A more apt title for this should be The Battle for Stalingrad, because that exactly what this was in every sense of the word. After the Nazi invasion of Russia during Operation Barbarossa failed to capture Moscow, Hitler needed a win and decided to pivot and capture Russia's oil fields in the south, fueling his war machine and starving the Russian Army. Stalingrad, named after ol' J Stalin himself just happened to be in the area. Now if you've listened to our episodes on Hitler you know that Dolph was not a fan of Stalin, and taking over the city with his name attached was too sweet of a treat to pass up. What the Nazi did not anticipate was the next 6 1/2 months. Stalingrad was the origination of Urban Warfare. The Nazi bombings had reduced the city to rubble, rubble where snipers, guerrilla fighters, and the Red Army were lying in wait to make them pay for every inch of ground. Join us as we discuss the deadliest battle this planet has ever seen.

Even if you don't know what the man's about you've probably heard the name Charles Darwin. At the very least you've seen one of those Jesus Fish car decals with legs and the name Darwin in the middle. Well Mr. Darwin was kind of a jack of all trades when it came to the fields of science. What started as a childhood passion for insects grew into a love for the natural sciences of the world, geology and biology primarily. What cemented Charles Darwin as a revolutionary of science would be his introduction of the theory of evolution in a world where religion and divine creation were fact. He challenged the very belief in where we come from and how we came to be here. What inspired Darwin to pursue this theory came about during a five year voyage around the world to study, collect, catalogue and sometimes eat literally anything and everything he came across in these strange lands he traveled. Join us as we discuss the Father of Evolution.

Reaching the moon is arguably humanity's greatest accomplishment. When Kennedy promised we would reach the moon by the end of the decade, it sounded like a big commitment considering we had only just got a man into orbit some 3 days earlier. NASA used programs Mercury and Gemini to build towards the Apollo Program. The promise would be fulfilled in 1969 by the trio of Michael Collins (we got ya here Mike), Neil Armstrong, and Buzz Aldrin. Neil's footsteps were propelled to the moon off of the effort of each and every ground crew member that made the dream a reality. Join us we get Historically High on Apollo 11.

Back in good ol 1803 a little transaction occurred that saw the newly christened United States of America doubled in size, adding a chunk of land stretching from the west bank of the Mississippi River and covering 15 current states in the USA. Effectively this meant the U.S. territory stretched about 2/3 across the continent. Now land transfers have happened throughout ancient and modern history, however this one is special. This one is universally known as the greatest deal in human history, with the U.S paying France only $15 million dollars for a 1/3 of our nation. Now I know what you're thinking, weren't we under British control until that whole Declaration of Independence/American Revolution thing? Well yeah we were, but the area right in our backyard was under the "ownership" of the French. This extremely pivotal point in our history only happened due to the alignment of so many events it's nearly a miracle this thing was pulled off. Tune in now to find out how.

In what still stands as the worst nuclear disaster to take place on this planet, the explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine on April 26 1986 was the catalyst that led to the downfall of the Soviet Union. Poor materials, rushed construction, and a staggering amount of ineptitude regarding the design and operation of the nuclear reactors were the main factors in this shit show we're about to dig into. What exactly happened that night? What kind of impacts are still being dealt with today? How the hell does a nuclear reactor even work? Oh you bet your sweet ass we'll cover it, all you gotta do is press that play button.

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In a land far to the East and at a time not all that long ago Britain decided it needed a whole bunch of stuff that only China could provide, silks, fine porcelain, and oh yeah TEA. You know how they are about Tea. Well trouble was Britain really didn't have China wanted. What they did want was silver. The Brits didn't have silver, but they did have a ton of opium they grew in the newly colonized India. Funny thing about Opium, it was illegal in Britain. So what do you do, well you smuggle it into China where it's also very much illegal and use the silver earned to buy all the stuff you want from China. Effectively Britain pumped China full of drugs, then paid them for other stuff with the illegal funds earned from said drug sales. Well eventually China had enough and this is where we come to the Opium Wars. I'm not going to give you anymore information, you're gonna have to just listen to the episode. It's good I swear.

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Disney...a name that can stir emotions, excite the senses, and bring memories flooding back from anyones childhood. Walter Elias Disney was a man from humble beginnings who, through his love for animation, storytelling, and sheer determination, created an entertainment empire that spans the globe. Mickey Mouse is one of the most recognizable symbols in the modern world. "I'm going to Disneyland" is what every Super Bowl MVP shouts after winning the game. And today the Mouse House has become more than Walt could have ever dreamed. But how did this whole thing start? How did Mickey come about? How did Walt and his team of animators revolutionize animation and the movie making industry forever. Tune in and find out.

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After ol Robert Bruce takes a dirt nap, Scottish Independence is threatened before his body's even cold. The English wolves are at the door yet again. We'll fine out what happens when all of that Scottish/English martial mingling results in the King of Scotland being the next closest relative when the Monarch of England dies? Who was Mary, Queen of Scots? A dude named Bonnie Prince Charlie throws his hat in the rulership ring. And we finally get to talk about that most beautiful of all Scottish exports, the game of Golf. Join us as we put a bow on our two part class on the History of Scotland.