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History

Historical stories about wars, revolutions, political turning points, social change, and strange events that shaped the world.

EP 144Episode 144

30 December 2025

Bone Wars: The Rivalry That Rewrote Dinosaur History

A bitter rivalry spirals out of control as two palaeontologists race to outdo each other and rewrite the story of the dinosaurs. This episode explores the Bone Wars, the feud between Edward Cope and O...

EP 141Episode 141

9 December 2025

Guy Fawkes: Treason, Torture, and the Birth of Bonfire Night

A failed explosion beneath Parliament ignites a chain of treason, torture, and myth-making that still echoes every Bonfire Night. This episode traces the real story of Guy Fawkes, from Robert Catesby’...

EP 132Episode 132

7 October 2025

Kony 2012: How Social Media Tried to Stop a War

A viral video promises to stop a warlord, igniting global frenzy before collapsing into scandal, backlash, and one very public unraveling. This episode revisits Kony 2012, charting how a polished camp...

EP 94Episode 94

14 January 2025

Billion Dollar Banquet: How One Extravagant Party Sparked the Iranian Revolution

In this episode of The Compendium, we explore the Billion-Dollar Banquet, the Shah of Iran's lavish event that celebrated the 2,500th anniversary of the Persian Empire. Dive into the opulence of the w...

EP 87Episode 87

26 November 2024

Imelda Marcos: Corruption, Power, & 6,000 Pairs of Shoes

In this episode of the Compendium, it's shoes, glorious shoes, the astonishing life of Imelda Marcos, the first lady of the Philippines known for her opulent lifestyle and a staggering number of shoes...

EP 84Episode 84

5 November 2024

The Monica Lewinsky Scandal: A “Vast Right Wing Conspiracy” of Secrets, Lies, and Political Agendas

In this episode of The Compendium , we explore how the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal extended beyond a private affair between President Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. It became part of a broader effort,...

EP 60Episode 60

21 May 2024

Nuns on the Run: How Eight Belgian Nuns Outsmarted the Church

In this episode of the Compendium, we delve into the audacious tale where eight Belgian nuns orchestrate an unlikely escape from a life of stringent spiritual commitments to chase a dream of freedom i...

EP 49Episode 49

5 March 2024

The Great Emu War of 1932: Emus, Soldiers, and an Unexpected War

In this episode of the Compendium, I’m telling Adam about the bizarre and hilarious story of The Great Emu War of 1932. Thats right, this was an actual war raged against the backdrop of Australia in t...

EP 34Episode 34

21 November 2023

The Execution of the Romanovs: From Russia's Throne to an Unthinkable Fate

In this episode of the Compendium, I tell Adam about the tragic Execution of the Romanovs, unveiling this dark chapter in Russian history. Who were the Romanovs, and what kind of ruler was Tsar Nichol...

EP 29Episode 29

17 October 2023

Hiroo Onoda: The Last Japanese Soldier Who Kept on Fighting After WW2 had Finished

In this episode of the Compendium: An Assembly of Fascinating and Intriguing Things, we dive deep into the enthralling story of Hiroo Onoda, the last Japanese holdout who refused to surrender long aft...

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