Hanchuk Targets History

Tim Hanchuk

Longtime history teacher Tim Hanchuk targets interesting, unique, and little known historical events and explains them in a way anyone can understand. New Episodes released randomly until life gets less busy - sorry. read less

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3-4 The Battle of Argos

3-4 The Battle of Argos

The Battle of Argos took place in 272 BC between the forces of Pyrrhus, King of Epirus, and a coalition made up of the city-state of Argos, the army of Sparta under King Areus, and the army of Macedonia under King Antigonus Gonatas. Pyrrhus was one of the great generals of the Hellenistic Age and the Battle of Argos marks his final defeat and death. A death which certainly was not as glorious or heroic as one might expect.

Episodes

3-4 The Battle of Argos

3-4 The Battle of Argos

The Battle of Argos took place in 272 BC between the forces of Pyrrhus, King of Epirus, and a coalition made up of the city-state of Argos, the army of Sparta under King Areus, and the army of Macedonia under King Antigonus Gonatas. Pyrrhus was one of the great generals of the Hellenistic Age and the Battle of Argos marks his final defeat and death. A death which certainly was not as glorious or heroic as one might expect.

3-3 The Battle of Bannockburn

3-3 The Battle of Bannockburn

The Battle of Bannockburn took place June 23-24, 1314, with the army of Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland, fighting the army of King Edward II of England. It is one of Scotland's most celebrated victories.

3-2 Operation Chastise - The Dambusters Raid

3-2 Operation Chastise - The Dambusters Raid

Operation Chastise, which is better known as the Dambusters Raid, took place on the night of May 16, 1943 during World War II. It was a daring RAF attack on German dams in the Ruhr Valley using some rather unique bombs.

3-1 The Battles of Frenchtown & the River Raisin Massacre

3-1 The Battles of Frenchtown & the River Raisin Massacre

The Battles of Frenchtown and the subsequent River Raisin Massacre took place January 18-23, 1813 around the Frenchtown settlement in what is present-day Monroe, Michigan. It happens to be the deadliest fight to ever take place on Michigan soil, and had the highest loss of American lives for any battle during the War of 1812.

2-23 The Battle of Fort Necessity

2-23 The Battle of Fort Necessity

A little known event in the life of a well-known historical figure. The Battle of Fort Necessity took place on July 3, 1754, and marks the first military action seen by a young colonial officer named George Washington. It's also the battle that is credited with starting the French and Indian War.

2-22 The Battle of Bosworth Field

2-22 The Battle of Bosworth Field

Today's episode talks about the famous clash that brought about an end to the Wars of the Roses and ushered in the Tudor dynasty - the Battle of Bosworth Field, which took place on August 22, 1485.

2-21 The Battle of Valmy (1792)

2-21 The Battle of Valmy (1792)

The Battle of Valmy took place on September 20, 1792. It is one of the early battles of the French Revolution . Though not as well-known as some later battles, it has heroics, a questionable military decision, and is highly significant to the further development of the revolution.

2-20 The Great Molasses Flood

2-20 The Great Molasses Flood

On January 15, 1919, a tank holding around 2.3 million gallons of molasses collapsed in Boston's North End neighborhood flooding the streets. Although it sounds like an amusing historical anecdote, it was actually a large disaster that killed and injured many.

2-19 The Battle of Lake Tanganyika

2-19 The Battle of Lake Tanganyika

In this episode, Hanchuk talks about World War I and the Battle of Lake Tanganyika, which was actually a series of naval engagements between December 1915 and July 1916. Apart from being significant to the war's central African theater, it also served as the inspiration for a novella and classic motion picture.

2-18 Gunfight at the O.K. Corral

2-18 Gunfight at the O.K. Corral

In this lengthy episode, Hanchuk talks about what is, perhaps, the most famous shootout of the American old west - the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.

2-17 Operation Dragoon

2-17 Operation Dragoon

During World War II, the Allies staged Operation Overlord, the amphibious invasion of the Normandy area of France. What few people realize is that a second amphibious invasion, this time in the south of France, took place a few months later. This was Operation Dragoon, and this episode talks about that forgotten event.

2-16 Truman Removes MacArthur

2-16 Truman Removes MacArthur

During the Korean War, the commander of the United Nations forces was General Douglas MacArthur - at least until April of 1951 when President Harry Truman decided to fire him. In this episode, Hanchuk talks about the circumstances that led to MacArthur's removal.

2-15 The Third Servile War - "I'm Spartacus!"

2-15 The Third Servile War - "I'm Spartacus!"

The Third Servile War was a slave revolt from 73-71 BC in the time of the Roman Republic. Few people know it by name, but most have heard of one of its leaders - Spartacus.

2-14 Old Glory - A Brief History of the U.S. Flag

2-14 Old Glory - A Brief History of the U.S. Flag

The United States flag is perhaps one of the most recognizable national flags in the world. In this episode, Hanchuk takes a brief look at how this well-known symbol of America came to be.

2-13 The Aleutian Islands Campaign

2-13 The Aleutian Islands Campaign

The Aleutian Islands stretch across the northern Pacific and are part of Alaska. One of the forgotten battles of World War II is when Japan invaded and occupied two of them. The United States, of course, responded by taking those islands back. In this episode, Hanchuk takes the listener through the planning, attack, and outcome of the campaign.

2-12 The Terrible Treaty: Versailles, 1919

2-12 The Terrible Treaty: Versailles, 1919

The 1919 Treaty of Versailles was the formal peace treaty ending World War I between the Allies and Germany. To be blunt, it was a poor treaty, but not for the reasons most people think. In this episode, Hanchuk debunks some common notions about the treaty and argues the real reasons that it resulted in a flawed peace.

2-11 Gutenberg and the Printing Press

2-11 Gutenberg and the Printing Press

In the 1430s, Johannes Gutenberg perfected the process of moveable type printing. This led to a printing revolution that had a profound effect on society from that point forward. In this episode, Hanchuk talks about how it all happened.

2-10 The Battle of Waterloo

2-10 The Battle of Waterloo

On June 18, 1815, Napoleon suffered his final defeat at the epic Battle of Waterloo. In this episode, Hanchuk talks about what led up to it and how the battle played out.

2-9 World War I - The Home Front

2-9 World War I - The Home Front

We all know, of course, that World War I was a world-wide war. But what we often forget is that it was a total war as well. In this quick episode, Hanchuk talks about what was happening on the home front.

2-8 The Guillotine

2-8 The Guillotine

When one thinks of the French Revolution, especially the Reign of Terror, the guillotine immediately comes to mind. In this episode, Hanchuk traces the history of this well-known execution device - heads will roll.