logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2018
54 m

(Some of) History's Dumbest Military Pro...

iHeartPodcasts
About this episode

It's true that the world's militaries often pioneer technological innovation -- but don't let all those great successes fool you! The world's militaries have at least as many failures as they do breakthroughs. Join Ben, Noel and special guest Christopher Hassiotis as they explore some of humanity's most hilarious military missteps, from round ships to rocket bullets and ball tanks.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Aug 23
CLASSIC: The Strange and Spectacularly Disgusting Story of the Great Kentucky Meat Shower
On March 3rd, 1876, residents of Bath County, Kentucky were startled to see what appeared to be chunks and flakes of meat falling from the clear, cloudless sky. The rain, which only lasted a few minutes, captured national attention. People across the country proposed various theo ... Show More
35m 55s
Aug 22
The Ridiculously Energetic History of Energy Drinks!
This episode is brought to you by our favorite cohost: coffee. These days, if you stroll into any convenience store across the planet, you're going to run into a selection of energy drinks -- whether we're talking Red Bull, NOS, Monster, or our favorite pal, the humble cup of joe ... Show More
47m 1s
Aug 19
Japan is Overrun By Raccoons Entirely Due to a Single Cartoon
While the legendary Japanese raccoon dog -- or tanuki -- may look like a raccoon, it's a very different beast. However, these days Japan is home to actual raccoons: they're considered an invasive species, wreaking havoc across the country as they destroy temples, consume crops, a ... Show More
40m 57s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2018
The Strange Story of the GhostNet
The rise of the Internet Age allowed billions of people to access virtually endless stores of information, but it had a dark side -- one of which was the rise of a new kind of army: Groups that used viruses and software the way other militaries use missiles, spies and bombs. Join ... Show More
53m 30s
Jul 2020
The Bomber Mafia
On the eve of the Second World War, a band of visionaries at Maxwell Air Force Base tried to reimagine modern warfare. They failed. Part one on the extraordinary life of the Air Force General Curtis LeMay. Get Revisionist History updates first by signing up for our newsletter at ... Show More
32m 16s
Jun 2021
Selects: Operation Mincemeat: How A Corpse Fooled the Nazis
In World War II, a secret department of British ‘corkscrew thinkers’ hatched a plan to use the cadaver of an unclaimed homeless man to turn the tide of the war in the Allies’ favor. It worked. Learn all about it in this classic episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https:/ ... Show More
44m 53s
Feb 2016
Operation Mincemeat: How A Corpse Fooled the Nazis
In World War II, a secret department of British 'corkscrew thinkers' hatched a plan to use the cadaver of an unclaimed homeless man to turn the tide of the war in the Allies' favor. It worked. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio. ... Show More
44m 22s
Dec 2019
How Britain Invented, Then Ignored, Blitzkrieg
In 1917, a brilliant British officer developed a way to use an emerging military technology: the tank. The British army promptly squandered the idea – but the Germans did not. Blitzkrieg, the devastating advance of German tanks across Europe in 1940, was invented by the British.T ... Show More
36m 18s
May 2018
History Through Innovation | Interview with Steven Johnson | 7
The phone in your hand is more powerful than all of the computers that put a man on the moon, combined. In the age of supercomputers, driverless cars, and mail-order DNA testing it’s easy to forget that the journey to these incredible innovations was a lot of surprising moments. ... Show More
40m 41s
Jul 2018
SYSK Selects: Did Reagan's Star Wars program win the Cold War?
Putting lasers in space to blast Soviet missiles out of the air was a very real part of Ronald Reagan's defense policy. While his "Star Wars" program was derided at home and abroad, historians are beginning to wonder if it didn't help win the Cold War after all. Learn more about ... Show More
35m 27s
Apr 2018
Introducing: American Innovations
DNA science. Artificial intelligence. Smartphones and 3D printers. Science and technology have transformed the world we live in. But how did we get here? It wasn’t by accident. Well, sometimes it was. It was also the result of hard work, teamwork, and competition. And incredibly ... Show More
2m 8s
Aug 2019
SYSK Selects: Are We in a Cyberwar?
There's a secret war going on around us, and it's happening on a daily basis. The Air Force has a unit specifically designed to carry out and defend against cyberwar. Go deep into this alarming type of war in this classic episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.i ... Show More
29m 28s
Apr 2020
Space: Operation Paperclip
As World War II drew to a close, the U.S. military began a covert process of trying to extricate Germany's most studious Nazi scientists—in order to bring them to America for contracts on our own nuclear projects. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoic ... Show More
49m 5s