History Dispatches

On July 6, 1907, at Dublin Castle, in Dublin, Ireland, Sir Arthur Vicars, the Ulster King of Arms, opened up his safe in his office library. In doing so, he revealed the theft of Jewels of the Order of St. Patrick - more commonly known at the Irish Crown Jewels. The theft of the jewels - which today would be worth in the millions - has never been solved.Sources"Royal Raid: The curious case of the Irish Crown Jewels" - https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-62924392"The Theft of the Irish Crown Jewels" - https://dublincastle.ie/the-theft-of-the-irish-crown-jewels/Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Crown_JewelsImage: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Irish_Crown_Jewels.jpgThe Explorers Podcast is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.comInterested in advertising on the Explorers Podcast? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the 1950's, Alberta, Canada, was under attack. By Rats! In response to an invasion of rats, the government of Alberta embarked on one of the most successful pest control campaigns in history.Sources"History of rat control in Alberta" - https://www.alberta.ca/history-of-rat-control-in-alberta Image: Poster released by the Alberta Department of Public Health circa 1948. (A17202b/Provincial Archives of Alberta)The Explorers Podcast is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.comInterested in advertising on the Explorers Podcast? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1898, Olof Ohman, a Swedish immigrant, was clearing some land in Minnesota, and came upon a large stone slab with some intricate runes - the kind used by Norse Vikings centuries earlier. After the runes were deciphered, it was determined that the runestone dated back to 1362, and marked the furthest western exploration of the legendary Viking explorers. This is the story of the Kensington Runestone.Sources"The Kensington Runestone Hoax" - https://ahotcupofjoe.net/2023/07/the-kensington-rune-stone-hoax/Wikepedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kensington_RunestoneImage: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:KensingtonStone.jpgThe Explorers Podcast is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.comInterested in advertising on the Explorers Podcast? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the final days of the Second World War, one of the conflict's strangest battles took place. A group of French politicians, German soldiers, and American tankers teamed up to defend a castle from an attack by the SS. This is the story of the Battle of Castle Itter.Sources"The Last Battle: When U.S. and German Soldiers Joined Forces in the Waning Hours of World War II in Europe" by Stephen HardingThe Explorers Podcast is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.comInterested in advertising on the Explorers Podcast? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On June 15, 1921, Texas-born Bessie Coleman took to the sky in her airplane - and in the process, became the first black woman and first Native American to earn a pilot's license in the United States. In this episode, we look at this aviation pioneer.SourcesCradle of Aviation Museum: https://www.cradleofaviation.org/history/history/women-in-aviation/bessie-coleman.htmlSaturday Evening Post: https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2025/02/the-high-flying-feats-of-bessie-coleman/Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bessie_ColemanImage: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bessie_Coleman_in_1923.jpgThe Explorers Podcast is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.comInterested in advertising on the Explorers Podcast? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former president Ulysses S Grant was penniless and dying. He was racing against the clock in order to complete his memoirs - and ensure the financial security of his family. The result would be one of the greatest pieces of non-fiction ever written. This is the story of U.S. Grant's memoirs. Sources"The Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant," by Ulysses S. Grant"The Complete Annotated Edition by Ulysses S. Grant," Edited by David S. Nolen, John F. Marszalek, Louie P. GalloImage: https://www.loc.gov/item/2002736661/The Explorers Podcast is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.comInterested in advertising on the Explorers Podcast? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1866, a Swedish chemist came up with a concoction that went boom. And it would change the world - in ways no one could imagine. This is the story of Alfred Nobel and the creation of dynamite.SourcesNobel Prize Website: https://www.nobelprize.org/alfred-nobel/alfred-nobels-life-and-work/Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Nobel"Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AlfredNobel2.jpgThe Explorers Podcast is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.comInterested in advertising on the Explorers Podcast? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On June 28, 1969, in New York City, a known gay bar called the Stonewall Inn was the site of a police raid - a common occurrence at that time. But this time, it backfired. Police lost control of the situation when anger turned to fury and soon, a multi-day riot broke out. The end result was the beginning of the gay liberation movement in the United States.Sources"The Stonewall Riots" by Laurie Collier HillstromImage: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stonewall_Inn_raid_sign_pride_weekend_2016.jpgThe Explorers Podcast is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.comInterested in advertising on the Explorers Podcast? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Monopoly is a game of crushing your opponents. You ruthlessly gobble up properties, drive your foes into bankruptcy, and emerge as a victorious real estate mogul. But the popular game actually has deeper roots - all the way back to 1902. And what’s amazing is that it was actually created as an anti-capitalist learning tool. Sources"Lizzie Magie and the history of Monopoly" - https://blogs.bl.uk/business/2023/03/lizzie-magie-and-the-history-of-monopoly-1.html"The secret history of Monopoly: the capitalist board game’s leftwing origins" -https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/apr/11/secret-history-monopoly-capitalist-game-leftwing-originsWikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_MonopolyImage: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Monopoly-board.jpgThe Explorers Podcast is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.comInterested in advertising on the Explorers Podcast? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Imagine trying to rob a stagecoach. Now try to do it 29 times - with nothing but an unloaded shotgun, a flour sack mask, and your wits. Then do it without firing a single shot, and maintaining the highest level of decorum you can imagine. That is the story of Black Bart, the Wild West’s gentlemen bandit.Sources"Gentleman Bandit: The True Story of Black Bart, the Old West's Most Infamous Stagecoach Robber" by John BoesseneckerImage: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Charles_Bowles_aka_Black_Bart.jpgThe Explorers Podcast is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.comInterested in advertising on the Explorers Podcast? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices