Well, we’re back in the United States after talking about Queen Victoria and the British Empire, and honestly, I think I’m going to have to spend more time talking about the British Empire and how it grew during the 63 years of her reign, because the British really did a lot of conquering and colonizing … Read more
Last year, in 2023, the longest reigning monarch in British history passed away. That monarch was Queen Elizabeth II, and she reigned for over 70 years. That, by the way, is the second longest of all the monarchs we have record of, that is, if you don’t count the Sumerian List of Kings, which we … Read more
Sort of ironic that here we are talking about the time that Texas became an independent from Mexico, and became a republic, right at the same time that there’s a big conflict right on the Texas – Mexico border, and Texas is apparently resisting the US federal government’s efforts to open the border to whatever … Read more
In this episode, we are going to talk about Andrew Jackson, who is one of the most interesting men to have ever been the President of the US. In fact, if it wasn’t for his harsh treatment of the Indians, I mean, if he hadn’t done that, he would be in the running for the … Read more
So I have to start this episode by saying the Congress of Vienna, well, it isn’t a very dramatic moment. There’s no battles, no great drama, no moment of someone standing on the Mons Sacre declaring that they will not rest until Europe has this treaty finished. It’s not that kind of moment. But it … Read more
In this episode, we are heading to South America, to take a look at the independence movement that started to happen there in the early 1800’s. And the key person we need to talk about is Simón Bolívar. He is kind of the South American version of George Washington, although in a way that kind … Read more
The new President, James Monroe, who was elected in 1816, did not want the European powers meddling in the New World, now that they were no longer distracted by Napoleon. So in Monroe’s Inaugural Address, he said this: In the wars of the European powers in matters relating to themselves we have never taken … Read more
Before our last episode on the Industrial Revolution, we were talking about the end the colonial period and looking at the lives of several of the founding fathers, including Washington, Adams, Jefferson and Ben Franklin. I feel like there were several other notable people that I left off that list, most especially Alexander Hamilton, but … Read more
Ok, we are coming to the end of an era, and the beginning of a new one. But it’s not a clear transition this time. The Middle Ages basically ended with the beginning of the Enlightenment, though of course those two periods overlap as well. The new era we’re moving into is known as the … Read more
Ok, I have to acknowledge at the start here that I should have probably put this episode about Franklin before Adams or Jefferson, surely before Napoleon, but I was trying to follow the general flow of history, and Franklin kind of transcends the flow, you know? He’s undeniably one of the most important founding fathers, … Read more