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

Erin Poljanac

I'm Erin, your other co-host. I've been a life-long fan of history--Tudor girlies, rise up--and even in high school, Jamie and I wrote our own Robespierre play out of nerdy enjoyment. Robespierre and Napoleon's birthdays were celebrated with homemade cakes. While I studied English at the University of Minnesota, I have continued to be drawn to history with all its fascinating and improbable stories. In my free time, I love to write, read, and, of course, digest as many history podcasts as I possibly can. Medieval, Roman, and Early Modern time periods are my current go-to, but I am not monogamous when it comes to historical periods! I work as an I.T. professional and am currently raising two adorable but crazy cats with my husband, Matt.