What was the Black Hand?

As Ben, Matt, and Noel wrap up their live show at sea on Virgin Voyages, they turn the microphone to the audience for a wild question and answer session that surprises the crowd as much as it surprises the audience themselves. Everyone, please remember to stop asking about the FB ... Show More

As World War II drew to a close, nations across the planet scrambled to take stock, to recover, to rebuild and survive. But the looming spectre of nuclear technology continued to grow -- the US went against allies and enemies alike to keep its military edge. So how did countries ... Show More

Whenever it's time for an election in the United States, a curious thing happens. A domestic scandal, a crisis, a hostage situation: whatever the specifics, these events are known as 'October Surprises'. In tonight's episode, recorded live at sea on Virgin Voyages, Ben, Matt, and ... Show More

100 Years ago today Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated by a Serbian radical in Sarajevo. How did this event result in a war that would consume not just Europe but the World? In this episode we will talk about the situation in Europe in 1914 and the nations that would take ... Show More

The reasons for the Great War go way beyond the assassination of Franz Ferdinand. Learn about the causes of one of humanity's most vicious wars.<p>See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.</p> 

A century ago a shot rang out in Sarajevo which set the world on a path to war. How did the peace made after WW1 influence the ethnic conflicts in the region during the 1990s? 

At the turn of the 20th century, a criminal group began terrorizing New York’s Italian immigrant population. The Black Hand was insidious, but Detective Joe Petrosino—aka “the Italian Sherlock Holmes”—fought for justice, with a task force known as “the Mysterious Six.” Learn more ... Show More

In June 1914, a gunman assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir apparent to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This event set off a chain reaction that plunged Europe’s major powers, and the wider world, into all-out war. President Woodrow Wilson was determined to keep the Unite ... Show More

By the end of July 1914, the world hovered on the edge of a cataclysmic world war; Austria was at war with Serbia, Russia with Germany, and an ultimatum had been handed to Belgium. The July crisis had resolved itself in the most calamitous way possible. But how did this state of ... Show More

As global tensions grew to a breaking point in the lead-up to World War II, European nations used every available avenue to pursue their goals, including the propagandistic power of sporting events. Join Ben and Noel as they explore the strange geopolitical policy of appeasement ... Show More

<p>In 1972 the tension between the United Kingdom and the Irish Republican Army rose to a fever pitch as the British Army and Irish protestors clashed. Learn more about the contentious partition of Ireland -- and Bloody Sunday -- in this podcast.</p><p> </p> Learn more about your ... Show More

On the surface, the story of Sudan’s war is about two generals vying for power. But it’s also about a vast web of international interests involving the U.S., China, Russia, and the UAE. Today on the show, the story of how things in Sudan got to this point, and the effects of the ... Show More

The group staged a violent uprising in 1900, determined to rid Imperial China of foreign influence. It later became known as the Boxer Rebellion. Western diplomats and Chinese Christians were forced to defend themselves against the militants, while an international alliance moved ... Show More