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PODCAST

Badass of the Week

Badass History - High Five Content & Seven Bucks Productions

Throughout the course of human history certain individuals have stood out as being completely f***ing awesome. From ninjas and gunfighters to pirates and Vikings, to explorers, scientists and great leaders, these people - true badasses - completely obliterated anything that stood in their path, routinely overcame seemingly insurmountable obstacles, and ultimately altered the course of history through their actions. Be it glory, conquest, or survival, these hardcore men and women all had one specific

history

All Episodes

49:17

The Trưng Sisters: When Sisters Ruled an Empire

Badass of the Week ·

2025/12/17

History doesn’t usually begin with two sisters on war elephants — but this one does. In 40 AD, the Trưng Sisters ignited a violent break from Han Dynasty rule, led armies commanded by women, seized more than sixty citadels, and ruled Vietnam as queens for three hard-fought years.In today's episode Ben is joined by Dr. Pat Larish to chart the rise, rule, and last stand of the women who turned occupation into identity — and became the blueprint for two thousand years of Vietnamese resistance.

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75:36

The Taiping Rebellion: The Cult Leader Who Nearly...

Badass of the Week ·

2025/12/11

A failed civil-service exam. A month-long fever dream. And a man who woke up convinced he was Jesus Christ’s Chinese younger brother... This week, Ben teams up with historian and History on Fire host Daniele Bolelli to tell one of the wildest, bloodiest, most unbelievable stories in human history: the Taiping Rebellion, the second-deadliest war the world has ever seen.What begins as one man’s psychotic break spirals into a doomsday-level holy war that engulfs 17 provinces, kills tens of millions,

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53:15

Pearl Harbor: The Cook, the Drunks, and the...

Badass of the Week ·

2025/12/03

On December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was hit with fire, chaos, and a surprise attack that should have shattered the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Instead, it produced some of the wildest, most unlikely heroes in American history. In this episode, Ben Thompson is joined by Navy veteran and comedian Rob Mayfield to break down the stories of the men who refused to fold - from mess attendant Doris “Dorie” Miller dropping enemy planes with a .50-cal he’d never been trained to fire, to two hungover fighter pilots

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55:04

Alan Shepard: The Original Space Cowboy

Badass of the Week ·

2025/11/26

America’s first astronaut wasn’t just a spaceman — he was a fighter pilot, a rule-breaker, and a straight-up menace to anyone who underestimated him. This week, Ben is joined by space historian Brandon Fibbs to dig into the wild life of Alan Shepard, the hotshot naval aviator who went from strafing enemy ships in WWII to strapping himself into a tin can perched on top of a barely-tested rocket. Together they unpack how Shepard muscled his way into the Mercury 7, stared down NASA bureaucracy, battled

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69:46

Majorian: The Roman Emperor Who Said “Not on My Watch”

Badass of the Week ·

2025/11/19

History remembers the fall of Rome as inevitable... but buried in the chaos is one man who almost flipped the script. In today's episode, Ben is joined by Matthew and Matteo of the Lost Roman Heroes Podcast to talk about Majorian. He wasn’t a pampered emperor; he was a frontline warrior who carved his way through enemies and politics alike, determined to rebuild an empire everyone else had already written off. He reformed corrupt systems, rallied shattered armies, and launched one of the boldest

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44:41

Drew Dennis Dix: Welcome to Hell, I’ll Be Your Tour...

