Babur: The Gunpowder King

Most people know Canute the Great from the famous story of him ordering the tide to stop. The problem? That’s not what actually happened. This week, Ben Thompson and Dr. Patricia Larash dive into the life of the Viking warrior who conquered England, forged a vast North Sea empire stretching from England to Denmark and Norway, and became one of the most powerful rulers in medieval Europe. Through battlefield victories, political maneuvering, and a surprising talent for statecraft, Canute transformed himself from a foreign invader into one of England’s most successful kings. It’s a story of longships, conquest, diplomacy, and the Viking who proved that sometimes the most badass thing a conqueror can do is learn how to govern. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most repo men tow away Hondas in the middle of the night. Max Hardberger stole back multi-million dollar cargo ships from dictators, corrupt governments, and the Russian mafia. This week, Ben Thompson and producer Andrew Jacobs dive into the unbelievable true story of the maritime lawyer, poet, and sea captain who turned international ship repossession into an art form—using fake sinkings, voodoo priests, tropical storms, and sheer nerve to pull off some of the wildest heists in modern history. From Haiti to Vladivostok, this is the story of the world’s only cargo ship repo man… and the insane missions that made him a legend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Ben Thompson and special guest Shana Steinberg dive into the unbelievable true story of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team — the Japanese American soldiers who became the most decorated unit in U.S. military history while their own families sat behind barbed wire in internment camps back home. From brutal mountain warfare in Italy to the legendary rescue of the “Lost Battalion” in France, these men charged machine gun nests, scaled cliffs in the dead of night, and fought with a level of courage that stunned even their fellow soldiers. They battled Nazis overseas while confronting racism and suspicion from the very country they were risking everything to defend. It’s one of the most heroic, complicated, and emotionally devastating stories of World War II — and a reminder that patriotism is sometimes proven by the people a nation treats the worst. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Before baseball had billion-dollar contracts, concussion protocols, or even outfield walls… it had Hughie Jennings. This week, Ben Thompson is joined by baseball historian and comedian Jon Franklin to tell the unbelievable story of the coal miner-turned-Hall-of-Famer who survived skull fractures, car crashes, empty swimming pools, and 287 hit-by-pitches—all while becoming one of the greatest shortstops of the Dead Ball Era.  From the lawless chaos of 1890s baseball to managing the only team crazy enough to tolerate Ty Cobb, Hughie Jennings lived like a cartoon character with a death wish. He helped change the game forever, invented new ways to get on base, and somehow kept getting back up no matter how hard life knocked him down. This is the story of baseball’s toughest lunatic—and one of the strangest legends the sport has ever produced.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Ben Thompson and Dr. Patricia Larash tell the story of Babur — the warrior poet who went from homeless teenage fugitive sleeping in the mountains under a shared cloak… to the founder of one of the greatest empires in history. Descended from both Genghis Khan and Tamerlane, Babur spent decades losing kingdoms, rebuilding armies, writing poetry, and searching for a place to belong before gambling everything on an invasion of India with just 12,000 men, a handful of cannons, and absolutely insane confidence. What followed was one of the most important military revolutions in history: cannon fire against war elephants, mounted archers against armies ten times his size, and the birth of the Mughal Empire. It’s a story of survival, innovation, stubbornness, melons, and one of the greatest comeback stories ever told. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Before anyone had ever stood at the bottom of the world, one man decided he wasn’t going to discover the South Pole - he was going to win it. This week, Ben Thompson and guest Erik Slader of Epic Fails of History, dive into the ruthless, ice-cold brilliance of Roald Amundsen —the explorer who turned preparation into a weapon and left better-funded rivals frozen in his wake. From secretly pivoting his expedition plans to racing across Antarctica with dogs, skis, and terrifying efficiency, Amundsen didn’t just survive the harshest environment on Earth—he dominated it. This is a story of precision, deception, and the kind of calculated risk that either makes you a legend… or leaves you buried under a mile of ice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

High above Nazi-occupied Europe, hundreds of Avro Lancasters tear through the darkness. No lights, no margin for error, and no guarantee of coming home. In this episode, Ben Thompson is joined by filmmaker David Fairhead to break down the brutal reality of flying Britain’s most feared bomber in World War II. From its origins as a flawed aircraft to becoming the backbone of the RAF’s bombing campaign, the Lancaster wasn’t built for comfort, it was built to carry destruction. Seven-man crews packed into a freezing metal tube faced flak, night fighters, and a nearly 50% casualty rate, all while navigating pitch-black skies in tight formation.  But this isn’t just a story about a machine - it’s about the men inside it. The young crews who flew mission after mission knowing each one could be their last. The daring raids - from the Dam Busters to the destruction of the Tirpitz - that pushed the limits of what was possible. And the haunting reality of a war fought from 20,000 feet, where survival often came down to luck. It’s a story of fear, firepower, and endurance - of the aircraft that became the RAF’s sledgehammer, and the crews who swung it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

They called her the “She-Wolf” - and not as a compliment. This week, Ben Thompson and Dr. Pat tell the story of Isabella of France, a queen who got sidelined, shut out, and underestimated… and responded by invading her own kingdom. Married to the deeply unpopular Edward II of England, Isabella watched her influence disappear, until she decided to take it back with an army. What follows is betrayal, alliance, and one of the cleanest coups in medieval history. With Roger Mortimer at her side, Isabella didn’t just challenge the crown of England, she ripped it off and handed it to her son. Power grab, revenge tour, regime change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Ben Thompson sits down with Special Missions Aviator Anthony Dyer to go inside the most feared aircraft in modern warfare—and the man pulling the trigger. From unleashing devastation in Afghanistan to pulling wounded soldiers out of the fire, this is what happens during the mission… and what it costs when you come home. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1628, Vasa warship set sail as the most powerful warship Sweden had ever built—a floating symbol of ambition, wealth, and absolute confidence. It had more cannons, more firepower, and more swagger than anything else in the Baltic. It also had a fatal flaw. On its maiden voyage, in front of a cheering crowd and the entire city of Stockholm, the Vasa made it about three-quarters of a mile… before a light gust of wind tipped it over and sent it straight to the bottom of the harbor. In today's episode, Ben and Dr. Pat break down how a king’s ego, a rushed timeline, and some truly catastrophic engineering decisions combined to create one of the most spectacular failures in history—and why, somehow, that disaster is exactly what makes the Vasa so badass. Because sometimes being legendary doesn’t mean you won. Sometimes it means you failed so hard they’re still talking about it 400 years later. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices