Best Softcore History Podcasts (2024)

1
The Founding Father of Organized Crime 1:25:47

1d ago1:25:47

1:25:47

Kyle Bandujo, podcaster and author of the new sports movie book "Movies With Balls", joins the show to talk about one of the most famous figures in American sports scandal history: Arnold Rothstein. Though he was most famous for allegedly fixing the 1919 World Series (a.k.a. the Black Sox Scandal), this distinction does the man's criminal history a…

1
The Civil War's Cocktail Hour 1:03:47

7h ago1:03:47

1:03:47

Bleeding Kansas was a series of conflicts between abolitionists and pro-slavery forces after the passing of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. Election fraud, murder, and guerilla warfare were rampant during this five year window that decided whether Kansas would enter the union a free or slave state. Many historians consider it the prequel to the Am…

1
Abe Lincoln's Favorite Hate Read 1:22:31

9d ago1:22:31

1:22:31

19th Century Southern lawyer-turned-sociologist and noted shut-in George Fitzhugh was "too online" 140 years before the internet was even invented. He stayed inside all day reading newspapers, books, and political pamphlets, rarely leaving home. As with anyone who shapes their worldview only by consuming media, Fitzhugh started to believe some pret…

1
The Real Game Of Thrones 1:06:38

9d ago1:06:38

1:06:38

The Wars of Roses were a series of civil wars fought for the English crown from 1455 to 1487. These bloody and nasty conflicts between the Houses of Lancaster and York inspired George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones series to the point that you can make direct connections between the real historical figures and characters in his books. Subscribe to t…

1
Would You Eat Hippo? - FREE PATREON PREVIEW 1:12:26

11d ago1:12:26

1:12:26

An American meat shortage in 1910 caused people to get real desperate, real fast. Enter Louisiana Representative Robert F. Broussard, who proposed the American Hippo Bill, which would import hippos from Africa to be raised for food on Louisiana swamp ranches. Oh, what could have been. For this show and TWO additional ad-free episodes every week fol…

1
Every Time A President Personally Killed Someone 1:34:01

14d ago1:34:01

1:34:01

Presidents aren't only passive victims. Helpless bystanders as gunmen attempt to kill them. This week we discuss every American president who TOOK lives, from the ones you know like Andrew Jackson and Teddy Roosevelt, to the ones you never would've guessed. And these kills aren't by order or drone strike but, rather, done with their own bare hands.…

1
People Will Watch Anything They Can Bet On 1:10:40

1M ago1:10:40

1:10:40

Gilded Age Americans were hungry for entertainment and because of this, somehow, the simple hobby of walking captivated the country. So much so that it briefly developed into our national sport and the most gambled-on athletic competition during the Victorian era. Pedestrianism was the name of the game and its athletes were looking to get any perfo…

1
The Time Polygamists Took On The Holy Roman Empire 1:30:59

1M ago1:30:59

1:30:59

Not all Protestant movements in the 16th Century had Martin Luther's success. Enter the Münster Rebellion, in which a bunch of anti-Catholic, anti-Lutheran lunatics took over a city, enacted full-on communism (except for its leaders, of course), legalized polygamy so hard it became a sport, and ultimately inspired some of the most metal church deco…

1
Rome Refused To Quit 1:10:26

1M ago1:10:26

1:10:26

The First Punic War was the first of three conflicts between the established Carthaginians and the rising, upstart Roman Empire. For 23 years these two forces slugged it out in the Mediterranean Sea, Siciliy, and North Africa and suffered immense loses on both sides before the Romans ultimately pulled off the upset and laid the foundation for their…

1
Communists Killed the Whales 1:07:15

1M ago1:07:15

1:07:15

If you’ve ever wondered why whale sightings are such a big deal or why we need to “save the whales”… it’s because the Soviet Union killed them all. Find out why the communist super power had such a lust for whale blood in this week’s episode. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra history content including listener…

1
Do We Owe France An Apology? 1:18:41

2M ago1:18:41

1:18:41

For decades Americans have sneered at the French for taking a big, fat L in World War 2 -- but are we too hard on France? How many of their contributions to this country -- let alone its freedom -- have we overlooked?? Special guest Jack Mandaville helps us dive in. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra history co…

1
Kamikaze Puppies, Monkey Bombs, and Unfortunately So Much More 1:23:44

2M ago1:23:44

1:23:44

A brief overview of warfare's long, rich tradition of using animals in creative and horrifying ways, from Alexander the Great's war pigs all the way up to... pretty much modern day, actually. It's not great. Featuring special guest host Jessie Wiseman of Crime Corner. Listen to Crime Corner wherever you get podcasts! Subscribe to the Softcore Histo…

1
The Hobo King Of America 1:07:15

2M ago1:07:15

1:07:15

Joshua Norton was a 19th century English immigrant who became financially ruined after a deal went south with a Peurivian rice company. After a long legal battle that reached the California Supreme Court, banks took all of his assets and he wandered the streets of San Francisco for the next 20 years. Not one to accept his fate in the gutter, Joshua…

1
Is Setting Your Kid On Fire A Dealbreaker? 1:05:08

2M ago1:05:08

1:05:08

King Mannesah of Judah is considered one of the worst kings in the Old Testament but is that the reality of the situation or just the perspective of the authors of the Bible? It turns out he might have had some surprisingly good reasons for doing (some) of the supposedly egregious things he did. DONATE to Iris Faust's College Fund GoFundMe Here Sub…

1
The Big Dumb Conspiracy Iceberg 1:21:42

3M ago1:21:42

1:21:42

In Jake’s final episode, he takes us down a rabbit hole of conspiracy theories -- and the history behind them -- that range from somewhat plausible to totally insane, and what unifies all of them. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra history content including listener history questions, history movie watch-alongs…

1
A Land Of Giants - FREE PATREON PREVIEW 1:07:59

3M ago1:07:59

1:07:59

Just about every Native tribe has passed down legends of a race of white giants that they defeated to take the Americas. The Cherokee call them the Moon People. The Utes and Paiutes spoke of a group of ten-feet-tall beings living in caves and ironically referred to them as "savages" and "cannibals." We discuss this mysterious society of mountain si…

1
Was Yasuke The First And Only Black Samurai? 1:11:43

3M ago1:11:43

1:11:43

Yasuke was a 16th century African slave that found his way to the far east working for Italian missionaries and became an obsession and friend to one of the most influential warlords in Japan. Yasuke eventually took over as Oda Nobunaga's personal weapon bearer, body guard, and -- many speculate -- earned full samurai status in just 15 months. But …

1
China's History-Based Plan For World Domination 1:32:10

3M ago1:32:10

1:32:10

Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it, but the Chinese are studying history with the explicit hope that they do, in fact, repeat it. National Security and the Rise and Fall of Great Powers is the Chinese Communist Party's examination of how nations over the last 500 years -- from Spain and Portugal to Britain, the Soviet Union, and…

1
A Brief History of Humans Eating Oysters 1:28:52

4M ago1:28:52

1:28:52

From cavemen to Rome to post-Civil War America and the present day, humans have been harvesting and eating oysters for hundreds of thousands of years. Jake, who just got back from working an oyster farm for a week (seriously), details how humans came to eat these little gooey delicacies, the wars we've fought over them, and the myths we've created …

1
Drowning In Alcohol 59:08

4M ago59:08

59:08

In celebration of reaching 1,000 reviews on Apple Podcasts, and perhaps in a bit of method podcast hosting, Dan Regester attempts to tell the story of The London Beer Flood of 1814 while flooding his own body with a mixture of Guinness and whiskey. Like the flood itself, Dan's evening ends in disaster. (Maybe come back to this one if this is your f…

1
Never Meet Your (Communist) Heroes 1:37:19

4M ago1:37:19

1:37:19

Malcolm Caldwell was a professor at the University of London who loved two things: Communism, and publicly cheerleading Pol Pot's regime in Cambodia. The latter, he insisted, was a beacon of hope for humanity and definitely not killing people by the millions. In 1978, Caldwell was granted an audience with his political and humanitarian hero, but af…

1
The Man Who Made Baby Boomers Insufferable 1:03:10

4M ago1:03:10

1:03:10

Thomas Midgley Jr. revolutionized the U.S. auto industry in the early 1900s. But, he may have also been responsible for a violent mid-century American crime wave and lowered IQs across the world. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra history content including listener history questions, history movie watch-alongs,…

1
The Worst Man To Ever Live 1:14:49

4M ago1:14:49

1:14:49

Hong Xiuquan was the leader of the Taiping Rebellion that killed over 30 million people, the self-proclaimed celestial brother of Jesus Christ, and an inspirational figure to future chairman of the Chinese Communist Party Mao Zedong. He (initally) had the backing of Karl Marx and was a massive thorn in the side of the Qing Dynasty for 14 years afte…

1
Modern History's First Great Sex Cult 1:20:27

5M ago1:20:27

1:20:27

The Agapemonites were a Victorian religious cult that checked all the boxes. A leader who thought he was God and also immortal and needed multiple wives? Check, check, and check. A way to separate idiots from their money and possessions? Check. A creepy compound with high walls? Check. But even for a relatively early modern cult Henry Prince and hi…

1
The Most Haunted Beach In America 1:16:45

5M ago1:16:45

1:16:45

In 1565 both the French and Spanish were competing to establish a colonial presence on Florida's east coast. That competition came to a quick and violent head (you'll see what we did there) and now the site of their confrontation might be the most haunted beach in America. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra his…

1
Turning Criminals Into A Hit Squad? What Could Go Wrong! 1:06:23

5M ago1:06:23

1:06:23

Unit 684 was a secret group created by the South Korean Air Force in 1968 tasked with assasinating North Korean leader Kim Il Sung. After three brutal years training on a remote island and suffering multiple executions at the hands of their own trainers, the surviving members and former convicts threw a mutiny and hijacked a bus back to Seoul. Subs…

1
A Brief History of Butt Medicine 1:37:14

5M ago1:37:14

1:37:14

From ancient drug enemas to World War 1 era, steampunk-esque prostate vibrators, the history of doctors trying to treat what ails a man through his butt is as long as it is weird and gross and, quite often, extremely unfortunate. (Just ask a couple of our former presidents.) Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra h…

1
The Fall Of Rome Is Why You Have A "Landlord" 1:05:32

5M ago1:05:32

1:05:32

Hate landlords? You can thank Rome for them. (Just kidding, you'd be paying someone to live on their property either way you bastards, but you just might not call them "landlord.") Either way, the fall of the Western Roman Empire paved the way for Feudalism and traditional monarchy in the Middle Ages. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for h…

1
The Donner Party's Descent Into Cannibalism 58:28

6M ago58:28

58:28

The Donner-Reed Party was a group of American pioneers who migrated west to California in a wagon train and slowly tumbled into madness after months of mishaps, moronic moves, and murder. After a "shortcut" added weeks to their journey, the group ran out of food, supplies, transportation and turned to cannibalism to survive a brutal winter in the S…

1
The Mother of Mexicans 1:15:04

6M ago1:15:04

1:15:04

Though Spanish Conquistador Hernán Cortés is credited with conquering the Aztec Empire the conquest might actually be thanks to his native female interpreter and first baby mama, La Malinche. The Indian noblewoman, who was sold into slavery as a child before being gifted to Cortés after a battle with Mayans and rising to become his interpreter and …

1
How Humans Became Wheat Puppets 1:02:11

6M ago1:02:11

1:02:11

Did human beings domesticate wheat? Or did wheat domesticate humans? We dive into the long history of humanity's relationship with the plant and how we ultimately went from eating wild wheat to baking bread and conquering the planet. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra history content including listener history …

1
The Nepo Baby Who Possibly Stole An Election 1:15:48

6M ago1:15:48

1:15:48

John Quincy Adams was the 6th president of the United States who won his election in controversial fashion over Andrew Jackson in 1824. He spent his youth gallivating around Europe on his daddy's dime, helped author the Monroe Doctirine as Secretary of State, brought Florida into the union, was an incredibly outspoken abolitionist, and kept a pet a…

1
Making Animals Answer For Their Crimes 1:06:06

7M ago1:06:06

1:06:06

Justice is blind. So blind, apparently, that it doesn't mind if pigs, rats, statues, and other non-human entities are brought to trial. This is the history of the trials of animals and inanimate objects held over the centuries. The charges against them range from murder to vandalism and, as it turns out, these trials were often conducted for surpri…

1
The History of Pirate Mardi Gras 1:12:35

7M ago1:12:35

1:12:35

Tampa Bay’s Gasparilla Pirate Festival is a huge city holiday and boasts the third-largest annual parade in the United States. It’s also a drunken, pirate-themed, rage fest based on a lie. Learn about its history as a holiday, Jake and Dan’s Gasparilla experiences, and all you ever wanted to learn about turn-of-the-century tourism. Subscribe to the…

1
Harry Houdini's War With The Afterlife 1:07:58

7M ago1:07:58

1:07:58

Harry Houdini was a Hungarian-American escape artist, illusionist, actor, and aviator who beefed with spirit mediums and psychics throughout the early 20th century. He went from poor immigrant slumming it with his family in Wisconsin to an international superstar traveling the globe and mystifiying audiences with his wife Bess all throughout Europe…

1
This Pope Hated The Second Amendment 58:45

8M ago58:45

58:45

At the Second Council of the Lateran in 1139, Pope Innocent II banned Christians from using ranged weapons against other Christians under threat of excommunication. Was this to disarm the peasantry whose primary combat weapon was bows and arrows? Or were the reasons much... dumber and more selfish? Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hund…

1
The Demon Bear Who Terrorized Japan 1:28:17

8M ago1:28:17

1:28:17

During a snow storm in December of 1915, an incredibly intelligent Enzo brown bear launched a series of attacks on dozens of residents in a small Japanese town. The Sankebetsu incident is regarded as the worst animal attack in Japanese history. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra history content including listen…

1
Who Is The Better Father? 1:07:07

8M ago1:07:07

1:07:07

Jake and Dan compete in a historical parenting advice quiz to determine who would be the better father. Enjoy this FREE Softcore History Patreon preview and Merry Christmas to all our Softies out there. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra history content including listener history questions, history movie watch-…

1
Christmas Is For Settling Scores 59:57

8M ago59:57

59:57

Takanakuy is an annual Christmas tradition where residents of Santo Tomás, Peru call out neighbors they believe have wronged them throughout the year to physical combat. With no court houses in this community tucked away high up in the Andes Mountains, this centuries old tradition is used to settle legal disputes or clean the slate on petty disagre…

1
The Worst Botched Executions In History 1:32:21

9M ago1:32:21

1:32:21

Being executed for your crimes is never fun but throughout history, some executions have been much, MUCH worse than others. Specifically, the executions that did NOT go as planned. From beheadings that needed way too many swings of the ax and backup executioners who had no idea what they were doing to the first-ever use of the electric chair in 189…

1
Kissinger Kept You Safe (And Put Everyone Else In Danger) 1:28:12

9M ago1:28:12

1:28:12

Henry Kissinger was a pragmatic statesman above all else. Unfortunately, he was also German and, as such, his pragmatism took a lot of dark, destructive turns. His Cold War policy eschewed ideology (and any morsel of morality that might have previously existed) in favor of outcomes. The ends always justified the means to Kissinger when it came to t…

1
Diary Of A 16th Century Executioner 1:04:58

9M ago1:04:58

1:04:58

Franz Schmidt was a seasoned civil servant killer who hung, decapitated, drowned, burned alive, and crippled criminals' spirits and bodies on the breaking wheel as the head hangman in Nuremberg for 45 years during the Renaissance. He kept a diary detailing all 361 public executions he performed. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundred…

1
Did Osama bin Laden Have A Point? (No.) 1:34:06

9M ago1:34:06

1:34:06

Osama bin Laden’s 2002 “Letter to the American People” recently went viral on TikTok because random Gen Z’ers thought the terrorist architect of 9/11 made some… pretty good points? The actual contents of the letter, however, range from insane to literally fake quotes about Jews attributed to Benjamin Franklin. We break down all the historical inacc…

1
The Drug-Fueled Cults Christianity Stole From 1:24:33

10M ago1:24:33

1:24:33

Learn about the mystery cults that dominated the religious landscape right before Christianity took off in the Greco-Roman world. From fraternity-style initiations to hallucinatory beverages that made you see gods and think you were dead, these cults sounded... pretty fun? Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra his…

1
The Order Of Assassins 1:02:42

10M ago1:02:42

1:02:42

For 200 years a radical group of stone cold killers high on opium and hash living in an eagle's nest fortress in Persia terrorized Muslim and Crusade leaders alike. Hasan-i Sabbah, the "Old Man in the Mountain" led an often outnumbered group of Nizari Ismalis to mulitple victories over massive armies and organized hundreds of political hits through…

1
The Real Witches Shakespeare Ripped Off 1:04:20

10M ago1:04:20

1:04:20

There's nothing like the thrill of the hunt, and for King James of Scotland and England, his favorite prey was witches. This is the story of the North Berwick Witch Trials in late 16th-century Scotland, which were inspired almost entirely by how awesome contemporary witch trials in Denmark and Germany seemed to King James. Hundreds of innocent peop…

1
You Won't Believe This 10-Year-Old Girl's Body Count 1:03:03

10M ago1:03:03

1:03:03

Mary Bell was a child murderer, in that she was a literal 10-year-old child when she began murdering, and because her victims were children even younger than her. Learn about one of England's most horrifying murder cases as our hosts squirm in their seats. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra history content incl…

1
The Villisca Axe Murders 1:14:13

11M ago1:14:13

1:14:13

A small Iowa town was shook to its core in the summer of 1912 after six members of a local affluent family and two of their guests were brutally murdered with an axe inside the comfort of their own home. A lengthy investigation resulted in several oddball suspects but ultimately zero convictions. The case remains unsolved. Subscribe to the Softcore…

1
Gaza Has Never Belonged To Anyone Who Lives There 1:07:48

11M ago1:07:48

1:07:48

Who does Gaza really belong to? Or Israel/Palestine in general? It's sort of hard to say since the people native to that area have basically NEVER been in charge of it. From the Bronze Age to the end of World War 2 the area we know today as Israel and/or Palestine has been ruled by everyone from the Egyptians and Alexander the Great to the Romans a…

1
The Witch Who Deserved Her Trial 1:13:35

11M ago1:13:35

1:13:35

Throughout history, women accused of witchcraft have been wrongly executed. Mary Bateman, known as the Yorkshire Witch, was not one of those women. She absolutely earned her date with the hangman. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra history content including listener history questions, history movie watch-alongs…

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