Best Softcore History Podcasts (2025)

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Women's Health Started With Poo And Slavery 1:13:17

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1d ago1:13:17

1:13:17

Anarcha Westcott (real name Annacay Jackson) was a 13-year-old slave instrumental in the creation of the medical field of gynecology. Instrumental… because she was the instrument. Dr. J. Marion Sims of Alabama performed 30 experimental surgeries on her — without anesthesia — in order to repair her horrific fistulas after a stillbirth at 13 years ol…

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The Great Northern War 1:25:03

14d ago1:25:03

1:25:03

Long before the Germans tried to fight half of Europe by themselves, Sweden did the same in 1700 during the Great Northern War. Under the leadership of their teenage, war obsessed king, the Swedes spent the better part of two decades overcoming the odds and defeating the Danish, Polish, and Russian armies on a regular basis. Eventually, though, the…

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England’s War on the Poor 56:57

21d ago56:57

56:57

King Edward III made it illegal to not be poor in 1300s England. At least, illegal if you were already poor. Negotiating for higher wages? Straight to jail. Wearing clothes that made you look wealthy? Straight to jail. Trying to get a better job? Jail. All because the upper classes were annoyed with having to negotiate wages with workers after the …

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The Harlem Hellfighters 55:14

28d ago55:14

55:14

The 369th Infantry regiment better known as the Harlem Hellfighters were a renowned all-black World War I unit who spent 191 days in action. They were loaned to the French forces and became the Germans worst nightmare on the front lines. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra history content including episodes like…

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How Jamaica Accidentally Changed World History 56:29

1M ago56:29

56:29

What is the most important person or place in the history of the colonization of the New World? Columbus? Cortez? Jamestown? Nah mon! It’s Jamaica bruh! If it weren’t for the English falling ass-backwards into an unwanted island, nothing would be as it is today. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra history conten…

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Softcore History Theater | Two People Arguing About History | FREE Patreon Preview 42:07

1M ago42:07

42:07

Softcore History presents "Two People Arguing on the Internet, About History," a full-cast comedy audiobook short story following a day in the lives of two people who can't stop being mean to each other in the comments section of a history page on Facebook instead of, you know, doing anything that is actually worthwhile with their time. You can hea…

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The Confederacy's Drag Queen Hero 1:04:29

1M ago1:04:29

1:04:29

On June 28, 1861 Confederate pirates led by Captain George Hollins and Lt. Colonel Richard Thomas Zarvona captured a passenger steamer on the Potomac with an unusual plan of deception. Learn how these men and a flirtatious "mystery woman" became heroes in the south in one of the lesser known conquest of the American Civil War. Subscribe to the Soft…

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Roman History Expert Answers Our Dumb Questions 1:25:12

2M ago1:25:12

1:25:12

Actual expert Alex Petkas, who has a PhD in Classics from Princeton and hosts the history podcast Cost of Glory, joins the show for some inexplicable reason to break down why the Roman dictator Sulla is Rome’s most underrated man, why Caesar wasn’t such a bad guy, and why he left Academia for the internet. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon …

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The Invincible Cowboy Mercenary Oil Baron 1:14:52

2M ago1:14:52

1:14:52

Fredrick Russell Burnham experienced one of the most insane and eventful lives in all of human history. From tracking Geronimo and getting into family feuds in the Wild West to fighting in multiple wars in South Africa and stopping an American President from getting assasinated, Burnham was a decorated hero who sought out adventure and eventually f…

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The Manly History Of Makeup 1:26:24

2M ago1:26:24

1:26:24

We break down the history of men wearing makeup with beauty writer Cristina Montemayor (@crismontyy), from Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens inventing sunless tanner instead of farming, to the Egyptians and Romans slathering their faces with lead because looking hot was more important than your brain working right. Subscribe to the Softcore History Pat…

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Epstein's Lady's Daddy 1:22:14

2M ago1:22:14

1:22:14

Robert Maxwell was a media mogul, decorated war hero, member of British Parliament, and Israeli intelligence asset. He was the father to Ghislaine, a rival to Rupert Murdoch, and a spy whose death was more mysterious than his hidden life. Before Jeffrey Epstein there was Captain Bob Maxwell. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of…

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Rome’s Worst Serial Killer Was A Woman 59:09

3M ago59:09

59:09

Wanton killing was common in Ancient Rome, but most mass murderers were Emperors and Generals. One woman, though, killed hundreds if not more. Not for conquest but for business. And practice. And Nero. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra history content including listener history questions, history movie watch-a…

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The Carny Days Of Professional Wrestling 48:56

3M ago48:56

48:56

Comedian Uncle Lazer joins the show to break down the history of professional wrestling in the United States, from Civil War campsite brawls to the sports entertainment we know and love today. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra history content including listener history questions, history movie watch-alongs, an…

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The Prophecy of the Coke-Addled Pope 56:15

3M ago56:15

56:15

In 1884 Pope Leo XIII had a vision. A terrible vision. He overheard a conversation between God and the Devil about the destruction of the Catholic Church and the horrors of the 20th Century. Was this vision real? Or was it a product of his love of cocaine wine and some present-day political factors? Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hun…

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The Original "No Kings" Protest 57:26

3M ago57:26

57:26

The French Revolution in 1789 is often regarded as a watershed moment in world history with the violent removal of King Louis XVI and his family from power. Despite its romantic portrayal, this was one of the ugliest and most savage revolts that was covered by blood and feces wall-to-wall. We breakdown what caused the events to set in motion and en…

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The Kennedy Who Should’ve Been President 1:17:29

3M ago1:17:29

1:17:29

Joseph Patrick Kennedy Jr. — aka Joe Jr. aka JFK’s older brother — was the original prince of Camelot. Ordained from birth by his father, Joe Kennedy Sr., to be first Catholic president in American history, Joe was trained for that job his entire life. But along the way he had some interesting thoughts about Adolf Hitler and Brazilian women. Sadly …

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The High Priestess of Anarchy 1:30:10

4M ago1:30:10

1:30:10

Emma Goldman, one of the most prolific anarchist activists of the Gilded Age, hated injustice and was willing to kill innocent people in order to combat it. She was a renowned anarchist orator who was drawn to the anarchist movement after a brutal childhood and a terrorist attack she found interesting. We recount the story of her rough, fascinating…

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The Sword Wielding Lunatic Of WWII 56:11

4M ago56:11

56:11

Jack Churchill was an eccentric British Army officer who brought a Scottish broadsword, long bow, and set of bagpipes onto the front lines of World War II. He led Commando missions taking entire towns and escaped from SS concentration camps...twice. Alex Buscemi joins the show to talk about this mad lad. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon fo…

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Boys Have Always Been Boys 1:13:27

4M ago1:13:27

1:13:27

“Boys will be boys” is, it turns out, a tale as old as time. We run through several historical examples of little boys f*cking sh*t up just for the fun of it, from a kid who started a full blown political riot because he wanted free candy to a drunk stable boy who decided to Ricky Bobby it and ride a chariot onto the track mid-race. Rob’s wife and …

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The Black Lawman Who Arrested The Entire Wild West 1:15:14

4M ago1:15:14

1:15:14

Bass Reeves was a slave turned deputy U.S. Marshal who became one of the most prolific manhunters in the Wild West. He arrested over 3,000 outlaws, collected bounties on some of the biggest gangs of the time, and barely had a scratch on him after three decades in the line of duty. Jack Mandaville helps break down this American legend. Subscribe to …

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Russia's Coolest Tyrant 1:27:13

5M ago1:27:13

1:27:13

Czar Alexander III was Russia's second-to-last Czar. He was also, arguably, its coolest, and definitely one of its most oppressive. One day, he'd be lifting heavy deck furniture over his head to impress his in-laws or hunting a bear with a spear. The next, he'd be abolishing basic civil liberties and being so oppressive to Jews that they fled the c…

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Are The Wright Brothers Underrated? 1:03:41

5M ago1:03:41

1:03:41

Everyone is familiar with the names Wilbur and Orville Wright, but is it possible they are actually overlooked and don't get enough props for their insane accomplishments? We dig a little deeper into these strange men obsessed with conquering the skies, their often unmentioned sister Katharine, everything that led up to that fateful day at Kitty Ha…

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The Worst National Security Self-Own Ever 1:07:28

5M ago1:07:28

1:07:28

America didn’t want to join World War 1. America wasn’t going to join World War 1. But one German foreign minister who thought he was way smarter than he actually was had a self-own SO BAD that he forced the United States into the war against his country. This is the story of the Zimmerman Telegram. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hun…

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China's Worst Trade War Loss 57:36

5M ago57:36

57:36

The First Opium War was a series of military conflicts between the British Royal Navy and the Qing dynasty between 1839 to 1842. After tightening up and restricting trade for England creating a major deficit, China was flooded with opium by agents of the East India Company. Tensions built up between the two nations and the murder of a Chinese man b…

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Tariffs Didn’t NOT Cause the Civil War 1:10:16

6M ago1:10:16

1:10:16

The United States has a long history of questionable tariffs but nothing compares to the “Tariff of Abominations” in 1828. It was an episode in American political and economic history so stupid that you’ll feel bad for absolutely no one… except maybe the slaves. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra history conten…

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The Scrappy Sled Dog That Captivated Our Nation 1:02:35

6M ago1:02:35

1:02:35

Balto was a Siberian Husky sled dog who helped transport life saving medicine to a remote Alaskan settlement. Initially seen as a mediocre pup, this good boy proved his owner wrong and led a pack of 13 others through the final stages of a 674 mile serem relay to prevent the death of hundreds of residents in the gold rush town of Nome. He captured t…

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Who Really Built the Pyramids? 1:11:32

6M ago1:11:32

1:11:32

Breaking news about possible new discoveries under the Giza Pyramid Complex have people asking, do we really know who built the pyramids? The answer is yes we really know who built the pyramids. A bunch of blue-collar Egyptians who, much like many construction workers today, were kind of drunk while they were doing it. We break down the well-docume…

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The Irish Invaded Canada? 1:06:31

6M ago1:06:31

1:06:31

After the American Civil War, a large group of Union veterans weren't ready to say goodbye to the battlefield. So, they picked a fight north and attempted multiple invasions on our neighbors in Canada -- all in the name of Irish independence from the Crown. The Fenian Brotherhood and their raids on the Canucks proved life in the 19th century was wh…

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The Most Irish Thing That Ever Happened 1:11:45

7M ago1:11:45

1:11:45

In honor of Irish Heritage Month we delve into the most offensively stereotypical Irish historical event of all time: The Dublin Whiskey Fire of 1875. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra history content including listener history questions, history movie watch-alongs, and weekly bonus episodes. Rob Fox https://w…

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The Dark Magic Of Aleister Crowley 1:22:05

7M ago1:22:05

1:22:05

Alesiter Crowley was an English magician of the dark arts, dirty poet, mountaineer, liberal sex haver, and founder of the Thelema religion. He traveled the world in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and shocked or banged every human being he came across. Crowley claims to have been contacted by the Egyptian God Horus through a messanger named …

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Reading Is Bad For Women 1:28:13

7M ago1:28:13

1:28:13

If you think social media is unhealthy for people, you’re right. But it’s not a new phenomenon. From the invention of the printing press kicking off 300 years of witch trials, to doctors blaming depression in young girls on unrealistic lifestyles portrayed in cheap 18th-century romance novels, it turns out people have never handled the ability to c…

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Jack the Ripper Caught, Justice Not Served 1:06:40

7M ago1:06:40

1:06:40

*We had a problem with the audio card so we had to pull sound from the camera. Just think of it as a throwback to our garage band days in 2020. I apologize in advance. - Dan* Jack the Ripper has finally been caught thanks to some incredibly intimate DNA evidence. Polish barber Aaron Kosminski is allegedly the famed killer, but are we convinced? Jes…

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When The Mormons Declared War On The Country 1:01:35

7M ago1:01:35

1:01:35

After being threatened with a replacement governor for the territory of Utah, Bringham Young and his Mormon coalition went to war against the U.S. Government from 1857 to 1858. Tensions were high and most of the casualties were innocent civilians passing through the region -- most notably the Baker-Fancher wagon party. Subscribe to the Softcore His…

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The Manliest Thing Any Man Has Ever Done 1:01:41

8M ago1:01:41

1:01:41

Throughout history, men have always complained that men from the past were WAY more manly, especially in Ancient Rome. And today we're talking about the one time that might have actually been undeniably true. The first hero of the Roman Republic, Mucius Scaevola, did something so astoundingly manly that it changed the course of Roman history foreve…

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Operation Iraqi Freedom 1:26:04

8M ago1:26:04

1:26:04

Iraq War vet Jack Mandaville joins the show to talk about his experience invading Iraq in 2003 with the 1st Marine Division, what he saw, how he was greeted by the Iraqis, and fighting alongside the guys from Generation Kill. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra history content including listener history question…

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Fly Me To The North Pole, Balloon Man 1:06:46

8M ago1:06:46

1:06:46

In 1897, Swedish engineer and aeronaut Salomon August Andrée led two other men on a hot air balloon expedition to the North Pole that quickly went incredibly awry. After crashing their balloon in a literal no man's land, the three had to fend off the harsh elements, polar bears, and the decay of their own sanity for months before ultimately succumb…

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The Anti-Social Drunks Who Changed American History 59:05

8M ago59:05

59:05

What's the most important battle in American history? Gettysburg? D-Day? Saratoga? Nah. It's the Battle of St. Louis, a little-known Revolutionary War battle between St. Louis's drunken, anti-social citizens and a British and Indian force looking to take the Mississippi River for King George. The battle's outcome forever changed the course of histo…

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When The Pope Went Full Goblin Mode 1:05:13

9M ago1:05:13

1:05:13

Pope Benedict IX is often regarded as one of the worst men to take the papal throne. He ascended to the chair of Saint Peter at the age of twenty in 1032 after his old man bought him the position and he proceeded to indulge in habitual sins of the flesh, theft, murder, and even sold his power to the highest bidder. Benny was pontiff three times ove…

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Original History Sketches Episode 1 -- FREE PATREON PREVIEW 37:31

9M ago37:31

37:31

Enjoy the original Softcore History sketches "Hole Ball" and "The Diary of Helen Slaggerman" and subscribe to our Patreon -- patreon.com/softcorehistory -- for YEARS of evergreen history content including more sketches like these, podcasts, game shows, watch-alongs, and more.By Softcore History

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Rome’s “Real Man” Propaganda Sounds Just Like Ours 1:04:17

9M ago1:04:17

1:04:17

To fully end the Roman Republic and become Emperor Caesar Augustus, the young, wealthy patrician Octavian needed to get rid of the last man standing in his way: Mark Antony. But how could Octavian turn Rome against the Republic’s most decorated war hero and combat veteran — and Julius Caesar’s top lieutenant? Launch a propaganda campaign that said,…

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Blow Smoke Up Your Ass 1:04:27

9M ago1:04:27

1:04:27

The practice of rectal fumigation was a common medical practice in the 17th and 18th centuries that included tobbaco and smoke enamas to treat bowel obstruction, constipation, and even attempt to resusitate still born babies. We dive into one of the many reasons no one trusted doctors for a very, very long time. Subscribe to the Softcore History Pa…

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The Father Of History 1:03:28

9M ago1:03:28

1:03:28

Herodotus was a Greek historian and geographer often regarded as the "Father of History" who detailed the Greco-Persian War and his explorations throughout the ancient world. Many peers of his time found his works to be greatly exaggerated, misunderstandings, or totally false. Modern historians have grown to appreciate his accounts of events and se…

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America's Coolest War Crime 1:12:45

10M ago1:12:45

1:12:45

When the United States entered World War 1 no one was quite sure what to expect. What the Germans definitely didn't expect was a bunch of Doughboys armed with Winchester Model 97 pump-action shotguns -- aka Trench Brooms -- blasting gaping holes in their soldiers. The use of these shotguns became so infamous and terrifying that the Kaiser complaine…

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The Poison King 59:19

10M ago59:19

59:19

Mithridates VI was the King of Pontus from 120 to 63 BC who biohacked his body into immunity from poison, survived being struck by lightning with nothing more than a tiny scar, and became a huge thorn in the side of the Roman Empire. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for hundreds of hours of extra history content including listener history …

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The Ugly Duckling Had a Trash Personality 1:27:28

10M ago1:27:28

1:27:28

Never meet your heroes? How about never try to be friends with your fans. Charles Dickens found this out the hardest way possible when he let his fanboy and fellow famous author Hans Christian Andersen (The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling) stay at his house for what was supposed to be a two-week visit. Five weeks later the Danish fairy tale autho…

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The Leper King Baldwin 1:31:53

10M ago1:31:53

1:31:53

Baldwin IV was King of Jerusalem from 1174 to 1185 and had the crusader state thriving despite constant attacks from outside Muslim forces led by the great Saladin and struggles with his own body turning on him from leprosy. Despite the physical limitations he still led his army out on the battlefields, made savvy decisions with the high court, and…

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The Vice President Married A Slave? 1:10:51

10M ago1:10:51

1:10:51

With J.D. Vance winning the Vice Presidency you'll probably hear about his wife Usha Vance being the first non-white Second Lady. This is true, but she is NOT the first non-white woman to be married to a Vice President. This is the story of Vice President Richard Johnson -- a legendary hero of the War of 1812 and the ninth Vice President of the Uni…

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The Unhinged Life Of Teddy Roosevelt 1:06:39

11M ago1:06:39

1:06:39

Teddy Roosevelt was one of the most important U.S. Presidents of the 20th century and a complete lunatic who was always up for an unneccesary challenge. Matt Cooper and Joel Benner join the show to talk about his deranged life outside of politics, The Colonel willing the Rough Riders to glory at San Juan Hill, and how he shaped football into the ga…

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The Hungarian Sex Vampire 1:01:49

11M ago1:01:49

1:01:49

Béla Kiss is one of the most prolific serial killers you’ve never heard of. He had it all — great looks, his own successful business in tin, a mother that loved him too much — but when he caught his second wife cheating on him with a younger man, it unlocked a dark beast within. Jessie Wiseman joins to talk about how this once charismatic, well-lik…

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The Mafia Ghosts That Haunted Al Capone 1:11:35

11M ago1:11:35

1:11:35

Ross Bolen joins the show to talk about the ghosts that still linger from The Saint Valentine's Day Massacre, the most infamous mafia killing in American history. The victims of Al Capone's henchmen still haunt the area to this day, including the most unfortunate location (and people) you can imagine. Subscribe to the Softcore History Patreon for h…