Today is 6 June 2025; the 81st anniversary of the Normandy Invasion. Code named Overlord, it was faced with all kinds of security headaches. One general let slip the date the invasion was to take place. He was sent home after being busted down in rank to Lt. Col. A London newspaper printed several of the codewords as answers in their weekly crossword puzzle. However, through careful misdirection, the Allied High Command convinced Hitler that the invasion would come hundreds of miles away from the beaches of Normandy. So let’s look at what unfolded over 80 years ago.

Several years ago, there was a Nicholas Cage movie out about a group of men who had a dramatic impact on the course of the Pacific Theater during the second World War. Unfortunately, Windtalkers, focused on Nicholas Cage’s character, rather than on the actual heroes, the Navajo Code Talkers who deserved to be the central point of the film. Today, I will discuss some of the heroes of the Pacific Theater—the real “Code Talkers.”

In today’s episode, we’re diving into one of those stories…and to be honest, it sounds like it’s straight out of a Pixar movie—but as I said… it is real. Picture this: World War II, chaos everywhere, soldiers fighting for their lives, and in the middle of it all… a bear. Not just any bear, but a bear with a military rank, a paycheck, and a taste for beer and cigarettes. This is the story of Wojtek, the Syrian brown bear who became a soldier in the Polish Army. Hang onto your hats, because this one’s wild.

Now, I know what you're thinking: "Dancing? Could be fun!" And, well, under normal circumstances and for certain people, it is fun. But imagine, if you will, an historical event where hundreds, even thousands, of people were seized by an uncontrollable urge… to dance. And I don't mean a casual waltz. We’re talking hours, even days of relentless, frenzied movement. Exhaustion, dehydration, heart attacks… all leading to some truly grim results. This, my friends, is the Dancing Plague, also sometimes referred to as St. John's Dance, and it's one of the most peculiar episodes in medical and social history.

Today’s episode deviates a little from my usual stories—while it is a bizarre event, it is a bit more well known than my previous topics.

I have taught Psychology for the past 12 years or so. It is an introductory class, so we cover many of the theorists and topics that you would expect; DeCartres, Pavlov, Freud, Jung, and Watson. One of the most important theorists we cover in this class is B.F. Skinner. There have been all kinds of stories about Skinner and his experiments through the years, but I stumbled upon today’s story while searching for a video on operant conditioning to show my students. The story is how Skinner worked with the military to come up with a new guidance system for bombs

They say that necessity is the mother of invention. During the Second World War, there were many times that this proverb rang very true; inventions like synthetic rubber, the jeep, the atomic bomb, and even duct tape were all developed to meet the needs of the war effort. There were a few other innovations that proved themselves in the war as well; the creation of floating tanks, the mine and hedge-clearing attachments to tanks, and the Mulberry harbors all used in the D-Day invasions for example.

There was one innovation that really stands out in my mind, because it would become the grandfather of one of the greatest attack aircraft of all time—the A-10 Warthog. In today’s episode of Random History, I will present the story of Bazooka Charlie—a history teacher from Maine, that changed the face of close air support forever.

I normally do not put a lot of stock in conspiracy theories. However, lately I have been re-evaluating that position—in fact I am working on an episode dedicated to them. One of these conspiracy theories is that of an immense release of energy in the Siberian Tundra in 1908. In today’s episode I will discuss several of the theories surrounding this mysterious burst of energy.

I am recording this episode near the Christmas holiday. Today’s True Hero is an individual that took part in one of the most important battles in World War II. The Battle of the Bulge was Hitler’s last desperate grasp to stave off the impending invasion of Germany itself I December of 1944. While they had early success, it was short lived. The Americans fighting in the battle fought frantically to halt and then repel the German advance. Our hero played an integral part in doing just that.