The Rise and Fall of Babylon | The Life & Times of Hammurabi @JackRackam

History Abridged with Jack Rackam We're going way back for this one, before Classical History, before the Iron Age, all the way back to the Bronze Age! Talkin' about the First Babylonian Empire, and how Hammurabi made it the greatest empire Mesopotamia had ever seen, and then how it immediately fell apart under the considerably less famous Samsu-Iluna. Oh yeah, and Hammurabi had a code or something too, I think it might be important to legal history or something, I dunno. Cheers to the 10 other channels who've taken part in this big ol' collaboration, make sure to check them out!

Footnotes:

0:00 Those buildings with crenelations in the back are actually from the Nebuchadnezzar-era Neo-Babylonian Empire, more than a thousand years after Hammurabi. You'd not believe how many of the image results for Babylon give you things from this time period – the hanging gardens, gate of Ishtar, the works. Turns out the ruins of Hammurabi-era Babylon are a lot less in tact.

00:23 So scarce, in fact, that this is not an example of one. This is a 2nd century BC “cookbook”. For more info and a recipe for delightful gingerbread cuneiform tablets, refer to this link: tavolamediterranea.com/2017/12/09/edible-archaeology-gingerbread-cuneiform-tablets

00:30 1792 BC according to Middle Chronology, but when you start talking about events that old they become tricky to nail down. Different chronologies have put the beginning of Hammurabi's reign between 1933 and 1696 BC.

00:58 That weird dotted line blue area is approximately the extent of the Red Sea during the Bronze Age.

1:35 This is a 100% accurate depiction of Alexander the Great and no one can convince me otherwise

1:42 The background here is an artist's rendition of the royal palace of Mari, one of the most distant cities in Hammurabi's empire. It was built a few centuries before Hammurabi, but was updated and renovated until around his lifetime.

1:46 Incidentally, their suzerain's king was also named Hammurabi. Go figure.

1:52 This calendar is based on the Babylonian calendar, but was from the Neo-Assyrian empire, hundreds of years after Hammurabi.

2:07 Source: archive.org/details/ancienttimeshist00breauoft/page/128

3:17 It's an old meme and I'm using it wrong, for double cringe!

4:06 Wikipedia says pitchforks were first used in Europe in the Middle Ages, but there's no citation. Somewhere else mentioned there was a work for pitchforks in ancient Rome, so who knows when they actually started to be a thing.

4:15 A few of the kings of this dynasty may have briefly controlled Babylon a couple generations after the showdown between Samsu-Iluna and Ilum-Ma Ili

4:28 The Elamites may have gotten away with that statue of Ishtar/Inanna, but Ashurbanipal would steal it back from them over a millennium later

4:38 These two pictures are of Eridu (which by the way is really honking old), but again, 1700's BC Babylon gets overshadowed by the Neo-Babylonian empire.

4:42 This ziggurat was built near Baghdad a few centuries after Hammurabi

4:45 And yet, for all the depictions of 7th century BC Babylon, there are very few good portraits of Nebuchadnezzar. Go figure.

Music:

0:00 Ancient Mesopotamian Music - Babylon by Derek & Brandon Feitcher

0:11 No clue, go ask Stefan Milo

0:21 Ancient Arabic Music - Petra by Derek & Brandon Feitcher (yeah, yeah, I know, but nothing Babylonian had the right feel to it)

4:38 The National Anthem of Sealand by Toby Smith

4:41 Ancient Arabic Music - Petra by Derek & Brandon Feitcher

5:08 Whispers from the Tower by Melechesh

updated 5 years ago

The Rise and Fall of Babylon | The Life & Times of Hammurabi

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2019-02-22 | We're going way back for this one, before Classical History, before the Iron Age, all the way back to the Bronze Age! Talkin' about the First Babylonian Empire, and how Hammurabi made it the greatest empire Mesopotamia had ever seen, and then how it immediately fell apart under the considerably less famous Samsu-Iluna. Oh yeah, and Hammurabi had a code or something too, I think it might be important to legal history or something, I dunno. Cheers to the 10 other channels who've taken part in this big ol' collaboration, make sure to check them out!

