History Dispatches

William Henry Harrison became the 9th president of the United States on March 4, 1841, and served out his presidency admirably. He generated no scandals, entered no wars, and caused no economic crisis. Of course that was helped by the fact that he served for one month before his untimely death. This is the story of William Henry Harrison, the shortest serving U.S. president. Sources https://millercenter.org/president/harrison https://www.whitehousehistory.org/bios/william-henry-harrison Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:William_Henry_Harrison_crop.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

Lonnie Johnson is an accomplished aerospace engineer who has worked for NASA and the United States Air Force. He worked on the Stealth Bomber, and owns three tech companies. He has many awards, prizes, and patents. But Johnson is most famous for inventing one of the most beloved toys in history - the Super Soaker. Sources https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-37062579 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lonnie_Johnson_(inventor) Image courtesy of Office of Naval Research: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:160202-N-PO203-046_%2824659795822%29.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

In 1968 a Soviet nuclear submarine was lost beneath the waves of the Pacific Ocean, at a depth of over 15,000 feet. It was considered unattainable. Unless you are the CIA, who contracted with Howard Hughes, the famed Hollywood director and mega inventor, to specially construct a vessel to dredge the sub from the bottom of the ocean - all under the utmost secrecy. This is the story of Project Azorian. Sources https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/nukevault/ebb305/doc01.pdf https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/nukevault/ebb305/ https://www.cia.gov/legacy/museum/exhibit/project-azorian/ Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Azorian#/media/File:USNS_Glomar_Explorer_(T-AG-193).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

Japan is home to many unique places, but one of the most fascinating is Aoshima - aka - Cat Island. At its height, the tiny island of Aoshima was home to hundreds of cats - outnumbering humans by more than 35-1. This is the story of Cat Island. Sources https://japanswitch.com/ultimate-guide-to-aoshima-aka-cat-island-2/ https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/27/japans-cat-island-falls-victim-to-demographic-crisis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aoshima,_Ehime 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

It was a normal spring afternoon on April 20, 1979, when president Jimmy Carter, while visiting his home in Georgia, was attacked by a rabbit. This is the story of the Jimmy Carter rabbit incident, and the media storm it created. Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Carter_rabbit_incident "The Other Side of the Story" by Jody Powell 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

In 1996, Pepsi launched a new loyalty campaign. Buy Pepsi soda - get Pepsi points - which got you Pepsi branded stuff. For this campaign, a commercial featured a teenage boy flying a $37m fighter jet - which he had gotten using Pepsi points. It was all a good laugh until someone decided to redeem $700,000 of Pepsi points for the plane. This is the story of the Pepsi Points Jet Fighter Lawsuit. Watch the commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdackF2H7Qc Sources https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/getting-harrierd-away/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/1996-man-sues-pepsi-for-not-giving-him-a-harrier-jet/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_v._Pepsico%2C_Inc. 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

On December 31, 1931, a trapper known as Albert Johnson shot and killed a Canadian police officer in the remote Northwest Territories. He fled into the wilderness, and proceeded to evade arrest for 48 days in -40 degree weather. But even today, his identity remains a mystery. This is the story of the Mad Trapper of the Rat River. Sources https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/albert-johnson https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Johnson_(criminal) Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mad_Trapper-Na-1258-119.jpg#mw-jump-to-license 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

On Feb. 19, 1942, the Nazis invaded Winnipeg, Canada. However, these Nazis were Canadians engaging in one of the most realistic and detailed mock invasions ever put together. This is the story of ‘If Day’ - the simulated Nazi Invasion of Winnipeg. Sources https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/if-day https://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/mb_history/13/ifday.shtml https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_Day Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fake_Nazi_soldiers_assaulting_a_Winnipeg_Free_Press_newsie,_19_February_1942.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

In the pristine waters of Lake Champlain Vermont there exists a legend. A creature over a hundred feet long rivaling that of even the famed Loch Ness monster. This is the story of Champ. - the wild and wonderful lake monster of Lake Champlain. Sources https://www.lakechamplainregion.com/heritage/champ "The untold story of Champ : a social history of America's Loch Ness Monster" by Robert E. Bartholomew https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champ_(folklore) 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

In the United States, one can go into a bar and rarely not find an India Pale Ale beer. The IPA, which emerged out of the craft brew revolution, is one of the most popular craft beers. Yet the origins of the IPA are fascinating - with heavy links to British colonialism. This is the story of the India Pale Ale - and its rise in popularity around the world. Sources https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-india-pale-ale-got-its-name-180954891/ https://beerconnoisseur.com/articles/complete-truth-about-origins-india-pale-ale-ipa/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India_pale_ale Images: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mcewans_Pale_India_Ale.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

The largest ski race in the world is the Vasaloppet, which is 90 kilometers in distance and attracts over 15,000 participants every year. And it all started when a renegade Swedish noble was on the run from the Danish king. This is the story of the Vasaloppet. Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_Vasa https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasaloppet http://www.vasaloppet.se/om-oss/sa-borjade-allt/ Images: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vasaloppet_Kortvasan_Oxberg.JPG https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:King_Gustav_Vasa_of_Sweden_Addressing_Men_from_Dalarna_in_Mora_(Johan_Gustaf_Sandberg)_-_Nationalmuseum_-_19512.tif?page=1 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

In 1859, the United States and Great Britain almost got into a shooting war. The reason - an American farmer shot and killed a pig on a disputed island in the Pacific Northwest. This is the story of the Pig War. Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pig_War_(1859) https://www.nps.gov/sajh/learn/historyculture/the-pig-war.htm Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Building_the_redoubt.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

One of the most famous extinct animals is the Dodo bird. Located on the island of Mauritius, it went extinct less than a century after it was first described. This opened the eyes of the world to the effects that humans can have on an untouched environment. However, the Dodo has been the target of a 500-year long smear campaign, and was nowhere near as foolish as many believe. This is the story of the Dodo bird. Sources https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/the-dodo-bird-the-real-facts-about-this-icon-of-extinction.html https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250714-why-history-got-the-dodo-so-absurdly-wrong https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodo Image: by BazzaDaRamble - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oxford_Dodo_display.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

In late 1939, the Soviet Union decided to take control of neighboring Finland. The Soviet Union had a population of nearly 200 million - while Finland had 3.7 million. How hard could it be? Well, lots harder than anyone imagined. Within six weeks two Soviet Divisions were wiped out - and nearly 30,000 Red Army troops were dead. This is the story of the Battle of Suomussalmi. Sources https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/the-winter-wars-classic-victory/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Suomussalmi https://wbmf.online/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/WOJNA_ZIMOWA_EN_web.pdf Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_Finnish_Maxim_M-32_machine_gun_nest_during_the_Winter_War.jpgg 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

In 1979, a reactor at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant experienced a failure. It was triggered by a small issue that eventually turned into a partial meltdown. It is the closest the United States has ever come to a major nuclear incident, permanently shifting the popularity of nuclear power. This is the story of the Three Mile Island accident. Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Mile_Island_accident https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/3mile-isle https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/safety-and-security/safety-of-plants/three-mile-island-accident Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Three_Mile_Island_(color)-2.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

According to legend, in 1776, a group of Continental officials, including George Washington, came to the home of Philadelphia upholster Betsy Ross, and asked her to create a flag to represent the young American republic. The result would be the famed Betsy Ross flag. But did this really happen? Let’s find out with the story of the Betsy Ross Flag. Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betsy_Ross_flag https://research.colonialwilliamsburg.org/Foundation/journal/Summer08/betsy.cfm Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RossBetsy.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

From 1986 through 2013, a hermit occupied the area of Belgrade Lake, Maine. During those 27 years he lived virtually without human contact, and survived through burglary. - over a thousand of them - before finally being caught. This is the story of the North Pond Hermit. Sources https://www.gq.com/story/the-last-true-hermit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Thomas_Knight 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

In 1701, construction of the famed Amber Room began. It was made of 1,000 pounds of amber panels, gold, gemstones, and mirrors. It was so extraordinary, it was called the "Eighth Wonder of the World". Then, in WWII, the Nazis looted the Amber Room from Russia, and took it back to Prussia. The room was there until the waning days of WWII - but after that - it disappeared. Was it destroyed or buried in the bombing and artillery attacks? Or had it been spirited away by ship or train? To this day - no one knows. This is the story of the Amber Room. Sources https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/amber-room-mystery-russia-nazis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amber_Room Image: File:Catherine Palace interior - Amber Room (1).jpg - Wikimedia Commons 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

Kate Warne became America's first female private detective in 1856, joining the famed Pinkerton detective agency. During her 12-year career she helped thwart Confederate spies, protect high profile targets, and even assisted in preventing the Baltimore plot - an assassination attempt on Abraham Lincoln. This is the story of Kate Warne. Sources "The Baltimore Plot: The First Conspiracy to Assassinate Abraham Lincoln" by Michael Kline https://www.nps.gov/foth/learn/historyculture/kate-warne-private-detective.htm Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kate-warne(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

On March 4, 1865, Vice-President-Elect Andrew Johnson gave the most memorable - and controversial - vice-presidential inauguration speech in American history. And that is because Johnson, according to most observers, was resoundingly drunk - and had been on and off for the previous week. Johnson would mumble, slur, and insult his way through his speech, which would color him - and his subsequent presidency - for the rest of his life. This is the story of Andrew Johnson's drunken vice-presidential inaugural address. Sources https://www.npca.org/articles/1720-the-drunken-veep https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Johnson%27s_drunk_vice-presidential_inaugural_address https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Johnson Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Andy_Johnson,_Military_Gov._of_Tenn_LCCN2003654038.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