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Recent Episodes
S2E24 Liver-Eating Johnson: The Mountain Man Boogeyman
History is full of revenge stories - but almost none of them spiral into full-blown, years-long war against an entire nation. This week, host Ben Thompson is joined by producer Andrew Jacobs to dive…
S2E23 Ishtar: Seduction, Slaughter, and the Underworld Heist
History’s earliest civilizations didn’t just invent writing, cities, and law, they also gave us one of the most unpredictable, volatile, and straight-up terrifying deities ever worshipped. Meet…
S2E22 El Cid: The Baddest Knight in Spain
Medieval Spain was a chaotic battlefield of rival Christian kingdoms, powerful Muslim emirs, shifting alliances, and nonstop war - and in the middle of it all rode Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, the…
S2E21 Kondo Isami: Last Samurai Standing
The samurai weren’t supposed to go quietly. This week, host Ben Thompson is joined by guest Mike Primavera to tell the story of Kondo Isami the peasant-born swordsman who rose to command the most…
S2E20 Josephine Baker: The Most Dangerous Woman in Paris
In the 1920s, she scandalized Europe in a banana skirt and became the most famous entertainer in the world. But when war came, Josephine Baker traded applause for espionage—smuggling secrets for the…
S2E19 George Washington: Ice-Cold and Unkillable
Wooden teeth? No. Cherry tree? Probably not. Absolute unit of a leader? Undeniably. Ben Thompson welcomes EpicLLOYD from Epic Rap Battles of History for a Presidents’ Day breakdown George Washington…
S2E18 Fridtjof Nansen: North of Insanity
Ice. Starvation. Total darkness. And somewhere out there — a polar bear that would very much like to eat you. On this episode, Ben Thompson is joined by producer Andrew Jacobs to break down the life…
S2E17 Olympias: Snakes, Curses, and the Birth of an Empire
Empires don’t begin with heroes — they begin with mothers who refuse to lose. Olympias ruled from the shadows using fear, religion, and assassination, making sure history remembered her son as a god…
S2E16 Marguerite de la Rocque: Alone on the Island of Demons
In 1542, a teenage French noblewoman is marooned on a frozen island off the coast of Newfoundland - deliberately abandoned by her own family, left with a failing matchlock gun, a handful of supplies,…
S2E15 Gilgamesh: Immortal Power, Very Mortal Consequences
Five thousand years before Batman brooded, before Achilles sulked, before Hercules punched a god in the mouth, there was Epic of Gilgamesh - the original badass origin story. Gilgamesh starts as a…
S2E14 Butch Cassidy: The West’s Smoothest Criminal
Outlaws don’t usually get remembered for being smart—but Butch Cassidy was something different. He robbed banks and trains with minimal bloodshed, outwitted the Pinkertons for years, and built a…
S2E13 Daniel Morgan: 499 Problems, the Crown Ain’t One
Powdered wigs didn’t win the American Revolution... scarred knuckles did. Host Ben Thompson is joined by David Schmidt, director of The American Revolution with Ken Burns, to tell the story of Daniel…
S2E12 Petty Officer Robert J Thomas: The Last Bullet Is His.
During a brutal Vietnam firefight that spiraled into a forty-five-minute running battle, Robert J. Thomas was shot, shredded by shrapnel, and left barely able to stand. Instead of evacuating, he…
S2E11 St. Moses the Black: From Outlaw to Saint
History doesn’t usually leave room for men like St. Moses the Black - a violent outlaw, gang leader, and feared killer who somehow became one of the most respected monks of the early Christian world.…
S2E11 The Trưng Sisters: When Sisters Ruled an Empire
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…
S2E10 The Taiping Rebellion: The Cult Leader Who Nearly Toppled an Empire
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…
S2E9 Pearl Harbor: The Cook, the Drunks, and the Battleship That Wouldn’t Die
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…
S2E8 Alan Shepard: The Original Space Cowboy
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…
S2E7 Majorian: The Roman Emperor Who Said “Not on My Watch”
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…
S2E6 Staff Sgt. Drew Dennis Dix: Welcome to Hell, I’ll Be Your Tour Guide
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…
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Badass of the Week has published 159 episodes since April 2023, covering topics in Comedy, Education.
Badass of the Week is currently highly active with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 55m.
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