On August 2, 1943, a patrol boat commanded by a young John F. Kennedy was rammed by a Japanese destroyer in the waters of the Solomon Islands. Despite his own injuries, the 26-year old Kennedy spent the next week attempting to get himself and the surviving crew to safety. He even used a life jacket strap clenched between his teeth to tow an injured crewman in the water for more than five hours. This is the story of John F. Kennedy and PT 109. Sources https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/jfk-in-history/john-f-kennedy-and-pt-109 https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2003/summer/pt109.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrol_torpedo_boat_PT-109 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Kennedy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PT_boat Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lt._John_F._Kennedy_skipper_aboard_the_PT-109.jpg History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We celebrate today - Halloween - by diving into the history of the zombie. From Haitian voodoo folklore, to one of the cornerstones of horror movies, serious and silly alike, this is the history of zombies. Sources "The undead in culture and science," by Nugent C, Berdine G, Nugent K. https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/12/13/250844800/zoinks-tracing-the-history-of-zombie-from-haiti-to-the-cdc Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Zombies_NightoftheLivingDead.jpg History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On July 23, 1983, Air Canada Flight 143 was in route from Montreal to Edmonton when the plane - astonishingly - ran out of fuel midway through the flight. The crew would thus have to glide the Boeing 767 - and their 61 passengers - from an altitude of 41,000 feet - to an emergency landing at an old Air Force base in Manitoba - which had recently been converted to a racetrack - and was hosting an event at the time of the emergency landing. This is the story of the Gimli Glider. Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider https://simpleflying.com/air-canada-gimli-glider-facts-list/ https://www.damninteresting.com/the-gimli-glider/ Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Air_Canada_Flight_143_after_emergency_landing_2.jpg History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For decades the New World screwworm fly devastated agriculture across the southern United States, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. At least until the 1950s when a strange combination of radiation, and releasing billions of the very fly they sought to eradicate into the wild. And today, the screwworm has all but disappeared from North America. This is the story of the Eradication of the Screwworm Fly. Sources Stop Screwworms: Selections from the Screwworm Eradication Collection https://www.nal.usda.gov/exhibits/speccoll/exhibits/show/stop-screwworms--selections-fr https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/cattle/ticks/screwworm Image: https://www.nal.usda.gov/exhibits/speccoll/items/show/7394 History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1847, a group of former slaves from the Americas established the nation of Liberia on the west coast of Africa. Many people hailed the move as an option for other blacks in the Americas. And while that sounds all well and good, it would be a much more complex and divisive effort. This is the story of the establishment of Liberia. Sources "https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/liberia-proclaims-its-independence https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Liberia" Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coat_of_arms_of_Liberia.svg History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On a summer day in 1184 a large group of nobles and clergy were gathered in Erfurt, modern day Germany, debating control over the city. The event was being presided over by the son of the Holy Roman Emperor. All was normal until the floor gave way and dozens of people fell into the cesspit below the castle. 60 people died, many drowning in human waste. This is the story of the Erfurt Latrine Disaster. Sources The Fort Weekly Curio #1: The Erfurter Latrinensturz "Water Technology in the Middle Ages Cities, Monasteries, and Waterworks After the Roman Empire" By Roberta J. Magnusson https://www.erfurt-lese.de/streifzuege/geschichtliches/erfurter-latrinensturz/ History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1983, the Kremlin became convinced NATO was preparing to strike first with nuclear weapons. However, British Intelligence had a man inside London’s Soviet Embassy who discovered just how dangerously close the world was to nuclear war. His warnings to MI6 and Washington may be the only reason the Cold War didn’t go hot. This is the story of Oleg Gordievsky - MI6's most valuable Cold War Spy. Presented by Ian Sanders of the Cold War Conversations Podcast. Sources Cold War Conversation by Ian Sanders - https://coldwarconversations.com Select Podcast Episodes 1983 - the year the Cold War almost turned hot: https://coldwarconversations.com/episode316/ Fred Haise Conversation: https://coldwarconversations.com/episode254/ Codename Sunbeam – The story of MI6’s greatest Cold War spy: https://coldwarconversations.com/episode418/ Shooting down of KAL 007 - https://coldwarconversations.com/episode229/ Image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/Reagan_and_Gordievsky.jpg History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the Middle Ages a cult emerged based up around a dog - a greyhound - named Guinefort. The dog had saved the life of a baby from poisonous snake - but had then been killed by the baby’s father - a knight - who thought the dog had attacked his child. The local people would embrace the heroics of the animal - and proclaim him a saint. This is the story of St. Guinefort the Greyhound. Sources https://www.thegreyhoundsaint.com https://barteredhistory.wordpress.com/2024/05/28/the-dogma-of-saint-guinefort-the-holy-greyhound/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Guinefort History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Around 1772, in Lyon, France, a man who today is known only as Tarrare was born with an absolutely insatiable appetite. He would eat garbage, live cats, dead bodies, and even allegedly a toddler. He was a medical marvel that became a street performer, and even got noticed by the French army for the potential to be a spy. This is the story of Tarrare - the World's Hungriest Man. Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarrare London Medical and Physical Journal: Volume 42 page 203-205 History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On April 21, 1980, Rosie Ruiz stunned the world by winning the women’s crown at the Boston Marathon with a record time. The only problem was she had actually only run about one mile of the race - making it one of the great frauds in sports history. Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosie_Ruiz https://www.thisisjogon.com/videos/this-is-the-template-title-abn2m History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While a young man and on his way to college none other than Julius Caesar's ship was attacked by pirates. He was captured for ransom. But rather than a normal experience, he treated his captors like his servants, and told them exactly what he was going to do to them when he was freed. And in true Caesar fashion, he did exactly that. Sources https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/e/roman/texts/velleius_paterculus/2b*.html https://www.livius.org/sources/content/plutarch/plutarchs-caesar/caesar-and-the-pirates/ https://www.britannica.com/story/the-time-julius-caesar-was-captured-by-pirates Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:M443922_Julius-Caesar-taken-prisoner-by-Cilician-pirates-while-crossing-the-Aegean-Sea-c75-BC.jpg History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On July 3, 1940, British forces attacked French ships at the naval base at Mers-el-Kébir on the coast of Algeria. The attack was part of a British plan to neutralize French ships to prevent them from falling into German hands after the Allied defeat in the Battle of France. The British attack killed nearly 1,300 French servicemen, and sank and damaged numerous vessels. It also seriously jeopardized French and English relations throughout the world. This is the story of the Battle of Mers-el-Kébir. Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Mers-el-Kébir https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2022/august/force-h-mers-el-kebir Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Croiseur_de_bataille_Strasbourg_03-07-1940.jpg History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Beautiful Jim Key was no ordinary horse. This remarkable creature could preform tricks, do basic math, recognize written words, and even write names. And he did this with the help of his trainer and friend - Doctor William Key - a former slave, self-taught veterinarian, and animal rights activist. This is the story of Beautiful Jim Key, the world's smartest horse. Sources "Beautiful Jim Key: The lost history of a horse and a man who changed the world" by Mim Eichler Rivas Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jim_Key,_the_spelling_horse_standing_by_his_numbers_and_letters._(attraction_on_the_Pike_at_the_1904_World%27s_Fair).jpg History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Grace Hopper was a trailblazer. An American mathematician, she would go on to be known for her contributions to computer programming, software development, and the design and implementation of programming languages. She enjoyed a long and influential career in the computer industry - as well as the United States navy - rising to the rank of rear admiral. This is the story of computer programming innovator Grace Hopper. Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Hopper https://www.amphilsoc.org/blog/grace-brewster-murray-hopper-mathematician-computer-science-pioneer https://president.yale.edu/biography-grace-murray-hopper Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Grace_Murray_Hopper,_in_her_office_in_Washington_DC,_1978,_©Lynn_Gilbert.jpg History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the summer of 1917 two girls would photograph the remarkable. Proof of fairies, dancing in the beautiful Cottingley Beck in England. The photos were so convincing that they became a national sensation, convincing the millions that they were indeed proof of the magical. And it took half a century for the truth to come out. This is the story of the Cottingley Fairies. Sources https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leeds-55187973 https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/The-Fairies-of-Cottingley/ https://hoaxes.org/photo_database/image/the_cottingley_fairies Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cottingley_Fairies_1.jpg History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On August 6, 1855, in Louisville, Kentucky, a bitter rivalry between the Democrats and the Nativist Know-Nothing Party erupted in a series of riots. Protestant mobs attacked Irish and German Catholic neighborhoods - leaving 22 people dead, dozens injured, and more than 100 homes and businesses torched and looted. This is the story of Bloody Monday. Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody_Monday https://www.louisvilleirish.com/bloody-monday-memorial/ Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Krakatoa_eruption_lithograph.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bloody_Monday_Election_Riots.jpg History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Three tales of historic explosions including the Tunguska Incident, the 1883 Eruption of Krakatoa, and the Halifax Explosion. Have a blast checking these out. Enjoy this compilation of Season 1 episodes while we get ready for the new season of History Dispatches. Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Krakatoa_eruption_lithograph.jpg History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Three stories of humanity's attempts to reign in animals. This includes the Great Emu War, the Alberta Rat Campaign, and Project Isabela. Enjoy this compilation of Season 1 episodes while we get ready for the new season of History Dispatches. Image: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-rat-on-green-grass-12964769/ History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Three stories from Ancient Egypt, including the Library of Alexandria, the Lost Army of Cambyses, and the Rosetta Stone. Enjoy this compilation of Season 1 episodes while we get ready for the new season of History Dispatches. History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Three tales from the twilight of the Athenian Golden Age, including Alcibiades, the Sicilian Expedition, and Thrasybulus. Enjoy this compilation of Season 1 episodes while we get ready for the new season of History Dispatches. Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Akropolis_by_Leo_von_Klenze.jpg History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices