Epik Fails of History

"Much of the evil in the world is due to the fact that man, in general, is hopelessly unconscious..." - Carl Jung In our epic finale for Season 3's "The Bracket of Fails" (which we first started in 2021... two and a half years ago) - Erik and Justin 'debate' over who is the most Epic Fail of History: Spanish Conquistador - Francisco Pizarro vs Joseph Stalin - Soviet Dictator of the USSR! For more, check out Erik's articles here: ⁠Tales From Under the Iron Fist of STALIN PIZARRO: Fall of the Incan Empire Also on this Episode - Epic WINS of History: Women of the Dutch Resistance (WWII) Next Time: VIKINGS! (w/ Ben Thompson) In the meantime, check out our other podcasts: Podcasters Assemble! (A Movie Podcast) The Super Switch Club: A Nintendo Podcast Nerdeagram: An Enneagram Podcast 2 Young 4 This Trek: A Star Trek Podcast Comic Zombie Follow / Message Me on Social Media: E-mail: ErikSlader@gmail.com Twitter: @ErikSlader @EpikFailsdotcom Instagram: @ErikSlader @EpikFailsOfHistory ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠All 4 EPIC FAILS books are now available on Amazon!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can also support me here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BuyMeACoffee.com/EpikFails!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Outro Music / Segment Jingles by DeftStroke Sound!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ This podcast is a production of the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We Can Make This Work (Probably) Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ follow us to keep up with this show and discover our many other podcasts!

"History is a set of lies agreed upon." - Napoleon Bonaparte In the latest mini-episode, Erik Slader goes solo to give his review of Ridley Scott's "NAPOLEON" (2023) - starring: Joaquin Phoenix! How historically accurate was it? What makes a good history movie? Was Napoleon an Epic Fail? Find out now! For more, check out Erik's Napoleon articles here: NAPOLEON - Part One: THE EPIC NAPOLEON - Part Two: THE FAIL NAPOLEON - Part Three: THE END And listen to Meghan and Erik's brand new podcast: Nerdeagram - now on Spotify! Follow / Message Me on Social Media: E-mail: ErikSlader@gmail.com Twitter: @ErikSlader @EpikFailsdotcom Instagram: @ErikSlader @EpikFailsOfHistory ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠All 4 EPIC FAILS books are now available on Amazon!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can also support me here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BuyMeACoffee.com/EpikFails!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Outro Music / Segment Jingles by DeftStroke Sound!⁠⁠⁠⁠ This podcast is a production of the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We Can Make This Work (Probably) Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ follow us to keep up with this show and discover our many other podcasts!

"Ridicule is not a part of the scientific method and the public should not be taught that it is." - J. Allen Hynek Erik Slader goes down the rabbit hole on some topics on the fringe of history: D.B. Cooper - one of the FBI's greatest mysteries, a conspiracy theory that turned out to be true (MK-Ultra), and the Roswell Incident of 1947 - a potential government coverup where the official story keeps changing, as well as the recent 2023 Congressional Hearing on UAP! ⁠ Also on this Episode: Epic Wins: Marie Curie Chris's Conspiracy Corner: The CIA's Project "MK-Ultra" Quantum Mechanics, the Double-Slit Experiment, and a potential scientific explanation for psychic phenomenon Check out my original D.B. Cooper article here⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠my latest article on 8 mysterious UFO/UAP sightings throughout history! ⁠ Further Links: The UAP Disclosure Act of 2023 NPR: The 2023 UAP Congressional Hearing "UFO's: Investigating the Unknown" documentary by National Geographic - Disney Plus (2023) "D.B. Cooper - Where Are You?!" - Netflix documentary (2021) Project MK-Ultra files (CIA.gov) Scientific American: "Is Consciousness Part of the Fabric of the Universe?" Recommended Podcasts: Weaponized Need to Know Otherworld It's Probably (not) Aliens! Against All Oddities The NeatCast Random Clips / Music: "The War of the Worlds" - Mercury Theatre Radio Broadcast by Orson Welles (1938), "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1951), "The Twilight Zone" (1959), "A Few Good Men" (1992), "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" (1998), "The Big Lebowski" (1998), "The Matrix" (1999), "FRINGE" (2008-2013), "The Men Who Stare at Goats" (2009), "Stranger Things" (2016-?), etc Outro Music / Segment Jingles by DeftStroke Sound!⁠⁠ Follow / Message Me on Social Media: E-mail: ErikSlader@gmail.com Twitter: @ErikSlader @EpikFailsdotcom Instagram: @ErikSlader @EpikFailsOfHistory ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠All 4 EPIC FAILS books are now available on Amazon!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can also support me here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BuyMeACoffee.com/EpikFails!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ This podcast is a production of the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We Can Make This Work (Probably) Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ follow us to keep up with this show and discover our many other podcasts!

This is it, the last elimination round before our final face off in the Bracket of Fails! ⁠Vote now below (directly on the Spotify app) for our semifinals... ⁠ Last Time: Caligula vs Francisco Pizarro This Time: Andrew Jackson vs Stalin! (vote below - note should be fixed now, if not, may have to reload the app, my bad lol) Click here to read my latest article on mysterious UFO/UAP sightings throughout history! Follow / Message Me on Social Media: E-mail: ErikSlader@gmail.com Twitter: @ErikSlader @EpikFailsdotcom Instagram: @ErikSlader @EpikFailsOfHistory ⁠⁠⁠⁠All 4 EPIC FAILS books are now available on Amazon!⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can also support me here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠BuyMeACoffee.com/EpikFails!⁠⁠⁠⁠ This podcast is a production of the ⁠⁠⁠⁠We Can Make This Work (Probably) Network⁠⁠⁠⁠ follow us to keep up with this show and discover our many other podcasts!

“Machine intelligence is the last invention that humanity will ever need to make...” - Nick Bostrom Episode 33 - Erik Slader and Justin Ache are joined by Leo Allen Jr. from the Voluntary Input Podcast - to talk about the history, ethics, potential dangers, and hopes for the future of Artificial Intelligence systems. Will A.I. destroy the world? Find out today! And be sure to check out all the amazing / hilarious "A.I. History Artwork" that our listeners and fellow podcasters sent in! Also on this Episode: Epik WINS of History: Alan Turing The Rise and Fall of Google's "Stadia" (2019-2023) Elon Musks's "Star Link" satellite internet Pop-Culture Clips / Music / References: "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968), "Blade Runner" (1982), "WarGames" (1983), "Star Trek: The Next Generation" - S2E9: 'The Measure of a Man' (1989), "Terminator 2: Judgement Day" (1991), "The Matrix" (1999), "Battlestar Galactica" (2004-2009), Disney's "TRON: Legacy" (2010), "Watson and the Jeopardy! Challenge" - IBM Research (2013), "HER" (2013), "West World" (2016 - 2022), "M3GAN" (2022), etc ⁠Outro Music / Segment Jingles by DeftStroke Sound!⁠ Listen to our previous 'Digital Age' episodes: ⁠E15 - "The 20th Anniversary of Y2k",⁠ and ⁠E22 - "A History of Hackers and Digital Heists" ⁠for more! Listen to “Robopocalypse” by Daniel H. Wilson on Audible (click here for a free trial)! ⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow / Message Me on Social Media: E-mail: ErikSlader@gmail.com Twitter: @ErikSlader @EpikFailsdotcom Instagram: @ErikSlader @EpikFailsOfHistory ⁠⁠⁠All 4 EPIC FAILS books are now available on Amazon!⁠⁠⁠ You can also support me here: ⁠⁠⁠BuyMeACoffee.com/EpikFails!⁠⁠⁠ This podcast is a production of the ⁠⁠⁠We Can Make This Work (Probably) Network⁠⁠⁠ follow us to keep up with this show and discover our many other podcasts!

We're down to "The Final Four" on our Bracket of Fails! Vote now below (directly on Spotify) for our semifinals... Caligula vs Francisco Pizarro Next Time: Andrew Jackson vs Stalin! Follow / Message Me on Social Media: E-mail: ErikSlader@gmail.com Twitter: @ErikSlader @EpikFailsdotcom Instagram: @ErikSlader @EpikFailsOfHistory ⁠⁠⁠All 4 EPIC FAILS books are now available on Amazon!⁠⁠⁠ You can also support me here: ⁠⁠⁠BuyMeACoffee.com/EpikFails!⁠⁠⁠ This podcast is a production of the ⁠⁠⁠We Can Make This Work (Probably) Network⁠⁠⁠ follow us to keep up with this show and discover our many other podcasts!

“Reality is frequently inaccurate.” ― Douglas Adams For our third anthology episode, we invited podcasters from around the world to share some more Random Tales of Fail... Podcasters / Topics Featured: Elyse from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Super Switch Club - Australian Expedition Shenanigans: the ridiculous rivalry of William Hovell and Hamilton Hume Link Flores from Twitch.TV/LinkIBe - Epic African Slave Escapes: Eliza Harris, Henry 'Box' Brown, and Robert Smalls! Dan Hitch from ⁠The Temporal Trek Podcast⁠ - Parachute Mines (WWII) Ben from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dragoon Effect - The Sullivan Brothers (WWII), the Third Co-Founder of Apple, and the tragic history of The Lobotomy... Erik presents: The Maginot Line (WWII) *and* The War for... Jenkin's Ear?! Also on this Episode: Chris's Conspiracy Corner: The Hollow Earth *and* Flat Earth Theories?! Bracket of Fails - Round 3 Tie-Breaker: Christopher Columbus vs Andrew Jackson! Epik WINS of History: Cathay Williams *and* Madam C.J. Walker (Listen to our other Anthology Episodes: Episode 14 and Episode 18, our Earth Week Special!) If you’d like to submit a segment for an upcoming episode, click here!⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow / Message Me on Social Media: E-mail: ErikSlader@gmail.com Twitter: @ErikSlader @EpikFailsdotcom Instagram: @ErikSlader @EpikFailsOfHistory ⁠⁠All 4 EPIC FAILS books are now available on Amazon!⁠⁠ You can also support me here: ⁠⁠BuyMeACoffee.com/EpikFails!⁠⁠ This podcast is a production of the ⁠⁠We Can Make This Work (Probably) Network⁠⁠ follow us to keep up with this show and discover our many other podcasts!

Episode 31.5 - Erik and Justin are back for a "quick" review of Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" (2023), starring Cillian Murphy - aka 'Existential Dread: The Movie'! How accurate is it? Did Nolan actually drop a nuke? Does Robert Downey Jr. deserve an Oscar? Who played Einstein? Does it stack up against Margot Robbie's "Barbie"? Is that Gary Oldman?! Find out now! Also on this Episode: "LK-99"?! - A quick breaking news alert about what may end up being the revolutionary discovery of a "room temperature super-conductor" in South Korea! Initial thoughts on the trailer for Ridley Scott's "Napoleon" (2023) starring Joaquin Phoenix Discussion of the ongoing Writers Strike and AI A breakdown of The Bracket of Fails - Round 3! The Bracket of Fails - Round 3: "The Hateful Eight":  Gavrilo Princip vs Caligula Stede Bonnet (the Gentleman Pirate) vs Francisco Pizarro (Spanish Conquistador) Stalin vs President Andrew Johnson Columbus vs President Andrew Jackson Click here to VOTE NOW for all 4 matches of Round 3! Follow / Message Me on Social Media: E-mail: ErikSlader@gmail.com Twitter: @ErikSlader @EpikFailsdotcom Instagram: @ErikSlader @EpikFailsOfHistory ⁠⁠All 4 "EPIC FAILS" history books are available on Amazon!⁠⁠ You can also support me here: ⁠⁠BuyMeACoffee.com/EpikFails!⁠⁠ This podcast is a production of the ⁠⁠We Can Make This Work (Probably) Network⁠⁠ follow us to keep up with this show and discover our many other podcasts! And follow the discussion in our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Discord server⁠⁠!

Episode 31 - Erik and Justin are back to give their breakdown of Round 2 on ⁠the Bracket of Fails - with a little help from AI? The Bracket of Fails - Round 2:  Brutus vs Gavrilo Princip Louis XVI vs Caligula Stede Bonnet vs Xerxes Alexander the Great vs Francisco Pizarro Leopold II vs Stalin King John vs President Andrew Johnson Napoleon vs President Andrew Jackson Columbus vs Ethelred the Unready Vote on our Facebook Group! Random Clips: "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" (1989), Disney's "Robin Hood" (1973), "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" (1986), "Titanic" (1997), "300" (2006), "History of the World - Part One" (1981), "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968), "Pirates of the Caribbean" (2003), "Battlestar Galactica" (1978), and the trailer for Ridley Scott's "Napoleon" (2023)! If you’d like to submit a segment for an upcoming episode, click here!⁠ Follow / Message Me on Social Media: E-mail: ErikSlader@gmail.com Twitter: @ErikSlader @EpikFailsdotcom Instagram: @ErikSlader @EpikFailsOfHistory ⁠All 4 EPIC FAILS books are now available on Amazon!⁠ You can also support me here: ⁠BuyMeACoffee.com/EpikFails!⁠ This podcast is a production of the ⁠We Can Make This Work (Probably) Network⁠ follow us to keep up with this show and discover our many other podcasts!

"A person who never made a mistake, never tried anything." - Albert Einstein Episode 30 - Erik is joined by both his co-hosts - Chris and Justin - recording together *in person* (for the first time since Episode 3), for a very special milestone episode! Read Erik's original article, Nuclear Fails: 10 of the Most Terrifying Atomic Mistakes in History - here! Also on this Episode: Epik Wins of History: Lonnie Johnson 10 Years of Epik Fails?! (Read more here) Nobody Expects the Epik Inquisition! (Pop Quiz) Sir William White the Science Knight - skit (watch here on You Tube!) The Bracket of Fails: Christopher Columbus vs Guy Fawkes Ethelred "the Unready" vs "Holy Roman Emperor" Joseph II  Music Clips: "Chained to the Rhythm" by Katy Perry w/ Skip Marley (2017), "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons (2012), "99 Red Balloons" by Nena (1983), "Don't Fear the Reaper" by Blue Oyster Cult (1976), Audio Clips: "War Games" (1983), "Duck and Cover" (1951), "Duke Nukem 3D" (1996), "Aliens" (1986), "Godzilla" (1956), "Thunderball" (1965), "Star Wars" (1977), "Mad Max: Fury Road" (2015), "The Simpsons", "South Park", etc Outro Music / Segment Jingles by DeftStroke Sound! And you can support me by buying my latest book, "2299" on Amazon! Follow / Message Us on Social Media: E-mail: ErikSlader@gmail.com Twitter: @ErikSlader @EpikFailsdotcom Instagram: @ErikSlader @EpikFailsofHistory Click here to join our Facebook Group! All 4 EPIC FAILS books are available on Amazon, as well as my latest sci-fi novella, "2299"! (Get a free audio book on Audible at:  http://www.audibletrial.com/EpikFails) You can also support me directly here: BuyMeACoffee.com/EpikFails This podcast is a production of the We Can Make This Work (Probably) Network follow us to keep up with this show and discover our many other podcasts - including: 2 Young 4 This Trek, Comic Zombie, and Podcasters Assemble!

"Failure is not the opposite of success, it's part of success." - Arianna Huffington Episode 29.5 - In our latest mini-episode, Erik Slader highlights some of the biggest (positive) historically-relevant stories of the past year, and reminisces about the 10th anniversary of "Epik Fails of History"! Epik *Wins* of 2022: The launch of Artermis-1: NASA's first mission to the moon since Apollo (click here for footage of the Artemis launch!) First images back from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope! (click here for NASA's announcement) The Pentagon's 2022 UAP Report... (click here for the 60 Minutes interview with Navy pilots and military personnel regarding UFO's) History's first successful Fusion reaction!? (click here for Neil deGrasse Tyson's reaction to the news on "Star Talk") Next Time: Episode 30 - "Nuclear Fails!" Read more about the blog here: "10 Years of Epik Fails?!" Check out "Episode 26 and 3/4" for my thoughts on the war in Ukraine And follow the Epik Fails Facebook Group to vote on the latest 'Bracket of Fails' matches, memes, and more!  Audio / Music Clips: "Monty Python's Life of Brian" (1979), "E.T." (1982), "Star Trek: First Contact" (1996), "Men in Black" (1997), "Breaking Bad" (2008-2013) Outro Music / Segment Jingles by DeftStroke Sound! Follow / Message Us on Social Media: E-mail: ErikSlader@gmail.com Twitter: @ErikSlader @EpikFailsdotcom Instagram: @ErikSlader @EpikFailsofHistory All 4 EPIC FAILS books are available on Amazon, as well as my latest sci-fi novella, "2299"! (Get a free audio book on Audible at:  http://www.audibletrial.com/EpikFails) You can also support me directly here: BuyMeACoffee.com/EpikFails This podcast is a production of the We Can Make This Work (Probably) Network follow us to keep up with this show and discover our many other podcasts - including: 2 Young 4 This Trek, Comic Zombie, and Podcasters Assemble!

