Listen to this full mini fix episode on Patreon! In the early morning hours of January 30, 1889 Crown Prince Rudolf, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, murdered his 17 year old mistress and then took his own life at his hunting lodge in Mayerling, Austria. The details of this apparent murder suicide were pretty straightforward. But, in the confusion that followed, much was done to cover up the details of what actually happened. Evidence was covered up, misinformation was spread, and medica...
May 31, 2026•3 min
This week we're delving into the assassination of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, on June 28, 1914. This death was especially significant because it's often cited as the catalyst that started World War I. But that's never really made sense to me. Why would the death of this one man compel over 100 countries to involve themselves in the most horrific war the world had ever known, the Great War? Let's fix that. Support the show! Join the Patreon (patreon.com/hist...
May 24, 2026•35 min
Listen to this full mini fix episode on Patreon! I have to talk about sweating sickness. For some reason it has always completely fascinated me. What was this mysterious and highly deadly illness that plagued mostly just the upper class in England during the Tudor dynasty? Why such a specific and unlikely target victim? Why did it go away just as suddenly as it appeared? Join me to examine the evidence and the theories and let me know in the comments... what do you think sweating sickness was? S...
May 17, 2026•2 min
Absinthe, a pale green drink consisting of mostly alcohol and small amounts of wormwood oil, has only recently been legalized in much of the western world after a nearly century long ban. Everyone knows the myths about absinthe - that it causes hallucinations, that it'll make you go crazy. They banned it for a reason after all right? It's powerful, dangerous stuff which, in many ways, makes it all the more alluring to the masses. But what if I told you that thujone, the psychoactive chemical fou...
May 10, 2026•36 min•Ep. 159
For this mini fix, I asked you guys on Instagram to choose between 3 Queen Elizabeth I related topics and the majority of you picked the mysterious death of Amy Dudley! The results were: What the heck was sweating sickness - 24% The mysterious death of Amy Dudley - 44% The execution of Sir Walter Raleigh 32% Make sure you follow me on Instagram ( @historyfixpodcast ) to cast your vote next time I do something like this! This not so mini fix was so dang interesting it stretched past the 30 minute...
May 03, 2026•2 min
This week is all about a lady I've danced around for far too long: Queen Elizabeth I. Born an utter disappointment to literally everyone and declared illegitimate after her mother’s execution, disinherited as a toddler, the future throne snatched out from under her, Elizabeth would go on to shatter all possible expectations and would end her 44 year reign as one of the most beloved and successful queens, nay monarchs, the world has ever known. How? Let’s fix that. Support the show! Join the Patr...
Apr 26, 2026•44 min•Ep. 158
In my off week, I'm popping into the Patreon feed to talk about the 1986 Challenger disaster, when the Challenger space shuttle burst into flames and blew apart, killing all 7 passengers onboard, while millions of people, including many children, watched live. What actually happened that cold January morning 40 years ago? And more importantly... why were the rocket engineer's dire warnings ignored? Let's fix that. Support the show! Join the Patreon (patreon.com/historyfixpodcast) Buy some merch ...
Apr 19, 2026•3 min
Join me this week as I delve into the history of reincarnation, the idea that, when you die, you can be reborn into the body of another. Where did the idea come from? Who believes in it today? And what evidence is there to support it? Let’s fix that. Support the show! Join the Patreon (patreon.com/historyfixpodcast) Buy some merch Buy Me a Coffee Venmo @Shea-LaFountaine Sources: Medium "Reincarnation" Readers Digest "Chilling Reincarnation Stories: Meet 6 People Who Lived Before" Institute of No...
Apr 12, 2026•36 min•Ep. 157
Head to Patreon to listen to this full mini fix episode! Join me inside Japan's Unit 731, a top secret human experimentation and biowarfare camp during World War II. The atrocities committed here against mostly Chinese prisoners are truly unthinkable. In fact, they're so hard to believe, many people straight up refuse to believe it. To this day, the Japanese government has never confirmed nor denied what went down at Unit 731. But when declassified records emerged in the US of all places in the ...
Apr 05, 2026•8 min
This week I sit down with Jenny Chan, director of Pacific Atrocities Education, to talk about the many "comfort women" who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese government in the years leading up to and during World War II. We've talked about the generals, the battles, the military movements, but we haven't yet focused on the victims. These women from China, Korea, etc. were often tricked or even downright abducted and forced into comfort stations where they were repeatedly abused by m...
Mar 29, 2026•43 min•Ep. 155
I'm back this week with the promised second part to my Women in STEM special. This week, we'll explore the stories of 6 more women who changed the world, beginning with Genevieve Grotjan Feinstein who cracked the elusive Japanese Purple code during World War II. Chien-Shiung Wu made breakthrough discoveries in physics and helped develop the first atomic bomb with her critical involvement in the Manhattan Project. Katherine Johnson helped put the first man in orbit and send men to the moon. Sally...
Mar 22, 2026•37 min•Ep. 155
This week kicks off a two part episode spectacular about women in STEM. Join me to learn about Elizabeth Blackwell who was admitted to medical school as a practical joke and went on to graduate first in her class, becoming the first woman to earn a medical degree in the United States. Nettie Stevens discovered X and Y chromosomes and got none of the credit. Lise Meitner helped discover nuclear fission. Florence Siebert developed the tuberculosis test that is still used today. Cecilia Payne disco...
Mar 15, 2026•43 min•Ep. 154
This week I'm uncovering the real story of Micaela Leonarda Antonia de Almonester Rojas y de la Ronde, Baroness de Pontalba. And, yes, everyone in this story has a super long name! Micaela is best known for helping to transform New Orleans' Place d'Armes into the Jackson Square we know today. She designed and oversaw the construction of the iconic Pontalba Buildings that flank the sqaure in the heart of the New Orleans' historic French Quarter. As the wealthiest woman in New Orleans, this isn't ...
Mar 08, 2026•33 min•Ep. 153
As we transition from Black History Month to Women's History Month, I've chosen a topic that encompasses both, a topic that addresses a major misconception in American history. What role did white women actually play in enslaving people? For a very long time, historians assumed that women were merely passive enslavers. They enslaved because their husbands enslaved. They were involved only because of their roles as housekeepers. But, when we look at the actual evidence - documents, letters, inter...
Mar 01, 2026•30 min•Ep. 152
Get ready for a wild ride because this story is bananas! This week, I uncover the unbelievable true story that is the life of Harriet Jacobs. Born enslaved in Edenton, North Carolina in 1813, Harriet would go on to escape from slavery in the most remarkable way. I'm talking, hoodwinking various prominent white men and hiding in an attic crawl space for 7 years remarkable. But, most importantly, Harriet would later tell her story to the world, becoming the first woman to author a fugitive slave n...
Feb 22, 2026•42 min•Ep. 151
In this episode, I unpack the dynamic character that is Dangerfield Newby, the real life inspiration for Quentin Tarantino's title character in the film "Django Unchained." For many years Dangerfield Newby was viewed as a villain. He took part in John Brown's 1859 raid on the military arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. These raiders took people hostage. They killed people. But when we take a closer look at their motives for carrying out these violent offenses, when we read the letter removed fr...
Feb 15, 2026•33 min•Ep. 150
Happy Black History Month! We're kicking off the month with a story that was suggested by Janice on Instagram. Nowadays, when you call for emergency services, you expect the speedy arrival of an ambulance staffed by personnel who have the skills to save your life en route if necessary. But, believe it or not, that's actually a new concept. Before the 1960s, your call would have been answered (quite slowly) by a police paddy wagon or even a hearse and there would be virtually no pre-hospital care...
Feb 08, 2026•34 min
Here it is! My first ever live History Fix episode! This live show was recorded at College of the Albemarle in Manteo, North Carolina on January 28th. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to each person who braved freezing temperatures to see this show live. For all the rest, here is the recording. I do recommend watching the video version of this one as there are lots of great visuals to go along with it. That can be found on either YouTube or Patreon. Without further ado, I present to you the...
Feb 01, 2026•57 min•Ep. 148
This week I'm uncovering a lost city that was left out of my lost cities two parter (episodes 131 and 132). Nineveh, the capital of the ancient Assyrian Empire, is mentioned in the Bible no less than 19 times. But, for millennia we weren't sure if it was a fictional setting or a real place. All of that changed in the 1840s when British explorer Austen Henry Layard discovered the ruins of a vast metropolis on the banks of the Tigris River that could only be Nineveh. Within those ruins he found a ...
Jan 25, 2026•39 min•Ep. 147
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day this Monday, January 19th, I'm delving into the story behind this remarkable man. How does a Black man born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1929, a man whose grandparents were sharecroppers in a post slavery American South, a man subjected to Jim Crow laws that intentionally sought to hold him down, rise to such great heights as to become the only single American with his own dedicated national holiday? Let's fix that. Support the show! Join the Patreon (patreon.com...
Jan 18, 2026•46 min•Ep. 146
In this episode I finally explore a topic I've wondered about for a long time: circumcision. How did an ancient punishment for prisoners turned religious ritual become a medical procedure carried out by over 80% of Americans? What triggered doctors to start recommending circumcision for all newborn boys starting in the late 1800s and why doesn't the rest of the world do it too? What about the ethical implications of performing a body altering procedure on someone without their consent? Is there ...
Jan 11, 2026•33 min•Ep. 145
Consider this the third and final installment of my war with Japan triptych. In this episode, we'll discuss the top secret "Manhattan Project" led by physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer that led to the development of the first atomic bomb. We'll uncover the motives behind creating such a dangerous weapon and for using it on two cities in Japan, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leading to civilian casualties of up to 300,000 people. We'll also consider the question, what now? What does this mean for us today ...
Jan 04, 2026•39 min•Ep. 144
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Dec 28, 2025•2 min
I had planned to take this week and next off but I can't leave y'all hanging without your fix on Christmas! This week I'm bringing you a special mini fix episode about the Christmas Truce of 1914. This remarkable ceasefire that happened spontaneously all along the Western Front during the first winter of World War I has shocked and inspired the masses ever since. But despite tons of eyewitness accounts and tangible evidence like letters, autographs, and photos, there are many who refuse to belie...
Dec 21, 2025•23 min
After talking about the Pearl Harbor attack last week and how it prompted US involvement in World War II, I realized I glorified the aftermath pretty hard. Yes, Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor did directly lead to the US declaring war on both Japan and Germany. Yes, US involvement in World War II undeniably helped bring that war to a close. However, the US reacted in other ways at home that weren't quite as glorious. This week I'm talking about the ugly side of the Pearl Harbor aftermath, when th...
Dec 14, 2025•34 min•Ep. 143
I feel pretty well versed when it comes to World War II. I understand fairly well what was happening in Europe at least with Germany and whatnot. I know that the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 (84 years ago today) was the event that drew the United States into the war. But Pearl Harbor wasn't bombed by Germany. It was bombed by Japan. Wait, what? Japan? What does Japan have to do with Nazi Germany and World War II? This week I sit down with Quin Cho, an expert on the Pacific Theater ...
Dec 07, 2025•48 min•Ep. 142
To follow up my perspective seeking conversation with Gray Parsons of the Secotan Alliance, I sat down next with Chief Marilyn Berry Morrison of the Roanoke-Hatteras Tribe. I asked Chief Morrison the same question: why do you think the misconception exists that Indigenous Americans no longer exist in the eastern part of the United States? She had similar thoughts to share. Chief Morrison spoke a lot about fear and shame stemming from the trauma of the past. She also clued me in to a personal jou...
Nov 30, 2025•35 min•Ep. 141
This week, I sat down with Gray Parsons of the Secotan Alliance to get to the bottom of a common misconception. It seems, to me at least, that there's a notion in our country that Indigenous Americans no longer exist in the eastern states, that they were either killed or forced to relocate west. Gray's response provided the much needed perspective I was seeking. Join us as we chat about Wingina, the first Indigenous American leader to be killed by the English for resisting colonization, and the ...
Nov 23, 2025•44 min•Ep. 140
This week I’m shattering preconceived notions that Indigenous Americans north of Mexico didn’t build cities. That they organized, instead, into only small, nomadic villages. Because, for around 800 years there was a great city, the largest pre-Colombian city north of Mexico, a city that, if you were to have visited in the year 1200, is theorized to have been larger than both London and Paris at that same time. In fact, it held the record for largest city in the now United States for almost 700 y...
Nov 16, 2025•43 min•Ep. 139
Riding on the coat tails of last week's jewel heist episode, I'm back this week with the intriguing history of the Hope Diamond. The story of the Hope Diamond is convoluted. It changed hands many times, stolen on several occasions and was gradually cut down from 112 carats to just 45 and a half today. Known for its rich blue color and red phosphorescence, the Hope Diamond is extremely rare and highly coveted. But, a big part of the reason the Hope Diamond is so well known is not because it’s pre...
Nov 09, 2025•40 min•Ep. 138
