Month: June 2020

  • Timely History: The Plague of Justinian

    Timely History: The Plague of Justinian

    Everyone knows about the Black Death. One of the worst pandemics in history and caused by fleas on rats. People merely refer to it as the plague and associate it with the Black Death, which is true. But it’s not the first time the plague is seen in history and it’s definitely not the first…

  • Timely History: Juneteenth

    Timely History: Juneteenth

    The country recently celebrated Juneteenth on 19 June. For a lot of people, it was the first time hearing about the holiday. Allow me to conduct a quick Q&A to answer your burning questions on the holiday. This is a new thing that was just made up because of what’s going on, right? No, stop…

  • Holy Hell (Netflix)

    Holy Hell (Netflix)

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Holy Hell: Buddhafield is a dumb name for a cult. Quick synopsis: A documentary about the Buddhafield cult which the filmmaker was in for 22 years. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: This cult still exists in Hawaii. Fun Fact for History Nerds: This cult leader, Michel, had his people under…

  • Battle of the Books: Catherine of Aragon

    Battle of the Books: Catherine of Aragon

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Catherine of Aragon: Yes, they all talk about the same woman (Catherine/Katherine). They just spelled it differently. Quick synopsis: Biographies of Catherine of Aragon by Giles Tremlett, Patrick Williams, and Amy Licence. She was the first wife of Henry VIII and yes then it all went wrong. Fun Fact Non-History People…

  • The Book Was Better: The Lost City of Z

    The Book Was Better: The Lost City of Z

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Lost City of Z: Who would have thought the Amazon could be so dangerous? Quick synopsis: The story of famed explorer Percy Fawcett and his disappearance looking for the Lost City of Z. I compare the book by David Grann and the movie of the same name. Fun Fact Non-History…

  • Timely History: The Tulsa Race Massacre

    Timely History: The Tulsa Race Massacre

    Well, this is frustrating on multiple levels. The Tulsa Race Massacre occurred 99 year ago. I write “Timely History” to highlight current events through the prism of history. It’s the nerd equivalent of “staying in my lane.” I’m not a sociologist and there are many others who will write opinion pieces which will articulate things…

  • Freedom’s Detective by Charles Lane

    Freedom’s Detective by Charles Lane

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Freedom’s Detective: Even criminals hated the KKK. Quick synopsis: The life of Hiram C. Whitley, one of the earliest leaders of the Secret Service and renowned KKK detective. He was also a criminal. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Why does the President have the ability to pardon criminals? It was…

  • Interview with Larry Loftis Author of CODE NAME: LISE

    Interview with Larry Loftis Author of CODE NAME: LISE

    It still amazes me how generous history authors are with their time. I read CODE NAME: LISE (my review is here) a few months ago and absolutely loved it. The book is about Odette Sansom (or Hallowes or Churchill) who was World War II’s most highly decorated spy. Anything more starts to verge on spoilers,…

  • The White Cascade by Gary Krist

    The White Cascade by Gary Krist

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The White Cascade: A horror movie in book form. Quick synopsis: The story of Wellington avalanche of 1910 which left 96 people dead. It is the deadliest avalanche in American history. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: The disaster was so terrible that the town of Wellington quietly changed its name…