"Treat the Earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children." - Crazy Horse, Lakota War Leader Episode 29 - Erik Slader goes solo for a deep dive into the tragic and complicated true story behind the Thanksgiving holiday, starting in 1621 with the Mayflower Pilgrims and Squanto to the Green Corn Massacre of 1637, King Phillip's War, and beyond...  Also on this episode:  The Bracket of Fails:  Hernán Cortés vs Francisco Pizarro / Pope Urban II vs President Andrew Jackson  Epik Wins of History: Pocahontas Dan Hitch Presents: The Sovereign of the Seas Chris's Conspiracy Corner: Big Foot?! Audio / Music Clips: "One World / We Are One" by Mag 7 and IllumiNative (2019), random clips from: "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" (2007), "Adams Family Values" (1993), "How I Met Your Mother" (2005), "60 Minutes" (UAP story), SNL, etc  Outro Music / Segment Jingles by DeftStroke Sound! Listen to “Mayflower” by Nathaniel Philbrick on Audible (click here for a free trial)! Click here to check out our Podcasters Disassembled episode on "PREY"!  And you can support me by buying my latest book, "2299" on Amazon!  Follow / Message Us on Social Media: E-mail: ErikSlader@gmail.com Twitter: @ErikSlader @EpikFailsdotcom Instagram: @ErikSlader @EpikFailsofHistory Click here to join our Facebook Group!  All 4 EPIC FAILS books are available on Amazon, as well as my latest sci-fi novella, "2299"!   (Get a free audio book on Audible at:  http://www.audibletrial.com/EpikFails) You can also support me directly here: BuyMeACoffee.com/EpikFails This podcast is a production of the We Can Make This Work (Probably) Network follow us to keep up with this show and discover our many other podcasts - including: 2 Young 4 This Trek, Comic Zombie, and Podcasters Assemble!

"How very little can be done under the spirit of fear." - Florence Nightingale Episode 28 - Something wicked this way comes...  Erik and Justin are joined by their wives, Meghan Slader and Meghan Ache (aka "The Meghans"), for this Epik Halloween Special to talk about The Salem Witch Trials (of 1692 and 1693), as well as the long and dark history of the European witch burnings, the Celtic origins of 'All Hallow's Eve', and even the Spanish Inquisition!  Also on this episode: Epik Wins of History: Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" The Bracket of Fails: Vlad the Impaler vs Leopold II of Belgium / Stalin vs Ivan the Terrible Spooky History Trivia: Jack the Ripper, The Blood Countess, Werewolves, and more!  Post-Credits Bloopers - and a random tangent about coffee in Boston? Audio / Music Clips: "Frankenstein" (1931), "The Wizard of Oz" (1939), "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" (1975), John Carpenter's "Halloween" (1978), "Ghostbusters II" (1989), "Bram Stoker's Dracula" (1992), "Hocus Pocus" (1993), "Battlestar Galactica" (2004), "Samhain" by Lisa Thiel (2005) Outro Music / Segment Jingles by DeftStroke Sound! Listen to “The Devil in the White City” by Erik Larson on Audible (click here for a free trial)! Other 'Spooky' Podcasts to Check Out:  2 Young 4 This Trek: "The Magics of Megas-Tu" (The one with the devil) Podcasters Assemble - Season 6: "Ghostbusters" Skeleton House: “the Mortuary Assistant” (Guest Narrator Cameo) Horror Ramblings (upcoming 'Halloween' episode with Erik Slader) Podcasters Disassembled: "Hocus Pocus" - coming soon!  Follow / Message Us on Social Media: E-mail: ErikSlader@gmail.com Twitter: @ErikSlader @EpikFailsdotcom Instagram: @ErikSlader @EpikFailsofHistory All 4 EPIC FAILS books are now available on Amazon! (Get a free audio book on Audible at http://www.audibletrial.com/EpikFails) You can also support me here: BuyMeACoffee.com/EpikFails! This podcast is a production of the We Can Make This Work (Probably) Network follow us to keep up with this show and discover our many other podcasts - including: 2 Young 4 This Trek, Comic Zombie, and Podcasters Assemble!

From Erik Slader, the creator of Epik Fails of History, comes a bold new vision of the future, in his latest book: "2299"! “2299” is a sci-fi noir about a detective on the edge of the abyss. While investigating a cold case on Vanaheim – a space station orbiting Neptune, Desmond Faust finds himself ensnared in a web of lies and murder. The closer he gets to discovering the truth, the more aware he becomes that he might not leave this place alive… "2299" is available now on Amazon *and* Audible! Network Info This podcast is a production of the We Can Make This Work (Probably) Network. Follow us below to keep up with this show and discover our many other podcasts! The place for those with questionable taste! Twitter | Facebook| Instagram: @probablyworkwww.probablywork.com Email: ProbablyWorkPod@gmail.com

"Nana korobi, ya oki - Fall down seven times, stand up eight." - Japanese proverb Episode 27 - Erik teams up once again with the legendary Kory Torjussen (The World Is My Burrito) to talk about some Samurai lore! After conquering most of China and the Korean peninsula, Kublai Khan (the grandson of Genghis), set his sights on a small group of islands off the coast, assuming it would be a quick victory. The Mongol Invasions of Japan (of 1274 and 1281) would forever change the fates of both cultures... it would also go down in legend as one of the greatest epic fails in history - for both sides!  Click here to check out Erik's original Epik Fails article!  Also on this episode:  Epik Wins of History: Nakano Takeko *and* Yasuke The Bracket of Fails: Alexander the Great vs Qin Shi Huang (the First Emperor of China) / Genghis Khan vs Napoleon Audio / Music Clips: "Ghost of Tsushima" (2020 - PS4/PS5), "Marco Polo" (2014, Netflix Series), "Mortal Kombat 11" (2019 - PS4, Xbox One, Switch) Outro Music / Segment Jingles by DeftStroke Sound! Listen to “A Brief History of the Samurai” by Jonathan Clements on Audible (click here for a free trial)! Follow / Message Us on Social Media: E-mail: ErikSlader@gmail.com Twitter: @ErikSlader @EpikFailsdotcom Instagram: @ErikSlader @EpikFailsofHistory All 4 EPIC FAILS books are now available on Amazon! (Get a free audio book on Audible at http://www.audibletrial.com/EpikFails) You can also support me here: BuyMeACoffee.com/EpikFails! This podcast is a production of the We Can Make This Work (Probably) Network follow us to keep up with this show and discover our many other podcasts - including: 2 Young 4 This Trek, Comic Zombie, and Podcasters Assemble!

“The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing, in so far as it stands ready against the accidental and the unforeseen, and is not apt to fall.” - Marcus Aurelius Episode 26 and 3/4?! - Epik Fails of History is finally back after a long absence! (see previous mini-episode: "Murphy's Law and Dis-Order") Erik Slader and Justin Ache team up once again as Season 3 continues, picking up where we left off with the Bracket of Fails!  Also on this mini-episode - a 2022 Current Events Recap:  the latest on former President Trump's numerous criminal investigations (long heavy sigh), a new King of England, and the valiant resistance led by Zelenskyy against Putin's Russian forces in Ukraine...  The Bracket of Fails - Round 1 Results:  Brutus vs Benedict Arnold J. Bruce Ismay vs Gavrilo Princip Louis XVI (France) vs Cleopatra VII (Egypt) Emperor Nero vs Caligula Erik Bloodaxe (the Viking) vs Stede Bonnet (The Gentleman Pirate) Xerxes vs Ramses II Up Next on the Bracket of Fails:  King John vs Henry VIII President Franklin Pierce vs President Andrew Johnson Epic Win of the Week: Doris Miller - Naval Hero of Pearl Harbor (WWII)  Music Clips: The Ukrainian National Anthem Next Episode: The Mongol Invasion(s) of Japan!  In the meantime, check out some of my other podcasts:  Podcasters Assemble (Movie Hype / Re-watch podcast) The Super Switch Club! (Retro Video Games) 2 Young 4 This Trek: A Star Trek Podcast Comic Zombie Click here to check out my newest history blog on D.B. Cooper! Follow / Message Me on Social Media: E-mail: ErikSlader@gmail.com Twitter: @ErikSlader @EpikFailsdotcom Instagram: @ErikSlader @EpikFailsOfHistory All 4 EPIC FAILS books are now available on Amazon! You can also support me here: BuyMeACoffee.com/EpikFails! This podcast is a production of the We Can Make This Work (Probably) Network follow us to keep up with this show and discover our many other podcasts!

Episode 26.5 - Erik Slader takes a break from his normally scheduled chaos to do a quick update on the state of the podcast, why it's on (temporary) hiatus, what other projects he's been up to, and what's coming soon - also, a brief history of "Murphy's Law" and a Buddhist story about how everyone has 83 problems...  Music Clips: "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" by Roy Rogers & Sons of the Pioneers (1934), "Something Just Like This" by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay (2018) Epik Fails of History will return!  In the meantime, check out some of my other podcasts:  Podcasters Assemble (Season 8: The BATMAN movies) The Super Switch Club! (Retro Nintendo Games) 2 Young 4 This Trek: A Star Trek Podcast  Comic Zombie Guest Appearances:  'Epic Fails' Lit Chat w/ Jasmine Turner (Jacksonville Public Library) Super Mega Crash Bros Turbo #167 - Epic Fails with Erik Slader The Patient Will See You Now: #17 - Living with Celiac Disease The World is My Burrito: “The Green Knight”  The Best Animated Shows Ever… So Far! - “Samurai Jack” - S1 Episode 1 (2001) The Neat Cast: Episode 72 - Betty White, Wild Card Football, and Changelings And a few of my recent (nerdy) articles:  10 Must Play “LEGEND OF ZELDA” Games Top 20 Batman: The Animated Series Episodes “DUNE” (2021) Movie Review Revisiting “SCOTT PILGRIM” (Vol 1-6) Follow / Message Me on Social Media: E-mail: ErikSlader@gmail.com Twitter: @ErikSlader  Instagram: @ErikSlader  All 4 EPIC FAILS books are now available on Amazon! You can also support me here: BuyMeACoffee.com/EpikFails! This podcast is a production of the We Can Make This Work (Probably) Network follow us to keep up with this show and discover our many other podcasts! 

Episode 26 - Erik Slader is joined by intrepid author Richard Murff to talk about his latest book, "Pothole of the Gods: On Holy War, Fake News and Other Ill-Advised Ideas" (now available on Amazon)! The two talk about everything from traveling abroad in the Middle East to the Hundred Years War to James Bond movies! (Recorded in November, 2021) 'Pothole of the Gods' is an ill-advised, but hilarious ramble through the histories and modern streets of Iraq, Istanbul, and Benghazi. Attached to a marauding medical mission, Murff unravels a dismal record of global adventurism from Cyrus the Great, the epic clash of Persia and Greece, the glory that was Rome, the Crusades, America's New World Order, to Iran's attempts to trigger the apocalypse next sometime next week. Check out Richard Muff's other books here, his 'Drunk as Lords' podcast here, and his blog, the 4717.com, here! Audio / Music Clips: "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" by They Might Be Giants (1990) Outro Music by DeftStroke Sound! Follow / Message Us on Social Media: E-mail: ErikSlader@gmail.com Twitter: @ErikSlader @EpikFailsdotcom Instagram: @ErikSlader @EpikFailsofHistory All 4 EPIC FAILS books are now available on Amazon! (Get a free audio book on Audible at http://www.audibletrial.com/EpikFails) You can also support me here: BuyMeACoffee.com/EpikFails! This podcast is a production of the We Can Make This Work (Probably) Network follow us to keep up with this show and discover our many other podcasts - including: 2 Young 4 This Trek, Comic Zombie, and Podcasters Assemble! 

"Merchant and pirate were for a long period one and the same person. Even today mercantile morality is really nothing but a refinement of piratical morality." - Friedrich Nietzsche Episode 25 - Erik, Chris, and Justin are joined by Zack Derby - a radio host and frequent guest of The NeatCast and Effin' Cultured! In honor of last month's 'International Talk Like a Pirate Day', we decided to drink some grog and tell some tales about some of the most feared and not-so-great pirates to ever sail the seven seas! - including but not limited to: Blackbeard, Captain Morgan, Zheng Yi Sao (Ching Shih), Henry Avery, William Kidd, the (real) Dread Pirate Roberts, Anne Bonny, Mary Read, and Calico Jack!  Also on this episode: The Fall of Blockbuster (and the Rise of Netflix) Epik Wins of History: Sybil Ludington  The Bracket of Fails: Cleopatra VII vs Louis XVI / Emperor Nero vs Emperor Caligula "You've Got Hate Mail" Audio / Music Clips: "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl" (2003); "Black Sails" (2014 - 2017); "Queen Anne's Revenge" by Flogging Molly (2004) Outro Music / Segment Jingles by DeftStroke Sound! For more of us talking about Star Wars, check out the all new episode of Podcasters Disassembled on “Rogue One”! Listen to Colin Woodard's "The Republic of Pirates" on Audible (click here for a free trial)! Also, check out Daniel Peter Hitch's books here and his podcast here.  Follow / Message Us on Social Media: E-mail: ErikSlader@gmail.com Twitter: @ErikSlader @EpikFailsdotcom Instagram: @ErikSlader @EpikFailsofHistory All 4 EPIC FAILS books are now available on Amazon! (Get a free audio book on Audible at http://www.audibletrial.com/EpikFails) You can also support me here: BuyMeACoffee.com/EpikFails! This podcast is a production of the We Can Make This Work (Probably) Network follow us to keep up with this show and discover our many other podcasts - including: 2 Young 4 This Trek, Comic Zombie, and Podcasters Assemble!

“A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself within." - Ariel Durant Episode 24 - On the latest episode, Erik, Justin, and Chris talk about the history of Rome - from Republic to Empire, the numerous factors that lead to it's downfall, Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, gladiator games, ancient architecture, Constantinople (Istanbul), and the absolute worst Roman Emperors of all time: Commodus, Caligula, and Nero!  Also on this episode:  Stolen Ancient Gilgamesh Tablet Confiscated from Hobby Lobby?! 'Dating Through the Ages' (Cleopatra skit from 2015) Epik Wins of History: Ada Lovelace and Hedy Lamarr The Bracket of Fails: Benedict Arnold vs Brutus / J. Bruce Ismay vs Gavrilo Princip "You've Got Hate Mail" Audio Clips: "Gladiator" (2000) - directed by Ridley Scott, starring Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix; HBO's "ROME" (2005-2007) Check out Erik and Kory's review of "The Green Knight" on 'The World is My Burrito'! You can watch our Cleopatra skit on You Tube! (starring: Caroline Crawford, Devon Seymour, Jimmy Lester, Justin Ache, and Chris Carroll - narrated by Devin Clark, written and directed by Erik Slader) Outro Music / Segment Jingles by DeftStroke Sound! Follow / Message Us on Social Media: E-mail: ErikSlader@gmail.com Twitter: @ErikSlader @EpikFailsdotcom Instagram: @ErikSlader @EpikFailsofHistory All 4 EPIC FAILS books are now available on Amazon! (Get a free audio book on Audible at http://www.audibletrial.com/EpikFails) You can also support me here: BuyMeACoffee.com/EpikFails!  This podcast is a production of the We Can Make This Work (Probably) Network follow us to keep up with this show and discover our many other podcasts - including: 2 Young 4 This Trek, Comic Zombie, and Podcasters Assemble!