Dan has a whole list of historical figures he wants to drug test. This first 'Blitz Edition' of the show looks at the hidden side of history, the impact of drugs and alcohol on past events. In this episode, Dan discusses history with famed television host, author and science historian James Burke, the man the Washington Post called 'one of the most intriguing minds in the Western world'.Ī traumatized people who traumatized their neighbors, the Native American tribe known as Apache were among the last Indians to surrender to the U.S. Were they ancient Nazis, or the guardians of civilization? Will our modern society ever decline and fall? Dan uses that idea as a backdrop for a look at the first great empire in history, the biblical-era Assyrians. What accounts for the fascination people still have with Adolf Hitler and the Nazis? Dan looks at some of the ideas of the German National Socialists and examines the demonic, charismatic Nazi Führer. Did it also create tougher people? Dan looks at the connection between tough times and the ' Greatest Generation'. The tough economic climate after the First World War fostered the growth of radicalism around the world. Murder, marriage, intrigue, and drama all feature prominently in the story.

When Alexander the Great bequeathed his empire 'to the strongest' he set off a funeral contest that shook the world for decades. What would happen if half the population died in a short period of time? Dan looks at the Black Death and other plagues that created almost apocalyptic conditions in the past.and maybe in the future. How might history have been changed if the events of the momentous year 1066 had turned out differently? Dan examines Normans, Vikings, Saxons, Bastards, Conquerors, Confessors, Godwinsons and Hardradas.ĭan takes a look at various elements of the dramatic life and career of the great British leader.īlood-sucking Scythian warriors, tattooed ice mummies, Amazons killing so they can mate, pot smoking head-hunters, scalp-taking, koumiss-drinking Mongols, Turks, Huns, and Aliens. What was the cause of the collapse of the Bronze Age? War? Famine? Natural disaster? Sauron, The Dark Lord? Dan looks at all the potential villains.except for Sauron. With that in mind, Dan looks at some of the alternative and pseudo history ideas that many people embrace.ĭan looks at the shock and awe caused by the First World War and marvels at how connected we still are to the empire-shattering effects of the conflict contemporaries simply referred to as 'The Great War'.

Napoleon is supposed to have said that “History is a set of lies agreed upon”.

Spartans, Athenians, Persians and references to Star Trek all make appearances in this look at the dramatic and extremely consequential Greek and Persian wars. Dan examines the romance of their lost causes.ĭan meanders through a conversation about causes and effects of the Cold War without ever talking much about the actual events of the conflict. Shawnee chief Tecumseh and Arverni king Vercingetorix both tried to unify their tribal peoples to face overwhelming foes. The early 20th century League of Nations stood for peace, cooperation, disarmament and international understanding. The West is Mike Tyson and the East is Muhammad Ali in this episode as Dan mixes Art Bell with Hans Delbrück in this look at a possible reason for the military decline of the near East. Dan compares the way the modern world sees Adolf Hitler with the way history views Alexander the Great and wonders if the two men were not more alike than different.

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