History For Weirdos

• Episode 159: Plato, Syracuse and the Tyrant

  A philosopher walks into a palace—no, really. This week on History For Weirdos, we follow Plato from the Academy to the armored court of Syracuse, where his friend (and insider) Dion bets that good ideas can tame bad power. Meet the Elder-and-Younger Dionysius tag team, a fortress-city built for paranoia, and a very risky plan to educate a ruler into a philosopher-king—shadowed the whole time by the (contested) Seventh Letter and its “this is how it went down” vibe. When ideals hit palace politics, bodies hit the floor. We track Dion’s return with mercenaries, the siege of Ortygia, and the assassination that blew up the reform—then zoom out to how the fiasco re-wired Plato’s own politics, from the starry-eyed Republic to the more legalistic, “second-best” Laws. Come for the philosopher-king experiment; stay for the receipts, the betrayals, and the uncomfortable lesson about teaching power to think. - Get History For Weirdos merch ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! - Thank you for listening Weirdos! Show the podcast some love by rating & subscribing on whichever platform you use to listen to podcasts. Your support means so much to us. Let's stay in touch 👇 Email: [email protected] IG/Threads: @historyforweirdos Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠historyforweirdos.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - Sources for this week: Plutarch, Life of Dion Diodorus Siculus, Library 16 Plutarch, Life of Timoleon https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Lives_of_the_Eminent_Philosophers/Book_III https://classics.mit.edu/Plato/seventh_letter.html https://ndpr.nd.edu/reviews/the-pseudo-platonic-seventh-letter/ https://www.britannica.com/topic/philosopher-king https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/plato-ethics-politics/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• Episode 158: Consuelo Vanderbilt & the Gilded Age Dollar Princesses

  In this week’s episode we crack open the glittering shell of HBO’s The Gilded Age to meet the real women who inspired its most delicious plotline: America’s “dollar princesses.” When cash-poor British dukes needed money and nouveau-riche American dynasties wanted pedigree, transatlantic marriages became a booming business deal—with Consuelo Vanderbilt as the era’s most famous case. Pushed by her formidable mother, Alva, Consuelo wed the 9th Duke of Marlborough in 1895, her immense dowry shoring up an old title while she wept behind the veil. No season spoilers here, but we’ll trace how families like the Vanderbilts (think: the inspiration behind the Russells) turned railroad fortunes into aristocratic alliances—and why those unions were anything but fairy tales. We zoom out to the bigger picture Twain skewered as “gilded”: skyscrapers, electricity, and unimaginable wealth set against sweatshops, strikes, and Jim Crow repression. Within that contradiction, these brides were not just bargaining chips. Consuelo built hospitals, championed education and wartime relief, and later supported women’s suffrage; others—Jennie Jerome, Mary Leiter Curzon, and Nancy Astor—leveraged titles into political and social influence that outlasted their marriages. From the Commodore’s $100 ferry to Blenheim Palace’s balance sheets, this is a story about how money tried to buy class—and how the women at the center of it sometimes rewrote the terms. It’s the strange, uncomfortable, and relentlessly entertaining heart of the Gilded Age: duty versus desire, spectacle versus reality, and the unexpected power of women who refused to stay ornamental. - Get History For Weirdos merch ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! - Thank you for listening Weirdos! Show the podcast some love by rating & subscribing on whichever platform you use to listen to podcasts. Your support means so much to us. Let's stay in touch 👇 Email: [email protected] IG/Threads: @historyforweirdos Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠historyforweirdos.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - Sources for this week: https://historyfacts.com/us-history/article/gilded-age-dollar-princesses/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consuelo_Vanderbilt https://www.forbes.com/sites/natalierobehmed/2014/07/14/the-vanderbilts-how-american-royalty-lost-their-crown-jewels/ https://www.vogue.com/article/consuelo-vanderbilt-marriage-the-gilded-age-fact-vs-fiction Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• Episode 157: General George S Patton - Blood, Guts & Conspiracies (Collab w/ The Rabbit Hole)

  In this special collab episode, Andrew dives deep into the fascinating life and military career of one of America's most legendary—and controversial—generals, George S. Patton. From his early exploits hunting Pancho Villa in Mexico, to his pioneering work in tank warfare during World War I, and his legendary leadership in World War II, Patton's aggressive tactics and fiery personality made him both revered and reviled. Andrew meticulously explores Patton’s triumphs, infamous controversies—including the soldier-slapping incidents—and his clashes with U.S. leadership during the tense post-war occupation of Germany. But the weirdness doesn't stop there! In the second half of the episode, Danielle from the Rabbit Hole: Conspiracy Theories podcast (check them out on Spotify here) joins the show to investigate the strange circumstances surrounding Patton’s mysterious death on December 21, 1945. Was the car accident that ended Patton’s life really just a tragic coincidence, or was there something darker at play? Danielle shares the most intriguing theories and unexplained details, making this an episode you definitely don't want to miss. - Get History For Weirdos merch ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠! - Thank you for listening Weirdos! Show the podcast some love by rating & subscribing on whichever platform you use to listen to podcasts. Your support means so much to us. Let's stay in touch 👇 Email: [email protected] IG/Threads: @historyforweirdos Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠historyforweirdos.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ - Sources for this week: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_S._Patton https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-Smith-Patton https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/general-george-s-patton-jr-death https://www.biography.com/military-figures/george-patton https://www.biography.com/military-figures/george-patton https://www.history.com/articles/george-smith-patton https://americanmilitarynews.com/2023/09/a-look-at-the-life-of-general-george-s-patton/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• Episode 156: The War of the Bucket

  In this episode of History For Weirdos, we dive into one of the most bizarre conflicts in medieval history: the War of the Bucket. Set in 14th-century northern Italy, this seemingly ridiculous war between the city-states of Modena and Bologna is famously said to have started over a stolen wooden bucket—yes, a bucket. But as we peel back the layers, we uncover a much deeper story rooted in political rivalries, ideological warfare between the Guelphs and Ghibellines, and centuries of escalating tensions that finally exploded into open battle in 1325. We explore how this short but brutal war culminated in the Battle of Zappolino, where Modena, despite being outnumbered, outmaneuvered Bologna in a decisive victory that left thousands dead and one wooden bucket as the war’s most enduring trophy. Along the way, we unpack the roles of major figures like Passerino Bonacolsi, Pope John XXII, and Cardinal Bertrand du Pouget, and examine how the absurdity of this conflict masks serious lessons about human pride, political symbolism, and the irrational causes of war. This is history at its weirdest—and most revealing. - Get History For Weirdos merch ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠! - Thank you for listening Weirdos! Show the podcast some love by rating & subscribing on whichever platform you use to listen to podcasts. Your support means so much to us. Let's stay in touch 👇 Email: [email protected] IG/Threads: @historyforweirdos Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠historyforweirdos.com⁠⁠⁠ - Sources for this week: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_the_Bucket https://allthatsinteresting.com/war-of-the-bucket https://www.historynet.com/what-we-learned-from-the-battle-of-zappolino-1325/ https://historyfacts.com/world-history/fact/war-of-the-bucket/ https://oddfeed.net/the-war-of-the-bucket-when-two-italian-city-states-fought-over-a-pilfered-pail/ https://www.historicmysteries.com/videos/war-of-the-bucket/39131/ https://www.slashlore.com/war-of-the-bucket-1325/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• Episode 155: Queen Christina of Sweden - the Queen who was King

  Queen Christina of Sweden (King Christina?) wasn’t your typical monarch—she was crowned as a child king, educated like a prince, and swiftly turned Sweden into Europe’s unexpected cultural powerhouse. Fluent in multiple languages and a patron to thinkers like René Descartes, Christina shook up her court by rejecting marriage, embracing religious tolerance, and openly expressing love for noblewoman Ebba Sparre, scandalizing conservative 17th-century society. But just when everyone thought they'd figured her out, Christina shocked the continent once again by abdicating the throne and converting from Lutheranism to Catholicism—a dramatic move that echoed across Europe. Yet, stepping down didn’t stop Christina from dreaming big. After her reign in Sweden, she ambitiously eyed not one, but two other crowns—Naples and Poland. Her adventurous (and controversial) plots ultimately fizzled, but her determination never did. Queen Christina spent her remaining years in Rome, hosting intellectual salons and accumulating vast collections of art and literature, leaving behind a legacy that defies categorization. Join us this episode as we dive into the remarkable life of Christina: queen, king, rebel, and above all, a true royal Weirdo. - Get History For Weirdos merch ⁠⁠here⁠⁠! - Thank you for listening Weirdos! Show the podcast some love by rating & subscribing on whichever platform you use to listen to podcasts. Your support means so much to us. Let's stay in touch 👇 Email: [email protected] IG/Threads: @historyforweirdos Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠historyforweirdos.com⁠⁠ - Sources for this week: Veronica Buckley, Christina, Queen of Sweden: The Restless Life of a European Eccentric (Harper Perennial, 2005) Encyclopedia Britannica – “Christina (queen of Sweden)” britannica.com/biography/Christina-queen-of-Sweden Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)  Video: History Tea Time with Lindsay Holiday - Queen Christina of Sweden Video: Kristina the Girl King of Sweden: A Historical Profile by Jessica Kellgren-Fozgard Wikipedia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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