are episodes of History Unplugged Podcast released?
Episodes of History Unplugged Podcast are typically released every 2 days.
When was the first episode of History Unplugged Podcast?
The first episode of History Unplugged Podcast was released on May 11, 2017.
Show more FAQ
Show more FAQ