Did you ever fall asleep in history class? You’re not alone. History can be boring when focusing on only dates and statistics. Historium seeks to find the narrative of history in some of the most unlikely places. Seamlessly blending history and storytelling, Jake Barton draws you into historical tales you’ve probably never heard before.
[UNLOCKED] Bonus Episode #30: The Day Disco Died
(This is an unlocked Patreon bonus episode. For more bonus episodes, check out www.patreon.com/historium)Chicago, 1979. Disco was on top of the world. And some people didn't like that…When a failing baseball team and a peg-legged promoter hosted an anti-disco radio DJ armed with a quarter stick of dynamite… things quickly got out of hand.Welcome to Disco Demolition Night.Support the showwww.patreon.com/historium
7/20/2023 • 1 hour, 31 minutes, 31 seconds
Historium Presents: The Wind
An episode from a show I love called The Wind. "Western Films as America’s origin story, and why they sound the way they do."For more episodes: https://thewind.org/For our bonus episode with Fil: patreon.com/historiumSupport the showwww.patreon.com/historium
5/11/2023 • 51 minutes, 10 seconds
#77 ATOMIC DAWN - The Red Menace: The Cold War and the Trial of Robert Oppenheimer
Neils Bohr returns with a new plan for world peace, Oppenheimer’s enemies close in from all sides as the Cold War warms up, and shadowy figures from the world of high finance work to expand the American nuclear weapons program.Original music for this series by https://mountainstandardtime.substack.com/Additional music by Alarm Will Sound, Marisa Anderson, Kali Malone, Zoe Keating, Julie Kent, Ben Von Wildenhaus, Brocker Way, William Basinski, Nine Inch Nails, Mulatu Astatke, Richard D. James, Jon Hopkins, and Nils Frahm. Final song by King Dude. For bonus episodes and a custom series patch, become a patron at: patreon.com/historiumSupport the showwww.patreon.com/historium
3/27/2023 • 1 hour, 30 minutes, 34 seconds
#76 ATOMIC DAWN - Heavy Water: The Norwegian Commando Mission to Sabotage the Nazi Nuclear Program
Norwegian commandos execute a daring sabotage mission to cripple the Nazi nuclear program. The fall of Werner Heisenberg. Original music for this series by https://mountainstandardtime.substack.com/Additional music by Hildur Guðnadóttir, Max Richter, William Basinski, Moondog, Sølvguttene, Jed Kurzel, Hala Strana, Anne Hytta, Nine Inch Nails, and Nico. For bonus episodes and a special series patch: www.patreon.com/historiumSupport the showwww.patreon.com/historium
3/20/2023 • 59 minutes, 10 seconds
#75 ATOMIC DAWN - A Prime Suspect: Robert Oppenheimer, the Manhattan Project, and the Investigation of a Soviet Atomic Spy Ring
Robert Oppenheimer leads the Manhattan Project at a secret research facility in Los Alamos. Meanwhile, counterintelligence seeks to unearth a secret communist spy ring within the very heart of the nuclear weapons program. A cold war starts before a world war ends.Original music for this series by https://mountainstandardtime.substack.com/Additional music by Ludovico Einauldi, Luke Howard, Alarm Will Sound, Ben Sollee, Nick Cave & Warren Ellis, and Lulu Belle & Scotty. For more episodes and a Historium Manhattan Project patch: www.patreon.com/historiumSupport the showwww.patreon.com/historium
3/13/2023 • 1 hour, 17 seconds
#74 ATOMIC DAWN - Complementarity and Uncertainty: Neils Bohr, Werner Heisenberg, and the Nazi Atomic Bomb
On the eve of the Second World War, physicists learn of the possibility of splitting the atom. Two rival nuclear programs emerge and the race to the atomic bomb begins... Original music for this series by https://mountainstandardtime.substack.com/Additional music by Kali Malone, Benoît Pioulard, Zoe Keating, Nine Inch Nails, Choral Arts Northwest, and The Louvin Brothers.For the rest of the series and a limited edition Historium patch made specifically for this episode: patreon.com/historiumSupport the showwww.patreon.com/historium
3/6/2023 • 48 minutes, 58 seconds
#73 Once in a Lifetime
The story of Halley’s Comet—the only reoccurring comet visible to the naked eye that shows up every 75 years or so. Throughout history its appearance has marked profound change, from the conquest of the British Isles to the fall of the Qing Dynasty.For more bonus episodes: patreon.com/historium Music:Hello! by David Wingo & Explosions in the SkyTime’s Blur by Lord HuronOpening (arr. for marimba) by Philip Glass & Nathaniel BartlettKatrina Outtake by Matthew Robert CooperCeiling Gazing by Mark KozelekExpectation by Matthew Robert CooperNever Ever by Lord HuronSupport the showwww.patreon.com/historium
11/24/2022 • 24 minutes, 47 seconds
#72: The Trial of Sunshine Charlie
Summer 1929 was the pinnacle of a new era of banking, and Charles E. Mitchell emblematized the live-fast-die-young ethos of roaring twenties stock salesmen. As the Great Crash led into the Great Depression, Charlie’s ambition brought about his downfall and forced him to go toe-to-toe with one of most doggedly committed prosecutors of the era: Ferdinand Pecora. It’s a story that’s more timely now than ever.For more episodes: patreon.com/historiumMusic:Hindustan by Bob Crosby & The Bob CatsDogtown Blues by Bob Crosby & The Bob CatsAdagio in G Minor for Strings and Organ by the London Philharmonic OrchestraEasy Opium by Ben von WildenhausBattle of the Species by AntibalasMusic for the Royal Fireworks by HandelOne Bad Motherfucker in His Day by Ben von WildenhausReckless by Brocker WayThe Ox by The WhoPotato Boy by Mac DemarcoTryouts by Brocker WayHeartaches by Al BowllyThe Beast by Dick DaleLet There Be Drums by Sandy NelsonIt Was a Town by Brocker WayGlass Etudes by Etudes No. 6 by Philip GlassEtude by Joep BevingIn Love and Justice by Colin Stetson Happy Days are Here Again by Ben Selvin & The CroonersEnd of Summer Part 2 by Johann JohannssonLess Likely by Trent Reznor1929 by Merle HaggardSupport the showwww.patreon.com/historium
10/24/2022 • 1 hour, 23 minutes, 50 seconds
#71 Operation Eureka
Tehran 1943. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin meet together for the first time with hopes of overcoming their ideological differences in order to win the Second World War.For bonus episodes: patreon.com/historiumMusic: Nightbook by Ludovico Einauldi Vanguard by Bear McCrearyHistory is Listening by Dario Marianelli & Vikingur OlafssonIncrease by David LangPrelude by Dario Marianelli & Vikingur OlafssonThe War Rooms by Dario Marianelli & Vikingur OlafssonMoscow, 1953 by Christopher WillisWelcome to the Bloody first by Wilbert Roget IIFour Winds by Adam HurstStaging a Coup by Christopher WillisDungtitled (In a Major) by Stars of the LidA Softer World by Luke HowardA Meaningful Moment Through a Meaningless Process by Stars of the LidSupport the showwww.patreon.com/historium
7/25/2022 • 43 minutes, 32 seconds
#70 Mendacium Ex Machina
In the late 1700s, a chess-playing automaton marched across Europe, achieving checkmates against novices and masters alike–all while hiding an incredible secret…Music:- Concerto for Lute and Plucked Strings by Siefried Behrend & DZO Chamber Orchestra- Clockwork Toccata, Op. 68 by Fulvio Caldini & the Amsterdam Loeki Stardust Quartet- Concerto no. 5 en la mineur by Bach- Mr. Moustafa by Alexandre Desplat- Denmark by Gideon Fruedmann & the Portland Cello Project- Night Train to Nebelsbad by Alexandre Desplat- Water Music Suite by Handel & the English Concert- Portrait Gallery by Luke Howard- Morning Talk/Supersymmetry by Arcade Fire & Owen PallettGet bonus episodes: patreon.com/historiumSupport the showwww.patreon.com/historium
4/18/2022 • 34 minutes, 3 seconds
#7 The Christmas Truce (Shiny & Chrome Edition)
This episode was always a feel-good fan favorite, so I decided to pluck it from the archives, rewrite it, re-record it, and remix it now that I'm a better writer with better equipment. Merry Christmas!'During the first Christmas of the First World War, troops from opposing armies defied orders and participated in a series of impromptu ceasefires in the no man’s land between the trenches.'Music:Keetley by OK IkumiBeyond the Milk Wood by Federico AlbaneseWe Move Lightly by Dustin O’Halloran#20 (Lichen) by Aphex TwinPauvre Simon by Sylvain ChauveauSilent Night by the St. John’s College ChoirAuld Lang Syne by Dexter BritainFollow me on Wisdom here to get notified when I go live on January 2nd at 3 PM EST: https://joinwisdom.audio/historiumSupport the show and listen to bonus episodes: patreon.com/historiumSupport the showwww.patreon.com/historium
12/24/2021 • 16 minutes, 25 seconds
#69 The Great Race of Mercy
In 1925, dog sled teams faced extreme subzero temperatures, whiteout conditions, and hurricane-force winds to deliver medicine to sick children in the remote mining town of Nome, Alaska. This feat of interspecies heroism would become one of the most harrowing rescue attempts in American history.Music:Etude by Joep BevingPrelude for Piano and Malaria by WorrytrainBorn Unto Trouble by Bill Elm & Woody JacksonSuicide by Marc StreitenfeldThe Diary by Dexter BritainWriting the Letter by Marc StreitenfeldIn Threes by LoscilLabyrinthine by Julianna BarwickA Softer world by Luke HowardThe Evil The Never Arrived by Stars of the LidOpening by Nathaniel BartlettAt the Beach by David WingoLale’s Theme by Nick Cave & Warren EllisI Will Be Back One Day (Instrumental) by Lord HuronSupport the show and listen to bonus episodes: patreon.com/historiumSupport the showwww.patreon.com/historium
12/13/2021 • 1 hour, 4 minutes, 54 seconds
#68 The Fifth Beatle
In early 1964, on the eve of The Beatles’ first international tour, Ringo Starr fell ill. To avoid cancelling the shows at the height of Beatlemania, they hired Jimmie Nicol as a temporary replacement. The stand-in drummer serves as a case study in what happens to a human psyche when propelled from relative obscurity to worldwide fame (and back again…) all in the span of a few months. For relevant photos and access to more episodes: patreon.com/historiumMusic:It Was a Town by Brocker WayMr. Rogers Day by Jonathan KirksceySchool Day by Chuck BerryRave On by Buddy HollyLast Days of Disco by Yo La TengoYea Yea by Vince EagerTwenty Flight Rock by Colin Hicks & His Cabin BoysDrum Diddley by The SpotnicksBuzz, Buzz, Buzz by Vince EagerSummertime Blues by Eddie CochranI Saw Her Standing There by The Silver BeatlesNight Train by The ShubdubsPracticing by Justin HurwitzDismissed by Justin HurwitzDo What You Are Doing by Dexter BritainI Want To Hold Your Hand by The BeatlesThe Horse by Cliff Nobles & Co.A Hard Day’s Night by The BeatlesCan’t Buy Me Love by The BeatlesLove Me Do by The BeatlesFrances & Her Friends by Francis FayeLong Tall Sally by The BeatlesHumpty Dumpty by The ShubdubsOn the Green Tape by MusetteLast Date by The SpotnicksThree King Fishers by Gabor SzaboGetting Better by The BeatlesSupport the showwww.patreon.com/historium
8/24/2021 • 56 minutes, 45 seconds
#67 The Andean Gambit
After Columbus opened Pandora’s Box by crossing the Atlantic, conquistadors ventured into the New World for god, glory, and gold; rarely in that order. One of these conquistadors, Francisco Pizarro, could not ignore the rumors of an empire of golden cities in the cloud peaks of the Andes, which sent him on a collision course with Atualpa, the god emperor of the Inca Empire.Facebook: @HistoriumPodcastTwitter: @HistoriumPodInstagram: @historiumpodcastFor more episodes: patreon.com/historiumSupport the showwww.patreon.com/historium
6/21/2021 • 2 hours, 12 minutes, 32 seconds
#66 Microstorium
As the final episode of this wild year called 2020, here's fifteen quick mini-stories from throughout history!Support the showwww.patreon.com/historium
12/23/2020 • 16 minutes, 43 seconds
[UNLOCKED] Book Review of ‘1491’ by Charles C. Mann
(This is an unlocked Patreon bonus episode. For more bonus episodes, check out www.patreon.com/historium)Lots of myth busting of misconceptions about indigenous people coupled with new research that shines a light of what the New World and its inhabitants were actually like.Support the showwww.patreon.com/historium
11/26/2020 • 36 minutes, 46 seconds
#65 Firebombing of Tokyo
How do we Americans remember the deadliest night in human history? The answer is simple. We don't.Support the showwww.patreon.com/historium
10/28/2020 • 32 minutes, 54 seconds
#64 Marathon of Madness
This is the story of the strangest race ever run.Support the showwww.patreon.com/historium
9/23/2020 • 14 minutes, 1 second
#63 The Dividing Line
In 1919, rage from injustices erupted into violent race riots which spread throughout Chicago. All the while, Spanish Flu spread like wildfire in this unfortunately relevant story about the Chicago Race Riots.Support the showwww.patreon.com/historium
7/16/2020 • 30 minutes, 55 seconds
#62 Side By Side
This is the story of the original Siamese Twins!Support the showwww.patreon.com/historium
6/18/2020 • 1 hour, 16 minutes, 50 seconds
#61 Dirtbag Gold Rush
In Yosemite Valley, one of the most beautiful places on Earth, a rag-tag group of rock climbers in the 1970s stumble upon the score of a lifetime.Support the showwww.patreon.com/historium
5/7/2020 • 26 minutes, 5 seconds
#60 Plague of Corrupted Blood
This is a fun story about the Corrupted Blood plague that hit the realm of World of Warcraft and what it can teach us about epidemiology.Support the showwww.patreon.com/historium
4/7/2020 • 13 minutes, 23 seconds
#59 The Siege of Seeds
In the midst of the siege of Leningrad, a small enclave of Soviet scientists did what they could to protect a massive collection of seeds in order to save countless future human lives.Support the showwww.patreon.com/historium
3/23/2020 • 31 minutes, 39 seconds
#58 The Battle of Los Angeles
In Los Angeles, California, the fresh recruits, with their new crew cuts and wrinkled uniforms, would get their first taste of combat on February 24th, 1942...Support the showwww.patreon.com/historium
1/23/2020 • 11 minutes, 13 seconds
#57 A White Christmas in Saigon
Saigon, Vietnam. April 1975.Support the showwww.patreon.com/historium
12/24/2019 • 20 minutes, 7 seconds
#56 Savior of Mothers
Childbed fever was killing new mothers with a vengeance. In Hungary, young doctor Ignaz Semmelweis found a cure. However, there was one problem... No one believed him.Support the showwww.patreon.com/historium
12/16/2019 • 26 minutes, 30 seconds
#55 Death Row Baseball
Baseball has long been dubbed America’s pastime, but would that change if players had to literally play for their lives?Support the showwww.patreon.com/historium
11/21/2019 • 26 minutes, 10 seconds
#54 The Second Son of God
In the 1850s, a Christian cult rattles imperial China to its core...Support the showwww.patreon.com/historium
10/24/2019 • 2 hours, 33 minutes, 43 seconds
#53 Interview with Egyptologist Colleen Darnell
Mummies, hieroglyphs, pyramids, vintage fashion; this episode has it all!Support the showwww.patreon.com/historium
7/9/2019 • 41 minutes, 47 seconds
#52 [MiniStorium] Bad Luck
History is full of moments of misfortune, irony, or just plain ol’ bad luck. This episode contains eight mini-stories about the times where things went from bad to worse.Support the showwww.patreon.com/historium
6/20/2019 • 35 minutes, 11 seconds
#51 The Ghosts of Notre Dame
This episode is devoted to story of 800 year old Notre Dame cathedral and it's incredibly storied past.Support the showwww.patreon.com/historium
5/24/2019 • 30 minutes, 42 seconds
#50 Interview with Dirk Langeveld, author of The Artful Dodger
The story of Grover Cleveland Bergdoll has everything I'm looking for when looking for topics: A wild ride full of twists, turns, and downright unbelievable moments.Support the showwww.patreon.com/historium
4/16/2019 • 41 minutes, 58 seconds
#49 Dead Reckoning
In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue...Support the showwww.patreon.com/historium
4/1/2019 • 15 minutes, 20 seconds
#48 The Pinball Wizard
In the 1970s, a hero arose to defend the fact that pinball was a game of skill, not a game of chance.Support the showwww.patreon.com/historium
3/19/2019 • 18 minutes, 51 seconds
#47 Wreck of the Batavia
The ill-fated voyage encountered mutiny, torture, murder, and a mad tyrant as things went from bad to worse...Support the showwww.patreon.com/historium
2/19/2019 • 36 minutes, 17 seconds
#46 Interview with Peter Stark, author of Young Washington
This episode is an interview with Peter Stark, author of Young Washington: How Wilderness and War Forged America’s Founding Father.Support the showwww.patreon.com/historium
1/17/2019 • 57 minutes, 12 seconds
#45 Ballroom Blitz
New Years Eve, 1922.Support the showwww.patreon.com/historium
12/31/2018 • 6 minutes, 43 seconds
#44 Dungeons & Dragons and The Satanic Panic
This is the story of Dungeons & Dragons and how an innocent tabletop RPG was caught in the crossfire of moral outrage and religious fundamentalism.Support the showwww.patreon.com/historium
12/13/2018 • 26 minutes, 35 seconds
#43 The Harlem Hellfighters
In this episode, we’ll follow the all-black 369th Infantry Regiment known as the “Harlem Hellfighters” through the horrors of trench warfare, and through their struggle for equality.Support the showwww.patreon.com/historium
11/19/2018 • 26 minutes, 16 seconds
#42 The Great Grave Robbery
In a tale involving ancient Egyptians, grave robbers, charlatans, and European aristocracy, we'll explore burial rites, desecration, and what they reveal about relationship with how we treat our dead.Support the showwww.patreon.com/historium
10/30/2018 • 23 minutes, 18 seconds
#41 The Island Lost in Time
Occasionally, people will find tribes of humans that have not had contact with the modern world.Support the showwww.patreon.com/historium
10/10/2018 • 18 minutes, 31 seconds
#40 Operation Valkyrie
This is the story of German officers committing high treason for the greater good of Germany.Support the showwww.patreon.com/historium
9/18/2018 • 29 minutes, 45 seconds
#39 The Long Friday
In 1975, women were still in the process of breaking out of the domestic bubble and into politics and the modern workforce. But in Iceland, one event that year changed everything…Support the showwww.patreon.com/historium
8/22/2018 • 14 minutes, 4 seconds
#38 Green Hell
The Amazon River Basin contains some of the most treacherous, uncharted land on the planet...Support the showwww.patreon.com/historium
8/9/2018 • 22 minutes, 21 seconds
#37 Landmark
This is the story of slaves who rose up in rebellion and a landmark court case challenging the thin line between slavery and freedom.Support the showwww.patreon.com/historium
7/21/2018 • 23 minutes, 26 seconds
#36 [MiniStorium] Animals Part III
Animals play a massive, often untold, part in human history. This episode is the third and final part of a series of mini stories all about or relating to animals.Support the showwww.patreon.com/historium
7/5/2018 • 27 minutes
#35 [MiniStorium] Animals Part II
Animals play a massive, often untold, part in human history. This episode is the second part of a series of mini stories all about or relating to animals.Support the showwww.patreon.com/historium
6/21/2018 • 21 minutes, 57 seconds
#34 [MiniStorium] Animals Part I
Animals play a massive, often untold, part in human history.Support the showwww.patreon.com/historium
6/5/2018 • 23 minutes, 24 seconds
#33 Miracle on the Mississippi
The War of 1812 is often the forgotten war between the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. But that little war, especially the final battle, has a profound effect on US history.Support the showwww.patreon.com/historium
5/9/2018 • 23 minutes, 36 seconds
#32 The Greatest Tragedy in History
Long ago, a group of people attempted to collect and store every piece of human knowledge on the planet in a single place. In this episode, you’ll take a tour of the great Library of Alexandria, and learn how its rise and fall deeply affected both the ancient and modern world.Support the showwww.patreon.com/historium
4/26/2018 • 24 minutes, 7 seconds
#31 [MiniStorium] The Republic Remains
4/10/2018 • 21 minutes
#30 The Cages of Münster
3/27/2018 • 44 minutes, 31 seconds
#29 The Last of His Kind
3/6/2018 • 29 minutes, 36 seconds
#28 New Blue
2/16/2018 • 16 minutes, 15 seconds
#27 Bittersweet Liberty
2/1/2018 • 48 minutes, 49 seconds
#26 A Caesar’s Ransom
1/12/2018 • 9 minutes, 54 seconds
#25 The Lost Colony
11/21/2017 • 19 minutes, 31 seconds
#24 The Horror at Highgate
10/31/2017 • 12 minutes, 30 seconds
#23 Cher Ami
10/10/2017 • 16 minutes, 9 seconds
#22 The Battle of Blair Mountain
9/19/2017 • 16 minutes, 25 seconds
#21 [MiniStorium] Stories of the Sea
9/8/2017 • 36 minutes, 38 seconds
#20 The Great Emu War
8/22/2017 • 11 minutes, 3 seconds
#19 The Conquered Conquistador
8/5/2017 • 13 minutes, 42 seconds
#18 The Forgotten Father
7/20/2017 • 23 minutes, 8 seconds
#17 We Few
7/7/2017 • 7 minutes, 43 seconds
#16 The Chemistry of Morality (or the Morality of Chemistry)
