Episodes
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Pat and Matt are back in the Pacific with their colleague Avery Lentz! With the monster episode Avery provided the guys on the Pacific Theater in World War II, they just had to break it in two!
The twin campaigns of the Army and Navy in the Pacific often left the Empire of Japan at a loss for where the allies were headed next, or how to react. Join the guys as Avery describes the bloody slog of the island hopping campaign, as well as the war on the waves before the final air campaign against the Japanese home islands.
The History Things Podcast is brought to you by History Things with Pat & Matt Borders Books!
Follow the guys on social media by searching for @TheHistoryThingsPodcast!
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With the amount of time the guys have spent in military history it's a wonder that it has taken them this long to get around to the largest conflict in human history, World War II! To help them break into this topic, Pat and Matt havd brought in their old friend and colleague, Avery Lentz. Avery has a passion for the Second World War, especially in the Pacific due to his grandfather's service there with the Sea Bee's!
Avery sits down in the War Department Studio to lay out the intricacies and brutal fighting of this theater of the war and it's a monster. As such The History Things Podcast has decided to break this episode in half. So keep an eye out for for Part 2 and hold onto your helmet as Avery and guys tread the waves and move deep into the jungles of the Pacific Theater!
The History Things Podcast is brought to you by History Things with Pat & Matt Borders Books!
Follow the guys on social media by searching for @TheHistoryThingsPodcast!
- Facebook.com/thehistorythingspodcast
- instagram.com/thehistorythingspodcast
- YouTube.com/thehistorythingspodcast -
Missing episodes?
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The History Things Podcast St. Patrick's Day special is covering a heavy topic this year, the Easter Rising of 1916. Erupting in the midst of World War One, the Irish bid for independence was well planned and initially well executed. The British response however was fast and brutal.
To cover this Pat and Matt are joined by fellow ranger Anthony Trusso to discuss the details of the uprising, the major players involved, the response and the surprising results. So grab a drink, grab a friend and join us as diving into the Emerald Isle's bid for independence in 1916!
Intro music: “The Foggy Dew” by The Young Dubliners
The History Things Podcast is brought to you by HistoryNet, publisher of 9 different historical magazines including; the Civil War Times, American History, & Military History! Visit HistoryNet.Com to learn more or follow them on social media by searching for @HistoryNet! -
Building off their first of the year topic, Pat and Matt got the chance to discuss the most famous soldiers of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, the coal miners of the 48 Pennsylvania Infantry! To help flesh out the history of this well known and documented regiment is fellow ranger, John Hoptak.
John and Matt go way back, having both previously worked at Antietam National Battlefield and Pat was fortunate to attend several of John's programs while he was there. Throughout the years however the 48th Pennsylvania has been a passion project for John, not only on the battlefields of the National Park Service, but also in his personal research and writing.
This is a fantastic discussion that covers all aspects of the regiment and the men that made up its ranks. It also wouldn't be a talk on the 48th Pennsylvania without covering it's most famous digging operation during the Siege of Petersburg and the tragedy that followed their success.
The History Things Podcast is brought to you by HistoryNet, publisher of 9 different historical magazines including; the Civil War Times, American History, & Military History! Visit HistoryNet.Com to learn more or follow them on social media by searching for @HistoryNet! -
What better way to kick off Season Five than by getting down into the weeds on some regional history!? This month the guys are speaking to Jake Wynn about the proud, but controversial history of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania and the Coal Miners strike that occured there during the Civil War.
For those who have spent some time with the Civil War, Schuylkill County is likely a Pennsylvania County you have heard of before. Famous for its coal mines and miners, the county was torn between trying to put men in the field and keep coal coming up out of the ground. This led to resentment and then outright resistance by the miners themselves. So join us as Pat and Matt dig deep into this story with Wynning History's own, Jake Wynn!
The History Things Podcast is brought to you by HistoryNet, publisher of 9 different historical magazines including; the Civil War Times, American History, & Military History! Visit HistoryNet.Com to learn more or follow them on social media by searching for @HistoryNet! -
As we kick off Season 5, we thought it would be a good idea to reintroduce ourselves and The History Things Podcast. Matt and Pat are Park Rangers with a passion for history and telling those stories. While they get to do this as part of their day to day work, The History Things Podcast allows them to reach out to an even wider audience and talk on any number of historic subjects.
