Lions Led By Donkeys Podcast

In this discussion, Dr. Patrick Wyman, a historian and podcast host known for Past Lives and Tides of History, dives into the intriguing world of the US Navy's attempt to create flying aircraft carriers. He shares the story of the ill-fated Akron and Macon airships, highlighting the challenges of airborne operations and fantastical design concepts. Listeners will learn about helium hazards and tragic outcomes, along with the cultural phenomenon of airships in the 1930s. Ultimately, Wyman explains why these colossal airships became a cautionary tale in military history.

This is a preview. Support the show on patreon for the rest, use code DEC25 to get 50% off patreon subscriptions until the end of 2025. https://www.patreon.com/posts/144965304?pr=true

A group of Sonderkommando, trapped in one of history's darkest places, planned an uprising to resist their forced roles. The podcast dives into the brutal realities of Auschwitz, revealing the haunting details of life and death within the camp. Topics include the complex camp structure, the psychological toll of their duties, and the buried testimonies that documented the horrors. It explores their resolve to rebel, the smuggling of vital evidence, and the devastating aftermath of their revolt, offering a poignant look at survival and moral complexity.

*USE CODE DEC25 TO GET 50% OFF ALL PATREON SUBSCRIPTIONS UNTIL THE END OF DECEMBER* This is a preview. For the whole episode go here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/144456535?pr=true

USE CODE DEC25 FOR 50% OFF ALL PATREON SUBSCRIPTIONS UNTIL THE END OF DECEMBER https://www.patreon.com/lionsledbydonkeys In the early days of English ambassadorships to the Ottoman Empire, an increasingly petty collection of grievances among European envoys and Ottoman dignitaries set the conditions for a single errant snowball to incite an anti-English riot. Witness the story of the snowball that got a bunch of English guys' beaten with oblong objects. Research: Dr Joel Butler Reources: Public Records Office, The National Archives, Kew, London: SP 97/3; SP 97/4. ‘Bu bir nefret cinayetidir: Gazeteci Nuh Köklü, 'kartopu oynarken' öldürüldü.’ Radikal (2 February 2015). ‘Gazeteci Nuh Köklü kar topu oynarken öldürüldü’, BBC News Türkçe (18 February 2015). ‘Journalist Nuh Köklü murdered for playing snowball’, Agos (18 February 2015). ‘Life in prison for man who stabbed Turkish journalist over snowball fight’, Hürriyet Daily News (5 June 2015). Atran, S. ‘The Devoted Actor: Unconditional Commitment and Intractable Conflict across Cultures’, Current Anthropology, 57/S13 (2016), S192-S203. Brotton, J. The Sultan and the Queen: The Untold Story of Elizabeth and Islam (New York, 2017) Brown, H.F. Calendar of State Papers Relating To English Affairs in the Archives of Venice, Volume 9, 1592-1603 (London, 1897). Burian, O. The Report of Lello, Third English Ambassador to the Sublime Porte / Babıâli Nezdinde Üçüncü İngiliz Elçisi Lello’nun Muhtırası (Ankara, 1952). Butler, J.D. ‘Between Company and State: Anglo-Ottoman Diplomacy and Ottoman Political Culture, 1565-1607’, unpubd. DPhil thesis, University of Oxford (2022). _________. ‘Lello, Henry’, The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford, 2023). Coulter, L.J.F. ‘The involvement of the English crown and its embassy in Constantinople with pretenders to the throne of the principality of Moldavia between the years 1583 and 1620, with particular reference to the pretender Stefan Bogdan between 1590 and 1612’, unpubd. PhD thesis, University of London (1993). Foster, W. (ed.) The Travels of John Sanderson in the Levant (1584-1602) (London, 1931). Horniker, A.L. ‘Anglo-French Rivalry in the Levant from 1583 to 1612’, The Journal of Modern History, 18/4 (1946), 289-305. Hutnyk, J. ‘Nuh Köklü. Statement from Yeldeğirmeni Dayanışması’ (20 February 2015) at: https://hutnyk.wordpress.com/2015/02/20/nuh-koklu-statement-from-yeldegirmeni-dayanismasi/ (accessed 8 March 2025). Kowalczyk, T.D. ‘Edward Barton and Anglo-Ottoman Relations, 1588-98’, unpubd. PhD thesis, University of Sussex (2020). MacLean, G. ‘Courting the Porte: Early Anglo-Ottoman Diplomacy’, University of Bucharest Review, 10/2 (2008), 80-88. MacLean, G. & Matar, N. Britain & the Islamic World, 1558-1713 (Oxford, 2011). Newson, M. ‘Football, fan violence, and identity fusion’, International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 54/4 (2019), 431-444. Newson, M., Buhrmester, M. & Whitehouse, H. ‘United in defeat: shared suffering and group bonding among football fans’, Managing Sport and Leisure, 28/2 (2023), 164-181. Purchas, S. Hakluytus Posthumus or Purchas His Pilgrimes, viii (Glasgow, 1905). Sheikh, H., Gómez, Á. & Altran, S. ‘Empirical Evidence for the Devoted Actor Model’, Current Anthropology, 57/S13 (2016), S204-S209. Unknown Artist. (c1604). The Somerset House Conference, 1604 (oil on canvas). London: National Portrait Gallery.

Get ready for some holiday humor with tales of the most awkward gifts ever given, like a moon ottoman! Discover how gifting history can revolutionize your holiday conversations. The panel humorously compares Napoleon’s romantic escapades to modern office crushes. They even dive into absurd business strategies inspired by a legendary wartime figure! Finishing up with a call to action, all while promoting a special discount for patrons. It’s a witty mix of chaos and enlightenment to spice up your season!

This is a preview. For the entire episode support the show on patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/143938643

SUPPORT THE SHOW ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/lionsledbydonkeys Towards the end of the Crimean War the Russians invade the Ottoman Empire, coming up against the Fortress City of Kars. Command of the Ottoman forces fall to an old drunk, British man who may or may not be the bastard child of Prince Edward, all of the Turkish officers under him are actually Hungarian, and one American catholic. Sources: Winifred Baumgart. The Crimean War: 1853-1856 Raugh Harold. The Victorians at War: 1815-1914 Humphrey Sandwith. The Siege of Kars 1856 William Edward David Allen, Paul Muratoff. Caucasian Battlefields: The History of the Wars of the Turco-Caucasian Border 1828-1921

It's the late 16th century and the Ottoman Empire is continuing to advance across the eastern Mediterranean. In Istanbul, the Ottomans have begun ratifying ambassadorships and trade deals with the English crown. And in the middle of this comes a crew of the most sunburned Barbary Pirates you've ever met, hell-bent on plundering any ship they can find before they high-tail it back to...England? Get the whole episode on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/143253364 We have new merch available in our store! www.llbdpodcast.com

SUPPORT THE SHOW ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/lionsledbydonkeys Early during the US War in Vietnam, incompetent American advisors to the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), who is also incompetent, get incredibly mad as they attempt to get them to fight the Viet Cong, despite the fact the Americans never bothered to tell the ARVN about the battle plan, and every ARVN commander on the ground has to ask for permission to do any command position in a game of telephone that goes all of the way up to the President of South Vietnam. Sources: David Elliot. The Vietnamese War: Revolution and Change in the Mekong Delta 1930-1975 David Halberstam. The Making of a Quagmire: American and Vietnam During the Kennedy Era. Neil Sheehan. A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam. https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Portals/7/educational-services/staff-rides/VSR/Ap-Bac-Vietnam/Material/Ap-Bac%20Preliminary%20Study%20Guide%20V1.0.pdf https://www.historynet.com/the-battle-at-ap-bac-changed-americas-view-of-the-vietnam-war/