Great Britain’s efforts to control southern Africa eventually led to war with the Zulu Kingdom. A brutal series of engagements claimed the lives of many British and Zulu soldiers, but Britain’s portrayal of events minimized poor leadership decisions.
Mar 9
Elizabeth Bisland, Beyond the Trip Around the World
Journalist and writer Elizabeth Bisland was sent on a trip around the world in 1889, in a sort of race against Nellie Bly. But that was not something she wanted to be known for. Research: Bisland, Elisabeth. “At the Sign of the Hobby Horse.” Houghton, Mifflin and Co. Riverside Pr ... Show More
42m 54s
Mar 7
SYMHC Classics: Marie Laurencin
This 2019 episode explores the difficult-to-study work of Laurencin. In addition to her work not quite falling in line with the artists who were her contemporaries, her personal papers are difficult to access, are censored, and have strict limitations put on their use. See omnyst ... Show More
32m 46s
Feb 2025
Boer Wars: The White African Tribe
On today's episode, we followup on the Boer Wars, focusing on Afrikaner identity and their conflicts with the British Empire. We explore the Cape Colony, the Great Trek, and early encounters with the Zulu nation, highlighting Zulu military tactics under Shaka Zulu, highlighting s ... Show More
1h 26m
Sep 2025
232: The Battle of Britain Pt. 7 - Battle of Britain Day
On September 15, 1940—Battle of Britain Day—the Luftwaffe launched what would become the climactic daylight assault of their campaign against Britain. In a desperate final effort to enable Operation Sea Lion, the German invasion of Britain, over 500 bombers escorted by hundreds o ... Show More
28m 12s
Sep 2025
Coming Soon: Blowback Season 6
New episodes drop September 22. This season, Cuba sends an army to defend newly independent Angola from the combined forces of apartheid South Africa, the CIA, and one of the most infamous warlords of Africa. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: h ... Show More
30s
Oct 2025
Andrew Lambert, "No More Napoleons: How Britain Managed Europe from Waterloo to World War One" (Yale UP, 2025)
How, for just over a century, Britain ensured it would not face another Napoleon Bonaparte--manipulating European powers while building a global maritime empire At the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars, a fragile peace emerged in Europe. The continent's borders were redrawn, and ... Show More
53m 54s
Jul 2024
472. The Road to The Great War: Britain's Fateful Choice (Part 4)
On the 24th of July 1914, in London, the Liberal British Cabinet met to hear the Foreign Secretary, Sir Edward Grey, read them the Ultimatum handed to Serbia by the Austro-Hungarian Empire the day before. The world held its breath, awaiting Serbia’s response. With Germany determi ... Show More
53m 45s