History Improv’ed Steve Fait and P. Trent Edwards

What led Caesar to cross the Rubicon River? Why was it such a big deal? And was Pompey really that great? Trent Edwards and Steve Fait are joined by Lee Uniacke for an improvised history that follows Caesar and friends on their fateful journey, which may require a stop for snacks. Trent and Steve then interview history teacher Matt Roberto about what actually happened.
 
Links To Further Yer Book-Learnin’
 
Julius Caesar (Gaius Julius Caesar) c. 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC was one of the all-time great generals, empire-builders, and quote-givers while being murdered. Caesar crossed the Rubicon Jan. 10, 49 BCE.
 
Pompey the Great (Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus) c. 29 Sept. 106 – 28 Sept. 48 BC was a powerful Roman statesman and general.
 
The Battle of Philippi was the final battle in the Liberators' civil war between the forces of Mark Antony and Octavian (of the Second Triumvirate) and the leaders of Julius Caesar's assassination, Brutus and Cassius, in 42 BC, at Philippi in Macedonia.
 
Cicero (Marcus Tullius Cicero) c. 3 Jan. 106 BC – 7 Dec. 43 BC was a Roman statesman and gifted orator.
 
Marius (Gaius Marius) c. 157 BC – 13 January 86 BC was a Roman general and statesman who held the office of consul a record seven times.
 
Sulla (Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix) c. 138–78 BC was the first man of the Roman Republic to seize power by force.
 
Crassus (Marcus Licinius Crassus) c. 115 – 53 BC is often referred to as "the richest man in Rome".
 
Savor the sweet history of cannoli.
 
Ireland gets potatoes in 1589.
 
Cleopatra (Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator) c. 70/69 BC – 10 Aug. 30 BC was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and a heckuva kisser.
 
The Battle of Pharsalus was the decisive battle of Caesar's Civil War fought on 9 August 48 BC near Pharsalus in Central Greece.
 
A Roman circus was one of the top choices for ancient entertainment.
 
P.T. Barnum (Phineas Taylor Barnum) c. July 5, 1810 – April 7, 1891 was  a showman and a scammer famous for co-founding the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

How did San Francisco handle one of the biggest natural disaster haymakers in North America’s history? How did scientists gauge the strength of the earthquake in these days before the Richter scale? And at the turn of the 20th Century, was the dreamy Mayor of San Francisco more obsessed with pizza or dim sum? Trent Edwards and Steve Fait are joined by Scott Borden for an unavoidably shaky improv set filled with foodies, fitness, and fireworks. Trent and Steve then interview Jamie O’Keefe, curator for the San Francisco Fire Department Museum, about what actually happened.
 
Links To Further Yer Book-Learnin’
 
The California Academy’s history of The Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906. 
 
How did Chinatown overcome its destruction and a 1906 San Francisco rebuilding committee’s attempt to relocate Chinese-Americans?
 
How does the Richter Scale work?
 
The story behind the phoenix on San Francisco’s city and fire department seals.
 
How long did it take San Francisco to improve its fire codes after the Great Fire of 1906?
 
Enrico Caruso (25 February 1873 – 2 August 1921), an Italian operatic tenor, defended his actions during the quake in an article.
 
Eugene “Handsome Gene” Schmitz, was under the thumb of corrupt city boss Abe Ruef. Not baseball hero Babe Ruth. Phew!
 
Dennis Sullivan was the San Francisco Fire Department Chief in 1906.
 
The Panama-Pacific International Exposition of 1915.
 
The collapse of the Old City Hall of San Francisco.
 
The TransAmerica Pyramid is a skyscraper built to survive big earthquakes.
 
The Pacific Ring of Fire.
 
The Palace Hotel.

Who bombed Wall Street? Why was all the evidence swept away literally overnight? Trent Edwards and Steve Fait are joined by Scott Borden for a bombing-inspired improv set that may include a nitroglycerine chaser for meatloaf. Trent and Steve then interview history expert Randy Baker about what actually happened.
Further Book Smarts Inspired By This Episode
The Wall Street Bombing of 1920 rocked the financial district of Manhattan, New York City, on Sep. 16, 1920 at 12:01 p.m. Its investigation was handled by the predecessor to the FBI.
John Pierpont “Jack” or “JP” Morgan Jr. (Sep. 7, 1867 – March 13, 1943) was heir to the JP Morgan fortune and head of JP Morgan & Co. after the death of his father in 1913.
William Hammond Remick (Oct. 14, 1866 – March 9, 1922) was president of the New York Stock Exchange during the 1920 Wall Street bombing. 
Mario Buda (Oct. 13, 1883 – June 1, 1963) was an Italian anarchist with the militant American Galleanists in the late 1910s. 
The 1920 World Series was actually played three weeks after the Wall Street Bombing, with the Cleveland Indians beating the Brooklyn Robins.
The Wall Street Panic of 1893, (May-Nov. 1893) included a run on currency, and closures of banks and businesses who didn’t have cash to pay their workers.
Laissez-faire Capitalism in American History — Laissez-faire capitalism, where the government plays a minimal role in the economy, dominated the Gilded Age.
The US Federal Government was lax in its regulation of the stock market throughout the 1920s before the legendary crash of 1929.
Before the stock market crash of 1929, stocks quadrupled in value during the 1920s.
Congress gave women the right to vote in August, 1920, when it ratified the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution.
The Progressive Era c. 1896–1917 featured widespread social activism and political reform across the US to combat corruption, monopoly, waste, and inefficiency. 
Trust-busting — Trust-busting was meant to break the near monopolies of major corporations in the Gilded Age. By 1928, 24% of the nation’s wealth was held by just 1% of the population. President Theodore Roosevelt earned the nickname of the Trust Buster President, initiating the era of Trust Busting by enforcing the Sherman Antitrust Act. In 2023, more than one-quarter of all household wealth, 26.5%, belonged to Americans who earn enough money to rank in the top percentile by income, according to Federal Reserve statistics through mid-2023. Anybody seen Teddy Roosevelt lately?

A taste of the coming feast of improvised humor and history that is the History Improv'ed Podcast.