Historically Speaking Podcast

10 Episodes
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By: Rebecca Robbins & Kim Kimmel

Uncommon history with an unconventional pair. Join married hosts Rebecca Robbins (a Broadway actress) and Kim Kimmel (her college history instructor) as they delve into topics that run the historical gambit. A gifted storyteller, Kim taught history at the collegiate level for 29 years while as a student, Rebecca always sat in the front row of his Western Civilizations class soaking up every word he said. For the record, she made an A in his class. She went on to pursue a Broadway career (The Phantom of The Opera, A Tale of Two Cities) while he continued to teach at her...

Arthur: The Man and The Legend
#50
08/25/2022

Legend has it that there once was a King named Arthur who allegedly lived in the late 5th and early 6th centuries and who, with his many companions, successfully fought off numerous enemies in Britain. But was there actually an historical Arthur of real flesh and blood? The Arthurian stories are arguably the greatest legends in Western history, and here in our 50th Episode we explore how the fabled Arthur compares with the historical one.

Books:

De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae by Gildas Historia Brittonum by NenniusThe New Arthurian Encyclopedia Edited by Norris LacyHistoria R...


The Dreyfus Affair
#49
08/11/2022

It was a political scandal that rocked France to its core and proved to be a watershed event for European antisemitism. A French officer, Alfred Dreyfus, was accused of passing military secrets to the Germans. He was found guilty by a military tribunal and sent to Devil’s Island, one of the most notorious penal colonies in the world. What happened next will shock and appall you as it did not only France but the entire world. Here in Episode 49, we explore just how far the French military went to cover up their colossal mistake in what would become kn...


Some of History's Greatest Imposters
#48
07/28/2022

There have been many impostors throughout history and in this 48th episode we deal with six of them, two related to English history and four related to Russian history. All at one time or another had many who believed in them (or at least tried to use them for advantage). All six went a long way to pulling off their ruse and we discuss many of the details in this episode.

Episode Notes:

Ivan IV (the Terrible) was Grand Prince of Moscow from 1533 to 1547 and Czar of Russia from 1547 to 1584.

Books:<...


Hannibal Barca: Rome's Most Dangerous Enemy
#47
07/13/2022

After a six-week hiatus, we’re back and with a fast-paced adventure story that rivals even the best of Hollywood. It’s the story of Hannibal Barca. When outnumbered by the Roman military two to one, this fearless Carthaginian general, complete with eye patch and riding atop a black stallion, defied all odds in one of the bloodiest battles in all of antiquity, thus becoming one of the greatest military commanders the world has ever known. Join us as we delve into the life and times of this extraordinary man. 

Episode Notes:

The immediate prede...


Cheating The Hangman
#46
06/01/2022

Imagine being hung three times… unsuccessfully. That’s exactly what happened to Englishman, John “Babbacombe” Lee in 1885. Or in the case of Herman Göring, being slipped a cyanide pill just hours before you were scheduled to be hung. Or foiling your pursuers by killing yourself first and being laid out in full regalia upon their arrival. Here in Episode 46, we explore seven individuals who cheated the hangman one way or another.

Books:

Antony and Cleopatra by Adrian GoldsworthyQueen Elizabeth I by J.E. NealeValiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the Ameri...


Caligula and The Julio-Claudian Dynasty
#45
05/18/2022

“Let them hate me, so they but fear me.” ~ Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (aka Caligula)

Caligula, the third Julio-Claudian emperor of the great Roman Empire, was known as a cruel, erratic, sex-crazed and delusional tyrant. Not only did he decree that his horse was a Roman consul, but he also marched his troops all the way to the English Channel only to have them pick up seashells, and he’s also said to have committed incest with all three of his sisters. Was he a madman or a victim of an undiagnosed medical condition? Here in Episode 45, we tak...


South Africa: A Brief History
#44
05/04/2022

South Africa has a fascinating, complex, and often tragic history. From the migration of the Bantu to the settlements by the Dutch and British; from the Boar Wars to the fight to abolish apartheid, here in Episode 44, we explore the history of this geologically and culturally rich nation - a nation that is still striving to reach its full potential. 

Books:

A History of South Africa by Frank WelshLong Walk to Freedom by Nelson MandelaHero of The Empire by Candice MillardCry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton

Film:

Zulu (1964) with Michael CaineBreaker Morant (1980) directed b...


The Counter Reformation
#43
04/20/2022

What do Georgetown University, St. Joseph’s University, and Loyola University have in common (besides basketball)? They were all founded by the Jesuits, and the Jesuit order of the Catholic Church was highly instrumental in the phenomenon known as the Counter Reformation. Once Luther, Calvin and others challenged the authority and teachings of the Catholic Church, the Church had no choice but to respond to these accusations and alternative beliefs. Here in Episode 43, we dive into the Counter Reformation which began in the 1540’s under Pope Paul III and ushered in many lasting changes in the Catholic Church.

...


Martin Luther & The Protestant Reformation
#42
03/30/2022

The Protestant Reformation was one of the single greatest events in the history of Western Civilization. Led by Martin Luther, this protestation against the Catholic Church altered all of Western history. Here in Episode 42, we take a closer look at this exceptional, though conflicted man, as well as other early protestant reformers like Ulrich Zwingli and the formidable John Calvin, who together rocked the very foundation of western Europe and even led to the founding of America itself.

Books:

Young Man Luther: A Study in Psychoanalysis and History by Erik EricsonEurope: From the Renaissance to Waterloo...


The Crimean War
#41
03/16/2022

"Into the valley of death rode the six hundred." Here in Episode 41, we take a closer look at the events that inspired Lord Alfred Tennyson to write those words in his epic poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade". We also explore both the long-term and short-term causes of the Crimean War and why it was a "first" in many areas of modern warfare, interrupting as it did a largely peaceful 19th century Europe between 1815-1914. 

Episode Edit:

Just to be clear, the antagonists in the Crimean War were the British, French, Turks and Piedmontese on t...