Footnotes:

0:00 Those buildings with crenelations in the back are actually from the Nebuchadnezzar-era Neo-Babylonian Empire, more than a thousand years after Hammurabi. You'd not believe how many of the image results for Babylon give you things from this time period – the hanging gardens, gate of Ishtar, the works. Turns out the ruins of Hammurabi-era Babylon are a lot less in tact.

00:23 So scarce, in fact, that this is not an example of one. This is a 2nd century BC “cookbook”. For more info and a recipe for delightful gingerbread cuneiform tablets, refer to this link: tavolamediterranea.com/2017/12/09/edible-archaeology-gingerbread-cuneiform-tablets

00:30 1792 BC according to Middle Chronology, but when you start talking about events that old they become tricky to nail down. Different chronologies have put the beginning of Hammurabi's reign between 1933 and 1696 BC.

00:58 That weird dotted line blue area is approximately the extent of the Red Sea during the Bronze Age.

1:35 This is a 100% accurate depiction of Alexander the Great and no one can convince me otherwise

1:42 The background here is an artist's rendition of the royal palace of Mari, one of the most distant cities in Hammurabi's empire. It was built a few centuries before Hammurabi, but was updated and renovated until around his lifetime.

1:46 Incidentally, their suzerain's king was also named Hammurabi. Go figure.

1:52 This calendar is based on the Babylonian calendar, but was from the Neo-Assyrian empire, hundreds of years after Hammurabi.

2:07 Source: archive.org/details/ancienttimeshist00breauoft/page/128

3:17 It's an old meme and I'm using it wrong, for double cringe!

4:06 Wikipedia says pitchforks were first used in Europe in the Middle Ages, but there's no citation. Somewhere else mentioned there was a work for pitchforks in ancient Rome, so who knows when they actually started to be a thing.

4:15 A few of the kings of this dynasty may have briefly controlled Babylon a couple generations after the showdown between Samsu-Iluna and Ilum-Ma Ili

4:28 The Elamites may have gotten away with that statue of Ishtar/Inanna, but Ashurbanipal would steal it back from them over a millennium later

4:38 These two pictures are of Eridu (which by the way is really honking old), but again, 1700's BC Babylon gets overshadowed by the Neo-Babylonian empire.

4:42 This ziggurat was built near Baghdad a few centuries after Hammurabi

4:45 And yet, for all the depictions of 7th century BC Babylon, there are very few good portraits of Nebuchadnezzar. Go figure.

Music:

0:00 Ancient Mesopotamian Music - Babylon by Derek & Brandon Feitcher

0:11 No clue, go ask Stefan Milo

0:21 Ancient Arabic Music - Petra by Derek & Brandon Feitcher (yeah, yeah, I know, but nothing Babylonian had the right feel to it)

4:38 The National Anthem of Sealand by Toby Smith

4:41 Ancient Arabic Music - Petra by Derek & Brandon Feitcher

5:08 Whispers from the Tower by Melechesh

The Man Who Lost America

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Meet Lord North, a member of King George’s privy council and his personal friend, Lord North is a lot of things. He’s well-educated and quick-witted. He’s firm on America. But more than anything Lord North is a big ol’ people-pleaser. He’s just been elected prime minister in order to solve Britain's debt crisis, and things will finally be stable. Or at least, they would have been, if Lord North had lived at a different point in history. Instead, he became the British Prime Minister who lost America during the American Revolution.

Music [in order of first appearance]:
Arthur Sullivan - Pirates of Penzance Overture
Offenbach - Galop Infernal (aka the Can-Can)
USA National Anthem
Honey Lemon - Sneaky Comedy
Arthur Sullivan - Major General Song
John Philip Sousa - Right Forward
Brown House Media - Lounge
John Philip Sousa - The Thunderer March
John Williams - Jaws Theme (on accordion)
Orchestralis - Epic Classical
Tatamusic - Mexican
Ollmah - Cinematic Gypsy Jazz
MX Orchestralis - Lullaby for Church Choir
JBlanks - Long Time Synth the 80s

The Story of Europes First Weeb

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2024-09-26 | Try Rocket Money for FREE: https://RocketMoney.com/historyabridged
Jack Rackam's Japanese Jamboree -- Sign up and learn more here! trovatrip.com/trip/asia/japan/japan-with-jack-rackam-may-2025
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William Adams was a notable English navigator and the first known Western samurai in Japan, whose life journey exemplifies adventure and cultural exchange during the early 17th century. Born in 1564, Adams initially sailed as a shipwright and later joined a Dutch expedition aimed at trading with the East Indies. However, after a series of harrowing events, including shipwrecks and skirmishes with Portuguese forces, he found himself in Japan in 1600. Gaining the favor of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the shogun of Japan, Adams became a trusted advisor and played a pivotal role in establishing trade relations between Japan and the Dutch. His unique experiences and contributions to maritime navigation and diplomacy highlight a significant chapter in the history of Western interaction with Japan, making him a key figure in both British and Japanese historical narratives.

Music (in order of first appearance):
Mojo Productions - Pirates
Pantheon Music - Pirate Adventures
Ed Records - Cinematic Pirates Action
Allen Grey - Caribbean Party
Music Service - Japan
IndiaHappy - Taiko
Ikoliks - The Cartoon
ShouRinka - Bad Apple
Netherlands National Anthem
Nikitsan - Rhythm Technology
Mr. B Music Studio - Happy Vacation
Flutist - Love and Parting
Glebator - Epic Sail

How WW2s Worst Spy Got Medals from Both Sides

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2024-09-10 | Use code RACKAM at the link below to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan: incogni.com/rackam

Consider supporting the show on Patreon! The scripts to my next two videos are already available to all paid members, along with livestreams and an original podcast! Anyone who joins at the $20 tier can give me a word to sneak into the next video I write patreon.com/jackrackam

Juan Pujol García was a Spanish spy who acted as a double agent loyal to Great Britain against Germany during World War II, when he relocated to Britain to carry out fictitious spying activities for the Germans under the codename Garbo.

Music (in order of appearance):
India_Happy - Flamenco
Suno AI - Red Dance Revolution
Allen Grey - Sneaky
Puremusic - Super Spy Action
Mojo Productions - Minor Surf
Pure Hits - Dance Disco Fun Strings

What Schools Get Wrong About History (And How Id Fix It)

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2024-08-24 | What languages would you like to learn? Get 60% off Babbel at go.babbel.com/t?bsc=usa-influ-eg-dt-1m&btp=default&utm_term=generic_v1&utm_medium=paidsocial&utm_source=YouTube&utm_campaign=jackrackam&utm_content=Influencer..Jun-2024..USA-TATAM..1200m60-yt-jackrackam-jun-2024

History Abridged: The Axis

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Support the show and get early access to scripts, plus all sorts of miscellaneous projects here: patreon.com/JackRackam

So last year I got really into WW2 history. I made four different videos about the diplomacy that was going on between the Allies throughout the war and the lasting impact those scant few meetings and treaties would have on the rest of the century – how America’s involvement in the war hastened the decline of the British Empire, how the Cold War began, how Germany was denazified, and how Western Europe was securely brought into the American capitalist fold through one of the most ambitious and successful instances of economic aid and development. And this year I thought to myself, huh. I wonder what was going on with the Axis during all this time. The great Axis of Evil that threatened peace and democracy the world over, what diabolical machinations brought them together? And in my research, I realized: when your entire alliance is predicated on being so evil that no one else will talk to you, you do not have a good alliance. No, the Axis was not an alliance – it was a circus.

Im Going to Japan!

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2024-08-16 | Sign up and learn more here! trovatrip.com/trip/asia/japan/japan-with-jack-rackam-may-2025

Japan is my favorite place I have ever travelled to. Simultaneously cutting edge and timeless, I spent six months there this year and I have been aching to go back since I got onto the plane, and I’m planning on enrolling in language school to return on a student visa. Suffice to say, if you’re anything like me, I think you’re going to have a great time.

Things are a-Changing

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Thank you to everyone who has supported my work, whether through direct contribution, sharing, or watching. I am incredibly grateful for all of you who watch my videos, I’m really proud of what we’ve been able to offer you this year and I am bursting with excitement to make all kinds of new, even better content. Until next time.

History Abridged: Joan of Arc

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2024-08-01 | Visit 80000hours.org/jackrackam and start planning a career that is meaningful, fulfilling, and helps solve one of the world’s most pressing problems. Make your 80,000 hours count.

1400-ish! It’s the Hundred years war, France and England are going at it like Cats and Dogs, or vampires and werewolves, or pirates and ninjas, or France and England. And France is losing. But prophecy held that the kingdom would be saved by a virgin. This was back in the days before Nostradamus, so the story goes that the prophecy was passed down all the way from Merlin, like, that Merlin. And as you probably know, France found their knight in shining armour in the form of Joan of Arc. But despite being a literal saint, Joan of Arc was not a picture of wisdom and serenity. This kid was like a puppy on a double shot of espresso with a taste for English blood.

Thanks to the talented Karenna Foley for voicing Joan! You can find her work at karennafoley.com

Music (in order of first appearance):
Alexbird – Medieval
331Music – Moto Race
WildKittyTunes – Medieval
Kevin Macleod – Hidden Past
Alex Rufire – Medieval
Texas Brother – The Medieval
Josquin – Missa Pange Lingua Kyrie
Mr B Studios – Tarantella
Blacksmith – Medieval 4

The Life & Times of Ernest Hemingway

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2024-07-17 | Use RACKAM to get 55% off your first month at Scentbird sbird.co/4aMCxcW
This month I received...
The Forward by Mind Games sbird.co/4c2GrzF
Arabians Tonka by Montale sbird.co/4aQhsyA
Intention by The Phluid Project sbird.co/3x8mOai
L'Or de Louis by Arquiste sbird.co/3VntHhx

Music (in order of appearance):
George Malachrino - Ramona
Gilv - Rockabilly
Kevin Macleod - Hidden Past
Laurie Johnson - Happy Go Lively
Texas Brother - This is Swing
John Williams - Jaws Theme
Texas Brother - Electro Swing
Pulse Sound - Minimal Ambient
Awesome Music - Sentimental

How (Not) to Be the Messiah

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2024-06-15 | Thanks to Keeps for sponsoring this video & for the free product! Head to http://keeps.com/jackrackam to get a special offer. Individual results may vary.

Welcome class, please sit down. You’re here because you want to be the Messiah, the saviour, the chosen one. Listen up buckaroo, the Messiah industry is cut-throat. Ever since this Jesus guy came out of Nazareth, there have been a staggering number of would-be Messiahs. But the vast, vast majority, even of the ones who are still remembered, are unsuccessful, and frankly uninspired. But I know you can do better.

When a Stan Becomes King | The Life & Times of Ludwig II of Bavaria

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2024-06-01 | What languages would you like to learn? Get 60% off Babbel at go.babbel.com/t?bsc=usa-influ-eg-dt-1m&btp=default&utm_term=generic_v1&utm_medium=paidsocial&utm_source=YouTube&utm_campaign=jackrackam&utm_content=Influencer..Jun-2024..USA-TATAM..1200m60-yt-jackrackam-jun-2024

One of the questions I get asked a lot is, “If you could have dinner with any historical figure, who would it be?” And you know my response has usually been “Oh, I want to see what Nero was really like, I want to learn from Pedro II, I’ll want to invite Aristotle, and give up my seat for Cicero, so they can tiff over who’s more self-righteous”. But I have a new answer now: The king who cared more about worshipping teenage heartthrob Richard Wagner than ruling a kingdom: Ludwig II

Music (in order of first appearance):
Purple Planet - Country Ways
Orchestralis - Royal Pomp and Circumstance
Edvard Grieg - Wedding Day at Troldhaugen
Kevin Macleod - Hidden Past
Audio Zen - Simple and Soft Upbeat Rock
Beethoven - Symphony No. 6 "Pastoral"
Richard Wagner - Siegfried Idyll
Tchaikovsky - Valse Sentimentale
Texas Brother - Banjo
Sibelius - The Swan of Tuonela
Franz Liszt - Liebestraum
Paul Abraham Dukas - Sorcerer's Apprentice
AG Soundtrax - The Greatest Heist

Pythagoras Ancient Greek Math Cult

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2024-05-15 | Thanks to Keeps for sponsoring this video & for the free product! Head to http://keeps.com/jackrackam to get a special offer. Individual results may vary

They don’t make mathematicians like they used to. This is the legacy of Pythagoras today, A squared plus B squared equals C squared, geometry for eighth graders. Big Classroom would have you believe that’s all he ever was, the triangle guy. But once upon a time Pythagoras might have been the most revered of all the Greek philosophers – more than Socrates, Plato, or Aristotle! Far from just the triangle guy, Pythagoras started an entire math cult that made beans illegal, led a war, and ended in fire.

How Stalin Rebranded the USSR

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2024-04-30 | Thanks to Keeps for sponsoring this video & for the free product! Head to http://keeps.com/jackrackam to get a special offer. Individual results may vary.

Hey boys and girls, who wants to talk about communism? As much as it’s a meme to say “no one’s ever tried real communism”, the USSR under Stalin... was the world's largest company town?

Music (in order of appearance):
J.S. Bach - Ricercar a 3 BWV 1079
Wheatman - Garage Rock
Kevin Macleod - Hidden Past
Suno - Red Mist
Dmitri Shostakovich - The Gadfly Suite, Overture
Moments - Runaway Quartet
Orchestralis - Sneaky Bassoon
Orchestralis - Soviet Red Army Military March
Febri Ultra - USSR National Anthem but it's lofi
Shostakovich - Jazz Suite No. 1 III. Foxtrot
Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra - Lezginka
Blacksmith - Russian Folk Ensemble
Alexander Alexandrov - The Sacred War
Shostakovich - The Gadfly Suite, Op. 97a II. Contredanse

Alexander the Great Breaks All the Rules | The Life & Times of Alexander the Great

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2024-04-13 | Hey, so uh, can we talk about Alexander the Great for a sec? You probably know who he is and what he did, he done conquered a whole bunch of land, he did like one thing in his life and he was the best at it, we don’t need to cover everything today, we’re keeping it real brief, because I just, I only need you to understand, that this man. This man is insane.

Last time the Greeks went to war with Persia, Greece gave it everything they had just to not get conquered themselves. Philip, if he was lucky, could take the fight to Persia and force them to hand over some of the Greek-speaking islands on the outskirts of their empire, not take over the whole darn thing just for fun.

Music (in Order of Appearance):
Kevin Macleod - Hidden Past
TexasBrother - Greece
Pantheon Music - Gypsy Jazz
Globus - Preliator
Crypt of Insomnia - An Old Friend Ident
Twisterium - Victory
Music Aura - Gypsy Jazz

The Brother You Wish You Had - The Life & Times of Yoshitsune

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2024-03-29 | 💻 Stay protected! Try our sponsor Aura FREE for 2 weeks at aura.com/jackrackam

Japan, 1160 AD. Tokiwa Gozen holds two young boys in her arms. She’s the wife to the head of the Minamoto Family. This used to be a pretty good gig, were it not for the fact that the Taira family existed. The Taira were the Capulets to the Minamoto’s Montagues, two houses alike in dignity who hated each other’s guts, until today. Today the Taira snuff out the Minamoto for good.

The younger boy, Yoshitsune, was only one year old that day. The day his father and brothers were put to the sword, and his mother taken away from him forever. The day he was separated from his brother. But he would spend the rest of his life fighting for revenge.

