Unbuttoned History

It's getting chilly out there! Y'know, depending on where you live. Sidle up to the hearth with Terry and warm up with a cheery Christmas tale of one of the worst accidents to have ever happened. Don't worry - it works out in the end.

Direct download: Halifax_Explosion_mixdown.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 6:00am EST

Season's Greetings, Historians! In this mini episode, Caleb sits alone in the Roxbury Laboratory, and brings you the curious tale of the city of Gävle's Yuletide Goat. Which no matter how hard the builders try, gets burnt down or destroyed nearly every year. Also, why the film "The wicker Man" should never have been Americanized.

Direct download: HLGavleGoat.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 12:00am EST

Liberia: Blooper reel of a country or living example of the failure of humans? Today we look at a country who's altruistic beginnings gave way to hell on Earth.

Direct download: HLLiberia.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 2:26pm EST

Caleb and Mike really want to talk to William Blackstone and they're committed to getting him on the Ghostphone--even if it means hanging up on a couple of historical figures along the way. This week we talk about how riding a bull feels between a man's legs, potable water and how annoying the Puritans were.

Direct download: HLBlackstone_mixdown.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 1:24pm EST

Archery, the origins of rude gestures, and people drowning to death in mud. In our newest episode, your favorite pseudo-historians take their topic from you the fanbase, as we discuss the Battle of Agincourt.

Direct download: HLAgincourt.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 7:55am EST

One of the few countries to have a bloodless revolution, in this episode your favorite pseudo-historians take a look at the emerging South American Powerhouse that is Brasíl. Colony, Kingdom, Empire, Republic, Military Junta, Melting Pot of people--learn why Caleb call's it the telenovela version of the United States of America.

Direct download: HLBrazil.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 2:32pm EST

Something creepy, dumb, and unexplainable occurred in Victorian England! For what has turned out to be our Halloween episode, follow as Terry tries to make sense of this weird ghost story!

Direct download: Springheeled_Jack_mixdown.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 4:00am EST

Usually History is about far off lands and powerful people making changes to the world. But in today's tangent-laden episode we talk about the history that's closer to home: Family Folklore. 

Direct download: HLFamFolk_mixdown.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 9:33pm EST

Terry is alone in the Roxbury Laboratory on National Homemade Cookies day, but instead of the woman who invented them he Gets the inspiration for Dracula, Vlad Draculea. Also we find out what happens when the ghostphone rings for us.

Direct download: HLVlad.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 12:52pm EST

Terry stumbles upon a not ready for primetime Caleb. they talk about his Great grandfather and family folklore. Then they go on a 20 minute tangent. You know our show.

Direct download: HLCalebGGG.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 10:42pm EST

Something creepy happened in the Ural Mountains of Russia, and it can't be explained. Or can it? Come with Terry and find out on this presumably spooky excursion into the weird and mildly unusual.

Direct download: Dyatlov_mixdown.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 8:50pm EST

'Twas the day before Caleb's Birthday and everyone was coming to the Roxbury Laboratory for BBQ and day drinking. So what better way to pass the time before the party starts then to talk about the Native American/Indios/Indian/First Nation Civil Rights movement! Emma Wiegand comes on for definitely the first time and certainly not the third as our special guest star!

Direct download: HLNativeCivilRights.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 6:40pm EST

It's Carnivale in Roxbury, and while music booms, Indians groom their feathers and jerk is grilled, we bring you the conclusion of our two parter on the Mongols. In this episode we take from Genghis Khan's Death and take you on a journey around the enormous Mongol empire. from Kublai Khan and the Yuan Dynasty in China, to the Golden Horde's ravaging of Eastern Europe. We learn how one of the world's greatest empires, splits into four groups and then slowly disintegrates for hundreds of years. Also we talk about what kind of fruit we like.

Direct download: HLMongolsPTII.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 12:38pm EST

Hey, remember when like most of the World was conquered by people from Mongolia? In this episode Caleb, Mike and Terry try to figure out how a bunch of nomadic horsemen from the steppe of Asia the ran from the Chinese Coasts to Eastern Europe. And the dichotomy of people of utter religious tolerance who also believed that the killing of animals, under penalty of death, was to be done purely by crushing their hearts with their hands.

Direct download: HLMongolsPT1_mixdown.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 12:19am EST

Caleb and Mike are drunk and on vacation. They don't want to do any work, but they have to record an episode of the show. So why not just dial a random number on the ghostphone?

Direct download: HLPirates.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 8:39pm EST

In a totally normal, not different in anyway episode, the clearly male Pseudo-Historians talk about a great woman: Isabella Stewart Gardner.

Direct download: HLIsabella.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 11:00pm EST

It's Friday night on the Internet; Caleb and Terry really want to start talking about the Mongols but, Mike is nowhere to be seen. Do they dive right in? Do they wait for him to show up? Is he coming? Why are we getting amber alerts from Fitchburg? Find out in this weeks episode.

Direct download: HLWaiting.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 11:30pm EST

Wading through the religious hatred of the Middle East, your favorite pseudo-historians go through the Intafada, parts one and deux.

Direct download: HLIntafada.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 11:28pm EST

We go back to our own City's past in 1919 when for two day there was no law, because the cops went on strike. Which led to a hate of the AFL and to Calvin Coolidge being a shitty president. This is why we can't have nice things, like labor movements.

Direct download: HLBostonCop.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 9:05pm EST

Failed Revolutions continue's with Bacon's Rebellion, the most important Pre-Colonial event to have almost no information about. See how a  screwball story of people killing the wrong Indian Tribe and pissing contest between in-laws, becomes one of the great metaphors and benchmarks of America's culture for the next several hundred years.

Direct download: HLBacon.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 2:22pm EST

On this very special 50th episode, your favorite Pseudo-Historians discuss who they think are the 7 shittiest presidents, why they sucks and why other notable shitty presidents didn't make the list.

Direct download: HL7ShitPrez.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 1:41am EST

Celebrate the anniversary of the Great War with the racist ruminations of a bloodthirsty poof.

Direct download: HLFranzFerdinand.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 6:42pm EST

To pay for the suffering of black people, we will take your joy in this mirthless episode: we examine Ta-Nehisi’s article of the same name and get real mad and sad.

 

Direct download: HLReparations.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 10:28pm EST

Since we just finished a series on the 6 Newest Nations, we thought, why not keep it going with a new Series? History Lessons presents Failed revolution, a series on some of histories most and least known failed revolts, uprisings, revolutions and Armed protests. This week we being with The Jewish Uprising or Great Revolt between the Jews of Judea and the Roman empire. Learn about how political infighting ruins revolutions and that if you're a middle aged white man and super into the Roman Empire, you're probably a fascist.

Direct download: HLJewishUprising.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 12:51pm EST

The boys peer through the kaleidoscope of violence that is South Sudan see all of human history. This is the final installment of the 6 Newest Nations series.

Direct download: HLSSudan.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 12:00am EST

From the annals of Russian Incompetence Volume #8097, The Winter War, or: How Cross Country Skiing and Frozen Swamps Humiliated the Soviet Union.

Direct download: HLWinter_War.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 5:00am EST

Caleb is alone in the studio which means only one thing: Stuff that's not true! On this edition of Today in Fake History, Caleb weaves a tapestry of sorrow, joy and intrigue that is how your three favorite pseudo-historians met. Enjoy this globe-trekking tale! 

Direct download: HLFake2.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 7:59pm EST

The boy crack the code on the Ghost Phone trying to call Hong Xiuquan. They discuss how to delegate power to kings. That TBAs are better than TBDs and that the one topic Hong Xiuquan doesn't talk to God about is the civil servant's exam.

Direct download: HLHongXiuQuan.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 2:04pm EST

Your favorite Pseudo-Historians continue their series on the youngest countries in the world with number 2: Kosovo. We talk about rape as a weapon, whether Mike is on drugs or not and that you wanna go way down to Kosovo. Also we talk about our First Anniversary as a show! yes can you believe it's been 1 whole year? 

Direct download: HLKosovo.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 5:00am EST

On this weeks episode your favorite Pseudo-Historians invite special Guest Will Dickerson (Mixer/Masterer of the Show and in the band Heartwell) to tell us about the most important Water Polo game in history. The 1956 Olympic meeting between Hungary and (friend of the show) the USSR. Also a very big announcement!

Direct download: HLBloodintheWater.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 12:50pm EST

In this episode of History Lessons with Caleb, Mike & Terry Caleb reports alone from his house and does a whole episode on the History you never heard of, because it never happened. Three tales from across space and time: 1969 San Francisco, the Big Bang and also early 80s Minneapolis and Paris in the year 875. Follow Caleb on his journey through time, but probably don't 'cause it's all bullshit.

Direct download: HLFake1.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 12:20pm EST

In this weeks episode we continue our Series of the 6 Newest Nations with Montenegro. Caleb and Mike try to stay on topic in this Terry-less episode. Hear about the EU, The Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, Josip Broz Tito, Christopher Hitchens, which Pseudo-Historian is the fans' favorite--and maybe if they have time Montenegro.

Direct download: HLMontenegro.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 5:00am EST

The boys tackle what some call the Bloodiest War in History. Thousands dead. Total War. Proto-Communism. All this from an Asian guy being stressed out by a test.

Direct download: HLTaipingRebellion.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 5:00am EST

We continue our series of the 6 Newest Nations with East Timor. The Boys talk about Sub-par Colonization, Revolutionary Groups with cool Acronym names and the Winter Olympics.

Direct download: HLEastTimor.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 6:00am EST

Your favorite Pseudo-Historians welcome Boston rapper/Producer/Engineer and Hip Hop Historian Myart. We Discuss the music and culture from it's forebearers in the Caribbean and it's humble South Bronx Block Party starts to it's current status as the most dominant music in the World. Check out Myart at: facebook.com/myartsmash @MyartSmash on twitter hulkshare.com/myartsmash and Youtube.com/Myartsmash

Direct download: HLHipHop.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 2:08pm EST

Caleb and Terry continue our new Series The 6 Newest Nations with number 5 on our list: Palau. Palau's history is very much like the country: small, relatively unimportant, and changing hands every 20 years. Later an uninvited guest drops by and things descend from there.

Direct download: HLPalau.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 2:01pm EST

This week we start our new series "The 6 Newest Nations" where we focus on the world's youngest countries and their short and sometimes long histories. This week Caleb and Terry kick it off with #6 Eritrea.

Direct download: HLEritrea.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 6:09pm EST

The boys call up Margaret Thatcher to give her a REAL talking to.

Direct download: HLAnneHutchison.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 5:30am EST

Your favorite pseudo-historians try and figure out why people talk funny in different places.

 
Direct download: HLAccents.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 2:30pm EST

Come ye merry gentlemen and learn of the diverse ways you can piss off the Pope.

Direct download: HLHeretics.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 6:00am EST

The Boys have their first Living guest: Musician and Spoken Word Artist Duncan Wilder Johnson. We discuss his upcoming Documentary "Leave Behind a Groove in the Earth" which tells the tale of the band Sam Black Church. 

Kickstarter Details here: 
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/943874932/sam-black-church-documentary 

Direct download: HLBostonMusic.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 7:33pm EST

Reefer Madness is a real thing that will kill you -- and other very true facts about weed, in this most dank episode of History Lessons.

Direct download: HLMarijuana.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 1:32pm EST

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