Ambivalent Offenders: Re-Examining History’s Most Questionable Figures

Just like much of the past can’t be seen in black & white, neither can many of the people who lived there. So who are these people in the grey?

They've been called many things-- villains, notorious, infamous, questionable moral character, offenders of many crimes or horrific incidents. But like most people, the truth lies in the grey--and our podcast sheds light on the historical facts and stories behind each person in a conversational, approachable style and then finally lets us (& you) decide...Where do we think they fall in history’s judgment? Have they been fairly or unfairly vilified in the historical discourse?

Let us just boil it down to judging the hell out of some pretty interesting dead people.

Co-host

Jamie Poljanac

I'm Jamie and I'm a former social studies teacher. I taught for 9 years, both middle and high school, in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. History in particular has always been my passion (not many high school students order their own "Robespierre" sweatshirt or write a play about Robespierre with their twin...for fun). As a teacher, I got to create history electives around topics I found the most fascinating, including the one that inspired this podcast called "History's Greatest Villains on Trial." I currently work in education in the Twin Cities area.

My academic background, in case that didn't convince you enough of my nerd credentials, is in history as well; I graduated with a BA in History at the University of Minnesota and also have my Masters in Social Studies Education. In my free time, I wrangle kids, except this time my own two. Occasionally I get to watch tv or a movie.