Shows
Have To Know HistoryJulius Caesar and the Cilician Pirates — The Pirates Who Captured the Wrong Guy | Have To Know HistoryBefore Julius Caesar became the most famous Roman in history, he was kidnapped by Cilician pirates — who had no idea who they were dealing with.In this episode, we explore the unbelievable true story of how young Caesar:• mocked the pirates holding him hostage• demanded they raise his ransom because he was “worth more”• treated the pirates like his employees• promised he’d come back to punish them• and then actually returned with a fleet to make good on his promiseIt’s bold, hilarious, and a little terrifying — and it reveals the early p...
2025-12-2604 min
Have To Know HistoryJulius Caesar & the End of the Roman Republic | Have To Know HistoryJulius Caesar. Pompey. The Roman Senate. The Rubicon. The epic assassination.This is the dramatic story of how the Roman Republic collapsed — and how one ambitious general changed world history forever.In this episode of Have To Know History, we break down Caesar’s rise to power, his conquest of Gaul, his rivalry with Pompey the Great, and the fateful moment he crossed the Rubicon and plunged Rome into civil war. You’ll hear how political chaos, military ambition, corruption, and unstoppable popularity pushed the Republic to its breaking point and led to the fall of the...
2025-12-1206 min
Have To Know HistoryThe Wonderful Allegory of Oz: Baum’s Fairy Tale of AmericaThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz isn’t just a fantasy story — it may also be a hidden allegory about America in the late 1800s.In this episode, we explore how L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel reflects the Panic of 1893, the gold vs. silver debate, and the rise of the Populist movement.We break down the symbolic meaning behind:Dorothy and ordinary AmericansThe Scarecrow and farmersThe Tin Woodman and industrial workersThe Cowardly Lion and political powerThe Wicked Witches of East and WestT...
2025-11-2810 min
Have To Know HistoryThe Seven Wonders of the Ancient World — Monuments, Myths, and Humanity’s First Bucket List | Have To Know HistoryLong before Instagram or travel blogs, the ancient Greeks made the world’s first bucket list — the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. From the Great Pyramid of Giza to the Lighthouse of Alexandria, these incredible creations showed what humans could build with imagination, ambition, and divine inspiration.In this episode, Mr. Freewalt takes you on a journey through the ancient Mediterranean to uncover the stories behind each Wonder — what they were, how they were built, and why most of them have vanished.This is Have To Know History — history you just have to know.🎙️...
2025-11-2110 min
Have To Know HistoryRomulus and Remus: The Wolf, the War God, and the Birth of Rome | Have To Know HistoryThis is Have To Know History — history you just have to know.Rome didn’t start with marble temples and mighty emperors. According to legend, it began with a jealous king, an abandoned pair of twins, a war god, and a wolf.In this episode, we dive into the myth of Romulus and Remus — and why the Romans needed this story.Here’s what we explore:🏛️ Rome’s not-so-glamorous real beginnings — a collection of rough shepherd tribes along the Tiber✍️ How the poet Virgil, under Emperor Augustus, invented a heroic origin linking...
2025-10-3106 min
Have To Know HistorySTORY TIME: From Greek Unity to Civil War – Athens, Sparta, and the Road to the Peloponnesian WarAfter the Greek city-states united to defeat the mighty Persian Empire, peace didn’t last long. Athens rose to power through the Delian League, transforming an alliance for defense into an empire of tribute, ships, and wealth. Sparta watched with growing resentment — and before long, the two greatest powers in Greece were on a collision course.In this Have To Know History – Story Time episode, I trace how Greek victory over Persia led to the bitter rivalry that tore Greece apart in the Peloponnesian War.🏛️ What you’ll hear in this story:How the Persian i...
2025-10-2006 min
Have To Know HistorySTORY TIME: The Battle in the Thermopylae Pass – 300 Spartans vs. the Persian EmpireIt’s one of the most famous last stands in history — 300 Spartans, a narrow mountain pass, and the might of the Persian Empire.In this Have To Know History – Story Time episode, I retell the legendary Battle of Thermopylae, where King Leonidas and his small Greek force held the line against Xerxes’ massive invading army.But beyond the legend lies a deeper story — strategy, sacrifice, and how this desperate stand bought precious time for Greece to rally and change the course of history.🏛️ What you’ll hear in this story:The Persian invasion...
2025-10-1404 min
Have To Know HistorySTORY TIME: Croesus of Lydia & the Oracle’s Deadly ProphecyCroesus of Lydia was the richest king in the ancient world — his wealth legendary, his confidence unshakable. But when he sought advice from the Oracle of Delphi before going to war with Persia, a single prophecy changed everything.In this Have To Know History Story Time episode, Jason Freewalt tells the dramatic rise and fall of Croesus — from golden palaces to fiery ruin:The incredible wealth of the Lydian EmpireThe fateful prophecy: “If you cross the river, a great empire will fall”How Croesus misread the oracle’s words and doomed his...
2025-10-0805 min
Have To Know HistoryHelen of Troy: The Face That Launched a Thousand Ships? | Myth vs HistoryHelen of Troy — the legendary “face that launched a thousand ships.” For thousands of years, storytellers have claimed her beauty sparked the Trojan War. But was the war really fought over love, or was it about power, trade, and Mycenaean ambition?In this episode of Have To Know History, Jason Freewalt takes you from myth to archaeology, exploring:The golden apple of discord and Aphrodite’s fateful bribeThe abduction of Helen and the decade-long Greek siege of TroyArchaeological evidence at Hisarlik that reveals the real TroyThe Sea Peop...
2025-09-1906 min
Have To Know HistorySTORY TIME: The Trojan War in 17 Minutes - Homer’s Iliad, Mr. Freewalt’s VersionBONUS STORY TIME with Mr. FreewaltThis is my own retelling of the Trojan War, inspired by Homer’s Iliad and told in one sitting — 17 minutes of dramatic storytelling that brings to life Achilles, Hector, Patroclus, Agamemnon, and the infamous Trojan Horse.This isn’t a textbook summary — it’s my version, the way I share it with my students: engaging, fun, and packed with the legendary moments that made this one of history’s greatest epics.In this STORY TIME you’ll hear:The rage of Achilles and his clash with Agamemnon...
2025-09-1217 min
Have To Know History“Ring Around the Rosie” is a Song About the Black Death?🎶 "Ring around the rosie, pocket full of posies..." We’ve all sung it. But what if this innocent-sounding nursery rhyme is actually about one of the deadliest pandemics in human history?In this episode of Have to Know History, we dig into the Black Death—the devastating plague that wiped out 1 in 3 Europeans in the 14th century—and explore the haunting connection (real or imagined) to the rhyme we all learned as kids. Was it really about plague sores, flowers to fight the smell of death, and mass cremations? Or is that just a spooky story we’ve told our...
2025-08-2206 min
Have To Know HistoryWhy Do We Call It A Honeymoon?Newlyweds jetting off for a week of sun and relaxation—it’s a tradition we call a honeymoon. But why? What do honey and the moon have to do with marriage?In this episode of Have to Know History, Jason Freewalt explores the surprising origins of the honeymoon. From Viking mead-drinking rituals and medieval marriage customs to Victorian bridal tours and modern beach getaways, this tradition has a sweeter—and stranger—history than you might expect.Was it really about love and romance? Or did it have more to do with fertility, family politics, and fermente...
2025-08-0103 min
Have To Know HistoryAlexander the Great’s Dad Tried to Kill Him?Alexander the Great’s Dad Tried to Kill Him? 👑⚔️Before he was Alexander the Great—the conqueror of Persia and builder of an empire that stretched to the edge of the known world—he was a teenage prince caught in a royal family full of drama. His father, Philip II of Macedonia, was a brilliant warrior and political mastermind. His mother, Olympias, was fiercely ambitious and determined to secure her son’s future.At one infamous wedding banquet, an awkward toast and a drunken stumble revealed just how divided father and son had become. Not long after, Phi...
2025-07-1105 min
Have To Know HistoryTutankhamun’s Widow and the Hittite Prince: The Mystery of Queen AnkhesenamunA mysterious Egyptian queen wrote to the king of the Hittites with a shocking request:“Send me one of your sons… so I can marry him.”Who was this queen? And why would **Tutankhamun’s widow—possibly Queen Ankhesenamun—**reach out to Egypt’s sworn enemy right after his death? What happened to the Hittite prince who answered the call?This is the tale of the Dahamunzu Affair—an ancient diplomatic scandal that nearly changed the course of history. In this episode, we uncover the clues hidden in Hittite letters, Egyptian artifacts, and the political storm...
2025-06-2006 min
Have To Know HistoryHenry VIII, Elizabeth I & the Shocking Origins of VirginiaHenry VIII, Elizabeth I & the Shocking Origins of Virginia - Walter Raleigh, the Lost Colony, and the Queen Who Never MarriedHave To Know History - What do six wives, a lost colony, and a queen who never married have to do with the state of Virginia?This fast-paced 7-minute episode unpacks how one king’s obsession with a male heir reshaped religion, rattled Europe, and led—indirectly—to the naming of Virginia. From Henry VIII’s six wives to Elizabeth I’s iconic reign as the “Virgin Queen,” and the mystery of the Lost Colony of Roan...
2025-05-3007 min
Have To Know HistoryThe Minotaur Myth is Real? - Part 2: The HistoryWhat if the Minotaur myth wasn’t just a story—but a memory of something real?In this second part of the Minotaur mini-series, we step beyond the myth and into the ruins of ancient Crete. I’ll walk you through what archaeologists have discovered at the Minoan palace of Knossos—an actual maze-like structure that might have inspired the legend. We’ll explore bull-leaping rituals, signs of human sacrifice, and one of the largest volcanic eruptions in recorded history: the explosion of Thera around 1600 BC.Could that disaster have sparked a legend about a cursed kin...
2025-05-0904 min
Have To Know HistoryThe Minotaur Myth is Real? - Part 1: The MythA monster in a maze. A genius inventor. A lovestruck princess. And an angry god who shakes the earth.This is the very first episode of Have To Know History, a podcast for anyone who loves myths, mysteries, and ancient stories that just might be true. Join Jason Freewalt as he walks you through the outrageous myth of the Minotaur—complete with cursed queens, deadly mazes, and some deeply questionable decisions from both gods and mortals.Originally part of the Have To Know History YouTube series, this audio version brings the same energy and storytelling—perf...
2025-04-2004 min