By bringing in subject matter experts, enthusiasts, authors, Podcators, historians, and more, we strive to provide the best stories and content to you our listeners. We look forward to another busy season of the show, so get ready Season 5 of The History Things Podcast starts right now!
The History Things Podcast is brought to you by HistoryNet, publisher of 9 different historical magazines including; the Civil War Times, American History, & Military History! Visit HistoryNet.Com to learn more or follow them on social media by searching for @HistoryNet! -
Woooo! We have made it to the end of Season 4 and another calendar year! It has been an intense season, with a wide variety of subjects covering everything from European conflicts, the Civil War, true crime, sailors in the wilderness and of course, historic recipes.
The guys also experimented with even more visual elements for the show, from a watch through of a tragic sinking, to on site discussions and the cooking demonstration. None of this would have been possible without you, the listeners who take the time to tune into the ranting and raving of Pat and Matt. So THANK YOU!
From everyone here at The History Things Podcast, we wish you the happiest of holiday seasons and invite you to come along for Season 5, starting January 1, 2024!
The History Things Podcast is brought to you by HistoryNet, publisher of 9 different historical magazines including; the Civil War Times, American History, & Military History! Visit HistoryNet.Com to learn more or follow them on social media by searching for @HistoryNet! -
This seasons Black Friday Bonus Episode has the boys hacking through the wilderness of western Maryland and Pennsylvania with some rather unusual companions. The Braddock Expedition of 1755 and the disaster of the Battle of the Monongahela, fought July 9, 1755 is fairly well known in this part of the world, but what was completely unknown to us was the presence of sailors on the expedition as well.
To talk about this Pat and Matt have brought in their friend Kyle Dalton, formally of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine and now the Director of the Historic Union Mills Homestead, to speak on one of his passions, the Wooden World, naval history in the 18th Century. Kyle has dug deep into who the sailors were on the expedition, what they did during the march and what happened to them during and after the battle.
So if you are braving the Black Friday shopping or just hunkering down for a post Thanksgiving nap, turn it up and join us as we learn about Braddock's Tars!
The History Things Podcast is brought to you by HistoryNet, publisher of 9 different historical magazines including; the Civil War Times, American History, & Military History! Visit HistoryNet.Com to learn more or follow them on social media by searching for @HistoryNet! -
Happy Halloween from The History Things Podcast! For the last couple seasons the guys have brought you fun, spooky episodes for the Halloween holiday and this year is no different.
Ever notice how dark children's rhymes can be? One of the better known in the late 19th and early 20th century, though mostly forgotten today, featured the story of Lizzie Borden and what she may have done to her parents in one of the most famous double homicide's in US history.
This Halloween Pat and Matt got to go on a deep dive into the Borden murders and her sensational trial with author Sarah Miller! Sarah gives the guys the lowdown on her research and her changing view of Lizzie as she wrote her book, "The Borden Murders: Lizzie Borden and the Trial of the Century". This is a fun, if macabre, discussion on murder, the law and the place of women in society near the turn of the last century. Definitely one to check out!
The History Things Podcast is brought to you by HistoryNet, publisher of 9 different historical magazines including; the Civil War Times, American History, & Military History! Visit HistoryNet.Com to learn more or follow them on social media by searching for @HistoryNet!
The poem "Lizzie Borden Took an Axe" at the beginning or the episode is read by Rebecca Param. -
The guys at The History Things Podcast have had the opportunity to work with famous historians, to world class museums, as well as with our colleagues in the history community. This conversation fits into two of those categories.
Sarah Morgan is the brilliant YouTuber behind Cooking with the First Ladies, a channel that looks at the history of the First Ladies of the United States through their favorite dishes. Sarah gives Matt and Pat the run down on how the channel came to be, her interest in the First Ladies and the scoop in her own favorites from the wide range of recipes from the White House.
This is a tasty way to kick off October and a great way to experience history from a completely different angle. So enjoy the show and then find Sarah Morgan on her own YouTube channel at Cooking with the First Ladies!
The History Things Podcast is brought to you by HistoryNet, publisher of 9 different historical magazines including; the Civil War Times, American History, & Military History! Visit HistoryNet.Com to learn more or follow them on social media by searching for @HistoryNet! -
As a follow up to the summer discussion with Melissa Winn about the important relationship between Ulysses S. Grant and his Chief of Staff John Rawlings, the guys have brought Melissa back to look at the specifics of the Vicksburg Campaign and how these men coordinated that operation.
Rawlings continued to be the support Grant needed to protect him from his own vice's during the Campaign, as well as defend him from political threats. Rawlings connections to powerful political figures, as well as his ability to bring those sent from Washington specifically to spy on Grant, into the fold did much to keep the future General-in-Chief in the good graces of Washington. Lincoln famously said that, "I can not spare this man, he fights", now find out about the professional and personal friendship that helped make this fighter possible.
The History Things Podcast is brought to you by HistoryNet, publisher of 9 different historical magazines including; the Civil War Times, American History, & Military History! Visit HistoryNet.Com to learn more or follow them on social media by searching for @HistoryNet! -
After a rollicking adventure on the water the boys are back in their element, the American Civil War. This time they are hosting Eric Money, formally of the Addressing Gettysburg podcast to discuss the Pennsylvania Reserve Corps! Better known as the Pennsylvania Reserves, these were enthusiastic patriots who signed up to serve the Nation even after Pennsylvania had hit it's initial quota of troops to send to the field.
It was a good thing too! As the PA Reserves were called upon to help bolster a sagging Union in late 1861 and served honorably for the rest of the war. Join us as Eric takes us on a deep dive through the history of the PA Reserves, who they were, how they were formed and the many famous engagements they fought through. It's Pennsylvania's time in the spotlight!
The History Things Podcast is brought to you by HistoryNet, publisher of 9 different historical magazines including; the Civil War Times, American History, & Military History! Visit HistoryNet.Com to learn more or follow them on social media by searching for @HistoryNet! -
Hope you are ready to weigh anchor, because it's Pat's birthday week and The History Things Podcast is taking on a topic he has wanted to do for a long time, that's right, Piracy!
First off, the boys dive into some of their home states stories of piracy, ranging from the Chesapeake Bay, the coast of Maine and even the Great Lakes. Afterwards they bring in a heavy hitter, Kevin P. Duffus, (minute marker 1:00:15) a researcher and author who specializes in North Carolina history, to talk about the most infamous and perhaps most misunderstood pirate, Black Beard!
Who was this legend of the high seas? Where do we get our information about him from and why do the stories vary so greatly from source to source? Kevin dives into all of these, challenging the classic representation of Black Beard and even the Golden Age of piracy itself. So join us as we set sail in search of the true host of Black Beard!
The History Things Podcast is brought to you by HistoryNet, publisher of 9 different historical magazines including; the Civil War Times, American History, & Military History! Visit HistoryNet.Com to learn more or follow them on social media by searching for @HistoryNet!
Opening music is “Hoist The Colours” as performed by Peyton Parrish. https://youtu.be/-CiUfRLzfMo
Thanks for listening, we hope you enjoy the show! -
As the guys wrap up the 160th Gettysburg offensive, Pat and Matt have brought the legendary Scott Hartwig back on the show to talk about the aftermath of the battle, but also its place in historical memory.
How did the veterans remember the largest battle ever fought on the western hemisphere? How did that memory affect the memorials and monuments of the time? Just as interesting is how the memory and memorialization changed as we got further away from the Battle of Gettysburg.
All this and much more is discussed in detail as part of The History Things Podcast wrap up of the Gettysburg Campaign!
The History Things Podcast is brought to you by HistoryNet, publisher of 9 different historical magazines including; the Civil War Times, American History, & Military History! Visit HistoryNet.Com to learn more or follow them on social media by searching for @HistoryNet!
Thanks for listening, we hope you enjoy the show! -
The History Things Podcast has said it before and on this 160th commemoration of The Most Glorious Fourth, we will say it again. There is so much happening in the Summer of 1863!!
To help Pat and Matt better understand one of the major events of that summer is historian Andrew Miller who dives deep into the Vicksburg Campaign, the Siege and ultimate fall of the "Gibraltar of the South". Andrew also puts the Glorious Fourth at Vicksburg into context with Gettysburg, Tullahoma and Port Gibson. All major United States victories that occured in the first ten days of July, 1863.
So join us as we give theses parallel campaigns the context they deserve this Fourth of July!
The History Things Podcast is brought to you by HistoryNet, publisher of 9 different historical magazines including; the Civil War Times, American History, & Military History! Visit HistoryNet.Com to learn more or follow them on social media by searching for @HistoryNet!
Thanks for listening, we hope you enjoy the show! -
As part of The History Things Podcast continued Gettysburg 160th Blitz, the guys are speaking to historian Codie Eash about one of the most dynamic and indeed provocative actions to occur right at the end of the Battle of Gettysburg. Following the repulse of the famed Pickett-Pettigrew-Trimble Charge, or as Pat likes to call it, Longstreet's Charge, Brigadier General Alexander Hays took captured Confederate flags and dragged them on the ground in front of the cheering Federal line.
How this event came to pass and the variety of stories that came from it are covered by Codie and the guys. Come to find out it wasn't just the Federal line that witnessed this event, but the Confederates too! All this and much more is discussed as the Gettysburg Blitz continues!!
The History Things Podcast is brought to you by HistoryNet, publisher of 9 different historical magazines including; the Civil War Times, American History, & Military History! Visit HistoryNet.Com to learn more or follow them on social media by searching for @HistoryNet!
Thanks for listening, we hope you enjoy the show! -
You read that episode title correctly, not only are Pat and Matt taking on the Battle of Gettysburg in honor of its 160th commemoration, but they have brought on Scott Hartwig to be their guide!
In the unlikely event that you don't know that name, Scott Hartwig was the long time Chief Historian of Gettysburg National Military Park and a frequent contributor to such programs as Civil War Journal. Scott is featured in the Antietam National Battlefield NPS movie and has written two massive volumes on the Maryland Campaign.
The guys however got him to return to his old stomping ground and give a great discussion on the Gettysburg Campaign, how it came about and of course the three bloody days themselves. Join us as we discuss the largest battle ever fought in the Western Hemisphere, the Battle of Gettysburg, on its 160th Commemoration!
The History Things Podcast is brought to you by HistoryNet, publisher of 9 different historical magazines including; the Civil War Times, American History, & Military History! Visit HistoryNet.Com to learn more or follow them on social media by searching for @HistoryNet!
Thanks for listening, we hope you enjoy the show! -
Holy Cow! The History Things Podcast has made it to 50 episodes! Pat and Matt didn't really know how far they would go with their podcast, but 50 episodes is a good start.
This milestone is thanks to you, our listeners, as well as to our fantastic guests! None of this would have been possible without your support and the guys are so honored that you decided to tune in and join them on this journey.
Looking forward to 50 more!!
The History Things Podcast is brought to you by HistoryNet, publisher of 9 different historical magazines including; the Civil War Times, American History, & Military History! Visit HistoryNet.Com to learn more or follow them on social media by searching for @HistoryNet!
Thanks for listening, we hope you enjoy the show! -
Heading into the summer, Pat and Matt are joined by Melissa Winn, the now former Director of Photography Research for HistoryNet. Melissa provides the guys with details on a man who is often overlooked by history and was overshadowed by his boss during the American Civil War, John A. Rawlins, aide-de-camp of Ulysses S. Grant himself.
Rawlins, a prewar friend of Grant's, was an influential lawyer and democrat in Galena, Illinois prior to the war. Upon the outbreak of hostilities he famously declared that, "there were no parties anymore" and that he would enlist to fight for the Union. In August 1861 Rawlins was asked to join Grant's staff and was promoted to Captain. In this position he looked after the General, keeping on him about his pledge of temperance and keeping away many who would distract or tempt Grant.
Join us as we learn more about this fascinating man, how he kept Grant on the straight and narrow and what happened to him as the war dragged on.
What are your thoughts on John Rawlins? Comment on our social media @TheHistoryThingsPodcast or send us an email at [email protected]!
The History Things Podcast is brought to you by HistoryNet, publisher of 9 different historical magazines including; the Civil War Times, American History, & Military History! Visit HistoryNet.Com to learn more or follow them on social media by searching for @HistoryNet!
Thanks for listening, we hope you enjoy the show! -
Coming Sunday May 7th! Join us as we watch the sinking of the RMS Lusitania in real-time as produced by the YouTube channel Titanic Animators!
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