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History Dispatches

Matt and McKinley Breen
History Dispatches
Latest episode

382 episodes

  • History Dispatches

    Loving Day - The story of Richard and Mildred Loving

    30/09/2026 | 14 mins.
    In 1958, Richard Loving - a white man - married Mildred Jeter - a black woman. The newlyweds would be arrested a year later in Virginia - where mixed race marriages were illegal. Eight years and countless court cases later, the Supreme Court - on June 12, 1967 - would strike down that law. This is the story of Richard and Mildred Jeter - and Loving Day.

    Sources

    https://time.com/archive/6916188/loving-day/

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

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loving_v._Virginia

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

    Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mildred_and_Richard_Loving_1967_by_UPI.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

    Hannibal's most daring achievement: Crossing the Alps

    28/09/2026 | 24 mins.
    When Hannibal - the sworn enemy of Rome wanted to attack Italy - he had a problem. Going by sea was impossible, and invading by land was almost as difficult as it required crossing the Alps, which are some of the most formidable mountains in the world. The key word though is 'almost.' Because in 16 harrowing days Hannibal and his army did exactly that - crossed the Alps - in one of the greatest achievements in military history.

    Sources

    https://www.livius.org/sources/content/hannibal-in-the-alps/

    https://www.livius.org/articles/person/hannibal-3-barca/hannibal-in-the-alps/

    https://www.maajournal.com/index.php/maa/article/view/490/416

    Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Heinrich_Leutemann_-_Hannibals_%C3%9Cbergang_%C3%BCber_die_Alpen_(cropped).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

    Operation Rubicon - one of the most successful intelligence operations of the Cold War

    25/09/2026 | 22 mins.
    Crypto AG was a Swiss company that specialized in encryption technology with roots all the way back to 1920. In 1970, the company was sold. The buyers - the CIA and BND - the latter West Germany's intelligence service. The result was described as the 'Intelligence Coup of the Century'. This is the story of Operation Rubicon.

    Sources

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/world/national-security/cia-crypto-encryption-machines-espionage/

    https://www.cryptomuseum.com/intel/cia/rubicon.htm

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

    Image: by Rama - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hagelin_CX-52-IMG_0568-white.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 Smoot: History's oddest measuring stick

    23/09/2026 | 16 mins.
    On a cold October night, on the Harvard Bridge in Boston, Oliver Smoot and his fellow MIT fraternity pledges were doing something odd - measuring how long the bridge was in Mr. Smoot's height. But they succeeded, and eventually this would cause the unit - the Smoot - to be born. It is a story that lives on in the lore of Boston, MIT, the Internet, and the very concrete of the Harvard Bridge itself.

    Sources

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

    https://news.mit.edu/2008/smoot-tt0924

    Image: Courtesy MIT - https://mitmuseum.mit.edu/collections/object/GCP-00023939?query=smoot&resultIndex=6

    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

    10 Tragic Days: The coup that rocked Mexico

    21/09/2026 | 24 mins.
    Over 10 days in 1913, Mexico experienced a coup d'état that would lead to the execution of its nation’s president. During this crisis, Mexico would end up having - in less than an hour’s time span - three different presidents. This is the story of the 10 Tragic Days.

    Sources

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

    https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/mexican-revolution-and-the-united-states/interactive-map.html

    https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Ten_Tragic_Days

    Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Decena_trágica.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
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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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