Let’s step back in time... It’s the late 19th century, and the world is buzzing with new tech. Bicycles are the hot new thing, electricity is lighting up cities, and people are starting to dream big—like, flying big. Enter Wilbur and Orville Wright, born in 1867 and 1871, respectively, to a preacher dad, Milton, and a mechanically savvy mom, Susan. These brothers grew up in Dayton, Ohio, in a house full of books and curiosity. Neither went to college, but they were tinkerers from the start. As kids, they built kites, fixed toys, and even made a wood lathe together. Their dad once brought home a toy helicopter, and that little rubber-band-powered trinket sparked something in them

Today, we’re diving into a story that sounds like it’s straight out of a Hollywood blockbuster, but it’s 100% real. We’re talking about a church in Hiroshima, Japan, that stood tall against the unimaginable force of the atomic bomb dropped on 6 August 1945. Not only did the building survive, but so did the people inside it—against all odds. This is the story of the Jesuit Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, a tale of survival, faith, and what some call a miracle. This one is going to have you scratching your heads...

In Episode 11, I told you the story of one of America’s greatest code breakers of World War 2, Elizabeth Smith. Today we’re stepping into the other side of the intelligence game; the more shadowy world of espionage, to uncover the incredible story of Virginia Hall, an American woman who became one of the most dangerous Allied spies of World War II. Known to the Gestapo as the “Limping Lady,” her courage and cunning changed the course of the war. So, grab a seat, as we travel back to Nazi-occupied France.

Today is 6 June 2025; the 81st anniversary of the Normandy Invasion. Code named Overlord, it was faced with all kinds of security headaches. One general let slip the date the invasion was to take place. He was sent home after being busted down in rank to Lt. Col. A London newspaper printed several of the codewords as answers in their weekly crossword puzzle. However, through careful misdirection, the Allied High Command convinced Hitler that the invasion would come hundreds of miles away from the beaches of Normandy. So let’s look at what unfolded over 80 years ago.

Several years ago, there was a Nicholas Cage movie out about a group of men who had a dramatic impact on the course of the Pacific Theater during the second World War. Unfortunately, Windtalkers, focused on Nicholas Cage’s character, rather than on the actual heroes, the Navajo Code Talkers who deserved to be the central point of the film. Today, I will discuss some of the heroes of the Pacific Theater—the real “Code Talkers.”

In today’s episode,  we’re diving into one of those stories…and to be honest, it sounds like it’s straight out of a Pixar movie—but as I said… it is real. Picture this: World War II, chaos everywhere, soldiers fighting for their lives, and in the middle of it all… a bear. Not just any bear, but a bear with a military rank, a paycheck, and a taste for beer and cigarettes. This is the story of Wojtek, the Syrian brown bear who became a soldier in the Polish Army. Hang onto your hats, because this one’s wild.

Now, I know what you're thinking: "Dancing? Could be fun!" And, well, under normal circumstances and for certain people, it is fun. But imagine, if you will, an historical event where hundreds, even thousands, of people were seized by an uncontrollable urge… to dance. And I don't mean a casual waltz. We’re talking hours, even days of relentless, frenzied movement. Exhaustion, dehydration, heart attacks… all leading to some truly grim results. This, my friends, is the Dancing Plague, also sometimes referred to as St. John's Dance, and it's one of the most peculiar episodes in medical and social history.

Today’s episode deviates a little from my usual stories—while it is a bizarre event, it is a bit more well known than my previous topics.

I have taught Psychology for the past 12 years or so. It is an introductory class, so we cover many of the theorists and topics that you would expect; DeCartres, Pavlov, Freud, Jung, and Watson. One of the most important theorists we cover in this class is B.F. Skinner. There have been all kinds of stories about Skinner and his experiments through the years, but I stumbled upon today’s story while searching for a video on operant conditioning to show my students. The story is how Skinner worked with the military to come up with a new guidance system for bombs

They say that necessity is the mother of invention. During the Second World War, there were many times that this proverb rang very true; inventions like synthetic rubber, the jeep, the atomic bomb, and even duct tape were all developed to meet the needs of the war effort. There were a few other innovations that proved themselves in the war as well; the creation of floating tanks, the mine and hedge-clearing attachments to tanks, and the Mulberry harbors all used in the D-Day invasions for example. 

There was one innovation that really stands out in my mind, because it would become the grandfather of one of the greatest attack aircraft of all time—the A-10 Warthog. In today’s episode of Random History, I will present the story of Bazooka Charlie—a history teacher from Maine, that changed the face of close air support forever.

I normally do not put a lot of stock in conspiracy theories. However, lately I have been re-evaluating that position—in fact I am working on an episode dedicated to them. One of these conspiracy theories is that of an immense release of energy in the Siberian Tundra in 1908. In today’s episode I will discuss several of the theories surrounding this mysterious burst of energy.

I am recording this episode near the Christmas holiday. Today’s True Hero is an individual that took part in one of the most important battles in World War II. The Battle of the Bulge was Hitler’s last desperate grasp to stave off the impending invasion of Germany itself I December of 1944. While they had early success, it was short lived. The Americans fighting in the battle fought frantically to halt and then repel the German advance. Our hero played an integral part in doing just that.

Several years ago, I stumbled upon a video of an extended commercial from the Sainsbury company in Britain that portrayed an event I had heard of but really didn’t know anything about. It portrayed the Christmas Truce of 1914 in World War One. There was also a “making of” type video linked to it. The story and images were inspiring and really struck a chord with me. Every time I teach about World War One, I show the video because, even at the ugliest of times, we can still find hope and beauty. As we celebrate Christmas this year, after all the bitterness and vitriol we endured through this election year, let’s keep that message of hope and beauty alive as Random History presents, The Christmas Truce of 1914.

When I was in high school, one of the best classes I took was an elective history class called Ohio History. One of our required readings was a book by Allan W Eckert, called The Frontiersman because it centered around the founding of Ohio as first a territory, then a state. The book was one of a series called “The Winning of America.” One of the other books in the series was titled The Conquerors which focused on Pontiac’s War in the 1760’s. That series of books really is what sparked my interest (some might say obsession) with history. Eckert passed away in 2011 at the age of 80, but his books live on as they continue to inspire and inform generations about the early days when the Ohio River Valley was the American frontier.

Both subjects today were B-17 ball turret gunners in World War II. The first story is truly one you would think was made up, but it is 100% true. The man was thrown from his stricken plane, fell 20,000 feet, crashed through a glass roof and lived to tell the tale. The True Hero for today, was the first enlisted person in the Army Air Corps to be awarded the Medal of Honor.

In this episode of Random History we explore the paranormal of Pearl Harbor.

One of the most successful movie franchises of all time has to be the Marvel Avengers series. The movies are iconic. There are so many memorable lines and scenes in the series. Most people do not know of the real avengers, however. These men did not fight aliens or try to undo “the snap” …these men set out to avenge what is arguably the worst genocide in history. They hunted down and prosecuted the Nazis that participated in the Holocaust. 

Apple TV is currently running a miniseries called Masters of the Air. This program depicts the exploits of the 100th Bomb Group of the 8th Air Force (also known as the “Bloody 100th”) during World War II. I have watched several episodes of the series, and the flying and action sequences are amazing; however, as with most drama series like this, some artistic license is taken with the historical aspects of the events depicted. Today I hope to give a more accurate account of the events. For the True Hero today, I would like to present one of the squadron commanders of the Bloody 100th.

When I was in middle school, there was an accident at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power plant near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  About the same time, there was a movie that came out called, “The China Syndrome.” In fact, I looked it up…the movie came out 10 or 12 days after the incident. People took the fictional events in the movie and conflated them around the accident at Three Mile Island. It spawned a massive worldwide backlash against nuclear energy. There were all kinds of protests in Germany, the US, and elsewhere demanding that the governments and the UN end nuclear power. When the disaster at Chernobyl in the USSR happened, that was just one more nail in the coffin of nuclear energy. People blamed the science, not what they should have blamed (at least in the case of Chernobyl). They should have blamed the garbage Soviet system that, like all communist systems, rewards conformity, not merit; incentivizes laziness and extremely poor work ethic. When all workers are paid equally for the amount of time worked and not for the quality of the job that is done, the system is going to devolve to the level of the worst worker. If the worker shows up drunk or does not do a quality job, they still get paid the same as the most conscientious worker that only produces masterpieces.

Our True Hero today is a man that was working on the Manhattan Project during the Second World War, and after a slip in one of the labs, exposed the lab workers to a potentially lethal dose of radiation. His quick thinking and action, however, saved the lives of all those nearby. Unfortunately, his actions exposed him to a lethal dose of radiation. His willingness to sacrifice his own life, to protect others, makes him a hero.

The Navigator dives into the story of the Ghost plane, a B-17 that landed itself without a crew.

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