
Historically Speaking Podcast
Uncommon history with an unconventional pair. Join married hosts Rebecca Robbins (a Broadway actress) and Kim Kimmel (her college history instructor) as they delve into topics that run the historical gambit. A gifted storyteller, Kim taught history at the collegiate level for 29 years while as a student, Rebecca always sat in the front row of his Western Civilizations class soaking up every word he said. For the record, she made an A in his class. She went on to pursue a Broadway career (The Phantom of The Opera, A Tale of Two Cities) while he continued to teach at her alma mater (Curtis Institute of Music). Though you couldn't get more different than these two with their 23-year age difference, together they bring history to life with their unique perspectives, entertaining banter, and shared love of the past. Sometimes quirky, sometimes obscure, this is the kind of history you’ll actually want to remember. Now in our Second Season. New episodes bi-weekly on Wednesday mornings.
Episodes
50 episodes
Arthur: The Man and The Legend
Legend has it that there once was a King named Arthur who allegedly lived in the late 5th and early 6th centuries and who, with his many companions, successfully fought off numerous enemies in Britain. But was there actually an historical Arthu...
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Season 2
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Episode 50
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31:36
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The Dreyfus Affair
It was a political scandal that rocked France to its core and proved to be a watershed event for European antisemitism. A French officer, Alfred Dreyfus, was accused of passing military secrets to the Germans. He was found guilty by a military ...
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Season 2
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Episode 49
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29:59

Some of History's Greatest Imposters
There have been many impostors throughout history and in this 48th episode we deal with six of them, two related to English history and four related to Russian history. All at one time or another had many who believed in them (or at least tried...
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Season 2
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Episode 48
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38:06

Hannibal Barca: Rome's Most Dangerous Enemy
After a six-week hiatus, we’re back and with a fast-paced adventure story that rivals even the best of Hollywood. It’s the story of Hannibal Barca. When outnumbered by the Roman military two to one, this fearless Carthaginian general, complete ...
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Season 2
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Episode 47
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39:05

Cheating The Hangman
Imagine being hung three times… unsuccessfully. That’s exactly what happened to Englishman, John “Babbacombe” Lee in 1885. Or in the case of Herman Göring, being slipped a cyanide pill just hours before you were scheduled to be hung. Or foiling...
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Season 2
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Episode 46
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34:31

Caligula and The Julio-Claudian Dynasty
“Let them hate me, so they but fear me.” ~ Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (aka Caligula)Caligula, the third Julio-Claudian emperor of the great Roman Empire, was known as a cruel, erratic, sex-crazed and delusional tyrant. Not only did...
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Season 2
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Episode 45
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33:26

South Africa: A Brief History
South Africa has a fascinating, complex, and often tragic history. From the migration of the Bantu to the settlements by the Dutch and British; from the Boar Wars to the fight to abolish apartheid, here in Episode 44, we explore the history of ...
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Season 2
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Episode 44
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46:15

The Counter Reformation
What do Georgetown University, St. Joseph’s University, and Loyola University have in common (besides basketball)? They were all founded by the Jesuits, and the Jesuit order of the Catholic Church was highly instrumental in the phenomenon known...
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Season 2
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Episode 43
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35:14

Martin Luther & The Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was one of the single greatest events in the history of Western Civilization. Led by Martin Luther, this protestation against the Catholic Church altered all of Western history. Here in Episode 42, we take a closer lo...
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Season 2
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Episode 42
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46:19

The Crimean War
"Into the valley of death rode the six hundred." Here in Episode 41, we take a closer look at the events that inspired Lord Alfred Tennyson to write those words in his epic poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade". We also explore both the long-t...
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Season 2
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Episode 41
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33:25

Lawrence of Arabia
Lawrence of Arabia is the stuff of legend. There have been numerous books written and films made about him, but who was T.E. Lawrence actually? What made this man with so many talents, who was also immensely brave and resourceful, act and think...
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Season 2
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Episode 40
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33:59

The Black Death
Many diseases throughout history have wiped out entire families, villages or even towns, but nothing even comes close to the death and destruction that would become known as the Black Death. It made periodic appearances throughout the centuries...
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Season 2
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Episode 39
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27:56

The Scopes Monkey Trial
Imagine sitting in a 97-degree court room in the middle of July while you’re being prosecuted for a crime you’re not even sure you committed. This is exactly the situation twenty-four-year-old John T. Scopes found himself in during the summer o...
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Season 2
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Episode 38
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36:17

Napoleon: Part II
Napoleon, was he hero or villain? An enlightened genius or supreme egotist? Superb diplomat or an immoral usurper? All of the above? Continuing with Part II of our Napoleon series, we take a closer look into his greatest achievements as well as...
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Season 2
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Episode 37
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41:29

Napoleon: Part I
Are great leaders made or just born that way? It seems that in the case of Napoleon, he truly was born to lead. It is said that his troops would have followed him into the gates of hell. But how good or bad was he and what is his legacy? Here i...
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Season 2
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Episode 36
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36:06

Staying Alive
“A leader is a dealer in hope.” —Napoleon BonaparteHere in Episode 35, we take a closer look at two perhaps lesser-known great leaders in history. When all hope was lost and the odds were stacked against them, they defied all proba...
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Season 2
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Episode 35
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37:18

Hard to Kill
There are a handful of people in history who seem to have had an uncanny ability to escape death. Whether evading a lone assassin, dodging friendly fire during the heat of battle, or simply defying the laws of nature by smoking over 200 cigaret...
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Season 2
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Episode 34
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32:03
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The Restoration & Charles II
The Restoration period is known as probably the most bawdy era in English history. And who was it that ushered in this remarkable age? Why, the Merry Monarch himself, Charles II. In addition to having a great fondness for the ladies and the goo...
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Season 2
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Episode 33
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45:32

The Salem Witch Trials
The years 1692-1693 were some of the darkest times in American history. They were the years when mass hysteria ruled the land and young girls were inexplicably stricken with fits of screaming, barking, shaking, and crying. It was a group of rou...
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Season 1
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Episode 32
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35:21

Jack The Ripper
During the late summer and fall of 1888, a district in East London was being terrorized by an unknown Victorian serial killer. In a September 25th letter addressed to the Central News Agency, the yet to be identified murderer boasted of his rec...
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Season 1
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Episode 31
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39:08

A Handful of Holiday Histories
Everyone has their favorite holiday, but do you know how your favorite holiday came into being? The answers may surprise you. For instance, in 12th century England, New Year’s Day was celebrated on March 25th, but the ancient Celts celebrated t...
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Season 1
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Episode 30
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36:51

Macbeth: Fact or Fiction?
Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a fascinating figure- resourceful, brave, insightful, reflective, but it’s his inordinate ambition that leads to his downfall. Can the same be said of Scotland’s real Macbeth? Here in Episode 29, we unpack the character...
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Season 1
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Episode 29
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31:50
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Joan of Arc
Almost six centuries have come and gone and we’re still talking about an illiterate peasant girl who only lived to be nineteen years old. Why? Not only did she inspire her nation by leading thousands of men into battle, but she also ushered in ...
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Season 1
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Episode 28
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31:00

Cuba: A Brief History
In October of 1492, Christopher Columbus landed on an island in the Caribbean Sea and christened it “Juana” in honor of Prince Don Juan, son of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain. From there, Cuba would remain under Spanish rule for over 400 years...
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Season 1
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Episode 27
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43:13

Famous Spies: The Male Edition
Spy: (noun) “A person employed by one nation to secretly convey classified information of strategic importance to another nation.” When someone says the word spy, the image that pops into most people’s minds is James Bond (for us here at Histor...
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Season 1
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Episode 26
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48:09
