Badass of the Week

The Smuggler Librarians of Timbuktu

In this episode Ben and Pat dive into the story of Abdel Kader Haidara and his librarians who, in 2011, formed a secret plot to smuggle hundreds of thousands of ancient and priceless books and texts out of Timbuktu and away from the book-burning jerkwads known as Al Qaeda. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Peter the Great: The Rock Star Tsar

Tsar Peter Romanov was a strong leader who overcame difficult odds to seize the throne of Russia, then forge his dominion into a dominant Empire that became a powerful force in European politics for years to come, but he was also possibly the hardest-partying world leader in all of human history. Ben and Pat discuss Peter the Great's lifelong fight... for the right... to party!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mad Jack Churchill

Colonel Jack Churchill was a British military Commando who went into World War II armed with a claymore sword, an English longbow, and a set of bagpipes, and led all his cover special ops operations by pointing his sword at the enemy and screaming the word "COMMMMANNDOOOOO!!!!" as loudly as possible. He was a model, an actor, a war hero, and a world-traveling adventurer who fought the Nazis with weaponry that had been obsolete for over a century, was continually awarded with medals of bravery for overcoming impossible odds, escaped two different concentration camps, and spent the twilight years of his life as a surfing and skydiving instructor. Strap in for this one folks, because this one is a non-stop adrenaline ride.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ataturk: The Father of All Turks

The Father of All Turks, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was a revolutionary, a hardcore military commander, a bulwark against Fascism, a reformer, a humanitarian, and a man who worked to rebuild bridges with the peoples he had warred against. The United Nations declared him a humanitarian hero, the Australians built a statue for him even though he'd fought against them in war, and it's actually illegal in Turkiye to say anything bad about him in public. Not just anybody gets that sort of treatment.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How Scarlet Lion Khongor Defeated Khan Iron Head Mangna

If you're not familiar with the mythology of ancient Mongolia, strap in for this one. Pat recounts one of the great stories from the epic Jangar Cycle of heroic myths, a series of bone-crushing sagas detailing the exploits and adventures of the Kalmyk peoples. In this story, Scarlet Lion Khongor single-handedly attempts to avenge the honor of his Lord against the massive unyielding armies of Khan Iron Head Mangna!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

La Maupin and the Chevalier de Saint-Georges: Swordfighting Adventurerers of the French Revolution

If you are in to badass swordfights, debauchery, classical music, big fancy hats, and a couple unlikely heroes face-stabbing their way to success against seemingly-impossible odds, then this is the episode for you. Julie D'Aubigny and Joseph Boulogne -- better known as La Maupin and the Chevalier de Saint-Georges to the adoring hordes of onlookers cheering them on in battle and on the musical stage -- were two of the most badass swordfighters in the history of Early Modern France. Pat and Ben discuss both of these colorful heroes and detail their adventures kicking-ass and taking names across 18th century Europe.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Halloween Special: Vlad the Impaler and Elizabeth Bathory

Ben and Pat are joined on a special Halloween episode by Tani Caesar (Unhinged History) to talk about a couple of infamous (and spoooooky) Eastern European nobles -- Elizabeth Bathory, the terrifying Blood Countess of Hungary, and th equally-notorious Vlad III of Wallachia, better known outside of his native Romania as Vlad the Impaler (or, if you prefer, Vlad Dracula). This one is going to be gruesome and unhinged, but luckily we'll have Tani here to help us get through it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Zenobia and Amaniraneas: The Queens that defied Rome

Ben and Pat discuss two warrior queens from the fringes of the Roman Empire who stood against impossible odds and defied the Caesars with their military might: Amaniraneas, the Kandake of Sudan, who led war elephants into battle against the armies of Emperor Augustus; and Zenobia, a Syrian Queen who conquered Roman Egypt and squared off against the legions of Aurelian.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Julia Agrippina and Locusta: Poison Pals

Two of Imperial Rome's most infamous women come together for this episode, as Pat and Ben discuss Locusta the Poisoner -- perhaps the most prolific and deadliest assassin of the Ancient World -- and the woman who gave her the majority of her most notorious missions: Julia Agrippina. Caligula's sister. Nero's mom. If you like political intrigues, murder mystery, amateur botany, cutthroat diplomacy, and the idea of two women who never met a problem that couldn't be solved with a syringe of cyanide and a bag of Death Cap Mushrooms, then you really can't afford to miss this one.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

St. Olha of Kyiv: Viking Warrior Princess

St. Olha of Kyiv was a Viking Warrior Princess who unleashed a dump truck of bloody vengeance on all who opposed her, cleansed the countryside of her enemies in a sea of unquenchable flames, conquered hordes of vicious barbarians, pissed off a Byzantine Emperor so hard he kicked her out of Constantinople, successfully outwitted two foreign kings who tried to marry her, saved her people during in the Siege of Kyiv with nothing more than her own fearlessness, instituted the first taxation system in Eastern Europe, built the first stone structure , buried 20 foreign dignitaries alive, and still somehow managed to be Sainted by the Orthodox Church for her work almost single-handedly turning present-day Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus into Christian countries.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.