Show 62 - Supernova in the East I

The stage is set for an in-person showdown between Alexander and Persia's Great King. The resulting Battle of Issus, although often ignored by Hollywood, is one of the most important battles in all ancient history. It gets its due here. 

Attacking the largest empire the world had ever seen is a huge endeavor at any age, but try doing it at 21. Alexander, fusing the qualities of a Napoleon with a gladiator, aims for immortality. The Persians are just in his way. 

Gods having sex, founding of the imperial dynasty, and some of the origins of WWII. Plus thoughts on the role of women in early Japanese history.Purchase your copy of The Kojiki through RJL's Bookshop page to support the podcast.Transcript, notes and sources at the podcast episod ...  Show more

During World War II, the bravery of Kamikaze pilots was legendary. When the war concluded, several Japanese soldiers remained in hiding on islands across the Pacific. Learn more about Japanese holdouts and the Bushido code in this HowStuffWorks podcast.

On this episode of Our American Stories, they were Americans by birth but treated as outsiders when the war began. After Pearl Harbor, many Japanese Americans were sent to camps under suspicion of aiding the enemy. Yet from those same camps came volunteers who joined the U.S. Arm ...  Show more

Japanese troops reached the Chinese city of Nanjing in December 1937. The violence that followed marked one of the darkest moments in a struggle that continued throughout WW2. Rebecca Kesby has been speaking to former General Huang Shih Chung, who survived the slaughter in Nanjin ...  Show more