What actually happened on the Eastern/Russian Front during World War II? Why did the Germans invade? And why did they get beaten? Was it the Russian winter? Was it the “Russian Horde”? Super Buzzkiller Professor Nash joins us to explain all the complications, myths, and misunderstandings! Buzzkill Bookshelf [/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Many of you Buzzkillers already know that most Christian churches celebrate Christmas over a period of 12 days. Depending upon the denomination, it lasts from December 25th to January 5th, or December 26th to January 6th. There are lots of theological reasons for celebrating 12 days of Christmas, but we’re here to talk about something…

The truce between the trenches in Christmas 1914 is one of the most famous stories from World War I. Was it one big truce across the whole Western Front? Or was it lots of little ceasefires? How did it happen, and what did the soldiers do during the Christmas Truce? Did they become friends for…

Professor Phil Nash joins us to explain the myths and misconceptions about the December 7th, 1941, as well as the complexities of the cultural importance of the attack since then. Did FDR know about the attack ahead of time? And who was the attack more devastating for – the United States or Japan? You’ll learn…

Abraham Lincoln was undeniably one of the most important presidents in American history, and I’m here to tell you about one of the most touching, yet one of the most mythologized, stories about Lincoln and the Civil War. Specifically, we’re going to examine the story of Lydia Bixby, the recipient of a very famous letter…

The response to our episode about Thanksgiving last year was great, and many of you asked for a repeat this year. Rather than just run an encore presentation of that episode, I thought I’d expand on some of those myths and misconceptions about American Thanksgiving. Generally speaking, Thanksgiving is like almost all other holidays. The…

Was the Black Death really the most deadly disease in human history? And did it really come from outer space? From the time of the first plague outbreak all the way until now, the Black Death has ignited imaginations. Some cite it as the first example of biological warfare, while others say that the death…

One of the losers in the 2016 presidential election has been careful historical analysis. Easy and quick comparisons and conclusions drawn by media commentators have trampled on the subtleties and complications of previous presidential election results, especially the relatively recent ones. Donald Trump has said (in various ways) that the 2016 election is already rigged…

Professor Perry Blatz joins us to explain why democracy didn’t work well enough in the US election of 1860, and why it led to the Civil War. The Democratic party split over the issue of slavery, the Republicans were fraught over the issue, and a whole new party, the Constitutional Union party for formed. The…

Super Buzzkiller Professor Philip Nash joins us to dispel myths about Hitler during World War II. We talk about strategic and operational blunders (especially Operation Barbarossa), harsh occupation policies, declaration of war against the US, and imperial overstretch. We also examine the Holocaust and Holocaust deniers, Hitler’s micromanagement, his declining health, the plots to kill…