History on Fire

Dive into the wild world of ancient steppe nomads, where tattooed warriors and women in combat thrived. Discover the Scythians' vibrant rituals, from drinking from enemy skulls to blood brotherhood rites. Explore their unique gender roles and the mythic clash of Queen Tomyris against Cyrus the Great. Learn about the nomadic lifestyle enriched by horse culture, open relationships, and indulgent practices involving cannabis and fermented mare milk. Uncover the intricate tapestry of art, warfare, and spiritual beliefs that shaped these fierce societies.

Explore the tumultuous life of John Brown, a figure both revered and reviled in American history. Discover his ambitious plans to combat slavery, his connections with prominent abolitionists like Frederick Douglass, and the creation of a progressive constitution advocating for equality. Delve into the harrowing details of his raid at Harper's Ferry and the emotional fallout that followed. Ultimately, confront the legacy of his actions, which ignited a critical movement toward abolition and deeply influenced the Civil War.

This podcast features John Brown, a pivotal abolitionist known for his radical actions against slavery. The discussion dives deep into the escalating violence surrounding the slavery debate and how John Brown's resolve transformed him into a leader of the abolitionist cause. It covers the personal struggles of Brown and his family amid the chaos of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the impact of Harriet Beecher Stowe's work, and the violent uprising of abolitionists in Kansas. The narrative also reveals the psychological toll on Brown's sons during this turbulent period.

In this first episode of a three-part series, we’ll introduce the early part of John Brown’s lifeand his crusade against slavery. Among today’s topics, we’ll have the ethics of punching aNazi, how the beating of an enslaved child set Brown on his path, how both pro and anti-slavery forces used Christianity to justify their stances, racism masquerading asphilanthropy, the Nat Turner rebellion, grief & PTSD, the Underground Railroad, themurder of Elijah Lovejoy, and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tomoe Gozen, a legendary female samurai celebrated for her exceptional courage, takes center stage in this riveting discussion. Listeners dive into the gripping conclusion of the Genpei War, featuring power struggles within the Minamoto and Taira clans. Discover tales of epic battles, including the fierce charge at Ichi No Tani and a soul-stirring duel between Kumagai Naozane and Taira Atsumori. The conversation also touches on themes of honor, betrayal, and the remarkable role of women in samurai history.

Minamoto Yoshitsune, a legendary figure in the Genpei War, takes center stage in this discussion. The podcast unravels the gripping drama of the conflict between the Minamoto and Taira clans and their impact on Japanese society. Discover the significance of archery in samurai warfare, the rise of warrior monks, and the story behind iconic battles. Key moments include Yorimasa's heroic suicide and Yoshitsune’s swordsmanship lessons from forest demons, paving the way for a turbulent yet transformative era.

“He must be handed over to a tribunal of the people so it can judge him quickly. We want this, even though we think an execution platoon is too much of an honor for this man. He would deserve to be killed like a mangy dog.” Future Italian President Sandro Pertini about Benito Mussolini“The world unfortunately continues to be a battlefield where different egos clash, repeating the mistakes of the past.” Federigo Giordano“Death to the Nazi-Fascists.” The closing quote of most letters written by Federigo Giordano during WWIII am not done with stories of resistance from Italy during WW II. Today, I’ll tell the story of a friend, one of the very last partisan commanders to still be alive—Federigo Giordano (battle name “Gek.”) His name is still recognized in some towns in Northern Italy since he was the one to lead his men to liberate them from Fascists and Nazis. In this episode we’ll tackle the growth of racism within Fascist ideology, becoming a partisan in the mountains of Northern Italy, rejecting the Alexander Proclamation, saving American aviators, participating in the capture of Benito Mussolini, Mussolini ‘hanging’ in Piazzale Loreto, drunk Nazis in one room while partisans hide in the attic, having to explain to a 90+ year old lady why you killed her sister over 70 years earlier, and much more.Here's the link to my daughter’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@isabellahan-bolelliIf you feel generous and enjoy History on Fire, please consider joining my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/historyonfire to access plenty of bonus content.All the links to History on Fire social media can be found at https://linktr.ee/danielebolelli  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Liana Germani, a courageous teenager and combat partisan during WWII, shares her gripping experiences fighting against fascism and the Nazis in Italy. She recounts the heartbreak of losing her boyfriend to fascist violence and her harrowing activities of smuggling weapons and explosives. Delving into family history, she reveals the deep emotional and psychological scars left by war. The discussion also touches on the broader resistance movements, the role of women in the fight, and the haunting legacy of songs like 'Bella Ciao'.

