Honourable Mentions: Hilarious History

Steve and Neil Webb
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Join two brothers for some casual chat as they unearth the untold stories of history’s most obscure figures. It’s the hidden history your teachers forgot to mention, all served up with a healthy side of sibling rivalry and a big dollop of banter and laughs. 

  1. 5D AGO

    Eben Byers: The Millionaire Dissolved in Liquid Sunshine

    Send us Fan Mail In 1932, a headline in the Wall Street Journal shocked the world: "The Radium Water Worked Fine Until His Jaw Came Off." This is the gruesome and tragic true story of Eben Byers, a wealthy industrialist, socialite, and golf champion who became the most famous victim of radium poisoning. ​In this episode, we peel back the lead-lined curtain on the Radithor craze—the "certified" radioactive water marketed as a cure-all for everything from mental ill health to "lost vigor."  We explore the rise of William J.A. Bailey, the notorious medical quack behind the tonic, and the horrific medical mystery of Byers’ physical decline. From his addiction to radium water to his final days suffering from jawbone necrosis and osteonecrosis, we look at how one man’s death changed the face of the FDA forever. ​If you’re a fan of dark history, medical quackery, and historical true crime, this deep dive into the 1920s radium craze is a must-listen.  Email honourablementionspod@gmail.com  Website honourablementions.buzzsprout.com Facebook Honourable Mentions  Instagram  honourablementionspod TikTok  honourable.mentionspod

    31 min

  2. MAR 18

    Stagecoach Mary: The Black Pioneer Who Outfought the Wild West

    Send us Fan Mail Step into the dusty streets of Cascade, Montana, to meet a true Wild West legend: Stagecoach Mary Fields, an icon of black history. Born into slavery, she found a life of independence that few women of her time could imagine. Standing six feet tall and never without her Smith & Wesson, she became the first African American woman star route mail carrier in the United States. ​In this episode, we explore the incredible history of the Wild West through the eyes of a woman who was as tough as she was kind.  From fending off wolves and outlaws to her legendary 100% mail delivery success rate, Mary Fields defined what it meant to be a Western pioneer. We’ll dive into her unique relationship with the local community, her friendship with a young Gary Cooper, and why her legacy remains a vital part of Black Western history. ​Whether you're a fan of untold history podcasts or stories of the American frontier, the life of Stagecoach Mary is a masterclass in grit and resilience. Email honourablementionspod@gmail.com  Website honourablementions.buzzsprout.com Facebook Honourable Mentions  Instagram  honourablementionspod TikTok  honourable.mentionspod

    36 min

  3. MAR 11

    The History of Hawaiian Pizza: How Sam Panopoulos Created the World's Most Polarizing Dish

    Send us Fan Mail In 1962, a Greek immigrant named Sam Panopoulos decided to crack open a can of pineapple at the Satellite Restaurant in Chatham, Ontario. He wasn't trying to start a global food war; he was just bored. ​In this episode, we dive into the sticky, sweet, and salty history of how a simple experiment in the kitchen of a small restaurant in a small Canadian town, created the most polarizing pizza in history. And We also have exciting news thanks to Potters Confectioners of Great Yarmouth  https://pottersconfectioners.co.uk/ Email honourablementionspod@gmail.com  Website honourablementions.buzzsprout.com Facebook Honourable Mentions  Instagram  honourablementionspod TikTok  honourable.mentionspod

    43 min

  4. MAR 4

    Who Invented the Rugby Ball? The Deadly History of Richard Lindon

    Send us Fan Mail Discover how Richard Lindon revolutionised Rugby Union, American Football, and Soccer by inventing the first rubber ball bladder and the brass hand pump. Before Richard’s invention, inflating a ball could be fatal. We’re tackling the gritty history of 1800s sports, the influence of Rugby School, and the legacy of the man who rose from personal tragedy to help Britain's favourite sports go global.  Email honourablementionspod@gmail.com  Website honourablementions.buzzsprout.com Facebook Honourable Mentions  Instagram  honourablementionspod TikTok  honourable.mentionspod

