Hayley has... issues... I think that's safe to say. But what better way to expose those issues than to shove a microphone in her face and just letter her speak about all the weird things that gives her that history horn. This time around we're going back to the ways of old and how we would punish criminals for their crimes or extract information from persons of interest and putting them into a tier list! Because even though Hayley has issues, it turns out we all do too.
From punishing women for passing rumours around to village to interrogating prisoners for information by forcing their back passage onto a pyramid shaped block slowly and strapping the accused to "The Rack" in an effort to stretch them out like a length of silly putty (yes I am also disappointed that "The Rack" has nothing to do with boobs), join Hayley this week as she explores the torturous world of history's strangest and most punishing torture devices and places them into a tier list from least to most effective methods of torturing an individual.
This episode was hosted by Hayley O'Connor and joined by Arron Keegan and Conor Daly. The intro and outro music - Strollin' Along - was recorded by David Renda. Join our Discord server and follow us on social media by following the links below!
Discord: https://discord.gg/ZScNqT8mP2
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thatsoldnewspodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatsoldnewspodcast/
Twitter/X: x.com/oldnewscast
========
Chapters:
(00:00) Intro
(00:35) Episode Start
(02:22) Scold's Bridle
(05:55) Heretic's Fork
(18:08) Thumb Screws
(20:28) Spanish Boot
(25:45) The Rack
(28:38) The Scavenger's Daughter
(32:59) Judas Cradle
(39:45) Catherine Wheel/Breaking Wheel
(43:25) The Pear of Anguish
(51:52) The Tier List and Post Show Banter
What do bubble wrap, the slinky toy, and Viagra have in common? Apart from an entertaining night at home alone, they all share in the fact that they were not originally invented to be what they eventually came to be! If anyone remembers an old episode of Hayley's, you may have learned that the chainsaw - yes, that tool used to level and topple towering trees - was first invented to help ease the process of complicated child births for pregnant women by cutting through bone and widening the pelvis, allowing for the easier passage of the baby from their mother's womb.
That's what we're doing today! Looking at all those wonderful modern day inventions that began their lives as something entirely different. Some of them you can see what they were thinking, and can see the happy accident that created something so iconic, and some will leave you scratching your head wondering how they managed to create something so different from the mission statement that an entire rebrand was necessary just so save face.
So join the gang this week as Quiz Master Granda Keego hosts his new series "Reinventing the Wheel", where we take some of history's greatest inventions and turn back the pages of time to see what they were originally designed to do! Play along at home, and see if you can beat Conor and Hayley in this new game show! Good luck!
This episode was hosted by Arron Keegan, Hayley O'Connor, and Conor Daly. The intro and outro music - Strollin' Along - was recorded by David Renda. Join our Discord and follow us on social media by following the links below!
Discord: https://discord.gg/ZScNqT8mP2
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thatsoldnewspodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatsoldnewspodcast/
Twitter/X: x.com/oldnewscast
In the last episode we saw Napoleon make an uncharacteristic mistake with his inability to win a decisive victory over the Russians at Eylau, allowing the Russians to retreat and fight another day. While they would be found again and defeated at Friedland, the campaign was a bloody affair. Napoleon won yet another victory over the coalitions formed against him, but not one without cost. And it is that very cost of the war that leads us into this episode.
With the Continental System now including the likes of Prussia and Russia, the only real way for Britain to continue trading with the mainland was to do so through their oldest ally - Portugal. Napoleon, keenly aware of this, would launch his invasion of the nation, securing it with little effort as the royal family fled to their colony in Brazil after refusing to surrender to the French invader. With it now secure, not many were ready for what came next.
French garrisons, said to free up Spanish garrisons to allow for the Spanish armies to aid in the invasion of Portugal, turned on their allies. Within months, Spain had fallen to Napoleon in a surprise coup that would see the Spanish royal family forced to abdicate their throne in favour of Napoleon's brother, Joseph, being named King of Spain. And this action, taken in haste as a justification to ensure the security of his southern flank from British invasion, would spell disaster for his empire. For as soon as Austria first heard of France's struggles in the Iberian peninsula - they formed the Fifth Coalition with Britain, and would deliver Napoleon's first decisive military defeat of his career.
This episode was hosted by Arron Keegan and joined by Hayley O'Connor. The intro and outro music - Strollin' Along - was recorded by David Renda. Join our Discord and follow us on social media by following the links below!
Discord: https://discord.gg/ZScNqT8mP2
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thatsoldnewspodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatsoldnewspodcast/
Twitter/X: x.com/oldnewscast
========
Sources & Further Reading:
- Broers, Michael, "Napoleon: The Spirit of the Age", (2018).
- Chandler, David G., "Napoleon's Marshals", (1987).
- De Neef, Jonas, "Devils, Daggers, and Death: Eyewitness accounts of French officers and soldiers during the Peninsular War, 1807-1814", (2022).
- Dodge, Theodore A., "Warfare in the Age of Napoleon Volume 3: The Battle of Austerlitz, the War of the Fourth Coalition, and the Early Peninsular Campaigns, 1805-1809", (2011).
- Griffith, Paddy, "French Napoleonic Infantry Tactics 1792-1815", (2007).
- Griffith, Robert (ed.), "Armies and Enemies of Napoleon 1789-1815", (2022).
- Harvey, Robert, "The War of Wars: The Epic Struggle Between Britain and France, 1789-1815", (2007).
- Johnson, Paul, "Napoleon", (2003).
- McNab, Chris, "Napoleon's Military Machine: Operations Manual", (2019).
- Mikaberidze, Alexander, "The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History", (2020).
- Roberts, Andrew, "Napoleon the Great", (2015).
- Zamoyski, Adam, "Napoleon: The Man Behind the Myth", (2019).
========
Chapters:
(00:00) Intro
(08:13) Recap
(14:32) Invasion of Portugal
(30:30) The Dos de Mayo Uprising
(43:45) Iberia in Revolt
(47:21) The War of the Fifth Coalition
(53:33) The Battle of Aspern-Essling: Napoleon's First Major Battlefield Defeat
(01:06:35) The Battle of Wagram: Napoleon's Comeback
(01:15:16) End of the War of the Fifth Coalition
(01:17:56) Post Show Banter
“We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us.” - Charles Bukowski.
There have been quite a lot of deaths through history, (I know, it's a shocking revelation to me too!) but a lot of the ones we read about evoke certain emotions of us. National figures fighting in defiant last stands for their cause can invoke feelings of great national pride and patriotism, while more personal figures dying in horrible conditions or surrounded by their loved ones invoke those feelings of heart-wrenching pain and sadness.
But then, throughout history, there are those deaths who do not fit into this binary. They don't even fit into the spectrum between those extremes. Instead, they sit in the little asterisk hiding away at the end of the sentence. The one that has the little addendum underneath the graph that says "Results shown do not include those deaths that have you bent over in fits of laughter". And that's what the gang is looking at today.
Join us this week as we explore some of the wackiest deaths in history, ranging from famous last words that proved to be a great irony only seconds later, to lawyers showing off impressive party tricks that end up sending them careening towards the pavement from the 24th floor of a building at Mach "Whoopsie-Daisy", to prominent figures of the Holy Roman Empire going for a surprise skinny-dip in a vat of the town's excrement, and many more hilarious ends in between! If you don't leave this episode laughing out loud and scratching your head thinking "What the Hell were they thinking?" then we've done something wrong!
This episode was hosted by Arron Keegan, Hayley O'Connor, and Conor Daly. The intro and outro music - Strollin' Along - was recorded by David Renda. Join our Discord server and follow us on social media by following the links below!
Discord: https://discord.gg/ZScNqT8mP2
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thatsoldnewspodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatsoldnewspodcast/
Twitter/X: x.com/oldnewscast
When you think of some of the greatest footballers to ever play the game, who comes to mind? Do you think of recent players at the pinnacle of their game like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? Do you perhaps turn the clock back and look to the legends of the game like Pelé or Diego Maradona? Or do you instead look to those players who perform crucial roles but often go overlooked like Michael Carrick or Thomas Müller? Or do you look to those who defined over a decade of football, whose name was on the lips of every top manager and player as they all tried desperately to recruit him for their team... despite never playing a single professional game in his life?
Join Conor this week as he recounts the tale of Carlos Kaiser, the Brazilian born con artist who was so good at the game that he simply never stepped foot on a pitch for a regular match and yet convinced over a dozen clubs to sign him. You'll hear about his poor roots growing up in poverty in Brazil, how a lie spiralled into him becoming one of the most recognisable names in football during his "career", and how he would shirk the phone calls of every manager and player in the profession on account of his mobile phone being nothing more than a children's toy phone that he carried with him everywhere and pretended to be constantly busy with calls from other clubs looking to buy him for ludicrous amounts of cash.
You don't want to miss this.
This episode was hosted by Conor Daly and joined by Arron Keegan and Hayley O'Connor. The intro and outro music - Strollin' Along - was recorded by David Renda. Join our Discord server and follow us on social media by following the links below!
Discord: https://discord.gg/ZScNqT8mP2
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thatsoldnewspodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatsoldnewspodcast/
Twitter/X: x.com/oldnewscast
Born 21 September 1971, David Phillip Vetter was born with a hereditary disease which would affect his entire life - severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). It is a rare disease that involves defective antibody responses and results in an impaired immune system. The immune system is so compromised that it is effectively considered absent, leading to patients suffering immensely from something as simple as the common cold which could, and very often does, turn lethal.
David's parents, Carol Ann and David Joseph, previously had a son who was also born with the disease and sadly passed away at seven months old. Doctors informed them that if they have another boy there was a 50/50 chance that he would be born with SCIDs, and unfortunately the coin toss landed on the wrong side. David was immediately placed in a sterilized cocoon bed prepared especially for him, and he would spend the rest of his life in this plastic bubble with media outlets cruelly referring to him as "Bubble Boy".
Join Hayley this week as she recounts the incredible life of young David Vetter. Learn everything from the time of his birth to his unfortunate passing just 12 years later, including how objects were heavily sterilised to rid them entirely of germs, how NASA helped to develop his own containment suit that would allow him to leave the house, and how his passing resulted in him saving the lives of countless children who would have been born with SCIDs.
This episode was hosted by Hayley O'Connor and joined by Arron Keegan and Conor Daly. The intro and outro music - Strollin' Along - was recorded by David Renda. Join our Discord server and follow us on social media by following the links below!
Discord: https://discord.gg/ZScNqT8mP2
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thatsoldnewspodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatsoldnewspodcast/
Twitter/X: x.com/oldnewscast ========
Songs used in order:
1) Ji Pyeongkeyon, "Sad Romance", (2002).
2) Barry White, "Can't Get Enough of Your Love Babe", (1974).
========
Sources & Further Reading:
- Grabowski & Tortora, "Principles of Anatomy and Physiology" (1993).
- McVivker, Steve, "Bursting the Bubble" (1997).
- Murphy, Mary Ada, "Bursting the Bubble: The Tortured Life and Untimely Death of David Vetter" (2019).
- PBS, "David Phillip Vetter" (2006).
- PBS, "David Vetter's Life, and Treatments for Immunodeficiency"
- Retro Report, "The Boy in the Bubble" (2016).
- Roane, Kit, "The Boy in the Bubble" (2015).
- The American Experience, "David Vetter's Sister"
Napoleon, the victor of Austerlitz and conqueror of the Holy Roman Empire, had little time to rest on his incredible achievements. While the Russians were resoundingly defeated in December 1805, they were not quite out of the war just yet. With enough space to retreat back into friendly territory, they were set to regroup and strike again - but without allies on the continent, this would be a difficult task.
To their luck, and soon to be to their disaster, the Kingdom of Prussia, who remained neutral during the War of the Third Coalition, had declared war on France in 1806. The shy and reserved Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm III was convinced by Prussia's war party, who found an ally in his wife Queen Louise of Mecklenberg-Strelitz, to halt France's advance through Europe once and for all - but they should have listened to calmer heads in the Prussian army, who advised caution and warned of the threats to Prussia's position at the time war was being considered.
They would soon be proven right, as Napoleon would see to their army within days of crossing into Prussian territory at the Battle of Jena-Auerstadt. But the Prussians would not give up entirely, as in 1807 the Russians had finally mobilised again and were ready to strike once again. While this war will display the brilliance of Napoleon's Corps system, it will also greatly challenge it...
This episode was hosted by Arron Keegan and joined by Hayley O'Connor. The intro and outro music - Strollin' Along - was recorded by David Renda. Join our Discord and follow us on social media by following the links below!
Discord: https://discord.gg/ZScNqT8mP2
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thatsoldnewspodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatsoldnewspodcast/
Twitter/X: x.com/oldnewscast
========
Sources & Further Reading:
- Broers, Michael, "Napoleon: The Spirit of the Age", (2018).
- Chandler, David G., "Napoleon's Marshals", (1987).
- Dodge, Theodore A., "Warfare in the Age of Napoleon Volume 3: The Battle of Austerlitz, the War of the Fourth Coalition, and the Early Peninsular Campaigns, 1805-1809", (2011).
- Griffith, Paddy, "French Napoleonic Infantry Tactics 1792-1815", (2007).
- Griffith, Robert (ed.), "Armies and Enemies of Napoleon 1789-1815", (2022).
- Harvey, Robert, "The War of Wars: The Epic Struggle Between Britain and France, 1789-1815", (2007).
- Johnson, Paul, "Napoleon", (2003).
- McNab, Chris, "Napoleon's Military Machine: Operations Manual", (2019).
- Mikaberidze, Alexander, "The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History", (2020).
- Roberts, Andrew, "Napoleon the Great", (2015).
- Zamoyski, Adam, "Napoleon: The Man Behind the Myth", (2019).
========
Chapters:
We love a good quiz. Is there anything to be said for a quiz? They can be some great fun. Get some friends together, pull up a real doozy of a question sheet, and see which of your friends is the most prolific and knee deep in the lore of My Little Pony... just me? That's embarrassing...
But here at That's Old News, we had to look up how to spell "fun" in the dictionary just so I could write up that last paragraph. No, here we must do everything serious. We are all in constant competition with each other in an attempt to prove who is the historical mastermind and who's still playing with their Vikings colouring book... okay that sounds pretty cool, BUT STILL. But what better way to find out exactly who that intellectual powerhouse is than to do a quiz of 100 history questions!
So join us this week as the gang tackles their hardest challenge to date - sitting an exam. But we couldn't simply just answer our own tests, that would leave too much room for cheating! So we've brought in a VERY special guest to oversee the whole operation. Tune in to meet her!
And we want to hear from you! How did you do in the quiz yourself? Did you beat the champion, and take the crown for yourself? Play along with us!
Quiz: https://quizquestions.uk/history-quiz
This episode was hosted by Arron Keegan, Hayley O'Connor, and Conor Daly. The intro and outro music - Strollin' Along - was recorded by David Renda. Join our Discord and follow us on social media by following the links below!
Discord: https://discord.gg/ZScNqT8mP2
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thatsoldnewspodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatsoldnewspodcast/
Twitter/X: x.com/oldnewscast
========
Chapters:
(00:00) Intro
(00:29) Episode Start
(06:10) Round One: Ancient History
(23:50) Round Two: Medieval History
(42:18) Round Three: Early Modern History
(01:00:29) Round Four: 19th Century History
(01:16:35) Round Five: 20th Century History
(01:31:44) The Results!
Have you ever seen those crazy quizzes online where the website asks you what your shoe size is and it can tell you what figures from history you'd invite to your birthday party? Just me? Well, they exist, and we did two of them!
The first quiz is far more serious, asking us some tough questions but with terrible answers to determine which historical dictator we are. Now if you were to ask Hayley and Conor which historical figure they though Keego was, they'd say he had a fondness for square moustaches and failed art schools. But Google knows best as we all know when we have a lingering cough and consult Dr Google himself only to find out we're dying of a disease that affects 1 in 1 billion people. Play along and let us know what you ended up getting!
https://www.quizexpo.com/which-evil-dictator-are-you
The second one we simply cannot figure out how telling the site what our favourite colour is and which of these amorphous blobs most appeals to us tells us which historic figure we most resemble but if the lady in the funny smelling tent was able to tell me what my future would hold by looking into a crystal ball that hadn't seen a lick of water since it was bought and charging me €20 for the pleasure then I can't see how this could go wrong. Try it yourself and tell us who you got! https://www.buzzfeed.com/katangus/which-famous-historical-figure-were-you-in-a-past
This episode was hosted by Arron Keegan, Hayley O'Connor, and Conor Daly. The intro and outro music - Strollin' Along - was recorded by David Renda. Join our Discord and follow us on social media by following the links below!
Discord: https://discord.gg/ZScNqT8mP2
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thatsoldnewspodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatsoldnewspodcast/
Twitter/X: x.com/oldnewscast
The entire point of this episode was an attempt by Conor to mentally break Keego, and it can confidently be concluded that he succeeded in spectacular fashion.
Deadliest Warrior was... a show. That's the nicest thing I can think to say about it. It sought to pit history's deadliest warriors (go figure) against each other in an attempt to determine who was history's... well, deadliest warrior. On paper it sounds great. Who is history's best general? The most competent guerrilla fighter? The greatest hand-to-hand fighter? But that's where the praise ends, because how they go about proving it is not only an exercise in "How cool can I make this show so people switch off and don't question anything?" but just serves as an excuse by the hosts to play around with some of history's most iconic weapons.
Normally this would be fine, but unfortunately for viewers of the show this attempt at inflating the cool factor leads to questionable conclusions and outright historically incorrect assertions. Some examples? I thought you'd never ask!
- Ireland lost the War of Independence in 1920.
- Who is the better fighter? The Viet Cong or the Waffen SS?
- Napoleon Bonaparte being entirely incompetent with regard to light infantry and guerrilla warfare.
- The iconic tools of the Irish Republican Army being a slingshot and a flamethrower.
- SWAT teams promoting unit cohesion while a simulation pits them in an "every man for himself" scenario.
And much, MUCH more.
So join Conor and Keego this week as they delve into the horrifying world of the Deadliest Warrior to conclude once and for all if this show has some merit after all, or if we both wasted four hours of our life bashing our heads against a wall trying to forget everything we just subjected ourselves to... God help us.
This episode was hosted by Arron Keegan and Conor Daly. The intro and outro music - Strollin' Along - was recorded by David Renda. Join our Discord and follow us on social media by following the links below!
Discord: https://discord.gg/ZScNqT8mP2
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thatsoldnewspodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatsoldnewspodcast/
Twitter/X: x.com/oldnewscast
========
Chapters:
(00:00) Intro
(00:27) Episode Start
(04:58) The IRA vs. the Taliban
(19:49) GSG 9 vs. SWAT
(39:50) Waffen SS vs. Viet Cong
(56:45) Napoleon Bonaparte vs. George Washington
(01:48:04) Rating Deadliest Warrior
Napoleon Bonaparte, now Emperor Napoleon I of the First French Empire, is under attack once again. Britain, in its continued strategy of undermining the French at every turn on the continental European mainland, has formed a new coalition - now the Third Coalition. Austria, Russia, and Sweden now join Britain in their efforts to finally put an end to the bloody French Revolution and oust the new emperor from this throne. A three-pronged attack is planned, with the main thrust coming through present-day southern Germany spearheaded by a combined Austro-Russian force. Whether certain of their success, ill-informed as to the present situation, or hopeful of their Russian reinforcements, Austria strikes too early, leaving the road open for what will become Napoleon's greatest campaign.
While waiting for a hopeful invasion of the British Isles since 1803, French forces along the English Channel coast have been training and perfecting their art of war for years. They are just itching for the opportunity to launch their invasion, but this new threat forces them east. However, at sea, French Admiral Villeneuve is caught by British Admiral Horatio Nelson. Villeneuve is needed back at Boulogne and quickly to allow for the crossing, but he has no choice but to turn and face the Royal Navy off Cape Trafalgar. The humiliating defeat he will suffer here will cement Nelson as one of Britain's greatest heroes and entirely destroy Napoleon's hopes of crossing into and finally destroying Perfidious Albion.
Join Arron this week as he continues his series on the life of Napoleon Bonaparte, this time culminating in Napoleon's greatest battle he has ever fought - the 1805 Battle of Austerlitz. Learn about his new way of waging war that will completely shape military history into the present day, how a single battlefield victory after months of hard campaigning entirely shifted the balance of power in Europe, and how Napoleon finally becomes the master of Europe. And yet despite dealing with this threat and cementing himself on the continent, Admiral Horatio Nelson is determined to put an end to France's ambitions of invading Britain at the Battle of Trafalgar - a battle for which he will sacrifice his life to ensure Napoleon will forever be trapped on land.
This episode was hosted by Arron Keegan and joined by Hayley O'Connor and Conor Daly. The intro and outro music - Strollin' Along - was recorded by David Renda. Join our Discord and follow us on social media by following the links below!
Discord: https://discord.gg/ZScNqT8mP2
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thatsoldnewspodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatsoldnewspodcast/
Twitter/X: x.com/oldnewscast
========
Sources & Further Reading:
- Adkins, Roy, "Nelson's Trafalgar: The Battle That Changed the World", (2006).
- Broers, Michael, "Napoleon: Soldier of Destiny", (2014).
- Davies, David, "A Brief History of Fighting Ships", (2002).
- Dodge, Theodore A., "Warfare in the Age of Napoleon Volume 2: The Egyptian and Syrian Campaigns & the Wars of the Second and Third Coalitions, 1798-1805", (2011).
- Doyle, William, "Napoleon at Peace", (2022).
- Esdaile, Charles J., "The Wars of the French Revolution, 1792-1801", (2019).
- Griffith, Paddy, "French Napoleonic Infantry Tactics 1792-1815", (2007).
- Griffith, Robert (ed.), "Armies and Enemies of Napoleon 1789-1815", (2022).
- Harvey, Robert, "The War of Wars: The Epic Struggle Between Britain and France, 1789-1815", (2007).
- Johnson, Paul, "Napoleon", (2003).
- McNab, Chris, "Napoleon's Military Machine: Operations Manual", (2019).
- Mikaberidze, Alexander, "The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History", (2020).
- Roberts, Andrew, "Napoleon the Great", (2015).
- Zamoyski, Adam, "Napoleon: The Man Behind the Myth", (2019).
========
Chapters:
(00:00) Intro
(04:40) Haiti
(23:56) Episode Start: Boulogne
(38:49) The Ulm Campaign
(59:49) The Battle of Trafalgar
(01:27:04) Napoleon's Masterpiece - The Battle of Austerlitz
(01:54:39) Post Show
Alternative history scenarios are so much fun. With a range of well thought out scenarios where one key focal point in our timeline changes which entirely alters the course of history and leads to the near impossible becoming increasingly likely. The appeal of exploring such scenarios is so enticing that even prominent historians love delving into the depths of what could have been. Andrew Roberts, a leading historian on both Napoleon Bonaparte and Winston Churchill, said in defence of counterfactual history "... history is not on predetermined lines... it's a much more interesting and complex thing than the determinists would have you believe..."
Then there's... the other side of alternate history. The one that leaves you scratching your head wondering why pen was ever brought to paper in the first place. Blatant impossibilities that drive entire scenarios with little or no regard to the history of the setting that they've chosen. And those are the ones we're looking at today. From a peaceful unification of Korea under Kim Jong Un that leads directly to an invasion of the United States of America, to Hitler becoming an advocate for peace and the protection of animals by forming a vegan and animal rights party in Germany, and throwing in a scenario where Hayley asks Keego which royal marriage would have better suited Napoleon's empire as a palate cleanser, we've got something for everyone this episode. Stick around, tell us what you think, and let us know what your favourite alt-history scenario is!
This episode was hosted by Hayley O'Connor and Arron Keegan. The intro and outro music - Strollin' Along - was recorded by David Renda. Join our Discord server and follow us on social media by following the links below!
Discord: https://discord.gg/ZScNqT8mP2
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thatsoldnewspodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatsoldnewspodcast/
Twitter/X: x.com/oldnewscast
========
Chapters:
(00:00) Intro
(00:30) Episode Start
(03:00) Homefront: The North Korean Invasion of the United States
(14:43) Medieval Knights Fighting Snails
(16:55) Adolf Hitler's Vegan and Animal Rights Party
(24:00) The Guns of the South: Time Travellers Gift the Confederacy AK-47s to Win the US Civil War
(44:52) Which Marriage Would Be Better for Napoleon's Empire?
(55:07) Temeraire: Dragons in the Napoleonic Wars
The 1924 Army Mutiny was one of the most serious internal crises faced by the Irish Free
State, coming just after the Civil War. The state, formed in 1922 after the Anglo-Irish Treaty,
was financially and emotionally devastated. With a Civil War army of 55,000 soldiers, the
new government needed to downsize to around 17,000–18,000 to cut costs and meet treaty
obligations.
This demobilisation enraged many officers—especially those with ties to the Irish
Republican Army Organisation (IRAO), a secret society within the National Army. They
believed demobilisation betrayed their sacrifices and favoured ex-British officers over War of
Independence veterans. Dissatisfaction grew over perceived nepotism, the influence of the
IRB within the Army Council, and the belief that military loyalty was being undermined.
Veterans like Major-General Liam Tobin and Colonel Charles Dalton, once part of Michael
Collins’s intelligence network, claimed the Army was corrupt and unfairly structured. The
National Army, they argued, was split: 40% ex-IRA, 10% civilians hostile to the IRA, and
50% ex-British Army. Demands were sent to President Cosgrave, and if such demands were not met it was possible for Ireland to descend into a Second Civil War.
Join Conor this week as he dives into the 1924 Army Mutiny, an event that could have spilled into a civil war worse than what came before with the new army comprising many veterans of that very conflict. From the immediate aftermath and quality of the National Army, to the reasons and demands levied by prominent members of the officer class of that army, and the resolution that had to be reached quickly to avoid any further bloodshed, witness how the new Irish Free State almost descended into a warzone yet again.
This episode was hosted by Conor Daly and joined by Arron Keegan and Hayley O'Connor. The intro and outro music - Strollin' Along - was recorded by David Renda. Join our Discord server and follow us on social media by following the links below!
Discord: https://discord.gg/ZScNqT8mP2
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thatsoldnewspodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatsoldnewspodcast/
Twitter/X: x.com/oldnewscast
========
Sources & Further Reading:
- Dorney, John, "The Civil War in Dublin".
- Dwyer, Ryle, "Decisive leadership and selflessness saved the nation after the Army Mutiny", (https://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/commentanalysis/arid-20260714.html).
- Irish History Podcast, "The 1924 Army Mutiny".
- Kinsella, Eoin, "The Irish Defences, 1922-2022".
- McElhatton, Shane, "100 years since Army mutiny threatened new Civil War", (https://www.rte.ie/news/2024/0306/1436169-army-mutiny-1924/).
- McElhatton, Shane, "'Set the heather on fire' - How a raid on Devlin's Pub ignited a second civil war", (https://www.rte.ie/news/2024/0303/1435185-mutiny-two/) .
- The Irish Times, "Opinion - March 10th, 1924", (https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/march-10th-1924-1.479008).
- White, Gerry, "Call to arms: creating the Irish National Army", (https://www.rte.ie/history/2022/0125/1275830-call-to-arms-creating-the-irish-national-army/).
How hungry have you ever been? Quick trip to the snack drawer? A cheeky Chinese takeaway on a Friday night? How about getting a large pizza instead of a medium one? Well have you ever been so hungry - so impressively famished - that you take a look at the family dog and think to yourself: "Yeah, that'll do the trick." For this week's episode, that's not the weirdest thing to cross Tarrare's mind.
Born in 1772 near Lyon, France, Tarrare was a medical marvel unlike any other we've ever seen. The man with such an insatiable appetite that going back to the buffet counter for a second helping of everything on offer was a mandatory part of a meal and never a suggestion, he began his career as a showman travelling with a band of thieves and prostitutes demonstrating his incredible ability to just eat... and eat... and eat... An entire basket of apples? No problem. A quarter of a bullock? Piece of cake. Live animals you found roaming around the square where he was performing? Swallowed whole without the chance to ask him if he wants fries with that. If you thought The Duke from Resident Evil 8 could afford to say no to his 9th McDonalds order of the day, you've not seen anything yet.
Join Hayley this week as she recounts the medical marvel that was Tarrare. From his early days as a showman to his enlistment in the Revolutionary Army during the War of the First Coalition and him putting James Bond to shame, to a potential mishap in a hospital where a one-year-old toddler went... "missing", this is one of those stories that will make you throw up whatever you ate last so it might be best to have a bucket nearby when listening to this one... just don't let Tarrare near it because he WILL slurp it up.
This episode was hosted by Hayley O'Connor and joined by Arron Keegan and Conor Daly. The intro and outro music - Strollin' Along - was recorded by David Renda. Join our Discord server and follow us on social media by following the links below!
Discord: https://discord.gg/ZScNqT8mP2
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thatsoldnewspodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatsoldnewspodcast/
Twitter/X: x.com/oldnewscast
========
Sources & Further Reading:
- BBC, "The tragic fate of the man who couldn't stop eating", online at https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20161014-the-man-who-couldnt-stop-eating (15 Oct. 2016).
- Bondeson, Jan, "Freaks: The Pig-Faced Lady of Manchester Square & Other Medical Marvels" (2006).
- Bondeson, Jan., "The Two-Headed Boy, and Other Medical Marvels" (New York, 2004).
- Bradley, T., Fothergill, Samuel, and Hutchinson, William (ed.) "Polyphagism" in "London Medical and Physical Journal, 42, (London), p. 205.
- Gould, George M., and Pyle, Walter L. "Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine" (1896).
- Millingen, J. G., "Curiosities of Medical Experience: Second Edition" (London, 1839).
- O'Sullivan, Shawn Devin, "Tarrare" (2022).
- Wall, Jonathan Frederick, "Intermedia, hypermedia, and metamedia" in "Tarrare: Consumption Studies" (University of North Carolina Dissertations & Theses, 2013).
========
Chapters:
(00:00) Intro
(00:30) Episode Start
(05:47) Introducing Tarrare
(15:58) Tarrare Enlists in the Revolutionary Army
(32:36) Tarrare Becomes a Spy
(41:03) Return to the Hospital and Trying to Find a Cure
(44:58) Tarrare's Health Deteriorates
(48:58) Post Show Banter
Across June 12th and 13th, the Israeli Air Force began the first phase of Operation Rising Lion - striking various targets inside Iran including, most prominently, three of its nuclear facilities at Fordo, Isfahan, and Natanz. The strikes were targeted to neutralise Iran's growing uranium enrichment project, with the International Atomic Energy Agency declaring the state was in breach of the Iran nuclear deal of 2015 by enriching uranium up to 60% - far from its 3.65% imposed limit. With only 3-5% being necessary for commercial reactors and 20% needed for research reactors, concerns over Iran's potential for the construction of a nuclear weapon led to U.S. intervention and the use of 16 of its bunker busters, along with 30 Tomahawk missiles, to aid in the destruction of Iran's facilities.
So what was hit? How important were they? And where do we go from here? We ask all these questions and more in this week's emergency episode as we look over the events between Israel and Iran over the last week, including our own assessments of the situation and what Israel's overall strategy could be with this sudden and precise strike. Are we looking at a regime change war in the Middle East, or could this conflict spill out into the wider world? Tune in and find out what we think!
This episode was hosted by Arron Keegan, Hayley O'Connor, and Conor Daly. The intro and outro music - Strollin' Along - was recorded by David Renda. Join our Discord server and follow us on social media by following the links below!
Discord: https://discord.gg/ZScNqT8mP2
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thatsoldnewspodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatsoldnewspodcast/
Twitter/X: x.com/oldnewscast
Napoleon, the Hero of Italy, has returned from his failed campaign in Egypt and Syria, and instead of being berated as a coward who abandoned his army to the harsh Middle Eastern climate - he was instead welcomed as the Hero of Egypt. His propaganda machine worked overtime, ensuring his return was met with outright praise. But fate, as we know it, comes knocking for Napoleon at every turn, and he has arrived just in time for his next conquest - this time in the halls of power.
Political turmoil, coup attempts, ongoing war, incredible strategic marches, decisive battles, and the rise of an empire are all on the table in this month's instalment of the life of Napoleon Bonaparte, including all the emerging controversies and a look at one of the greatest stains on Napoleon's entire career - the reintroduction of slavery and the Haitian expedition, as well as countering some myths and blatant untruths espoused by pseudo-historians (and that's being generous) like Claude Ribbe.
This episode was hosted by Arron Keegan and joined by Hayley O'Connor and Conor Daly. The intro and outro music - Strollin' Along - was recorded by David Renda. Join our Discord server and follow us on social media by following the links below!
Discord: https://discord.gg/ZScNqT8mP2
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thatsoldnewspodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatsoldnewspodcast/
Twitter/X: x.com/oldnewscast
========
Sources & Further Reading:
- Broers, Michael, "Napoleon: Soldier of Destiny", (2014).
- Dodge, Theodore A., "Warfare in the Age of Napoleon Volume 2: The Egyptian and Syrian Campaigns & the Wars of the Second and Third Coalitions, 1798-1805", (2011).
- Doyle, William, "Napoleon at Peace", (2022).
- Dubois, Laurent, "Avengers of the New World: The Story of the Haitian Revolution", (2005).
- Esdaile, Charles J., "The Wars of the French Revolution, 1792-1801", (2019).
- Harvey, Robert, "The War of Wars: The Epic Struggle Between Britain and France, 1789-1815", (2007).
- Johnson, Paul, "Napoleon", (2003).
- Mikaberidze, Alexander, "The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History", (2020).
- Phipps, Ramsay Weston, "Armies of the First French Republic and the Rise of the Marshals of Napoleon Volume 5: The Armies on the Rhine, in Switzerland, Holland, Italy, Egypt, and the Coup d'Etat of Brumaire 1797-1799".
- Roberts, Andrew, "Napoleon the Great", (2015).
- Strathern, Paul, "Napoleon in Egypt", (2008).
- Zamoyski, Adam, "Napoleon: The Man Behind the Myth", (2019).
== Sources Specific to Refuting Claude Ribbe ==
- Fondation Napoléon, "Napoleon, the Dark Side > Did Napoleon enacy 'genocide' in the French colonies?" (14 Apr. 2021).
- Fondation Napoléon, "Napoleon, the Dark Side > Napoleon's re-establishment of slavery" (14 Apr. 2021).
- Fondation Napoléon, "Napoleon, the Dark Side > Napoleon and the Colonies" (14 Apr. 2021).
- Lentz, Thierry, "Napoleon - Hitler, the Improbable Comparison", available online at napoleon.org (2011).
========
Chapters:
(00:00) Intro
(03:59) Episode Start
(11:00) Recap
(13:01) Return From Egypt and the Coup of 18 Brumaire
(33:58) Constitution of the Year VIII (December 1799)
(38:53) Fighting the Second Coalition
(01:05:42) The Battle of Marengo
(01:28:22) The Assassination Attempt, Christmas Eve 1800
(01:34:28) Stabilising and Improving France: The Concordat with the Pope, the Treaty of Amiens, Consul for Life, the Napoleonic Code, and the Proclamation of the Empire
(01:58:06) Controversies and Shortcomings
(02:20:41) The Haitian Revolution and the Refute of Claude Ribbe
History is so full of people and events that opinions regarding them are often varied, but in a lot of cases some figures or events are either blown way out of proportion or had the spotlight stripped from them almost entirely to the point that even their very existence isn't a known fact. This perpetrates throughout history so much that today it can often be controversial to question the perceived excellence of certain historical figures or your take would be brushed aside because not enough people care about some obscure person or event. So what do we think?
Controversy, supposedly, is our middle name, so why not ride that bandwagon off a cliff and give you guys some of our historical overrated and underrated figures and events from history! With figures like Alexander the Great and Grace O'Malley, to events like the 1914 Christmas Truce and the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, all the way to the man who helped create that little tablet you take when you lose control over the flow of your back passage and the Battle of Bir Hakeim during the North African Campaign of the Second World War, we've got plenty of topics for you to scream at us for being so stupid or praise us because you never heard of it before! Who knows!
Join the gang this week as they tackle the overrated and underrated figures and events from history, and see what you think of our conclusions. Will you agree with us, will you think we completely missed the mark, and did we miss any events or people that you think deserve to be mentioned? Be sure to let us know in the comments!
The intro and outro music - Strollin' Along - was recorded by David Renda. Join our Discord server and follow us on social media by following the links below!
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In April 1876, the Western Australian coast contained many ships carrying out their normal business. It wasn't anything unusual of course, the coasts were busy and it wasn't at all uncommon for there to be commotion on the docks. But one ship in particular off the coast was here for a very different reason. Dropping anchor, it sent out a boat to the mainland and the crew jumped out and seemed to be on a mission. Later that day, the locals would learn of a daring prison escape mounted that very day and it all relied on that one ship, anchored out at sea, seemingly fitting in with every other ship in the bay but really there to aid in the escape of those Irish Fenian prisoners who just escaped from Fremantle Prison. And it's name, was the Catalpa.
Join Conor this week as he takes the gang through the daring escape of six Irish Fenian prisoners from Fremantle Prison in Western Australia and the role the Catalpa played in its success. We'll take you through the history of prisoners being sent to Australia to serve out their sentence, how Irish Fenians were sent there to keep them as far away from Ireland as possible, how Irish Fenians organised the whole escape over 11,000 miles away on the East Coast of the United States of America, and exactly how the Catalpa Rescue went down.
This episode was hosted by Conor Daly and joined by Arron Keegan and Hayley O'Connor. The intro and outro music - Strollin' Along - was recorded by David Renda. Follow us on social media and join our Discord server by following the links below!
Discord: https://discord.gg/ZScNqT8mP2
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thatsoldnewspodcast
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Twitter/X: x.com/oldnewscast
========
Sources & Further Reading:
- Durney, James, "Jailbreak: Irish Republican Escapes 1865-1983".
- Fennell, Philip, "History into Myth: The Catalpa" in Hibernia Review, vol. 9, pp 77-94.
- O'Connell, Ronan, "The Catalpa Rescue: The story behind one of Australia's most incredible prison escapes", online at CNN (https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/catalpa-rescue-escape-australia-perth/index.html).
- Pearse, Z. W., "The Catalpa Expedition".
- Quinn, James, "Breslin, John J." online at Dictionary of Irish Biography (https://www.dib.ie/biography/breslin-john-j-a0947).
Hayley is here to get jiggy with a bunch of 16th century villagers who started a flashmob and began dancing in the street when one local woman declared "Oh, I wanna dance with somebody!" and just could not shake it off until the footloose bug left their system... No I'm not at all embarrassed for all those song references.
From the strange beginnings, to the weird ways they tried to cure it, and looking into what scientific reasons may have caused this dancing plague, join Hayley this week as she takes the gang through this incredibly weird story of a humble German village busting moves harder than MC Hammer in parachute pants.
This episode was hosted by Hayley O'Connor and joined by Arron Keegan and Conor Daly. The intro and outro music - Strollin' Along - was recorded by David Renda. Make sure to follow us on our social media pages! Simply search for That's Old News on TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter/X or follow the links below!
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thatsoldnewspodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatsoldnewspodcast/
Twitter/X: x.com/oldnewscast
Discord: https://discord.gg/ZScNqT8mP2
========
Sources & Further Reading
- Backman, LE., "Religious Dances in the Christian Church and in Popular Medicine", (Cambridge, 2008).
- Bouruignon, E., "Possession", (Illinois, 1991).
- Midelfort, EHC., "A History of Madness in Sixteenth-Century Germany", (Stanford, 1999).
- Waller, John, "A Time to Dance. A Time to Die: The Extraordinary Story of the Dancing Plague of 1518", (Cambridge, 2008).
- Waller, John, "A Forgotten Plague: Making Sense of Dancing Mania" in The Lancet, vol. 373. pp 624-625.
- Wright, Jennifer, "Get Well Soon: History's Worst Plagues and the Heroes Who Fought Them", (2017).
What makes us proud to be Irish? Well in the long and varied history of the country, there are countless things that anyone can point to, but we've got our own reasons to look on our beloved Emerald Isle and smile.
From the glowing smile of the Mr Tayto Man on a packet of cheese and onion crisps, to a succulent Irish meal in the local Supermac's after it won a landmark court case, to the history of rebellion and self determination of the Irish people, we've got a whole host of historical reasons why any of us would be proud to call this small island nation our home!
Join the gang this week as they tackle the hard hitting question of what makes us proud to be Irish and throw them into a tierlist to see how they hold up against each other. Will you agree with us or do you think we missed something? Be sure to let us know!
The intro and outro music - Strollin' Along - was recorded by David Renda. Join our Discord server and follow us on social media by following the links below!
Discord: https://discord.gg/ZScNqT8mP2
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thatsoldnewspodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatsoldnewspodcast/
Twitter/X: x.com/oldnewscast
========
Chapters:
(00:00) Intro
(01:16) Tayto Crisps
(11:09) Michael Collins
(19:41) 1798 Rebellion
(27:24) Tommy Tiernan
(31:01) Chicken Fillet Roll
(38:26) The Irish Defence Forces
(43:01) Father Ted
(44:57) The Dublin Spire
(51:18) The GAA
(01:05:09) The Irish Language
(01:09:30) The League of Ireland
(01:15:39) Irish Rugby
(01:21:42) Thin Lizzy
(01:27:25) The Supermacs VS McDonalds Lawsuit
(01:35:21) The Good Friday Agreement
(01:45:52) Honourable Mention: Jackie Charlton and Italia '90
(01:50:43) The Tierlist and Post Show Banter