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History Dispatches

Matt and McKinley Breen
History Dispatches
Latest episode

387 episodes

  • History Dispatches

    Dorothy Molter - The Root Beer Lady

    12/10/2026 | 21 mins.
    In the Boundary Waters of Minnesota, in some of the most pristine and untouched wilderness in the world, lived Dorothy Molter, the last permanent resident of the region. She lived alone for decades, and was called the loneliest woman in America. Except she wasn't quite alone - considering she was visited by thousands of tourists every year to drink her world famous root beer.

    Sources

    https://www.rootbeerlady.com/dorothy/

    Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Molter#/media/File:DorothyMolterWelcome.jpg

    History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

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  • History Dispatches

    Margery Booth - Opera Singer and Spy

    09/10/2026 | 21 mins.
    Margery Booth was a British opera singer who became popular in Germany in the 1930s - and was even a favorite of Adolf Hitler. She married a German man, and became a naturalized German citizen. In WWII, she continued her career as best as she could - but also, she became a spy for her native land. This is the story of the daring - and often overlooked - exploits of Margery Booth.

    Sources

    https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a73538836/margery-booth-spy-hitler/

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margery_Booth

    https://www.wiganlocalhistory.org/articles/margery-booth-the-operatic-spy

    Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Margery_Booth.jpg

    History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

    Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
  • History Dispatches

    The Brazen Bull - One of the cruelest torture devices in history

    07/10/2026 | 17 mins.
    What goes around comes around is often a saying to make someone feel better - but in the case of the Brazen Bull it was apt. The Brazen Bull was a legendary and cruel torture device from the ancient world. And its first victim was the man who created it.

    Sources

    https://www.livius.org/articles/person/phalaris/bull-of-phalaris/

    https://www.livius.org/articles/person/phalaris/

    Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pierre_Woeiriot,_The_Brazen_Bull_of_Phalarus,_NGA_54032.jpg

    History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

    Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
  • History Dispatches

    Rikers Island Salvador Dali Art Heist

    05/10/2026 | 22 mins.
    Rikers Island - the New York City jail complex - was the home for nearly 40 years to a painting by surrealist master Salvador Dali. He donated the painting to Rikers in 1965, and it hung in the facility until 2003 - when it disappeared - and has never been found. This is the story of the Rikers Island Art Heist.

    Sources

    https://www.insideedition.com/how-a-salvador-dali-drawing-was-stolen-from-rikers-island-58539

    https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/news/2004/jul/15/warden-sentenced-for-stealing-dali-painting-from-rikers-island-jail/

    https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a22854081/rikers-island-stolen-salvador-dali-painting/

    Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Salvador_Dali_NYWTS.jpg

    History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

    Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
  • History Dispatches

    The SS Eastland Disaster: The worst disaster in Great Lakes history

    02/10/2026 | 18 mins.
    The deadliest day in on the Great Lakes was not a ferocious storm far out to sea. But rather a calm day in a Chicago harbor. That is when a passenger steamer listed and rolled into the lake, claiming 844 lives. This is the story of the SS Eastland Disaster.

    Sources

    https://eastlanddisaster.org/

    Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Eastland_disaster#/media/File:Eastland_Postcard_-_View_of_Eastland_taken_from_south_side_of_river_shortly_after_accident.png

    History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

    Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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About History Dispatches
History Dispatches is a daily history show hosted by father and son duo Matt and McKinley Breen. The show covers people, places, events and even objects from throughout history. While any topic is fair game, Matt and McKinley hold a soft spot for the offbeat and wacky stories that most people don’t know about.
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