    34 min

  5. FEB 25

    The Man Who Outgrew Himself: The Improbable Life of Adam Rainer

    Send us Fan Mail The true story of Adam Rainer, the only man in history recorded as both a dwarf and a giant, is as remarkable as it's improbable. We explore the rare medical condition (Acromegaly or Pituitary Adenoma) at the centre of his adult growth spurt from 4-foot (1.2 metres) to way over 7-foot (2.13 metres) tall. We'll also tell you the tragic price of his record-breaking growth, as we take a look at one of medical history’s most unique anomalies.  Email honourablementionspod@gmail.com  Website honourablementions.buzzsprout.com Facebook Honourable Mentions  Instagram  honourablementionspod TikTok  honourable.mentionspod

    35 min

  6. FEB 18

    Jam Sahib Digvijaysinhji: The Indian Prince Who Saved 1,000 Orphans

    Send us Fan Mail ​In the heat of World War II, when the world turned its back on Polish refugees fleeing the horrors of the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, one Indian Prince opened his doors—and his heart. ​In this episode, we explore the extraordinary life of Maharaja Jam Sahib Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji of Nawanagar.  Discover how he bypassed British colonial red tape to establish a sanctuary in Balachadi, Gujarat, famously telling Polish children, "You are no longer orphans. You are now Nawanagaris." Whether you're a history buff, a fan of untold WWII stories, or interested in Indian royalty, this is a tale of compassion that will restore your faith in the human race.  Email honourablementionspod@gmail.com  Website honourablementions.buzzsprout.com Facebook Honourable Mentions  Instagram  honourablementionspod TikTok  honourable.mentionspod

    44 min

  7. FEB 11

    The Polish-American Who Wouldn't Let Hitler Get Him Down

    Send us Fan Mail For fifteen-year-old Walter, the world was a small plot of land and the four walls of the family home in Poland. But in 1939, Nazi boots kicked in the front door and that world shattered in a heartbeat. Walter, and his siblings, were forced to watch their father being dragged away towards the tree line, a walk from which no one ever returned.  This week we are joined by Rafal, Walter's stepson and our first ever guest on Honourable Mentions, as he tells his own life story and how, over time, Walter revealed more and more about the horrors and undiluted joys of his own time on earth. From arriving in the United States in 1951, to meeting Rafal's mom and arranging to adopt the nine-year-old boy who arrived at JFK airport in the late eighties without a word of English. Rafal's tale is sad, funny, but above all life affirming and brimming over with optimism. It will leave you wishing we could all be a bit more Walter.  Email honourablementionspod@gmail.com  Website honourablementions.buzzsprout.com Facebook Honourable Mentions  Instagram  honourablementionspod TikTok  honourable.mentionspod

    43 min

  8. FEB 4

    How An Australian Machine Gunner Ended The Red Baron’s Reign

    Send us Fan Mail  Manfred von Richthofen’s red triplane skimmed the Somme, and a living legend closed in for another kill. But, down below, Sergeant Cedric Bassett Popkin on a Vickers machine gun is waiting for his moment. Once friendly aircraft had cleared his line of fire, Cedric squeezed his trigger and what happened next reshaped world history. We chart Richthofen’s path from young cavalry cadet to becoming the Red Baron, Germany’s most feared flying ace and a potent symbol of wartime propaganda. You’ll hear the pivotal encounters, the April surge that cemented his reputation, and the head wound that shadowed his final year. From there we move groundward to the Australians braced along Morlancourt Ridge, where trajectories, medical findings, and rate-of-fire analysis converge on one name: Sergeant Cedric Bassett Popkin. His official statement, training, and position relative to the flight path make a tight forensic case for the fatal burst coming from his Vickers machine gun. If you enjoy sharp storytelling, primary sources, and a myth-busting look at World War I, hit follow, share this with a history-loving friend, and leave a review. What detail changed your view of the Red Baron’s last flight? We want to hear it. Email honourablementionspod@gmail.com  Website honourablementions.buzzsprout.com Facebook Honourable Mentions  Instagram  honourablementionspod TikTok  honourable.mentionspod

    42 min
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Join two brothers for some casual chat as they unearth the untold stories of history’s most obscure figures. It’s the hidden history your teachers forgot to mention, all served up with a healthy side of sibling rivalry and a big dollop of banter and laughs. 

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