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In this episode of Geeked on history, we review an institution many have heard of, but fewer have a great understanding of. Now more of an anachronism, Geeked on History explores the history of Tammany Hall in this first “totally geeked” multi-part series.      Related StoriesUnderstanding Tammany: A history of Tammany Hall – Episode 1 - EnclosureAndrew Jackson: The Bear (Part III) - EnclosureThe Secret Speech of Nikita Khrushchev - Enclosure 

This week we’re geeking out on some halloween material, so scare away the trick-or-treaters, snap on some Reese’s cups, and listen to some of the ghostly history of some of the world’s most haunted locations!      Related StoriesGeeked on Halloween! - EnclosureAndrew Jackson: The Bear (Part II) - EnclosureAndrew Jackson: The Bear (Part III) - Enclosure 

This week’s podcast touches on a very tough subject – the subject of brutal human experimentation during World War II. This episode is not for those who are easily put-off by graphic descriptions of violence, so consider this a fair warning for the content of this week’s podcast.      Related StoriesThe Horrors of Unit 731 - EnclosureAndrew Jackson: The Bear (Part II) - EnclosureThe Story of the Anacreontic Song (flash edition!!) - Enclosure 

Geeked on History covers the tragically short story of one of the greatest female scientists in history: Augusta Ada Lovelace in this flash edition. This was a podcast originally recorded for The History Podcasters Network, so you may notice some differences (like no intro track!) but the information is the same quality you’ve come to expect from the show!      Related StoriesThe Life of Baroness Lovelace (Flash Edition) - EnclosureCrimean War: We’ve been here before! - EnclosureThe Story of the Anacreontic Song (flash edition!!) - Enclosure 

Hello again, Geeks! In today’s podcast, we get our hands a little dirty on World War 2 history. I know, I know. I used it as a point of pride to say that we tried to avoid covering too many topics in the WWII era, but I feel that this topic qualifies as quality content for Geeked on History ears. Operation JEDBURGH was an old concept applied with new effectiveness. Gone were the days of security deep within the borders of a rapidly advancing front. When air troop transports can drop covert teams of saboteurs behind your lines, any illusions of safety evaporated like water on a hot summer day. So nestle in with your choice of summer beverage (I’ll take a Bell’s Oberon, please!) and enjoy the podcast! And don’t forget to stay geeky!       

Welcome back, geeks! Today we’re going to revisit one of my favorite topics – nuclear/cold war history. At the very end of WWII, the Americans developed one of the most terrifying weapons that the world has ever seen. Powered by a chunk of enriched and unstable fissile material, the parts of the weapons were almost as dangerous to human life as their sum. Because of the lives that it took, one such core would come to be known by its sinister and ominous moniker: The Demon Core.       

Hello again, my geeky friends! The spirit struck me tonight and I decided that I would put together a blogpost on some outstanding historic film that I found a while back by chance. If you’re a fan of aviation history, you’re in for a treat! In the 1950s during the early days of the cold war, image-based intelligence was king. Getting high quality aerial reconnaissance photos was a major challenge especially in the days before the first successful recon satellite (called Corona which wouldn’t be successful until 1960). So how did the US get photographs over communist territory before satellites? The short answer: a very high-flying single jet engine plane. The even shorter answer: the U-2. U-2 camera module Nicknamed the “Dragon Lady”, the U-2 is a light-weight recon jet whose soul payload was a massive camera built to take high-altitude photographs of sites on the ground. The U-2 began operations in 1957 and believe it or not, is still in operation today for the United States Air Force. The most amazing thing about this jet is the altitude at which it could fly – 70,000 ft was the operational ceiling for the U-2. That’s nearly a low-Earth orbit; which means that the first pilots of the U-2 were among the first humans to observe the curvature of the Earth with their own eyes. The fine folks at the Lockheed Martin company have generously released the test footage for a few of their iconic aerial  platforms. The following video is test film for the U-2 Dragon Lady. (None of these have sound, so no need to adjust your speakers) http://geekedonhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/video/U-2%20First%20Flight.mp4 Even though the U-2 is still kicking around, the U-2 program suffered a heavy blow with the infamous shoot-down of Frances Gary Powers in May, 1960. The need for a new plane with even higher performance became clear to the US government, and so a replacement was commissioned. A-12 inverted for radar cross-section testing The SR-71 has been the object of many a boyhood fascination since it was first publicly fielded. Its unique design was what always attracted me to it and when I was young, the story of its development was almost as notorious as the plane itself. Ironically, what many people don’t know is that the SR-71 was not an original airplane. Developed by a crack team of Lockheed engineers known as the “skunkworks” and led by the legendary figure Clarence “Kelly” Johnson the A-12 Archangel was meant to blow the lid off of traditional aerial design. The A-12 was also designed as an aerial reconnaisance platform which eventually made it into the arsenal of the United States Air Force when the name would change from A-12 to SR-71. The following video is Lockheed footage of the first flight of the A-12 Archangel: http://geekedonhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/video/A-12%20First%20Flight.mp4 The A-12 incorporated new anti-radar features which revolutionized the way that military flight design was approached. After the Gary Powers incident, the danger posed by surface to air missile systems was suddenly a major issue that had to be dealt with during the design of America’s newest generation of air-power. Enter the F-117 Nighthawk A.K.A. the stealth fighter. The Nighthawk was another plane that captivated me as a child. After all, there’s nothing cooler than a super fast, super cool looking black fighter streaking through the sky at your local air show when you’re a 10 year old boy. F-117 Nighthawks in formation The Nighthawk incorporated many of the same design principles as the A-12, and went on to a long service in the USAF just like the previous two jets. The Nighthawk represents the jet model which jumped the gap between reconnaissance aircraft design and fighting aircraft design. http://geekedonhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/video/F-117%20First%20Flight.mp4 To round out the post, I’d like to thank the Lockheed Martin company for taking the time to post these videos and to share them with the world. As a bonus, that there’s a common thread linking all 3 of these aircraft. If you can figure out exactly what it is, I’ll give you a thumbs up for your prowess in both observation and historic intellect! Stay geeky, folks!       

