History Dispatches

Raft of the Medusa

In 1816, the 40-gun French frigate, the Medusa, departed for the overseas colony of Senegal, carrying 400 people. Incompetent and selfish decisions allowed the ship run aground, and 147 people were stranded on a raft. Only 15 survived. Their harrowing story includes murder and cannibalism. This is the story of the raft of the Medusa. Sources https://shipwrecks.hist.sites.carleton.edu/the-medusa/the-medusa-historical-background/ https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-147348 "Narrative of a Voyage to Senegal in 1816" by Jean Baptiste Henri Savigny and Alexandre Corréard Raft the Medusa painting: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Raft_of_the_Medusa Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:JEAN_LOUIS_THÉODORE_GÉRICAULT_-_La_Balsa_de_la_Medusa_(Museo_del_Louvre,_1818-19).jpg#mw-jump-to-license History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Robert Smalls

In 1862, a man born into slavery - Robert Smalls - pulled off an unlikely escape from his captors. He, his friends, and their families, stole a ship, and sailed out of Charleston harbor - right under the noses of the Confederates. But Smalls' extraordinary life was just beginning. He would serve with Union forces throughout the Civil War, then become a successful businessman, and politician. This is the life of Robert Smalls. Sources https://history.house.gov/People/Detail/21764 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Smalls Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Robert_Smalls,_captain_of_the_gun-boat_%22Planter%22_The_gun-boat_%22Planter,%22_run_out_of_Charleston,_S.C.,_by_Robert_Smalls,_May_1862._LCCN97512451_Trim.jpg History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Portrait of the Four Tetrarchs

Constructed around the year 300 AD of the reddish purple stone porphyry, the Portrait of the Four Tetrarchs is the iconic image of the four men who ruled the Roman Empire at that time. Yet this one piece has moved around the Mediterranean world, and to this day generates controversy. This is the story of the statue - The Portrait of Four Tetrarchs. Sources https://genealogytrails.com/wis/brown/murderofcharlesarndt.html https://www.facebook.com/jamesrvineyardmemesforleadminingteens https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Russell_Vineyard Image: By Matt Breen - http://historydispatches.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/tetrachs-scaled.jpeg History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Prohibition

In 1919, the United States Congress passed the 18th Amendment to the constitution. This prohibited the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages nationwide. This is the story of Prohibition. Sources https://prohibition.themobmuseum.org/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prohibition_in_the_United_States https://www.americanprohibitionmuseum.com/ Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:5_Prohibition_Disposal(9)_(cropped).jpg History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James R. Vineyard - The man who shot and killed a fellow legislator - and got away with it

The American wild west was probably not as wild as pop culture would have us believe. However, sometimes it was far crazier. Such as when a lead miner turned politician pulled out a gun and shot a fellow delegate on the floor of the Wisconsin territorial legislator - and got away with it. This is the story of James R. Vineyard. Sources https://genealogytrails.com/wis/brown/murderofcharlesarndt.html https://www.facebook.com/jamesrvineyardmemesforleadminingteens https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Russell_Vineyard Image: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=184187677453857&set=a.184187660787192 History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices