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History Impossible

History Impossible

Auteur(s): Alexander von Sternberg
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À propos de cet audio

 History Impossible covers some of the less-known, strange, and supposedly impossible events, people, and ideologies throughout history that are all nonetheless true. The settings and time periods range from the Second World War to ancient Japan to medieval Europe, and many more. The show engages with difficult ideas and impossible decisions that were made by human beings like you or me, always to significant effect. It goes out of its way to grant agency to all of its subjects and does its best to present the most nuanced approach one can, all while acknowledging any personal biases that may exist. You will not find a more honest attempt at presenting difficult and controversial historical topics.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/history-impossible--5634566/support.Copyright Alexander von Sternberg Monde Sciences sociales True Crime
Épisodes
  • War for the Frontiers of History and America (w/ Jack Henneman of The History of the Americans)

    War for the Frontiers of History and America (w/ Jack Henneman of The History of the Americans)
    Dec 1 2025
    History is often forged upon the frontiers—both literally and figuratively. That includes the field of history, whose frontiers have become wildly expanded with the advent of podcasting and other forms of content creation. This has certainly created tension, but it has also created opportunities for narratives and voices that would never have otherwise been heard. One of those voices is that of the incredible Jack Henneman of The History of the Americans podcast, one of the best historical podcasts on the market.

    Jack approaches American history with a granular fixation and that has placed him in a very different position than my own grand narrative style that I have been aping from Dan Carlin for nearly seven years now, and this has given him unique insight into the history of the United States, which is why I wanted to discuss the momentous but also underrated event known as King Philip’s War. This war’s significance to colonial American development cannot be overstated and helped characterize America’s ongoing relationship with the frontier, as well as set the tone for future calamities, including my area of the interest: the Salem witchcraft crisis.

    Thanks to this significance, Jack and I were able to discuss the way such events are approached in history, as well as the state of the field itself; without spoiling too much, I will just say that both Jack and I believe that there is a bit too much concern over the frontiers of the field, which I believe has become something of a walled garden. That said, the importance of epistemic humility and transparency are paramount when forging these frontiers, and these and more are other topics we cover.

    So please enjoy this conversation with Jack Henneman of the History of the Americans podcast.

    ...

    History Impossible has been made possible by the following generous supporters on Patreon, Substack, and PayPal. Please consider donating today if you want to show some love for what I do and make and what to help keep the show and all my written content going:

    David Adamcik
    David Alsbach
    Gregg Anderson
    Rajan Athul
    Robert Babeon
    Michael Beach
    Benjamin
    Greg Bosai
    Johannes Breitsameter
    Carol ABC
    Charles C
    Chomo the Clown
    Curtis Christiansen
    Jason Coleman
    Clayton Connell
    Cliffydeuce
    CR
    B.Cyr
    daddygorgon
    Danny
    Lynda Davis
    Paul DeCoster
    Regina Dick-Endrizzi
    Neil Dickens
    Nathan Diehl
    Bob Downing
    Dramicas
    J Dub
    Martin E.
    Eastone
    Gavin Edwards
    Howie Feltersnatch
    Pierre Ghazarian
    Josh Goedert
    Sam Graham
    Jayson Griesmeyer
    Nathan Grote
    Benjamin Hamilton
    Peter Hauck
    Jack Henneman
    Eric Hodges
    Mike Jarulic
    Joe6245
    Lionel Joseph
    Thomas Justesen
    Mike Kalnins
    Bryn Kaufman
    Leah Kodner
    Benjamin Lee
    Constance Loucks
    Maddy
    Mounty of Madness
    Jose Martinez
    Mike Mayleben
    Judy McCoid
    Kyle Mohney
    Kostas Moros
    Ryan Mortenson
    Cameron Needham
    Shiran
    Skip Pacheco
    David Page
    Molly Pan
    Sr. Powell
    Brian Pritzl
    AnaR737
    PJ Rader
    Gleb Radutsky
    Aleksandr Rakitin
    Reptilycus
    Matthew M. Rice
    Phillip Rice
    Terry Rosen
    Dan S
    Jon Andre Saether
    Jake Scalia
    Emily Schmidt
    Julian Schmidt
    Andrew Seeber
    Joshua Simpson
    Cameron Smith
    Jerry Spangler
    timetosuccedd1995
    Thomas Squeo
    Athal Krishna Sundarrajan
    Jared Cole Temple
    Ward Van Roy
    Pierre Vorupuni
    Robert VS
    Jonny Wilkie
    Christian Wilson
    Janora Winsor
    F. You

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/history-impossible--5634566/support.
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    2 h et 22 min
  • Salem Possessed (w/ Sebastian Major of Our Fake History)

    Salem Possessed (w/ Sebastian Major of Our Fake History)
    Nov 24 2025
    It’s unlikely that I’ve undersold the significance of the Salem witchcraft crisis to the development of American history, particularly in the religious and institutional context. But what I always felt somewhat sad about leaving out was the true horror of the event itself, and really the confusing knot that it has created throughout the nearly 340 years that have passed since its conclusion. Why did such a thing happen? What bewitched the people of Salem? Was it mass hysteria? Was it social contagion? Was it ergot poisoning? Was it real witchcraft? These questions, remarkably, are still asked to this very day.

    That is why I enlisted the help of my friend and now second-time guest on History Impossible, Sebastian Major of Our Fake History to help me unravel this mystery for all of you fine people. Sebastian did a fantastic three-part series covering the witchcraft crisis—my favorite podcast to do so, in fact—a couple of years ago, so I figured there was no one better to get into the broad overview of this twisted and persistent legend of American history. We also looked at the psychological element of the Salem witchcraft crisis and how it carries a universal quality to this very day, with everything from the Satanic panic of the 1980s to the rapid devolution of metoo, to even the Epstein conspiracy theory industry, serving as interesting road markers to understanding the underlying mechanisms. And thanks to Sebastian’s Canadian status—don’t worry, I don’t hold it against him—we also had a little fun discussing bits of Canadian history and politics (something I am woefully uneducated in).

    So please enjoy this conversation looking at what possessed Salem in 1692-1693, and perhaps what created the blueprint for strained social relations in American history forever.

    ...

    History Impossible has been made possible by the following generous supporters on Patreon, Substack, and PayPal. Please consider donating today if you want to show some love for what I do and make and what to help keep the show and all my written content going:

    David Adamcik
    David Alsbach
    Gregg Anderson
    Rajan Athul
    Robert Babeon
    Michael Beach
    Benjamin
    Greg Bosai
    Johannes Breitsameter
    Carol ABC
    Charles C
    Chomo the Clown
    Curtis Christiansen
    Jason Coleman
    Clayton Connell
    Cliffydeuce
    CR
    B.Cyr
    daddygorgon
    Danny
    Lynda Davis
    Paul DeCoster
    Regina Dick-Endrizzi
    Neil Dickens
    Nathan Diehl
    Bob Downing
    Dramicas
    J Dub
    Martin E.
    Eastone
    Gavin Edwards
    Howie Feltersnatch
    Pierre Ghazarian
    Josh Goedert
    Sam Graham
    Jayson Griesmeyer
    Nathan Grote
    Benjamin Hamilton
    Peter Hauck
    Jack Henneman
    Eric Hodges
    Mike Jarulic
    Joe6245
    Lionel Joseph
    Thomas Justesen
    Mike Kalnins
    Bryn Kaufman
    Leah Kodner
    Benjamin Lee
    Constance Loucks
    Maddy
    Mounty of Madness
    Jose Martinez
    Mike Mayleben
    Judy McCoid
    Kyle Mohney
    Kostas Moros
    Ryan Mortenson
    Cameron Needham
    Shiran
    Skip Pacheco
    David Page
    Molly Pan
    Sr. Powell
    Brian Pritzl
    AnaR737
    PJ Rader
    Gleb Radutsky
    Aleksandr Rakitin
    Reptilycus
    Matthew M. Rice
    Phillip Rice
    Terry Rosen
    Dan S
    Jon Andre Saether
    Jake Scalia
    Emily Schmidt
    Julian Schmidt
    Andrew Seeber
    Joshua Simpson
    Cameron Smith
    Jerry Spangler
    timetosuccedd1995
    Thomas Squeo
    Athal Krishna Sundarrajan
    Jared Cole Temple
    Ward Van Roy
    Pierre Vorupuni
    Robert VS
    Jonny Wilkie
    Christian Wilson
    Janora Winsor
    F. You

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/history-impossible--5634566/support.
    Voir plus Voir moins
    2 h et 3 min
  • A Storm of Decay: The Salem Witch Trials and the Death of Authority

    A Storm of Decay: The Salem Witch Trials and the Death of Authority
    Oct 29 2025
    It might seem a bit gauche to discuss the Salem witchcraft crisis for Halloween, but here it is: the story of the real damage done by the infamous Salem witch trials beyond the deaths of about two dozen people that did not need to occur. The causes of the witchcraft hysteria are not discussed here, since those would require an entire episode of their own. In this case, we will be looking at how the witch trials harmed, perhaps irreparably, the integrity and authority of Salem’s, and perhaps even New England’s, religious and legal institutions for years to come.

    This story is part of a much larger one I’ve discussed in other work published on History Impossible—namely the scholarly research I’ve been conducting for graduate school—and one day I hope to bring it all together for all of you fine people. But in the meantime, I think it’s a good way to get into the spirit of Halloween and take a closer look at the harm against institutional credibility caused by the Salem witch trials of 1692-1693. If anything, this event helped create a standard for how Americans handle social contagion, as well as how we react to the failures—perceived or real—of our own institutions to this very day.

    ...

    History Impossible has been made possible by the following generous supporters on Patreon, Substack, and PayPal. Please consider donating today if you want to show some love for what I do and make and what to help keep the show and all my written content going:

    David Adamcik
    David Alsbach
    Gregg Anderson
    Rajan Athul
    Robert Babeon
    Michael Beach
    Benjamin
    Greg Bosai
    Johannes Breitsameter
    Carol ABC
    Charles C
    Chomo the Clown
    Curtis Christiansen
    Jason Coleman
    Clayton Connell
    Cliffydeuce
    CR
    B.Cyr
    daddygorgon
    Danny
    Lynda Davis
    Paul DeCoster
    Regina Dick-Endrizzi
    Neil Dickens
    Nathan Diehl
    Bob Downing
    Dramicas
    J Dub
    Martin E.
    Eastone
    Gavin Edwards
    Howie Feltersnatch
    Pierre Ghazarian
    Josh Goedert
    Sam Graham
    Jayson Griesmeyer
    Nathan Grote
    Benjamin Hamilton
    Peter Hauck
    Jack Henneman
    Eric Hodges
    Mike Jarulic
    Joe6245
    Lionel Joseph
    Thomas Justesen
    Mike Kalnins
    Bryn Kaufman
    Leah Kodner
    Benjamin Lee
    Constance Loucks
    Maddy
    Mounty of Madness
    Jose Martinez
    Mike Mayleben
    Judy McCoid
    Kyle Mohney
    Kostas Moros
    Ryan Mortenson
    Cameron Needham
    Shiran
    Skip Pacheco
    David Page
    Molly Pan
    Sr. Powell
    Brian Pritzl
    AnaR737
    PJ Rader
    Gleb Radutsky
    Aleksandr Rakitin
    Reptilycus
    Matthew M. Rice
    Phillip Rice
    Terry Rosen
    Dan S
    Jon Andre Saether
    Jake Scalia
    Emily Schmidt
    Julian Schmidt
    Andrew Seeber
    Joshua Simpson
    Cameron Smith
    Jerry Spangler
    timetosuccedd1995
    Thomas Squeo
    Athal Krishna Sundarrajan
    Jared Cole Temple
    Ward Van Roy
    Pierre Vorupuni
    Robert VS
    Jonny Wilkie
    Christian Wilson
    Janora Winsor
    F. You

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/history-impossible--5634566/support.
    Voir plus Voir moins
    1 h et 34 min
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