Messy History

Recent Episodes

Jan. 4, 2026

The Last First Family of Russia

The story of the last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II, and his family. We discuss their early lives, marriage, and the challenges they faced, such as their son Alexei's hemophilia and the introduction of Rasputin into their lives. Following this, we cover the political turmoil and the unrest leading up…
Dec. 19, 2025

Her Majesty's Drug Cartel

That time China declared a war on drugs, and found themselves pitted against the narco traffickers of the 19th century - the British Empire. Welcome to the first Opium War. Image Commissioner Lin and the Destruction of the Op...
Dec. 7, 2025

The Shanghai Refugees

After Kristallnacht, there were few places still taking in Jews fleeing Nazi Germany. One of those was Shanghai, under Japanese occupation. When Japan entered the war as allies of Germany, the fate of these refugees hung in t...
Nov. 22, 2025

Holodomor Remembrance

A short except from a survivor of the Ukrainian Hunger Famines. In solemn remembrance of the millions who perished. Source: Execution By Hunger: The Hidden Holocaust , Miron Dolot, 1985
Nov. 12, 2025

A Jew Who Stood Guard for Hitler

We discuss the experiences of Edward Adler, a Jewish man in 1930's Germany, as he describes growing anti-semitism, being forced to build one of the first extermination camps, and his narrow escape after Kristallnacht. And tha...
Nov. 5, 2025

King Leopold and his Rubber

Today we talk about Leopold II, King of Belgium from 1865-1909, and his personal empire in the African Congo. This is the story of a man who put his pocketbook ahead of a people, the nation he enslaved, and the global cast of...

Recent Blog Posts

Dec. 2, 2025

Why you should keep a diary

Many famous people and politicians write journals, diaries, and memoirs with the knowledge that people will buy them and read them. Thus, it can be hard to tell embellishment from fact or fiction. They are quite often interesting to read and provide…

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