Episodes

  • Story of the Polygraph

    Story of the Polygraph
    Aug 21 2026
    The ability to tell if someone is lying has long been something humans have attempted to perfect. From torture to psychology, it is the holy grail of criminal investigation. In 1921, a PhD student and police rookie, John Larson, may have cracked the code by inventing the polygraph. It is an invention, many said, that was sure to change the face of criminology forever. Or maybe not. Did he instead unleash a monster into the world? This is the story of the polygraph. Sources https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/lie-detector-1000-words/ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/why-creator-first-lie-detectors-regret-invention-polygraph-machine-inventor-180985222/ https://illumin.usc.edu/lie-detection-the-science-and-development-of-the-polygraph/ Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygraph#/media/File:Leonarde_Keeler_1937.jpg Sponsor Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespod50off to get 50 percent off and free daily greens per box. New subscribers only. While supplies last until 09/27/2026. (See website for more details). History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    21 mins
  • Roger Bannister and the 4-minute mile

    Roger Bannister and the 4-minute mile
    Aug 19 2026
    On a blustery, wet day in May of 1954, British runner Roger Bannister - an Oxford medical student - accomplished a long distance running feat that many had said would never be achieved. It would make Bannister the sportsperson of the year - and his achievement is hailed as one of the greatest sports moments of 20th century. This is the story of Roger Bannister and the 4-minute mile. Sources https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nb5AtK08gPM https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Bannister Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Roger_Bannister_1953.jpg Sponsor Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespod50off to get 50 percent off and free daily greens per box. New subscribers only. While supplies last until 09/27/2026. (See website for more details). History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    21 mins
  • Sliced Bread and the time it was banned

    Sliced Bread and the time it was banned
    Aug 17 2026
    Sliced bread is a simple yet ingenious invention with a surprisingly short history. Almost as soon as it came onto the market, it took over American bakeries and became a staple in every household. Except, for a brief few months in 1943 when the United States government banned this incredible product. This is the story of sliced bread and the time it was banned. Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sliced_bread https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-ridiculous-reason-why-the-us-enacted-a-wartime-ban-on-sliced-bread-salesand-why-it-didnt-last-long-180985834/ https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/america-banned-sliced-bread Image: By Fran Hogan - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fresh_made_bread_05.jpg Sponsor Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespod50off to get 50 percent off and free daily greens per box. New subscribers only. While supplies last until 09/27/2026. (See website for more details). History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    19 mins
  • WebcamGate - The High School Spying Scandal

    WebcamGate - The High School Spying Scandal
    Aug 14 2026
    From 2008-10, the Lower Merion School District - in suburban Philadelphia - issued laptops to more than 2,300 high school students for school and home use. What they didn’t tell the kids or their parents was that the district loaded the laptops with secret software that gave officials the ability to remotely take photos from those laptops. What followed was WebcamGate - one of the biggest invasion of privacy incidents in the nation’s history. Sources https://time.com/7275031/spy-high-true-story-prime-video/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robbins_v._Lower_Merion_School_District https://time.com/7275031/spy-high-true-story-prime-video/ Image: by Matheus Bertelli - https://www.pexels.com/photo/modern-video-camera-hanging-on-display-of-laptop-7172701/" Sponsor Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespod50off to get 50 percent off and free daily greens per box. New subscribers only. While supplies last until 09/27/2026. (See website for more details). History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    32 mins
  • The Defenestrations of Prague - How throwing someone out a window sparked a religious war

    The Defenestrations of Prague - How throwing someone out a window sparked a religious war
    Aug 12 2026
    Defenestrate is a highly specific word. It means to throw someone out of a window. And it comes from the city of Prague where several people were tossed out of a window and helped ignite a brutal religious war. And then it happened again 200 years later. This is the story of the Defenestrations of Prague. Sources https://english.radio.cz/blood-bohemia-second-defenestration-prague-and-window-changed-europe-8889193 https://english.radio.cz/first-defenestration-prague-what-was-it-and-why-did-it-happen-8124688 "The Thirty Years War: a documentary history" by Tryntje Helfferich Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:V%C3%A1clavBRO%C5%BD%C3%8DK-Defenestrace.jpg#Summary Sponsor Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespod50off to get 50 percent off and free daily greens per box. New subscribers only. While supplies last until 09/27/2026. (See website for more details). History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    19 mins
  • ParaBeavers - Idaho’s Parachuting Beavers

    ParaBeavers - Idaho’s Parachuting Beavers
    Aug 10 2026
    By the 1940s, government officials were looking to re-introduce the beaver to a region of Idaho to help improve the health of the area’s wetlands. But hauling live beavers through forests and over mountains was not easy - or cheap. And thus someone came up with the idea of parachuting beavers into these remote areas. This is the story of Idaho’s Parachuting Beavers - or parabeavers. Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaver_drop https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APLz2bTprMA https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a71613267/parachute-beavers/ Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beaver_drop_box_sprung_open_on_landing_Idaho_1950.png Sponsor Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespod50off to get 50 percent off and free daily greens per box. New subscribers only. While supplies last until 09/27/2026. (See website for more details). History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    15 mins
  • 1975 LaGuardia Airport Bombing

    1975 LaGuardia Airport Bombing
    Aug 7 2026
    On Dec. 29, 1975, a bomb tore through LaGuardia Airport in New York City. The blast killed 11 people and wounded 74. No one claimed responsibility for the bombing. And the bombers were never found. This is the story of the 1975 LaGuardia Airport Bombing. Sources https://observer.com/2016/01/why-hasnt-washington-explained-the-1975-laguardia-airport-bombing/ https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2026/07/laguardia-airport-bombing-cold-case-terrorism-unsolved.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWEnG77vAPw https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1975_LaGuardia_Airport_bombing File:Trans_World_Airlines_terminal_at_LaGuardia_Airport_following_1975_bombing.jpg Sponsor Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespod50off to get 50 percent off and free daily greens per box. New subscribers only. While supplies last until 09/27/2026. (See website for more details). History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    21 mins
  • The History of Calvin and Hobbes

    The History of Calvin and Hobbes
    Aug 5 2026
    One of the most beloved comic strips in history is Calvin and Hobbes. It is the adventures of a mischievous six-year old boy and his equally naughty stuffed tiger - who only comes alive for Calvin. To look at the history of Calvin and Hobbes, we brought on some experts - Ryan and Indy from the Magic of Calvin and Hobbes podcast. Sources Ryan and Indy from the Magic of Calvin and Hobbes Podcast Website: https://ryanbaker712.podbean.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MagicofCandH Image: Courtesy of the Magic of Calvin and Hobbes Podcast team Sponsor Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespod50off to get 50 percent off and free daily greens per box. New subscribers only. While supplies last until 09/27/2026. (See website for more details). History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr