Skip to content
PodcastsHistoryHistory Dispatches

History Dispatches

Matt and McKinley Breen
History Dispatches
Latest episode

351 episodes

  • History Dispatches

    History of the QWERTY Keyboard

    2026-07-22 | 21 mins.
    Do you ever sit at your computer and look at the keyboard and wonder - how did we get here? Why are the letters laid out in such a jumbled mess? Why is the J easier to type than the E? That’s just one of many questions we tackle as we look at the history of what today we call the QWERTY keyboard.

    Sources

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFkC3F0lmjA

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QWERTY

    https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-qwerty-keyboard-will-never-die-where-did-the-150-year-old-design-come-from-49863249/

    Image: By Martin Howard: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Remington_2_typewriter_keyboard.jpg

    Sponsor

    Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespod50off to get 50 percent off and free daily greens per box. New subscribers only. While supplies last until 09/27/2026. (See website for more details).

    History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

    Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
  • History Dispatches

    The Colossus of Rhode: The greatest statue of the ancient world

    2026-07-20 | 22 mins.
    Today, the most famous statue that overlooks a harbor is probably the Statue of Liberty. However, over 2,000 years ago a statue almost as large was built in the Greek city of Rhodes. The Colossus of Rhodes so impressive it became one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

    Sources

    https://www.britannica.com/topic/Colossus-of-Rhodes

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colossus_of_Rhodes

    Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Colossus_of_Rhodes.jpg

    Sponsor

    Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespod50off to get 50 percent off and free daily greens per box. New subscribers only. While supplies last until 09/27/2026. (See website for more details).

    History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

    Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
  • History Dispatches

    Flint Water Crisis

    2026-07-17 | 24 mins.
    In 2014, the financially troubled city of Flint, Michigan, began drawing their water from the Flint River - instead of Lake Huron. The move would be a disaster. Over the next decade the city would grapple with water contamination, lead poisoning, Legionnaires disease, and deaths - costing Flint and the State of Michigan more than a billion dollars.

    Sources

    https://www.cdc.gov/casper/php/publications-links/flint-water-crisis.html

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flint_water_crisis

    Sponsor

    Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespod50off to get 50 percent off and free daily greens per box. New subscribers only. While supplies last until 09/27/2026. (See website for more details).

    History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

    Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
  • History Dispatches

    The Truth Behind Troy

    2026-07-15 | 21 mins.
    With the upcoming "Odyssey" movie, by Christopher Nolan, we wanted to ask, is it true? Well of course not. But the background of the story, the Trojan War and the city of Troy, might just have some basis in reality. Because not only have archeologists discovered what they believe to be the real life Troy, but there is also some evidence of a Trojan War.

    Sources

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy

    https://www.worldhistory.org/troy/

    Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Giovanni_Domenico_Tiepolo_-_The_Procession_of_the_Trojan_Horse_in_Troy_-_WGA22382.jpg

    Sponsor

    Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespod50off to get 50 percent off and free daily greens per box. New subscribers only. While supplies last until 09/27/2026. (See website for more details).

    History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

    Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
  • History Dispatches

    Battle of Tsushima: the birth of modern naval warfare

    2026-07-13 | 24 mins.
    On May 27, 1905, the Russian and Japanese fleets faced off in the Tsushima Strait during the Russo-Japanese War. It is the first modern naval battle - and described as the greatest and the most important naval event since Trafalgar - a century earlier. It also ushered in Japan as a world power - and helped sow the seeds of the end of Czarist Russia. This is the story of the battle of Tsushima.

    Sources

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Tsushima

    https://www.history.navy.mil/get-involved/essay-contest/2020-winners/hageman-cno-essay.html

    Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Battle_of_Tsushima,_1905_by_Tōjō_Shōtarō.jpg

    Sponsor

    Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespod50off to get 50 percent off and free daily greens per box. New subscribers only. While supplies last until 09/27/2026. (See website for more details).

    History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

    Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More History podcasts
About History Dispatches
History Dispatches is a daily history show hosted by father and son duo Matt and McKinley Breen. The show covers people, places, events and even objects from throughout history. While any topic is fair game, Matt and McKinley hold a soft spot for the offbeat and wacky stories that most people don’t know about.
Podcast website

Listen to History Dispatches, The Ancients and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app

Get the free radio.net app

  • Stations and podcasts to bookmark
  • Stream via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
  • Supports Carplay & Android Auto
  • Many other app features