Delving into ancient mythology, the podcast explores the cautionary tale of Daedalus and Icarus. It discusses the ambitions of Julius Caesar and his desire for conquest. The history of the Macedonian royal family is likened to a mafia crime family. The intricate relationship between Alexander the Great and the god Dionysus is analyzed. The leadership styles of Philip and Alexander are contrasted in the context of conquest.

Pagan Viking Sea Kings transforming into Christian monarchs. The power of belief and its effects. Criticisms of journalism and exaggeration in history. Gangs of thugs and the emergence of the Peace of God. Rise of castalines and the disintegration of the empire. Accidental discovery of new lands by the Vikings. The terrifying power of the open sea and rogue waves. Exploring Viking culture and eyewitness accounts. The Normanist Anti-Normanist controversy. Rise of Eastern Vikings and development of true cavalry. The credibility of historical events and the Byzantine Secret: Greek Fire. The conversion of Olga and its significance. Aggressive tactics of Fia Dislava. The conversion of Vladimir. Interconnectedness of the Viking world. The spread and blending of Christianity in Viking Scandinavia. Rapid conversion of Scandinavia and its impact. Clash between Viking warriors and second string fighters. Militia troops in battle and nervous tension and fear. Ethel Red's strategy and Olef Trigvison's conversion. Intermarriage and the story of Sigrid the Haughty. The era of the White Christ and Olov the First of Norway. Ethelred the Unready and the conflict with Svein Forkbeard. Ethelred's efforts and the question of peace. The Christian faith in conquest and rule. Scandinavian Viking Age and immortality and the prophecy of Ragnarok.

This show picks up where Dan's Thor's Angels show left off. In the early Middle Ages Pagan Germanic-language speakers like the Vikings are a dying breed. Many of their contemporaries wish they'd die faster.

The Atlantic Slave Trade mixes centuries of human bondage with violence, economics, commerce, geo-political competition, liberty, morality, injustice, revolution, tragedy and bloody reckonings. That sounds like a lot, yet this show merely scratches the surface of this enormous subject.

When do spirit, tenacity, resilience and bravery cross into madness? When cities are incinerated? When suicide attacks become the norm? When atomic weapons are used? Japan's leaders test the limits of national endurance in the war's last year.

Can suicidal bravery and fanatical determination make up for material, industrial and numerical insufficiency? As the Asia-Pacific conflict turns against the Japanese these questions are put to the test. The results are nightmarish.

Coral Sea, Midway and Guadalcanal are three of the most famous battles of the Second World War. Together they will shift the momentum in the Pacific theater and usher in the era of modern naval and amphibious warfare.

Japan's rising sun goes supernova and engulfs a huge area of Asia and the Pacific. A war without mercy begins to develop infusing the whole conflict with a savage vibe.

Deep themes run through this show, with allegations of Japanese war crimes and atrocities in China at the start leading to eerily familiar, almost modern questions over how the world should respond. And then Dec 7, 1941 arrives...

The Asia-Pacific War of 1937-1945 has deep roots. It also involves a Japanese society that's been called one of the most distinctive on Earth. If there were a Japanese version of Captain America, this would be his origin story.