As secretary of defense for President Trump, Mark Esper was privy to a lot of the inner workings of the administration. In his new book, A Sacred Oath, he brings readers into the room with him, showing how certain controversial decisions were being made and how some others were prevented. In an interview with All Things Considered, Esper told Michel Martin about the ethical dilemmas of working for Trump and the reasons why he stayed: to serve his country, avoid what he calls 'bad things from happening,' and improve the military from the inside out.
In the early 4th century, the Roman Emperor Constantine ordered the construction of a church on the burial site of Saint Peter. It was the greatest church in Christianity.
Centuries later, that building was falling apart, so Pope Julius II ordered the construction of a replacement church that would be newer and much bigger.
Learn more about St. Peter’s Basilica, the world’s largest church, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
On April 28, 1789, the crew of the HMS Bounty engaged in a mutiny against their despotic captain, William Bligh. After sending the captain out on a rowboat, the rest of the crew sailed to an uninhabited island, sank the ship, and set up home.
The descendants of those mutineers are still living on that island today. Their home has become one of the most unique and remote communities on Earth.
Learn more about Pitcairn Island, its history, and how it continues to exist at the edge of the world, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
Sometime during the reign of Ptolemy I or Ptolemy II, the Egyptian state decided to build an institution dedicated to accumulating all human knowledge in the City of Alexandria.
As the city grew, this institution grew along with it to become the greatest knowledge repository in the ancient world.
…and then Julius Caesar burned it down. Maybe.
Learn more about the Library of Alexander, how it was created, and how it ended on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
Today I want to introduce you to a podcast that I think you might enjoy. It’s called “My History Can Beat Up Your Politics.”
The host and creator of the show, Bruce Carlson, has been doing the podcast since 2006, making it one of the longest-running history podcasts in the world.
We’ve all heard the phrase, “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
Many people in the world today are very ignorant about history and are totally unaware of events that shaped the world we live in today.
“My History Can Beat Up Your Politics” attempts to shine some light on events from the past which can help us understand the present.
After this, you can hear a full episode of the podcast. This episode is about a time in American history when a war was going on in Europe. Americans were donating weapons and equipment to one side while debating how much they should be involved.
Does any of that sound familiar? The year in question, of course, was 1941, not 2022.
We look at the past, knowing how it all turned out, but back in 1941, no one was sure what would happen. They weren’t sure if the US was going to enter the war and, if so, how it would play out.
This makes a study of the year 1941 an important lens to look through to understand what is happening today.
So enjoy this full episode of “My History Can Beat Up Your Politics.” If you enjoy it and want to hear more, you can subscribe wherever you listen to this podcast.
