Michael Rank's Blog, page 21
June 10, 2013
HFM 018 | Imposters in History, Part 1: Martin Guerre and the 16th c. Trickster Who Fooled a French Village
How did a man who stole the identity of the 16th c. Frenchman Martin Guerre manage to fool his neighbors, family, and even wife into believing he was the long-lost man for three years? Was he a master con artists or did he prey on the village’s suspension of disbelief? This podcast is Part 1 in a two-part series on history’s most famous imposters.
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June 3, 2013
HFM 017 | How to Memorize Like Cicero: Why Ancients Could Memorize the Phone Book
In this episode of the History in Five Minutes Podcast we look at the lost art of memorization. Boys in ancient Greece memorized Homer’s The Odyssey and the Iliad, medieval monks committed dozens of sermons to memory, and Augustine could fire off Cicero without breaking a sweat. Were all people in the ancient world like Dustin Hoffman’s Rain Man, or did they make use of lost techniques?
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May 27, 2013
HFM 016 | Indulgences: A Get-Out-of-Hell-Free Card?
Was it really possible to buy your way out of hell in the Middle Ages? If so, how much did it cost? And what did the Catholic Church do with this money? This episode of History in Five Minutes Podcast looks at all these issues and more. Additionally, you will find out that indulgences still exist today, although not in the way that you think.
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May 22, 2013
HFM 015 | The U.S. Camel Corps of 1856: A Failed Attempt to Bring Caravans to America
In this episode of the History in Five Minutes Podcast, we look at the US Army’s experiment of using camels as the military’s main pack animal in the American Southwest. The new land that was conquered after the Mexican-American war required a sturdier animal than donkeys and horses, something that could withstand the heat of Death Valley. Would the project work?
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To listen to a country song inspired by one of the cameleers, Hi Jolly, watch the Youtube video below:
May 15, 2013
HFM 014 | How Kim Jong Il Shot 38-Under-Par the First Time He Golfed
In this episode of the History in Five Minutes Podcast, we look at the crazed ruled of Kim Jong Il, the legends he spread about himself, and why the depiction of him in “Team America: World Police” is not so far off.
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May 14, 2013
HFM 013 | Ataturk’s Legacy: If One Person Were as Influential as Jefferson, Washington, and Franklin Combined
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (1881-1938)
In this episode of the History in Five Minutes Podcast, we look at the larger-than-life figure of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Overstating his role in the formation of Turkey is impossible, as is avoiding pictures of him in the country. What did he do to make such an indelible mark on history?
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May 3, 2013
HFM 012 | Vlad Dracul: The Brutal Life of Count Dracula’s Inspiration
In this episode of the History in Five Minutes Podcast, we look at the life of Vlad Dracul — the namesake and inspiration of Count Dracula. He was also known as “The Impaler” due to his constant use of this gruesome means of medieval torture. How did he earn this blood reputation and what circumstances in life led him down this path?
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FMC Podcast 012 | Vlad Dracul — The Brutal Life of Count Dracula’s Inspiration
In this episode of the Five Minute Courses Podcast, we look at the life of Vlad Dracul — the namesake and inspiration of Count Dracula. He was also known as “The Impaler” due to his constant use of this gruesome means of medieval torture. How did he earn this blood reputation and what circumstances in life led him down this path?
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March 29, 2013
New book “History’s Most Insane Rulers” has launched!
Does it pay to be crazy? Based on the longevity of the reigns of history’s craziest rulers, the answer appears to be ‘yes.’
Whether it is Ottoman Sultan Ibrahim I practicing archery on palace servants and sending out his advisers to find the fattest woman in the empire for his wife or Turkmenistan President Turkmenbashi renaming the days of the week after himself and constructing an 80-foot golden statue that revolves to face the sun, crazed leaders have plagued society for millenia, and they don’t appear to be going away.
My book is now available on Kindle and paperback, both in Amazon. Hope you enjoy!
January 8, 2013
HFM 011 | Ancient Middle East Civilization
In this episode of the History in Five Minutes Podcast, we look at Ancient Middle East civilization. We look at the influence of Roman and Persian culture on the Arab tribes and Christian heretics that would one day form early Islamic civilization.
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