History on Fire
Daniele Bolelli
Where history and epic collide--"History on Fire" is a podcast by author and university professor Daniele Bolelli.
[RERUN] EPISODE 71: John Brown (Part 2): A Reckoning in Blood
...
[RERUN] EPISODE 70: John Brown (Part 1): Heartbreak & Slavery
In this first episode of a three-part series, we’ll introduce the early
part of John Brown’s life
and his crusade against slavery. Among today’s topics, we’ll have the
ethics of punching a
Nazi, how the beating of an enslaved child set Brown on his path, how both
pro and anti-
slavery forces used Christianity to justify their stances, racism
masquerading as
philanthropy, the Nat Turner rebellion, grief & PTSD, the Underground
Railroad, the
murder of Elijah Lovejoy, and much more.
EPISODE 107: The Forge of the Samurai: The Genpei War Part 2
It's the finale of this series on the Genpei War (1180-1185); the showdown
between the two most powerful clans of the age. This episode is one of the
most drama & action packed that I have ever covered in History on Fire.
We'll discuss Minamoto Yoritomo's Godzilla-sized ego, the Minamoto killing
each other when they are not busy warring against the Taira, the legendary
female samurai Tomoe Gozen, a ritual suicide to urge your commander to stop
having sex and concentrate on military maneuve
EPISODE 106: The Forge of the Samurai: The Genpei War Part 1
The Genpei War (1180-1185), pitting against one another the two most
powerful clans of the era, the Minamoto and the Taira, is one of the most
crucial turning points in Japanese history. Movies and video games have
usually overlooked this conflict in favor of the civil wars of the warring
states period of the 1500s. Big mistake since the story of the Genpei War
is packed with drama and larger than life characters—from the tragic hero
Minamoto Yoshitsune, his brother in arms the gigantic wa
[RERUN] EPISODE 69: Capturing Mussolini
...
[RERUN] EPISODE 68: My Grandma and Her Bombs: A Story of WWII
This is a tale of Italian Resistance during WW II. Unlike nearly all
History on Fire episodes, this is not a story I researched in books. It’s a
much more personal one—these are my grandparents’ experiences. The starring
role goes to my grandmother, Liana Germani, who as a teenager was a combat
partisan active against the Fascist regime and the Nazi occupation.
[RERUN] EPISODE 66: Sex in Ancient Rome
This is a cultural history episode about sexuality in Ancient Rome. I
thought the topic would be fun and juicy, but that’s because my memory of
Roman sexuality was hazy. After refreshing it with lots of research, I can
safely say that ‘fun’ is not a word I would apply to it. ‘Insanely
disturbing’ is probably more fitting. Most of the ancient sources, in fact,
seem to indicate that little to no attention was paid to the idea of sex
being for mutual pleasure.
[RERUN] EPISODE 66: Sex in Ancient Rome
This is a cultural history episode about sexuality in Ancient Rome. I thought the topic would be fun and juicy, but that’s because my memory of Roman sexuality was hazy. After refreshing it with lots of research, I can safely say that ‘fun’ is not a word I would apply to it. ‘Insanely disturbing’ is probably more fitting. Most of the ancient sources, in fact, seem to indicate that little to no attention was paid to the idea of sex being for mutual pleasure. Rather, sex was primarily seen as some
EPISODE 105: Rationalizing Evil in El Salvador
I am sorry to be taking you on this dark journey, but I strongly feel this
is an important story that everyone should know. Over the years, I've
tackled some heavy topics. This is definitely one of the heaviest. This
episode covers some of the things that happened in El Salvador in the
1980s, in particular the story of the massacre at El Mozote, and how
policies formulated by the White House supported death squads unleashing
hell on civilians. As much as humanly possible, I'll try to let t
EPISODE 104: The Saint and the Death Squads
This is a story about what happened in El Salvador in the 1970s and 1980s,
and the role that democratic as well as republican administrations played
in this tale. As much as humanly possible, I’ll try to let the facts speak
for themselves and not inject too much of my own commentary.
[RERUN] EPISODE 65: The Taiping Rebellion (Part 3): A River of Death
...
[RERUN] EPISODE 64: The Taiping Rebellion (Part 2): Jesus’ Chinese Younger Brother
...
