Is anybody really safe? You see the storyline in every form of entertainment, "Arrested for a crime they didn't commit", but what if it wasn't just a storyline? For Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley it's the story of their lives. The West Memphis Three, as they have come to be known, were convicted of the murders of three 8-year-o…

"Trouble in the Suez...." Billy Joel sang about it in We Didn't Start the Fire and until researching this episode I had no idea what trouble he was talking about. The Suez Canal is a man-made waterway connecting the Red Sea (that little stretch of sea nestled between Africa and the Middle East) and the Mediterranean Sea. Basically it connects the I…

Try putting together a guy's/girl's night when no on has a phone. Where do you meet, when, where? Imagine trying to move thousands of troops and resources around without constant communication. Well that whole thing had been figured out way before WW2. But what do you do when that life line of communication starts to work against you because your e…

If you had to compare the ancient Silk Road to something we're all familiar with today, it would be the internet. The Silk Road was a network of travel routes that spanned across Asia through India, the Middle East, Africa, the Mediterranean and all the way to Europe. This route was the main mode of transportation not just for the all the goods (si…

We finish off the Big 3 of Ancient Meso/South American civilizations with The Aztecs. Originally hailing from what is now the southern United States, the Mexica would enter the Valley the Mexico to find the place pretty crowded already. The only real spot left was a swampy marshy island in the middle of Lake Texcoco. Through innovation and engineer…

The Berlin Wall is, for most, one of those historical topics you're aware of, but probably don't know a ton about. Well don't freak out because that's what we're here for. Post WW2 Germany was divided into zones with the U.S., U.K. and "France" taking stewardship of West Germany and the Soviet Union taking East Germany. Now this was right at the st…

Jim Jones....Jim Jones....what can we say about Jim Jones? Early on young James found he had two things going for him, his newfound love of religion and his ability to memorize sermons and scripture. What started out as lil Jimmy preaching to the other kids in town, took a slight detour in dealing monkeys (not a euphemism) before he finally perform…

Everyone take your seats because it is time for the sweet story of Milton Hershey and Hershey Chocolate. Milton grew up needing direction in life which he found in candy making. He started with caramel and failed more than once before eventually becoming the Caramel King of Pennsylvania. That wasn't enough for Milt because he had bigger dreams. Fro…

April 19th 1995 was a pretty dark day for the United States and to the people of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in particular. Here in The States if you mention terrorism most people tend to think of the International variety, but domestic terrorism seems to be just as prevalent albeit with usually less of a bang, but not in this instance. Timothy McVeigh…

In 1492 this freakin guy Christopher Columbus took his ass across the ocean blue looking for a western sea route to the lands of Asia and India (which he actually thought were the same place and same people). What transpired saw the Nina, the Pinta, the Santa Maria (Boats and Hoes) sail across the Atlantic, which granted hadn't really been attempte…

We left off with the shot heard round the world and we ate coming back into Lexington and Concord. While it is sorta known as the opening salvo of the Revolutionary War, it really wasn't. We had to have 2 continental congresses before we decides to declare independence. That is what started the Revolutionary War. A strongly worded letter to a pre-c…

By the mid 1700's the British in North America had established 13 colonies and a large population some of which were 2nd or 3rd generation British Americans, having never set foot on the home islands. Being separated from Great Britain by 3,000 miles, taking 6-8 weeks to cross the Atlantic, the colonies began to feel isolated or maybe a little inde…

Surprise Surprise Prof Chris is taking us back to the Pacific Theater of World War 2. This week were discussing the IJN, the Imperial Japanese Navy from its formation to it's warm up wars against China, Russia, and then China yet again to it's role in pulling the United States into WW2 at Pearl Harbor. We cover how WW1 shaped what Naval Warfare wou…

This is Sparta! Spartan Race, Sparty the Spartan, god knows how many CrossFit gyms. The culture of ancient Sparta has inspired a certain amount of worship or at least been idolized by numerous modern civilizations. But how much of their legend is fact and how much fiction. How did they gain the reputation as THE elite warriors of Ancient Greece? Di…

The Automobile is one of those inventions that we tend to take for granted. Most people can't explain how an internal combustion engine works let alone design and build one. Well that's where the subjects of our episode come in, Carl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler. Now I know what you're thinking, it's MERCEDES Benz. You're right and there's a pretty co…

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 …

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 l…

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…

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 hav…

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 re…

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 hav…

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 symbol…

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…

There's something about Scotland that holds a special place in our hearts here at the Institute of Higher Learning. The Highlands, the moors, the lochs, the rolling hills, the accent, scotch whiskey, the people who date back more than 8,000 yrs before Britain's recorded history. A land constantly trying to fight for its independence against pretty …

Charles Manson was a monster. Spending over half of his first 32 years on the planet in an institution did not reform him. If anything it made him what he was. A smooth talking con man who used his influence over impressionable young people leading to horrifying results. Oh and he sucked at the guitar. Activated by a drastic misinterpretation of Th…

Some things are bigger than sports. Every once in awhile that phrase is used to describe an event that means more than the score on the board. The relationship Larry Bird and Magic Johnson share with history is one of those things. Sure we will talk about their stellar achievements on the court, but there is so much more to Magic vs Bird. Michigan …

The Italian American Mafia was born out of the Castellamarese War. The Mafia was very much a thing in the United States prior to the war. The difference was the leadership. Old Sicilian Mafia men were called Mustache Petes. These were the guys in charge before the war. They were actually the guys that went to war. The generation of mobsters that gr…

World War 2 earned its World War moniker more so that its predecessor. It was truly a globe spanning series of events. The European Theater was condensed due to the geography of where it mostly occurred, The Pacific Theater was a whole different beast. Fought in a manner no war had ever been fought, over vast distances of ocean, countless islands, …

If Howard Hughes is the Father of Modern Aviation. The Wright Brothers are the Granddaddies of Human Flight. Brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright developed an obsession with the defiance of gravity from a young age, when their father brought home a toy helicopter. As they grew up they decided to take a run at the newly exploded bicycle boom, giving t…

There was a time when religion was cool. Like when jacked dudes threw lightning and women wielded armor and spears in the heavens and under the waves. When the sun traveled across the sky being pulled by a golden chariot. When people believed in the Gods of Olympus. Greek Mythology has it all, Deities, Drama, Scandal, Affairs, like a lot of affairs…

To put it plainly Pablo Escobar lived a crazy life. Not many people can say they survived a civil war to go on to create one of the most vicious yet successful drug cartels in history. He beat the odds of a bad upbringing and became one of the richest people in the world. From putting down a guerilla group who made their money by abducting the fami…

It probably strange to think of a time when the security of the President of the United States wasn't a top priority. That time would be right around five days after the Civil War ended with the surrender of Robert E Lee and his confederate forces. It should have been a time of rebuilding and healing as a nation, but a man named John Wilkes Booth (…

As World War 1 rages on in Europe, new players have entered the game on both sides. Trench Warfare is still at a stalemate in Northern France but elsewhere the fighting is fierce and deadly as new weapons are unveiled on the battlefield. A new comer to the world stage in the form of the United States begins flexing its might and ends the war on the…

The Great War. The War to End All Wars. The scope of the First World War was so large it was almost unbelievable to think any conflict could surpass the destruction it wrought not just upon Europe, but many other countries as well. The Great War was the first time classic war strategy met advancements in technology designed to inflict maximum casua…

What if I told you Rome wasn't always "Rome". After a guy named Constantine won a little civil war within the Roman Empire, he decided Rome was past its prime what with the insane corruption and all. So he set up shop in what would become one of the greatest cities in history, Constantinople. Located on the coast of the Bosphorus Straits with contr…

When you hear the term Royals, or Queen, our minds tend to take us to the British Monarchy or British national treasure musical group Queen . One of if not the longest standing monarchies still technically in power. The current Royal Family, The House of Windsor can trace its lineage back to 1066, the time of William the Conqueror, the first widely…

The Rock. No, not the 10x heavyweight champion Scorpion King star. Alcatraz Island is located 1.5 miles from San Francisco in the bay. It started it's life as a military installation on the west coast. After that it became a military jail. Then a federal prison. This 29 year stretch is where the legend of Alcatraz was born. From daring escapes to f…

Hannibal Barca or much like Cher and Bono, is known by just Hannibal, was a Carthaginian General who decided to dedicate his life to destroying Rome. Also much like Cher changed the music game, Hannibal did the same for warfare. The man was a tactical genius and came the closest to bringing down the Roman Empire since it began 520+ years earlier. H…

The Bay Area in the late 1960's was a wild place to be. Free love that flooded the streets was replaced with fear. Murder has never been uncommon in a big city. Unsolved murders weren't rare either. The terror started when a man called into the local police department to report a murder and then take the credit. The Zodiac Killer as he would come t…

I feel like I should only need to post the purpose of the Special Operations Executive to sell you on this episode so here you go "Espionage, Sabotage, and Reconnaissance in German occupied Europe during WW2. But I'll also leave you with what Churchill told the guy in charge of this "Ministry" when it was formed "Now go and set Europe ablaze." Plus…

If you've ever seen The Wild Bunch, 3:10 to Yuma, or played Red Dead Redemption series of games you're probably familiar with The Pinkertons. Created by a Scottish immigrant in the 1850's, In the beginning The Pinkerton Detective Agency did everything from spy on the confederacy during the civil war to protecting Abe Lincoln on the train ride to hi…

A childhood dream is realized as Professor Adam goes through the history of the WWE. From humble beginnings and multiple McMahons, the WWE grew to a multi-billion dollar empire. The brightest moments were matched by some very dark times. The WWE is celebrating it's 40th Wrestlemania this year. A Steriods trial, tons of scandals, and the Monday Nigh…

The title says it all folks. It's been a long time coming, we're talking Old Kingdom Egypt, specifically the 4th Dynasty, which was known as the Age of Pyramids. We cover it from the humble beginnings of the wondrous structures to a time when the stone giants we think of today were constructed. How were these things built? We discuss it all and com…

If you're like us, you've probably found yourself watching a history documentary on World War 2 and thought for a moment....who built all Hitler's shit. I mean someone had to build the Autobahn, The Siegfried Line, The Atlantic Wall, Hitler's Wolfs Lair, Concentration Camps. Well one name can tie all of those together, Fritz Todd. Fritz was a high …

When we last left Teddy he found himself with the keys to the kingdom. William McKinley's untimely assassination thrust Teddy into the Presidency and he didn't waste time using those powers to start fighting for the common man, taking on corporations to ensure a fair shake for employees, designating areas of the country as protected land for future…

Teddy Roosevelt is a figure whose exploits sometimes blur the line between fiction and reality. The man who we've affectionately dubbed "Rich Forrest Gump" for the shear amount of larger than life experiences he was able to fit into his 60 years, actually began as almost the antithesis of the man he would be seen as later in life. As a child he was…

With the Super Bowl fast approaching we decided it was probably time we figured out how American Football and the NFL came about. As two life-long football fans we were pretty surprised to find out how this nationwide and global reaching phenomenon got its very humble start. The first recognized college football game took place just 4 years after t…

Europe in 1914 was basically a powder keg waiting for a match to set the whole thing on fire. Tensions were high in Austria Hungary as the new liberated Serbia was giving the area to be known as Bosnia ideas of independence. The problem with that is Austria wasn't really in the business of letting its occupied lands have things like freedom. Well t…

The Land Down Under as it exists today is very new in the grand scheme of things. During the early days of exploration it really existed only as a myth, the great southern land of legend. Once it was finally "discovered" and I say that because the first Aboriginal peoples had been there oh say roughly 60,000 years at that point, it didn't take long…

January 17th, 1920 was the day the United States was suppose to get sober. Prohibition and the Volstead Act were officially official, and things were going to change. Prior to Prohibition things weren't great. Drunken crimes were hitting too close to home, and some thought drying out the country was the answer. What they didn't count on was the cri…