Fan of History

18/09/2026

16/09/2026

Yang Hu just doesn't know when to leave the story.

In Part 4 of Confucius: The World That Created the Sage, Bernie and Dan finish the remarkable adventures of the rebellious retainer who briefly turned the political order of Lu upside down. Defeated but far from finished, Yang Hu's story involves escapes, stolen symbols of state authority, new masters, and an apparently inexhaustible ability to survive his own political disasters.

But then our story takes an important turn.

After years of teaching, advising, waiting, and wondering whether there was any government worth serving, Confucius finally gets his chance. We follow his entrance into public office and his surprisingly rapid rise through the government of Lu, culminating in his appointment as Minister of Crime.

For the first time, Confucius is no longer simply explaining how a state ought to be governed. He's going to have an opportunity to try it.

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Podcast Episode · Fan of History · September 15 · 49m

09/09/2026

Some Roman concrete has been standing for nearly two millennia—and in certain environments, it seems to have gotten remarkably good at repairing its own cracks.

How?

Bernie and Garry Stevens from History IN the Bible explore the science and history behind Roman concrete, from volcanic materials and ancient building techniques to recent research suggesting that something once dismissed as evidence of sloppy mixing may actually have been an important part of the recipe.

Were Roman engineers deliberately creating self-healing concrete? Did different builders use different recipes for different jobs? And how much have we really rediscovered about one of the ancient world's most impressive technologies?

The Romans left us the concrete. Figuring out exactly how they made it is another matter.

Of course we have a lot of fun along the way and meet a very interesting character - Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man. DEFINITELY check this episode out!

02/09/2026

Last time it was a cockfight. This time it's a pig.

In Part 3 of Confucius: The World That Created the Sage, Bernie and Dan follow Confucius to the powerful state of Qi, where he finally gets the opportunity to discuss government with Duke Jing—and comes tantalizingly close to getting the political opportunity he has been waiting for.

But when Confucius returns home to Lu, the political order has somehow become even more upside down. The great families who stripped power from their duke are now discovering that their own servants have learned the same lesson. Enter Yang Hu: a household retainer who rises to become one of the most powerful men in Lu—and who very much wants Confucius on his side.

What follows includes political intrigue, rebellion, assassination plots, an attempted kidnapping, and one extraordinarily well-chosen gift of pork.

And once again, the chaos surrounding Confucius helps us understand the philosophy taking shape in his mind. What does it mean to say "let the ruler be a ruler and the minister a minister" when rulers can't rule, ministers won't obey—and servants are beginning to rule their masters?

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Podcast Episode · Fan of History · September 1 · 45m

19/08/2026

History is full of conflicts that begin as cockfights between powerful men. This one started with an actual cockfight.

In 517 BC, a dispute between two aristocratic households in Lu helped ignite a much larger political crisis. There was cheating, revenge, old grudges, conspiracy, and finally Duke Zhao's attempt to reclaim his authority from the powerful families who had steadily stripped it away.

In Part 2 of Confucius: The World That Created the Sage, Bernie and Dan follow this remarkable chain of events as the political world around Confucius begins to come apart. We also explore the legendary meeting between Confucius and Laozi—and ask whether it actually happened.

And through it all, we continue to see why the history matters. Confucius was living in a world where rulers struggled to rule, powerful families pursued their own interests, and the political and social order was breaking down around him. To understand the philosophy that would emerge, we first have to understand the world that created it.

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Podcast Episode · Fan of History · August 18 · 36m

12/08/2026

Claims of newly deciphered inscriptions of King Hezekiah made headlines around the world. One called them one of the greatest biblical archaeological discoveries ever. Others urged caution, arguing that extraordinary claims require peer-reviewed evidence before rewriting history.

And then they proceeded to attack each other with archeological tools.

In this episode, Gary Stevens and Bernie explore the controversy, explain what was actually claimed, why many archaeologists remain skeptical, and what this debate reveals about how archaeology—and good science—really works.

Podcast Episode · Fan of History · August 11 · 17m

05/08/2026

Confucius is one of history's most influential figures. But who was the man before he became the sage?

This is the first episode in an ambitious multi-part series following the life of Confucius within the historical world that shaped him. Bernie and Dan start where the story really begins—with the political intrigue, social upheaval, and cultural traditions of the late Spring and Autumn period.

We'll trace Confucius's life from his birth through the events that transformed the state of Lu and helped inspire one of history's most enduring systems of thought. Along the way we'll meet the rulers, ministers, rival families, and ordinary people whose lives intersected with his, discovering not only what Confucius taught, but why he came to teach it.

Drawing on both Chinese and Western scholarship, this series aims to be one of the most comprehensive historical explorations of Confucius available in English—not simply what he taught, but why he taught it.

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Podcast Episode · Fan of History · August 4 · 44m

22/07/2026

You'The state of Jin stands at the height of its power—but beneath the surface, the balance of power is shifting.

Bernie and Dan explore the growing dominance of Jin's great aristocratic clans, the weakening authority of its rulers, and the political maneuvering that will eventually lead to one of the most important turning points in ancient Chinese history: the Partition of Jin.

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Podcast Episode · Fan of History · July 21 · 35m

08/07/2026

The final chapter of the Ionian Revolt plays out like an ancient epic: great fleets, secret deals, shifting loyalties, unexpected betrayals, and one remarkable character who simply refuses to leave the story.

Bernie and Dan follow the revolt from the aftermath of Aristagoras' death through the climactic struggle for Ionia and the strange final chapter of Histiaeus. The action moves from political intrigue to the battlefield and back again as the revolt races toward an ending full of surprises.

And while one war is coming to an end, a much larger confrontation between Greece and Persia is now on the horizon.

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Podcast Episode · Fan of History · July 7 · 50m