Hello again, geeks! Welcome back to all the faithful listeners of the Geeked on history podcast. It’s been about a month, and to celebrate the return of the podcast I have a very special treat for all of you! The Berlin Airlift was one of the very first major confrontations of the post-war era. Disagreements with how to handle the city of Berlin after Nazi control had been usurped put the gears of the cold war in motion in a renewed ideological conflict that would entangle almost every nation on Earth in one way or another. The USSR had their sights set on control of the entire European continent, to include Germany and the city of Berlin, which was being shared by the four major allies in World War II. The Soviet Union had constructed a scheme to supply all of Berlin exclusively by controlling the supply chain into the city from all sides. The United States; not planning on being cut out of the future of the capitol of Germany, decided to try a radical solution to circumventing Soviet ground control. Instead of sending in ground convoys, they would send convoys in the air. In this week’s episode, I take a divergence from the normal format and interview a veteran I met (by way of absolute luck) to get his viewpoint on the conflict, and understand how the event worked from someone who was on the front lines. I’d like to send a special thanks out to my veteran friend Bob Gload for taking the time out to sit down with me and discuss his experience and to my good friend Ryan Duff for taking on the task of editor for the podcast. Without either of these two incredible gentlemen, we wouldn’t be able to hear this very special podcast. Enjoy!   http://geekedonhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/Season2/GoH%20Bob%20Interview.m4a       

In 1816, unusual global weather patterns caused what would have been the summer months, to be an extension of winter. Crops failed, and many died from starvation and disease throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Listen to this week’s podcast to hear more!   http://geekedonhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/Season2/the%20year%20without%20a%20summer.mp3       

For this week’s podcast, I wanted to explore a bit of the darker side of history. Historic mysteries are the best kinds of mysteries, and while Geeked on History tries to steer clear of history that is difficult to cite, exceptions will be made for certain topics. In 1922, one of the most unsettling unsolved mass murders occurred in farm country, Germany. While the fact that the murders remain unsolved, the secrets of the murdered family contribute to this odd and creepy story. Who would want to murder a family living on a farm in the middle of nowhere in Germany? What happened inside that barn? What horrors did 7-year-old Cazilia see when she walked into the pitch darkness of the old farm shed? As promised, you can find a few of the crime-scene photos taken at the Hinterkaifeck farmstead attached to this post.         

September 11th symbolizes tragedy for Americans for the terrorist attacks in 2011. For some people in the USA, September 11th stands for another American tragedy – the massacre of 120 innocent travelers through Utah territory.   http://geekedonhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/Season2/Mountain%20Meadows%20Massacre.m4a         

The early days of industry are fraught with negligence and death thanks to the lack of accountability on the barons of big business. Few industrial accidents match the scale and absurdity of the often overlooked Boston molasses flood of 1919.   http://geekedonhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/mp3/boston%20molasses%20disaster.mp3       

When an ammunition depot explodes in New York harbor, it triggers one of the most interesting mysteries in the United States during World War I.   http://geekedonhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/mp3/The%20Mysterious%20Explosion%20at%20Black%20Tom.mp3       

We’ve all heard the name at some point, but just what was this place? Part dance club, part brothel, part hippie commune, the Moulin Rouge might be one of the most fascinating topics for the Geeked on History podcast yet!   http://geekedonhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/mp3/The%20Magical%20Mystical%20Moulin%20Rouge-reissue.mp3         

What’s that? You say you’ve never heard the Anacreontic Song before? I’m willing to bet that you have! Learn the history of the song and why it’s important to both British and American culture in this brief Flash Edition podcast.   http://geekedonhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/The%20Anacreontic%20Song-A%20Song%20For%20Drunks%20and%20Country%20Makers.m4a       

You’ve heard about it in the news today, but maybe don’t know the story about the original Crimean War. Don’t worry geeks, I’ve got you covered.   http://geekedonhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Crimean%20War.m4a       

In the final part of the Andrew Jackson series we ask the question, has there ever been a president more into dueling? We round out our three part series on Andrew Jackson through an assassination attempt, and his death.   http://geekedonhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Andrew%20Jackson%20the%20Bear%20Part%20III.m4a       

This week we continue our look at Andrew Jackson: the man, the myth, the legend….or is he greater than a legend?   http://geekedonhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Andrew%20Jackson%20the%20Bear%20II.m4a       

Hey, who’s that guy on the 20? In honor of President’s day 2014, this episode kicks off a 3 part series on one of the most masculine US presidents there ever was. Impress your girlfriend by trying your best to emulate him while walking around your house by dealing out some raw justice and being lippy to British commanding officers! If Andrew Jackson had been an animal….scratch that….Andrew Jackson WAS an animal. He was a bear of a man, and if you don’t believe me then have a listen!   http://geekedonhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Andrew%20Jackson%20the%20Bear%20-Part%20I.m4a       

In this podcast, we examine the US obsession with making small nuclear weapons during the 1950’s and 1960’s. Topics include the Atomic Annie, and the Davey Crockett recoilless nuclear platforms.   http://geekedonhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Little%20Apocalypse-Atomic%20Annie%20and%20Other%20Small%20Nukes.m4a