What If? | The Immolation of Hernán Cortés

What If? | The Immolation of Hernán Cortés

"Cortés and his men leapt across the breach in the causeway to pursue the fleeing Aztecs, only to see them turn and attack. Drawn into the trap, Cortés and sixty-eight other Spaniards were captured and dragged off, leaving scores of others dead on the road. Ten captives were killed immediately, and…the remaining fifty-eight were taken to the towering Great Temple, which could plainly be seen from the Spaniards' camp, made to dance before the statue of the Aztec god of war, Huitzilopochtli, and then, on by one, they were sacrificed…Cortés escaped this fate only through the intervention of Cristóbal de Olea, who sprang to his defense, killed the four Aztecs who were dragging him off, and freed his leader at the cost of his own life. The very conquest of Mexico hung on this single act." — Ross Hassig, "The Immolation of Hernán Cortés

What if Cortés had died on the causeway or at any other point in his dangerous career?


Join us as we continue asking "What if", speak to what might have happened if the conquistador had met his end at the hands of those he sought to conquer, and how our world might be different today.

Jaksot(416)

Pop Quiz | Fact Checkers Gone?

Pop Quiz | Fact Checkers Gone?

Join the team as they discuss recent news about fact-checkers in social media. Be sure to tune in next Thursday for the 15-Minute History Podcast's first segment for kids, Sketches in History!

23 Tammi 6min

Inauguration Special! | Interview with Brad Meltzer & Josh Mensch

Inauguration Special! | Interview with Brad Meltzer & Josh Mensch

With today being Inauguration Day in the United States, Joe and I are bringing you a special interview with authors Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch. Their new book, The JFK Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill Kennedy - and Why it Failed, is narrative history at its finest and tells a largely unknown story of the first plot to assassinate President John F. Kennedy during his transition to the White House in 1960.

20 Tammi 48min

Special Christmas Episode | The History of the Nativity

Special Christmas Episode | The History of the Nativity

The imagery of Jesus' birth has evolved over the century, but its meaning to all humanity remains as simple as ever in this holiday season. Special thanks to my Uncle Matt for giving me the idea for this episode! - Jon

23 Joulu 20247min

Pop Quiz | An Inconsequential War?

Pop Quiz | An Inconsequential War?

It's time for a pop quiz! Join us as Joe and I talk through the idea of a war without consequences and discuss Australia's fight with emus and the "Whiskey War" of 1973-2022.

19 Joulu 20248min

S.O.B.s | A Discussion on American Foreign Policy in the Cold War

S.O.B.s | A Discussion on American Foreign Policy in the Cold War

Join us for our discussion on the morality and long-term consequences of America's Cold War-era foreign policy and the lessons we can learn from it today.

16 Joulu 202434min

Pop Quiz | Populism and American Politics

Pop Quiz | Populism and American Politics

It's time for a Pop Quiz! Join us as Joe and I discuss the evolution of populism in the United States and how it both reflected and has reshaped our political system.

12 Joulu 202411min

S.O.B.s | American Foreign Policy in the Cold War

S.O.B.s | American Foreign Policy in the Cold War

The benefits of hindsight let us examine faults in national policy through the lens of what followed. But in the midst of a global threat of nuclear war, the United States chose to support vicious dictators in the name of anti-communism. Were they right or wrong? Did it save humanity from death in atomic fire? Was this a good idea or a bad idea?

9 Joulu 202416min

Pop Quiz | Censorship, then and now

Pop Quiz | Censorship, then and now

It's time for a Pop Quiz! Join us as Jon covers the roots of censorship in the McCarthy era and after the 9/11 attacks and compares them to current-day calls for limiting free speech in America.

5 Joulu 20243min

Suosittua kategoriassa Historia

olipa-kerran-otsikko
mayday-fi
huijarit
gogin-ja-janin-maailmanhistoria
mystista
totuus-vai-salaliitto
konginkangas
tsunami
rss-ikiuni
rss-i-dont-like-mondays-2
sotaa-ja-historiaa-podi
rouva-diktaattori
rss-subjektiivinen-todistaja
rss-kirkon-ihmeellisimmat-tarinat
hippokrateen-vastaanotolla
rss-peter-peter
rss-iltanuotiolla
apinan-vuosi
maailmanpuu
rss-kikka-forever