May 23, 1701. Captain William Kidd is hanged at Execution Dock in London. His death sentence cements his legacy as one of history’s most notorious pirates, but he went to the gallows claiming to be an innocent man. And he may have been telling the truth. Nonetheless, his execution began a worldwide ripple effect that would change the high seas forever and ul ... Show More
Yesterday
How Higgins and His Boats Won the War
June 6, 1944. As thousands of Allied soldiers prepare to storm the beaches of Normandy, they climb down rope nets into small wooden landing craft bobbing in the dark waters of the English Channel. Within hours, these boats will carry them into the largest amphibious invasion in h ... Show More
30m 17s
May 25
The Secretary of War Who Feared the Bomb
May 30, 1945. In Washington, Secretary of War Henry Stimson calls General Leslie Groves to his office and demands answers: which Japanese cities are about to become targets for the atomic bomb? What follows will pull Stimson—a deeply religious statesman who believed in restraint, ... Show More
34 m
Oct 2022
The Age of Pirates | Blackbeard and the Flying Gang | 3
<p>In 1717, the pirate known as Blackbeard launched an attack along the Atlantic seaboard, disrupting international trade and striking terror into sea captains and colonial governors. Working with his sidekick, the “Gentleman Pirate” Stede Bonnet, Blackbeard blockaded the busy po ... Show More
36m 48s
Feb 2021
Henry Every: King of Pirates Pt. 1
In this new season of Dictators, we're looking at a unique kind of tyrant: the pirate captain. Leading dictatorial democracies, these captains held onto freedom with an iron grip. Today, we'll investigate Captain Henry Every's murky origins and the fateful mutiny that led to his ... Show More
42m 55s
Mar 2024
The Real Pirates of the Caribbean
Throughout the late 17th and early 18th Century, the waters of the Caribbean were crawling with pirates. Stories about swash-buckling buccaneers, and insatiable treasure-seekers haunted the tropical islands, as navies tried in vain to put a stop to their reign of terror. But who ... Show More
56m 38s
Feb 2024
Gangster Der Meere | EP 7 | Edward England, der gestrandete Kapitän
Wer sagt, dass alle Piraten grausam und blutrünstig sind? Auf Edward England trifft das jedenfalls nicht zu. Für diesen Seeräuber, der einst in der englischen Marine gedient hatte, stand die Piraterie für den Traum von Freiheit und Reichtum. Nichts verpflichtete ihn dazu, gegneri ... Show More
17m 33s
Nov 2018
SYMHC Classics: Stede Bonnet, the Gentleman Pirate
Today we revisit our 2013 episode on Stede Bonnet, who left his family in 1717 and became a pirate. Despite having no seafaring experience, Bonnet's brief career as a pirate was eventful, including a stint aboard Blackbeard's ship and raids along the Atlantic coast of North Ameri ... Show More
20m 58s