Podcast Episodes
Back to Search25th August 1835: The Great Moon Hoax begins to appear in The New York Sun newspaper as a series of articles
The articles that formed the “Great Moon Hoax” stated that famed astronomer John Herschel had observed animals resembling bison, goats, and even huma…
7 months, 2 weeks ago
24th August 79: The eruption of Mount Vesuvius wipes out numerous Roman settlements including Pompeii and Herculaneum
Beginning at around 1pm on 24 August, Mount Vesuvius sent gas, volcanic ash, and pumice into the stratosphere for up to 20 hours. This was followed b…
7 months, 2 weeks ago
23rd August 1942: Battle of Stalingrad enters its most intense phase with a bombing campaign by the German Luftwaffe
While the broader Battle of Stalingrad began on 17 July, it wasn’t until 23 August that the city itself was attacked. Over 1,000 German aircraft drop…
7 months, 2 weeks ago
22nd August 1485: King Richard III killed at the Battle of Bosworth as the forces of Henry Tudor bring the Plantagenet dynasty to an end
The Stanley family surrounded and killed Richard III after the king chose to break ranks and target Henry Tudor ...
7 months, 3 weeks ago
21st August 1911: Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa stolen from the Louvre in Paris
Vincenzo Peruggia served just six months in jail for the robbery, and was hailed by many Italians as a nationalist hero for returning the Mona Lisa t…
7 months, 3 weeks ago
20th August 1975: NASA launches Viking 1, the first spacecraft to land on Mars and transmit images of the surface back to Earth
Viking 1 was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on 20 August 1975 and took nearly 11 months to reach ...
7 months, 3 weeks ago
19th August 1934: The first All-American Soap Box Derby held in Dayton, Ohio
Held in Dayton, Ohio, on a track measuring 1,980 feet, the first All-American Soap Box Derby attracted 362 participants and more than 40,000 ...
7 months, 3 weeks ago
18th August 1612: The trials of nine Lancashire women and two men known as the Pendle Witches begin
The trials of the Pendle Witches are not only some of the most famous but also some of the best recorded witch trials in British history, and represe…
7 months, 3 weeks ago
17th August 1945: Animal Farm by George Orwell published in the United Kingdom
Subtitled “A Fairy Story,” the Animal Farm used a farmyard allegory to critique totalitarianism, particularly the rise and betrayal of the ideals of …
7 months, 3 weeks ago
16th August 1819: An estimated 15 protestors are killed in the Peterloo Massacre at St Peter’s Field in Manchester
The Peterloo Massacre took place at St Peter’s Field in Manchester, when a group of over 60,000 protesters were charged by ...
7 months, 3 weeks ago