[RERUN] EPISODE 63: The Taiping Rebellion (Part 1): Drug Dealers and Visionaries
...
EPISODE 103: The Lone Samurai, Miyamoto Musashi (Part 2)
...
EPISODE 102: The Lone Samurai, Miyamoto Musashi (Part 1)
...
EPISODE 101: The History Behind Killers of the Flower Moon
...
[RERUN] EPISODE 62: Plagues, Mystery and Dancing
...
[RERUN] EPISODE 61: Raiders in the Night
...
EPISODE 100: Benvenuto Cellini (Part 2)
...
EPISODE 99: Thug Life: Benvenuto Cellini (Part 1)
...
[RERUN] EPISODE 60: Fear and Loathing in Mongolia (Part 2)
...
[RERUN] EPISODE 59: Fear and Loathing in Mongolia (Part 1)
...
EPISODE 98: Machine Gun Blues
...
[RERUN] EPISODE 58 Sitting Bull: Wounded Knee (Part 5)
...
[RERUN] EPISODE 57 Sitting Bull: Compulsory Civilization with a Side of Murder (Part 4)
...
[RERUN] EPISODE 56 Sitting Bull: Compulsory Civilization with a Side of Murder (Part 3)
...
[RERUN] EPISODE 55 Sitting Bull (Part 2)
...
[RERUN] EPISODE 54 Sitting Bull (Part 1)
...
EPISODE 97: The Psychology of Power in History: A Conversation with Aziz Al-Doory
...
[RERUN] EPISODE 51: A Life for a Whistle: Emmett Till and the Birth of the Civil Rights Movement
...
EPISODE 96: The Wildest Man You Have Never Heard Of: Thomas Morton
...
[RERUN] EPISODE 50 Philosophers and Thugs: Jigoro Kano (Part 2)
...
Feed Drop For "This Job Is History"
...
[RERUN] EPISODE 49 The Father of Martial Arts: Jigoro Kano (Part 1)
...
EPISODE 95: Tom Le Forge: The Real Dances with Wolves
...
[RERUN] EPISODE 48: Give Me Back My Legions! (Part 2)
...
EPISODE 94: The Last War Chief
...
EPISODE 93: The Beast of Gevaudan
...
EPISODE 92: Jujitsuffragettes With Attitude
...
EPISODE 85: The Siege That Changed All of History
...
EPISODE 78: Bruce Lee (Part 2)
...
EPISODE 77: Bruce Lee (Part 1)
...
EPISODE 85: The Siege That Changed All of History
“I cut off their heads. I burned them with fire. With their blood I dyed the mountain red like red wool. Men I impaled on stakes. The city I destroyed, devastated… the young men and maidens I burned in the fire.” Ashurnairpal II“I filled the wide plain with the corpses of his warriors…. These [rebels] I impaled on stakes. …A pyramid of heads I erected in front of the city.” Salmaneser III“Don’t let Hezekiah mislead you by saying, ‘The Lord will rescue us!’ Have the gods of any other nations ever
EPISODE 78 Bruce Lee (Part 2)
“Jeet Kune Do favors formlessness so that it can assume all forms and since Jeet Kune Do has no style, it can fit with all styles. As a result, Jeet Kune Do utilizes all ways and is bound by none and, likewise, uses any techniques or means which serve its ends.” — Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee’s methodology :
“1. Research your own experience.
2. Absorb what is useful.
3. Reject what is useless.
4. Add what is specifically your own.”
“I maintain that truth is a pathless land and you cannot approach it b
EPISODE 77 Bruce Lee (Part 1)
“Energy is eternal delight.” William Blake
“Hong Kong in the 1950s was a depressed place. Post–World War II Hong Kong had suffered from unemployment, a poor economy, over-crowding, homelessness, and people taking advantage of each other. Gangs roamed the street, and juvenile delinquents ran rampant.” Hawkins Cheung
“Teachers should never impose their favorite patterns on their students—he said—They should be finding out what works for them, and what does not work for them. The individual is m
EPISODE 71: John Brown (Part 2): A Reckoning in Blood
...
EPISODE 70: John Brown (Part 1): Heartbreak & Slavery
...
EPISODE 69: Capturing Mussolini
...
EPISODE 68: My Grandma and Her Bombs: A Story of WWII
...
EPISODE 67: Ripples of History
...
EPISODE 67 Ripples of History
“If I knew the way, I would take you home.” From the song Ripple by the Grateful Dead
“The only thing that will redeem mankind is cooperation.” Bertrand Russell
“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.” Michael Jordan
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” Tao Te Ching
In most fields, we are taught that people in your same profession are your competitors, and you need to do whatever you can to prevent them from rising above you. In podcasting
EPISODE 66: Sex in Ancient Rome
This is a cultural history episode about sexuality in Ancient Rome. I thought the topic would be fun and juicy, but that’s because my memory of Roman sexuality was hazy. After refreshing it with lots of research, I can safely say that ‘fun’ is not a word I would apply to it. ‘Insanely disturbing’ is probably more fitting. Most of the ancient sources, in fact, seem to indicate that little to no attention was paid to the idea of sex being for mutual pleasure. Rather, sex was primarily seen as some
EPISODE 65: The Taiping Rebellion (Part 3): A River of Death
...
EPISODE 64: The Taiping Rebellion (Part 2): Jesus’ Chinese Younger Brother
...
EPISODE 63: The Taiping Rebellion (Part 1): Drug Dealers and Visionaries
...
EPISODE 62: Plagues, Mystery and Dancing
...
EPISODE 53 The Punk Rocker of Ancient Greece
“A Socrates gone mad.” Plato referring to Diogenes
“Had I not been Alexander, I would have liked to have been Diogenes.” Alexander the Great
"If I wasn't Diogenes, I would be wishing to be Diogenes too." Diogenes
“There are nowadays professors of philosophy, but not philosophers… To be a philosopher is not merely to have subtle thoughts, nor even to found a school, but so to love wisdom as to live according to its dictates, a life of simplicity, independence, magnanimity, and trust. It is
EPISODE 61: Raiders in the Night
...
EPISODE 60: Fear and Loathing in Mongolia (Part 2)
...
EPISODE 59: Fear and Loathing in Mongolia (Part 1)
...
EPISODE 58 Sitting Bull: Wounded Knee (Part 5)
...
EPISODE 57 Sitting Bull: Compulsory Civilization with a Side of Murder (Part 4)
...
BONUS EPISODE Dan Carlin’s “The End Is Always Near”
...
EPISODE 56 Sitting Bull: Compulsory Civilization with a Side of Murder (Part 3)
...
BONUS: Dan Carlin’s “The End Is Always Near”
“That is the nicest guilt trip anybody has ever given me in my entire life.” Dan Carlin
Dan Carlin is one of my all time favorite human beings, and on top of that an incredible podcaster. He’s now a published author as well. In this episode we chat about his new book, The End is Always Near. The conversation covers more than should theoretically be possible to cover in little over an hour—from Dan’s understanding for Thanos’ plight to the collapse of civilizations, the concept of Gross Nationa
EPISODE 55 Sitting Bull (Part 2)
...
EPISODE 52 The Lady and Her Gun
“It's just incredible that this little hand has killed Nazis, has scythed them down by the hundreds, without missing…” Charlie Chaplin
“Miss Pavlichenko's well known to fame,
Russia's your country, fighting is your game,
Your smile shines as bright as any new morning sun,
But more than three hundred Nazi dogs fell by your gun.” Woody Guthrie
“Charging together, we would dash into battle and forget about everything else in the world.” Lyudmila Pavlichenko
“Gentlemen, I am 25 years old and I
EPISODE 54 Sitting Bull (Part 1)
...
EPISODE 53 Diogenes: The Punk Rocker of Ancient Greece
...
EPISODE 52 The Lady and Her Gun
...
EPISODE 51: A Life for a Whistle: Emmett Till and the Birth of the Civil Rights Movement
...
EPISODE 49 The Father of Martial Arts: Jigoro Kano (Part 1)
...
EPISODE 48 Give Me Back My Legions! (Part 2)
...
EPISODE 47: Give Me Back My Legions! (Part 1)
...
A Special Announcement from History on Fire
...
EPISODE 47 Give Me Back My Legions! (Part 1)
“Bits of weapons and horses' limbs lay about, and human heads fixed to tree-trunks. In groves nearby were barbaric altars, where the Germans had laid the tribunes and senior centurions and sacrificed them.” Tacitus
“It stands on record that armies already wavering and on the point of collapse have been rallied by the women, pleading heroically with their men, thrusting forward their bared breasts…” Tacitus
“They are not so easily convinced to plough the land and wait patiently for harvest as to
EPISODE 46: Enjoying Hell: The Life of Ikkyu Sojun (Part 2)
...
EPISODE 45 Sex, Sake and Zen: The Life of Ikkyu Sojun (Part 1)
...
EPISODE 43: The Melian Dialogue (The Peloponnesian War and Morality in History)
...
EPISODE 42: Joan of Arc (Part 4)
...
EPISODE 41: Joan of Arc (Part 3)
...
EPISODE 40: Joan of Arc (Part 2)
...
EPISODE 39: Joan of Arc (Part 1)
...
EPISODE 38 Monster in the Darkness
...
EPISODE 37 The 47 Ronin (Part 2)
...
EPISODE 36 The 47 Ronin (Part 1)
...
EPISODE 35 The Magliana Gang (Part 2)
...
EPISODE 34 The Magliana Gang (Part 1)
...
EPISODE 33 On Good and Evil: From My Lai to Sand Creek
...
EPISODE 32B Anything That Moves (Part 2): The Parallel Stories of Sand Creek and My Lai
...
EPISODE 32A Anything That Moves (Part 1): The Parallel Stories of Sand Creek and My Lai
...
EPISODE 31 Gladiators in Ancient Rome (Part 2): The Spirit of the Gladiator
...
EPISODE 30 Gladiators in Ancient Rome (Part 1): Are You Not Entertained?
...
EPISODE 29 I Drink and I Know Things (Where History and Game of Thrones Intersect)
...
EPISODE 28 Jack Johnson (Part 3): Nobody’s Slave
...
EPISODE 27 Jack Johnson (Part 2): The Fight
...
EPISODE 26 Jack Johnson (Part 1): Bad To The Bone
...
EPISODE 25 Roman History with Mike Duncan
...
EPISODE 24 The Pirate Queen
...
EPISODE 23 The Conquest of Mexico (Part 4): Tenochtitlan Or Bust
...
EPISODE 22 The Conquest of Mexico (Part 3): Tenochtitlan Syndrome
...
EPISODE 21 The Conquest of Mexico (Part 2): The Dogs of War
...
EPISODE 20 The Conquest of Mexico (Part 1): People Of The Sun
...
EPISODE 19 Featuring Dan Carlin
...
EPISODE 18 The War for the Black Hills (Part 3): Last Stand
...
EPISODE 17 The War for the Black Hills (Part 2): The Long Defeat
...
EPISODE 16 The War for the Black Hills (Part 1): The Heart of Everything That Is
...
EPISODE 15 Ted Roosevelt (Part 3): The Man In The Arena
...
EPISODE 14 Ted Roosevelt (Part 2): The Strenuous Life
...
EPISODE 13 Ted Roosevelt (Part 1): The Rough Rider and His Demons
...
EPISODE 12 Caravaggio (Part 2): Folsom Prison Blues
...
EPISODE 11 Caravaggio (Part 1): Light and Darkness
...
EPISODE 10 Crazy Horse (Part 4)
...
EPISODE 9 Crazy Horse (Part 3)
...
EPISODE 8 Crazy Horse (Part 2)
...
EPISODE 7 Crazy Horse (Part 1)
...
EPISODE 5 The 10,000 (Part 2)
...
EPISODE 4 The 10,000 (Part 1)
...
EPISODE 3 The Iceman
This episode focuses on one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the late 20th century: the oldest, fully preserved human body ever found. The man emerged from the ice in the Alps over 5,000 years after his death. The more archaeologists discovered about him, the more haunting the mystery of his fate became. This is a tale of murder, Neolithic battles, the possibly European origins of acupuncture, the best mountain climber who ever lived,
EPISODE 2 The Slave Wars (Part 2: Spartacus)
...
Episode 1 The Slave Wars (part 1)
...
Episode 0 Introduction to History on Fire Podcast
...