“From an author’s perspective, writing about sex is risky, because if you write well enough, evocatively enough, vividly enough, you make the reader want to put the book aside and go get laid.” Tom Robbins“Let's live and love,Caring less than nothing forThe moralizing of stern old men.The sun sets and rises back again,But an eternal night of sleep awaits usWhen our brief light turns to darkness.Give me a thousand kisses, and a hundred more.Then a thousand, and another hundred.And then more thousands and hundreds.Let's scatter them, then,So that no one can envy usBy knowing how many kisses we have shared.” Catullus“You know how today some people have garden gnomes? Ancient Romans had their own version, and of course... the Romans being Romans, their garden gnomes were endowed huge penises and an enthusiasm for raping anyone entering the garden uninvited.” Daniele BolelliThis is a cultural history episode about sexuality in Ancient Rome. I thought the topic would be fun and juicy, but that’s because my memory of Roman sexuality was hazy. After refreshing it with lots of research, I can safely say that ‘fun’ is not a word I would apply to it. ‘Insanely disturbing’ is probably more fitting. Most of the ancient sources, in fact, seem to indicate that little to no attention was paid to the idea of sex being for mutual pleasure. Rather, sex was primarily seen as something to reinforce dominance and hierarchy. In this episode, we’ll cover prison sex, rapey garden gnomes, the similarities and differences between ancient Roman and Christian sexualities, the origin of the word ‘family’ (it’s not pleasant), threatening sexual violence to prove one’s manliness, the violent myths about Rome’s founding, the Rape of the Sabine women, sex and slavery, prostitution, why speaking of homosexuality or heterosexuality made no sense in Ancient Rome, legal trials as rap battles, Cicero & the art of character assassination, Mark Anthony & the art of assassinating Cicero, Augustus’ puritanism, gladiators fighting against their own wildcat-shaped phalli, Roman sexual art, and much, much more.  If you feel generous and enjoy History on Fire, please consider joining my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/historyonfire to access plenty of bonus content.All the links to History on Fire social media can be found at https://linktr.ee/danielebolelli  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I didn’t know what to do. They were killing my children. I knew that If I went back there to help my children I would be cut to pieces. But I couldn’t stand to hear it, I couldn’t bear it. I was afraid that I would cry out, that I would scream, that I would be crazy. I couldn’t stand it, and I prayed God to help me.” Rufina Amaya“In El Salvador the rich and powerful have systematically defrauded the poor and denied 80 percent of the people any voice in the affairs of their country.” Ambassador Robert White “In 1981, as the ambassador to El Salvador, I refused a demand by the secretary of state, Alexander M. Haig Jr., that I use official channels to cover up the Salvadoran military’s responsibility for the murders of four American churchwomen. I was fired and forced out of the Foreign Service.” Ambassador Robert White“Presidents and senators don't have men killed.” “Who’s being naïve, Kay?” From The Godfather I am sorry to be taking you on this dark journey, but I strongly feel this is an important story that everyone should know. Over the years, I’ve tackled some heavy topics. This is definitely one of the heaviest. This episode covers some of the things that happened in El Salvador in the 1980s, in particular the story of the massacre at El Mozote, and how policies formulated by the White House supported death squads unleashing hell on civilians. As much as humanly possible, I’ll try to let the facts speak for themselves and not inject too much of my own commentary. I’ll pose here again the question that I asked in my previous episode… I’d like you to picture some of the most awful human beings you could possibly imagine… genocidal maniacs, torturers, child rapists. Got the picture? Ok. Now I’d like you to imagine if you can conceive of any circumstances in which not only you wouldn’t do everything in your power to stop them, but you would actually support them. Can you think of any scenario that would warrant you supporting people like that? Can you picture yourself fighting hard to make sure they have millions of dollars and supplies to carry out their activities? Keep your answer in mind as you listen to this episode.If you feel generous and enjoy History on Fire, please consider joining my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/historyonfire to access plenty of bonus content.All the links to History on Fire social media can be found at https://linktr.ee/danielebolelli  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices