Historically High

Al Capone came to the head of the Chicago Outfit at 26 years of age. Now leading the largest organized crime family outside of New York, Al made a fortune by bootlegging in liquor during prohibition. He definitely did all the other mob stuff, Gambling, Sex Work, Racketeering, but booze is where he hit it big. Fighting for control of the lucrative alcohol game spilled onto the streets of Chicago in a way that hadn't and still hasn't been seen. This was a time when you'd be walking down Michigan Avenue and see 4 guys jump out of a car in broad days light and open up with Tommy Guns trying to bump off a rival leader. Bombings were commonplace, and almost the entire law enforcement establishment was on the take, bought and paid for by Capone. Finally the Federal Government has to step in to take him down. How'd they do it?....well you're gonna have to listen to find out. Support the show

Yes we know that's a lengthy title. By the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, it had been 20 years since the U.S. won the gold. Those two decades saw a dominance unlike any other at the time by the Soviet Union and their seemingly unbeatable team. The Cold War was front and center. Expectations were pretty low for the U.S. Men's team going into the games but through a series of lucky events a man named Herb Brooks was put in the driver seat. Herb was coming off a NCAA Hockey National Championship in 1979 at the University of Minnesota and looked to create a team that could stand toe to toe with the Soviets using creativity and team chemistry. Now we should note this comes at a time when professional athletes didn't compete on olympic national teams. This team would be comprised of college athletes, many from Minnesota and many from Boston, and oh man some of these guys did not like each other, carrying over rivalries from school. They only had about 7 months to become a team capable of doing what many believed impossible. Well if you know the story, you know they did, and what follows would come to be known as The Miracle on Ice. Support the show

The man who would come to be known as The Bard, was born in April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom. One of, if not the greatest playwright in human history, William Shakespeare is responsible for 38 plays, 154 Sonnets, and credited with the invention of over 600 words in the English language. We still use phrases he invented on a daily basis. The man lived the theater and had a gift for capturing the complicated nature of people, creating complex but relatable characters and doing so with a masterful use of language. The man was also an entrepreneur, owning a share of his theater company and theater itself. Performing for royalty became common place for Shakespeare as he established himself as the premier playwright in London while never forgoting his roots in Stratford-upon-Avon where his family resided. Join us today as we explore the life and works of William Shakespeare. Support the show

The Red Ball Express was the life line of supplies that kept the allies going after the D-Day landings. The Allies had no port in mainland Europe capable of bringing in the supplies needed right after the invasion. Enter the Red Ball Express, a literal army of trucks and drivers moving an almost unimaginable amount of ammo, fuel, etc to the allied armies as they moved to push the Germans out of France. Support the show

World War 1 features a couple battles that stand out above the rest. The Battle of the Somme is one, The Battle of Verdun would be the other vying for the top spot. Now where the Somme was a nasty meat-grinder, of trench warfare, Verdun was all about laying siege to forts. Lasting over 300 days it was by far the longest battle of The Great War. Verdun was a fortress town that served as the symbolic home to France's military power. The Verdun region was home to around 20 other forts making it the most heavily defended part of France. German General Erich von Falkenhayn determined the French would do anything to defend this region and if it was lost, do anything to get it back. The plan was to overwhelm the defenders in the area, destroy their fortifications and take advantageous positions. When the French had to counter attack to re-take Verdun, the German Army would be in position to inflict massive casualties or as Falkenhayn put it "bleed the French white." How did that all turn our for him, find out this week as we get Historically High on the Battle of Verdun Support the show

Professor Adam is in the driver's seat this week for a Serial Killer history episode. Gary Ridgway, better known as The Green River Killer, is the 2nd most infamous serial killer in U.S. history. Ridgway murdered at least 49 women in the state of Washington. He worked areas known for prostitution, and preyed on a part of society that law enforcement had turned a blind eye on. Gary wasn't a mastermind. He wasn't a super criminal. He's certainly not well spoken. In fact, he would even point out his own stature to victims as a way of proving he wasn't the Green River Killer. Even he knew he was a loser. That loser is, was, and always will be purely evil. Join us today as we get Historically High on The Green River Killer Support the show

James Cook is one of those explorers where upon hearing his name, you gotta take a beat and try to decide if he's a real person or if you're thinking of Captain Hook from Peter Pan or Captain Cook from Breaking Bad. But don't sleep on Jimmy cause the man knew how to quest. Starting out from humble origins cutting his teeth in the coal shipping game, he learned his way around a ship and around the water. Eventually the Royal Navy came calling and he was sent to the new world during the Seven Years War and found he had a talent for cartography. A few years of honing his skills later and James found himself charged with locating the great southern continent that balanced the hemispheres. His voyages would take him around the world several times, seeing places like Tahiti, New Zealand, Australia, Hawaii, the Pacific Northwest of the United States and Canada, both circles (Antarctic and Arctic), and many others. Compared with other explorers of his era he was on the lighter side when it came to the mistreatment of indigenous people so he's got that going for him, which is nice. Join us this week as we set sail on the high seas with Captain James Cook. Support the show

During WW2 a lot of airmen and a lot of sailors found themselves treading water in the ocean instead of flying in their plane or standing on the deck of their ship. Rescuing these men eventually became a well practiced task, but how exactly was it done? Go to Patreon.com/HistoricallyHigh and subscribe to find out and more. Support the show

What is an archeologist's wet dream? Our guess would be two pre-christian Roman Empire cities preserved almost perfectly under pumice and ash. Something that could be excavated and studied for a lifetime. Each little detail laying out the historical record of what everyday life in a Roman port city/vacation town would look like. Thanks to Mount Vesuvius erupting in 79 CE, that wet dream is a reality. Lava was not involved in the eruption of Vesuvius. It spewed ash and pumice that buried Pompeii and Herculaneum. For those unfortunate souls who could not leave, the pyroclastic flows took them in an instant. Today we are going to talk about what happened on that day. The panic, the terror, the normality of the day Vesuvius erupted. Then we get to talk about what the excavation at the two sites has uncovered. Spoiler alert: this episode is a lot of fun. Join us today as we get Historically High on Pompeii! Support the show

In 1975 a man named George Lucas began preparing to make an audacious film that would come to be known as Star Wars. The movie, released in 1977 would go on to blow the minds and capture the hearts of countless people all over the world. The movie showed them things they'd never imagined they'd see, space battles, laser swords, a battle-station the size of a moon destroying a planet, and a guy in a suit with asthma. The problem was, back in 75 no company existed to create the effects George needed to see his dream become reality...so he created one. Industrial Light & Magic was born. The crew that initially created the visual effects were a rag tag team of nerds, outcasts, and people with hobbies other's saw as ridiculous. Together they literally made magic happen, and it didn't end there. For the last 50 years ILM has been making the impossible possible by creating some of the most memorable moments in cinematic history. ILM has put you on the edge of your seat, they've put your jaw on the floor, and they've taken your breath away more times than you know. It's time to tell their story, the Historically High way. Punch it Chewie. Support the show

We here at Historically High will admit, we have been a little critical of the French. I mean historically, like the British they've started a lotta shit. WW2 was a different scenario. Germany steam rolled what was supposed to be the most powerful army in Europe at the time. France sought a way to try and preserve some semblance of itself by signing an armistice which legitimized Nazi occupation in the north while allow the "Free Zone" in the south the be controlled by the Weekend at Bernies of governments, The Vichy French. Now while the government may have been okay with occupation there were a lot of people who weren't. Some resisted in small ways like taking down propaganda posters or listening to illegal BBC broadcasts. Others resisted by derailing trains, feeding enemy information to the allies and ambushing nazi convoys. All of them wanted a free France, some were just willing to go further than others. This is their story. Viva La Resistance!! Oh and we started a Patreon, if you like what you hear and want to support the show you can at www.patreon.com/historicallyhigh. Support the show

In 1830 Belgium became its own country after winning independence from the Netherlands. Founded as a Constitutional Monarchy the national congress elected Leopold I (who of course was tied to the British Monarchy) to serve as king. Following Leopold as monarch was, surprise surprise, Leopold II. Being a new country, Belgium was late to the party establishing any colonial holdings. Leopold II heard about the Congo in Africa and crafted one of the biggest cons in human history. Under the guise of ruling the country to help advance and civilize the people and region, Leopold was made sole ruler of the Congo with no one to answer to. He used his total and utter control of the Congo to brutalize the people and strip the country of its resources to enrich himself personally. This happened over a period 20 years until the atrocities he committed were brought to light. Murder, Mutilation, Slavery, nothing was off the table for Leopold II. Join us as we discuss one of histories worst humans and his reign of terror. Support the show

There are certain people in history that never really got to collect their roses. They come along at a pivotal time in human advancement and just kinda operated behind the scenes, sometimes contributing massively to humanity. Nikola Tesla is one of those people. Were it not for the car brand (not gonna get into that here) Tesla's name would still be relegated to the historical hamper under men like Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham-Bell, and Henry Ford. While not inventing electricity, Nikola did discover the best way to use it. Partnering with literal power-powerhouse Westinghouse (thats not a type) they were ready to bring Tesla's AC (Alternating Current) power to the masses. This didn't rub old Tom Edison right as he the big name in the electric game with DC (Direct Current). He was also Tesla's employer for about 6 months until he didn't make good on a deal when Tesla improved a bunch of his stuff. Now he would see his mistake come back to haunt him. But Tesla wasn't just volts and watts, the guys mind was an idea factory, some were good, some not so much, but most of the time they alway had the touch of genius. Let's meet the man that powered the world, Nikola Tesla. Support the show

This week we are looking at an everlasting gobstopper of true crime history. Patricia Hearst is the grand daughter of Newspaper magnate, and notable dickhead enemy of the show, William Randolph Hearst. In 1974, Patty was kidnapped from her townhouse by the Symbionese Liberation Army. She was held captive as the SLA negotiated with her father to feed the hungry of California, in exchange for her release. Then a strange thing happened. Patty the hostage became Patty the Guerilla. Instead of being the victim, it appeared she had become a gun wielding member of the SLA. Once Patty was "rescued" there were questions that needed answers. We have a question that she cannot answer. Why did Donald DeFreeze, the founder of the SLA, have so much contact in prison with a CIA agent? Find out the answer to these questions as we get Historically High on the Kidnapping of Patty Hearst! Support the show

The story of the USS Indianapolis and the men who served aboard her is one that spans the entire pacific theater of WW2. She was in the fight from the jump, she was off the coast of Hawaii when Pearl Harbor was attacked. She took part in some of the most well known battles during the island hopping campaign to drive the Japanese back toward their home islands. And in 1945 she undertook the top secret mission to transport critical components for construction of the atomic bomb Little Boy on the island of Tinian. After sailing unescorted from Pearl to Tinian she headed for Guam before being sent alone, yet again, to the Philippines to prepare for the invasion of Japan. She never made it. At midnight on July 30th, 1945 she was struck by two torpedoes from a Japanese submarine and sunk in around 12 minutes. 300 men went down with the ship and 800 went into the water. The men that made it off the ship were met with a new set of horrors, total darkness, lack of fresh water or food, no rescue in sight and hundreds of sharks. They fought for 5 days as the Navy somehow missed one of their most decorated ships not showing up in harbor. This is the story of the men that lived through the nightmare. Support the show

The first Thanksgiving came a year after Plymouth Rock became Plymouth Rock. The Plymouth Colonists were basically taught to survive by the Wompanoag people. The 2 groups would sit down to celebrate the first Plymouth harvest by giving thanks. That was 1621. In 1675 the peace finally broke. Metcomet was the leader of the Wompanoag people. The colonists gave him the Christian name of King Philip. Since history is written by the victors, the rebellion is known as King Philip's War. That's an easier name than "The colony was growing and we needed more land, so we really ratched up harassing the native to draw them into conflict". Too wordy. What followed was a war largely dominated by the Algonquian peoples that banded together to fight the colonists. It would end with the natives in the area being mostly erased from their ancestral lands in New England. Join us as we get Historically High on King Philip's War. Support the show

The world created by George R.R. Martin for A Song of Ice and Fire has a pretty rich history. The world familiar to most through Game of Thrones covers only a few years worth of events from Westeros and Esso. House of the Dragon does the same only giving us a snap shot of a years known as the Dance of Dragons. We're here to open up the history books and discuss the history of the world of ice and fire that hasn't gotten the premium cable treatment. From the Children of the Forest, to Aegon the Conquer's landing and conquest, to Robert's Rebellion. We'll talk the history of the Great Houses, some still standing, some long since gone, and much more. Welcome to Westeros. Support the show

The Fountain of Youth, The Philosopher's Stone, The Apples of Hesperides, The Peaches of Immortality, The Elixir of Life, The Holy Grail. The quest for everlasting life has been told in one way or another throughout recorded history. Every religion has its version, every culture has its myths, but the search of immortality is literally a tale as old as time. From religious doctrine, to the science of alchemy, and finally genetic engineering humanity has been trying to find the ultimate loophole to that thing called death. There have been some pretty insane attempts to live forever and we try to cover some of the best or most interesting on this weeks episode of Historically High. Support the show

Dubbed the Heist of the Century, the Antwerp Diamond Heist is straight out of a movie, seriously, I'm pretty sure the plot to the Ocean's 11 remake pulled a lotta inspiration from the events that actually took place. Antwerp is known as the diamond capital of the world. 85% of the rough diamonds in the world make their way to Antwerp. The Diamond District is where the cutting, polishing, wheeling, dealing takes place. When you have that many diamonds circulating around you're gonna need a very secure place to store them, like an underground vault with ten or more different levels of security preventing a break-in. Most thieves would look at this place and give it a hard pass. That is unless you're a member of The School of Turin, a mysterious organization known to count master thieves from all disciplines amongst its members. But to pull off a caper that escapes with more than $100 million in jewels, you need more than luck, you need preparation, skill....and a salami sandwich. Join us as we get Historically High on the heist of all heists. Support the show

Imagine if you will, it's the 1940's and Europe is being overrun by the Nazi war machine. Scientists that would take part in the success of the Manhattan Project have fled their now occupied nations bringing their knowledge of harnessing atomic power to the Allies. That didn't deter the Nazi's from forming a program of their own, starting the "Uranium Club" in 1939. No one knew where the other stood in their goal of building the bomb, for all the allies knew Hitler was on the cusp of developing it first. Nuclear fission was discovered in Berlin after all. When a Norwegian scientist escaping Nazi occupation informed the British a hydroelectric plant, which just so happen to be the largest producer of Heavy Water in the world, was captured by Hitler and its production ramped up, the Allies knew the implications. Heavy Water is a key ingredient in the process of creating nuclear fission. It allowed the process to occur with natural uranium, instead of the much more difficult to produce enriched uranium. To slow the Nazi's nuclear program several missions were attempted to destroy the heavy water production, the only problem was the plant was build like a fortress in one of the most inhospitable places in the world. This is the story of those men that took on a suicide mission to stop Hitler from getting The Bomb. Join us this week as week as get Historically High on Operation Gunnerside. Support the show