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  • Vassili Paleokostas: History’s Wildest Prison Break Artist

    Vassili Paleokostas: History’s Wildest Prison Break Artist
    2026/06/23
    History is full of master thieves, daring outlaws, and legendary escape artists... but few ever combined all three quite like Vassili Paleokostas. A small-town Greek electrician turned folk hero, Paleokostas spent decades robbing banks, kidnapping wealthy industrialists, humiliating police, and giving away portions of his loot to struggling families. To some, he was a dangerous criminal. To others, he was a modern-day Robin Hood sticking it to the rich and powerful. But what truly made Paleokostas a legend were his prison escapes. Not once, but twice, he pulled off one of the most audacious jailbreaks in history... This week, Ben is joined by Todd Weiser, co-host of the Heist Club podcast, to tell the unbelievable story of the outlaw who made a nation look foolish, became a folk hero to thousands, and remains one of the most elusive fugitives on Earth. Because some criminals run from the law. Vassili Paleokostas flew. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 時間 1 分
  • William Bligh: The Man the Pacific Couldn’t Kill

    William Bligh: The Man the Pacific Couldn’t Kill
    2026/06/18
    When most people hear the name William Bligh, they think of a tyrant. Thanks to generations of books and movies, the captain of the HMS Bounty has gone down in history as the cruel, power-mad villain whose crew finally rose up and mutinied. The real story is far more complicated—and far more impressive. Long before the mutiny, Bligh had established himself as one of the finest navigators in the British Navy. And after being cast adrift by Fletcher Christian and his fellow mutineers in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, he accomplished one of the greatest survival voyages in maritime history, guiding eighteen men more than 3,600 miles to safety in a tiny open boat. This week, Ben is joined by Dr. Patricia Larash to separate fact from fiction and explore the remarkable life of William Bligh: explorer, naval officer, survivor, colonial governor, and perhaps the most unfairly maligned captain in history. Because getting mutinied against once is memorable. Getting mutinied against twice is a lifestyle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 時間 27 分
  • Muhammad Ali: Fighting the Whole World

    Muhammad Ali: Fighting the Whole World
    2026/06/11
    Few athletes have ever transcended their sport the way Muhammad Ali did. This week, Ben Thompson is joined by Dr. Patricia Larash and Mike Primavera to dive into the life of the heavyweight champion who didn’t just dominate boxing—he changed history. From winning Olympic gold and shocking the world by defeating Sonny Liston to refusing the draft at the height of the Vietnam War, Ali turned every fight into something bigger than sports. He was brilliant, controversial, hilarious, fearless, and impossible to ignore. Along the way, he battled legends, sacrificed years of his career for his principles, and became one of the most recognizable human beings on Earth. This is the story of Muhammad Ali—the boxer who conquered the ring, challenged a nation, and earned the title of The Greatest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 時間 18 分
  • Canute the Great: England’s Viking Nightmare

    Canute the Great: England’s Viking Nightmare
    2026/06/03
    Most people know Canute the Great from the famous story of him ordering the tide to stop. The problem? That’s not what actually happened. This week, Ben Thompson and Dr. Patricia Larash dive into the life of the Viking warrior who conquered England, forged a vast North Sea empire stretching from England to Denmark and Norway, and became one of the most powerful rulers in medieval Europe. Through battlefield victories, political maneuvering, and a surprising talent for statecraft, Canute transformed himself from a foreign invader into one of England’s most successful kings. It’s a story of longships, conquest, diplomacy, and the Viking who proved that sometimes the most badass thing a conqueror can do is learn how to govern. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 時間 2 分
  • Max Hardberger: The Repo Man of the High Seas

    Max Hardberger: The Repo Man of the High Seas
    2026/05/27
    Most repo men tow away Hondas in the middle of the night. Max Hardberger stole back multi-million dollar cargo ships from dictators, corrupt governments, and the Russian mafia. This week, Ben Thompson and producer Andrew Jacobs dive into the unbelievable true story of the maritime lawyer, poet, and sea captain who turned international ship repossession into an art form—using fake sinkings, voodoo priests, tropical storms, and sheer nerve to pull off some of the wildest heists in modern history. From Haiti to Vladivostok, this is the story of the world’s only cargo ship repo man… and the insane missions that made him a legend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    46 分
  • The 442nd: The Purple Heart Battalion

    The 442nd: The Purple Heart Battalion
    2026/05/21
    This week, Ben Thompson and special guest Shana Steinberg dive into the unbelievable true story of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team — the Japanese American soldiers who became the most decorated unit in U.S. military history while their own families sat behind barbed wire in internment camps back home. From brutal mountain warfare in Italy to the legendary rescue of the “Lost Battalion” in France, these men charged machine gun nests, scaled cliffs in the dead of night, and fought with a level of courage that stunned even their fellow soldiers. They battled Nazis overseas while confronting racism and suspicion from the very country they were risking everything to defend. It’s one of the most heroic, complicated, and emotionally devastating stories of World War II — and a reminder that patriotism is sometimes proven by the people a nation treats the worst. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 時間 15 分
  • Hughie Jennings: The Last Baseball Lunatic

    Hughie Jennings: The Last Baseball Lunatic
    2026/05/13
    Before baseball had billion-dollar contracts, concussion protocols, or even outfield walls… it had Hughie Jennings. This week, Ben Thompson is joined by baseball historian and comedian Jon Franklin to tell the unbelievable story of the coal miner-turned-Hall-of-Famer who survived skull fractures, car crashes, empty swimming pools, and 287 hit-by-pitches—all while becoming one of the greatest shortstops of the Dead Ball Era. From the lawless chaos of 1890s baseball to managing the only team crazy enough to tolerate Ty Cobb, Hughie Jennings lived like a cartoon character with a death wish. He helped change the game forever, invented new ways to get on base, and somehow kept getting back up no matter how hard life knocked him down. This is the story of baseball’s toughest lunatic—and one of the strangest legends the sport has ever produced. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    56 分
  • Babur: The Gunpowder King

    Babur: The Gunpowder King
    2026/05/06
    This week, Ben Thompson and Dr. Patricia Larash tell the story of Babur — the warrior poet who went from homeless teenage fugitive sleeping in the mountains under a shared cloak… to the founder of one of the greatest empires in history. Descended from both Genghis Khan and Tamerlane, Babur spent decades losing kingdoms, rebuilding armies, writing poetry, and searching for a place to belong before gambling everything on an invasion of India with just 12,000 men, a handful of cannons, and absolutely insane confidence. What followed was one of the most important military revolutions in history: cannon fire against war elephants, mounted archers against armies ten times his size, and the birth of the Mughal Empire. It’s a story of survival, innovation, stubbornness, melons, and one of the greatest comeback stories ever told. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 時間 6 分