What were the major causes of the collapse of the Napoleonic empire? What happens when a nation that could be considered "too big to fail" fails anyway? In our conclusion of our French affair, we cover the devastation of Napoleon's war in Spain, his ruinous march to Moscow, the snuffed flame of Waterloo and his remaining days in exile.   ..read more

How did Napoleon and the armies of France build the Continental system? In this episode we explore the Eastward expansion of the Napoleonic empire, covering topics such as Napoleon's early conflicts with the papacy, the Battle of Austerlitz and the early origins of the "Spanish ulcer."  ..read more

On this episode we discuss The Songhai Empire and its formation under the Mali Empire, Its internal conflicts that led to dynastic changes and the Invasion of the Pasha Moor army which destroyed the empire and threw Sub Saharan West Africa into turmoil just in time for the Atlantic Slave Trade ..read more

In this episode Henry and Josh discuss America's largest slave revolt: Louisiana's 1811 German Coast Uprising where a collection of African tribes, maroons and enslaved people conspired, revolted and almost overran New Orleans ..read more

What did WW2-era Japan have in common with Sunny D? They both unleashed the power of the sun. THIS WEEK! In honor of the upcoming 80th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack, Josh, Henry and itinerant funny-man Tim Williams dive as deep as possible into the series of events leading up to this most infamous of days. Within, we cover topics such as the Emperor's active involvement in war preparations, the character of the escalating tensions between Japan and the US and the rawest nature of duel-track diplomacy.  ..read more

Exactly how was American Reconstruction bungled? Join us as we explore the question through the last thirty six years of Frederick Douglass' life, examining his role during the Civil War, the minor-league coup's launched during Reconstruction itself and the social causes advocated by Douglass up until the end of his life.  ..read more

Where and how did al Qaeda spread? As we continue our investigation, we discuss the Black Hawk Down Incident, the first bombing of the World Trade Center, the first few attempts at the detention and assassination of Osama bin Laden and that time leaders of the Taliban had dinner with an oil baron in Sugar Land.  ..read more

What do you really know about Osama bin Laden? This week we look at the first 35 years of America's, if not the world's, most infamous terrorist, covering the circumstances of his birth and childhood, his service in the Soviet-Afghan war and how his radical beliefs were shaped by the events and people around him. Also covered is the US' initial reaction to the emergence of bin Laden on their intelligence radars, the negotiation of Afghanistan's national identity after the Soviet withdrawal and the beginnings of the First Persian Gulf War. Part two coming within the next couple days ..read more

If both your old friends and your new friends are inviting you to sit with them in your grade-school's cafeteria, which group would you sit with? This week we conclude our series on the Saudi Royal Family, covering events such as the First Persian Gulf war, the most-recent frictions caused by Saudi Arabia's attempts to modernize and the global standing of Saudi Arabia today. (Sorry for the delay, been a busy week. Hope you enjoy and stay tuned ..read more

You ever shut off the world's supply of oil and weren't assassinated by the CIA? Few could. This week we venture further into the history of Saudi Arabia, covering its opening toward the West, initial phase of modernization and how it navigated the precarious politics of the Middle East during the Cold War.  ..read more