Badass of the Week ·

2025/11/11

In honor of Veterans Day, Ben Thompson and Producer Andrew Jacobs tell the story of Drew Dennis Dix. History is full of stories about impossible odds—but few come close to what Dix pulled off in Vietnam. In the middle of the massive Viet Cong Tet offensive, Dix—an enlisted Green Beret—went in alone to rescue civilians trapped in a city under siege. Over two harrowing days, he led a one-man mission through enemy territory, dodging sniper fire, clearing buildings, saving dozens of hostages, and

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67:40

Guy Fawkes: The Powder, the Plot, and the Punishment

Badass of the Week ·

2025/11/05

History remembers Guy Fawkes as the man who tried—and failed—to blow up Parliament. But the real story is bigger, bloodier, and far more explosive. In this Bonfire Night episode, Ben Thompson is joined by Samuel Datta to tell the tale of a soldier turned saboteur, a plot fueled by faith and fury, and how one man’s failure became one of the most famous nights in British history. Remember, remember the 5th of November...

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65:04

Ted Williams: The Slugger Who Became a Fighter

Badass of the Week ·

2025/10/29

It's World Series time! So let's talk some badass baseball. In today's episode, Ben is joined by TimeGhost historian and baseball enthusiast Indy Neidell to tell the story of Ted Williams. Williams wasn’t just one of the greatest hitters in baseball history — he was a fighter pilot, a war hero, and a man who could stare down both a fastball and enemy fire without blinking. He lost five prime years of his career to two wars, came back swinging like he never missed a pitch, and still finished with one

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62:13

Martha Gellhorn: Bylines and Bombshells

Badass of the Week ·

2025/10/22

In today's episode Ben Thompson is joined by Shaina Steinberg to tell the story of Martha Gellhorn, the trailblazing war correspondent who smuggled herself into war zones, broke every rule that needed breaking, and filed some of the most powerful eyewitness accounts of the 20th century. From the Spanish Civil War to D-Day to the jungles of Vietnam, Gellhorn refused to stay home, refused to stay silent, and refused to be known for anything other than her own words. This is the story of the woman who

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53:22

The Viking Who Invented Dublin and the Saint Who...

Badass of the Week ·

2025/10/15

This week, Ben and Pat are heading to Ireland for a double dose of destruction, divinity, and a surprisingly violent debate over a book. First up: Turgesius the Devil, a Viking warlord who didn’t just raid Ireland—he built cities, crowned himself king, and let his witch queen turn cathedrals into goat-sacrificing prophecy hubs. Then it’s Saint Colum Cille, the one-man holy army who got so mad about copyright law and a dead hurling player that he started an actual war and maybe (definitely) punched

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67:58

REPLAY -- Milo of Croton: All Muscle, No Chill.

Badass of the Week ·

2025/10/09

To follow up our episode with The Smashing Machine, Mark Kerr - we're diving into the archive to replay our deeper dive into the story of Milo of Croton.-- -- Step into the arena with Milo of Croton, the ancient Greek strongman whose feats of strength turned him into a living legend. In this episode, Ben and Pat explore how Milo went from an Olympic champion to a battlefield hero, carrying entire armies on his back—literally. From wrestling lions to tearing trees apart with his bare hands, Milo’s

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51:58

Mark Kerr: The Smashing Machine (with special guest...

Badass of the Week ·

2025/10/07

In the savage early days of MMA, before the bright lights and billion-dollar paydays, there was one man who fought like a force of nature. Mark Kerr wasn’t just a wrestler — he was a six-foot-one, 250-pound experiment in human willpower. A world champion who walked into underground Brazilian cage fights, broke his hand mid-match, and kept fighting with his head. They called him The Smashing Machine. In today's episode, Ben and Mark go blow-by-blow through the glory, the pain, and the redemption of

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63:33

Xenophon: The March Through Madness

Badass of the Week ·

2025/10/01

Xenophon was a philosophy student, a Socratic thinker, and a pampered Athenian aristocrat who signed up for a mercenary road trip into Persia and accidentally became one of the greatest battlefield leaders in Greek history. When his army’s generals were betrayed and slaughtered, Xenophon—who had never commanded a single soldier—rallied 10,000 stranded warriors and led them on a 4,000-mile retreat through enemy territory, across deserts, mountains, and hostile kingdoms, surviving ambushes,

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43:09

Paddy Mayne: When in doubt, just strap a machine gun...

Badass of the Week ·

2025/09/24

Before he was smashing Nazi airfields and punching his way through the deserts of North Africa, Lieutenant Colonel Blair “Paddy” Mayne was an amateur boxing champion, a rugby international, and the kind of guy who could drink you under the table, flip the table, and then win the bar fight that followed. This week, Ben and Andrew dive into the myth and madness of one of the founding members of the Special Air Service—an Irish warrior-poet with a short fuse and a long list of enemies. From brawling

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62:55

Baron Frederick von der Trenck: Get in Loser, We’re...

Badass of the Week ·

2025/09/17

In today's episode, Ben and Pat dive into the outrageous, swashbuckling life of Baron Frederick von der Trenck -- a Prussian nobleman, cavalry officer, prison escape artist, sword-fighting heartthrob, and the original “most interesting man in the world.” Born into military aristocracy, Trenck risked it all for love, dueled his way across Europe, got imprisoned (twice) by a furious Frederick the Great, and escaped in ways that feel ripped straight from a Dumas novel. From secret affairs with royalty

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68:27

Dr. Hawa Abdi: A Sanctuary in Hell

Badass of the Week ·

2025/09/10

In the middle of Somalia’s civil war, when the world was falling apart, Dr. Hawa Abdi started building. On her family’s land outside Mogadishu, she created a hospital, a school, a legal aid clinic, and eventually a sanctuary for tens of thousands of people fleeing violence and famine. Armed militias tried to take it. She told them to get off her front lawn. And they did. This is the story of a doctor who held the line when no one else could, and turned one patch of earth into a beacon of hope for an

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43:21

Potemkin: This Ship Runs on Rage, Not Borscht

Badass of the Week ·

2025/08/27

In 1905, a Russian battleship crew said “enough.” Starving, abused, and fed up with maggot-ridden meat and brutal officers, the sailors aboard the Potemkin launched one of the most famous mutinies in naval history—an act of defiance that sent shockwaves through the Russian Empire. What followed was a chaotic, bloody standoff that played out across the Black Sea and the port of Odessa, inspiring revolutionaries and terrifying the Tsar. In today's episode Ben and Andrew tell the story of how one

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54:24

Buried Alive: The 33 Who Refused to Die

Badass of the Week ·

2025/08/20

August 2010. Deep beneath the Atacama Desert, thirty-three Chilean miners are buried alive under thousands of tons of rock—half a mile underground. With only two days of food, no light, and no way out, their survival seems impossible. On the surface, desperate families build a city of hope, engineers and drillers from around the world converge, and NASA lends a hand. In today's episode Ben and Pat tell a story of leadership, faith, and pure badass perseverance, as the world unites to pull off one of

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01:20:52

Nikephoros Phokas: Pale Death of the Saracens

Badass of the Week ·

2025/08/13

In today's episode Ben and Pat are joined by Robin Pierson, host of The History of Byzantium to discuss Nikephoros Phokas was a man who didn’t look like he belonged on a battlefield—balding, pale, with a face better suited to an icon in a monastery. But when he put on his armor, he became the Byzantine Empire’s ultimate nightmare machine. Known as the “Pale Death of the Saracens,” he crushed enemy armies, reclaimed lost lands, and rode his warhorse straight into the history books. Along the way, he

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01:10:10

Bare-Handed Beastmaster: The Wild Life of Carl Akeley

Badass of the Week ·

2025/08/06

Carl Akeley was an artist, scientist, inventor, conservationist, and the godfather of modern taxidermy—but don’t let the job title fool you. This dude once fist-fought a full-grown leopard with one hand, got body-slammed by an elephant and survived, invented a concrete-blasting cannon, and crossed a crocodile-infested river using a dead crocodile as a raft. All in the name of conservation. Alongside guest Michael Alm, Ben Thompson dives into the insane, inspiring, and occasionally insane-again life

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145 results

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