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Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for On Desperate Ground: Fine, fine. Marines are good at stuff. I’ll admit it for once. Quick synopsis: The battle of Chosin Reservoir in the Korean War. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Mao Zedong believed orgasms directly halted the aging process. He’s dead now so I guess not. Fun Fact for […]

Let’s overstay our welcome! Author Hampton Sides joins the podcast to talk his new book The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook. Come listen! Buy The Wide Wide SeaCheck out Hampton’s website

Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for In the Kingdom of Ice: Nobody wants to be king of this kingdom. Quick synopsis: An account of the U.S Arctic Expedition of 1879-1881. It…. didn’t go great. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: As late as this expedition, people still believed there was an open polar sea. Yes, in the […]

Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Wide Wide Sea: Retire before the job kills you. Quick synopsis: The final voyage of legendary explorer Captain James Cook. Fact for Non-History People: Cook’s second circumnavigation of the globe took 1,100 days and about 100,000 nautical miles. Fact for History Nerds: Cook never had a sailor die of scurvy […]

Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Cracking the Nazi Code: Hitler was not the beginning. Quick synopsis: A look at the career of Winthrop Bell who spied on the Nazis before World War II. Fact for Non-History People: By the end of World War II, the Nazis were responsible for 20 million deaths without counting combat related […]

Let’s identify a killer! Author Henry Hemming joins the podcast to talk his book Four Shots in the Night: A True Story of Spies, Murder, and Justice in Northern Ireland. Come listen! Buy Four Shots in the NightCheck out Henry’s website

Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Chasing Beauty: An old school influencer. Quick synopsis: A biography of Isabella Stewart Gardner who created a popular museum in her own name. Fact for Non-History People: In the 1800s, Washington D.C. was a popular honeymoon destination. Fact for History Nerds: Isabella’s museum was the site of the infamous 1990 heist […]

Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Four Shots in the Night: If you were lucky, you only got stitches. Quick synopsis: The story of a murder in Northern Ireland.    Fact for Non-History People: 3,720 people were killed, while 47,571 were injured, and about 10,000 people were imprisoned during the Troubles. Fact for History Nerds: Almost 50% […]

Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Death Row Welcomes You: See what you think. Quick synopsis: A look at the death penalty in Tennessee since 2018 and the people affected.    Fact for Non-History People: There were 489 executions in the U.S. from 2001 to 2011 (485 men and 4 women). Fact for History Nerds: There are […]

Let’s investigate a farm! Author Earl Swift joins me to talk his book Hell Put to Shame: The 1921 Murder Farm Massacre and the Horror of America’s Second Slavery. Come listen! Buy Hell Put to ShameCheck out Earl’s website

Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Sociopath: Sociopaths are people, too. Quick synopsis: A memoir from a confirmed sociopath who wants to be understood.    Fact for Non-History People: Sociopathy was the first personality disorder ever identified over 200 years ago. Fact for History Nerds: Sociopaths are about 5% of the population. My Take on Sociopath: Buckle […]

Let’s do a heist! Author Michael Finkel joins me to talk his book The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession. It’s our 100th episode and it’s so good! Trust us! Buy The Art ThiefCheck out Michael’s website

Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Hell Put to Shame: Hell is definitely where they are going. Quick synopsis: The story of the Murder Farm Massacre in 1921 Georgia.    Fact for Non-History People: From 1889-1918, Black victims made up 93.3% of lynching cases in Georgia. Fact for History Nerds: The peonage system is tough to pin […]

Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Bartleby & Me: Sinatra and explosions. Need I say more? Quick synopsis: Gay Talese talks about his career, Frank Sinatra, and a guy blowing up his brownstone.    Fact for Non-History People: Frank Sinatra wore lifts in his shoes so that he was 5’9” even though he was really 5’7” which […]

Let’s play ball! Author Keith O’Brien joins me to discuss his new book Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose and the Last Glory Days of Baseball. Come find out about how Pete Rose’s worst enemy is himself. Buy Charlie HustleCheck out Keith’s website