Minamoto no Yoshitsune (源義経, c. 1159 – June 15, 1189) was a commander of the Minamoto clan of Japan in the late Heian and early Kamakura periods. During the Genpei War, he led a series of battles that toppled the Ise-Heishi branch of the Taira clan, helping his half-brother Yoritomo consolidate power. He is considered one of the greatest and the most popular warriors of his era, and one of the most famous samurai in the history of Japan.

Music (in order of appearance):
Adigold - Place to Be
Orchestralis - Ronin Samurai (shakuhachi only)
Kevin Macleod - Hidden Past
Kevin Macleod - Batty McFaddin
3kTrackExclusive - Japan Epic Opening
Roman Sol - Samurai
Souichi Kagami - Kanshou Resistance (tandess.com/en/music/free-material/data/resistance_short.html)
Kuniyoshi Sugawara - Nihon Minyo Kumikyoku Dai Ichi-Ban
IndiaHappy - Taiko
Souichi Kagami - Rainy Day
Orchestralis - Cinematic Japan Koto
Marian - Samurai
Luca Francini - Epic Samurai
Souichi Kagami - Yoru wo Kakeru

Ruins to Riches: The Secret to Europes Post-War Glow-Up

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2024-03-10 | Thank you to Keeps for sponsoring this video! Head to http://keeps.com/jackrackam to get a special offer

1946. Europe has 99 problems, but a dictator ain’t one! A genocida - A fasci-- a *German* dictator ain’t one! Booyah! Unfortunately, it still had 99 other problems. Famine, energy shortage, housing shortage, unemployment, monetary instability, trade imbalances, foreign exchange shortages, social discontent, communist subterfuge, industrial decline, things were… not great. But this is a happy episode, you know why? Because Europe fixed it. And because America saw a series of complicated inter-connected problems that primarily affected impoverished people on the other side of the world, and they invested in fixing it. With their government. [mind blown sounds]

This is a video about the Marshall Plan, where America gave Europe lots of money to rebuild after it had finished blowing itself up over… I dunno, silly reasons. For once just a good, wholesome story about what can be achieved in politics when smart people put their heads together in an honest attempt to solve 99 challenging problems.

Magellan Never Made it Around the World!

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2024-02-14 | Thank you to Keeps for sponsoring this video! Head to http://keeps.com/jackrackam to get a special offer.
Missed Part 1? Find it here! youtu.be/dTk6Mz-bJ9I

1494. Spain and Portugal are both really into this new business of sailing the seas and owning everything you touch, but they have a problem. What if the other country sails the seas and touches the stuff that they own? That would be bad! So they cut the world in half. Spain owns this half of the Earth, and Portugal owns this half of the Earth. Spain gets to colonize the New World and make all the money buying slaves and selling sugar and chocolate and silver. Portugal gets to control who can sail around Africa, which means they get to make all the money trading slaves and spices.

But one day, an enterprising man by the name of Ferdinand Magellan arrives in the Spanish King’s court. He says “Your majesty, what if I told you the islands where Portugal gets its spices are actually on your half of the Earth? And what if I told you, you didn’t have to sail around Africa to get there? I’m like 90% sure we can wiggle underneath South America, and if we do, that’s your ticket to the untold riches of the spice trade.

Music (in order of appearance):
Kevin Macleod - C-Funk
Kevin Macleod - Hidden Past
Boomopera - The 80s
Pantheon Music - Pirate Adventures
Mojo Productions - Pirates
Score Wizards - Voodoo Vampires
Ramin Djawadi - The Rains of Castamere
JBlanks - Soul Cops
Gold Tiger - Disco

What you Missed in the Age of Discovery - Ferdinand Magellan

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I was born too early to... *checks notes* die of malnutrition.

1494. Spain and Portugal are both really into this new business of sailing the seas and owning everything you touch, but they have a problem. What if the other country sails the seas and touches the stuff that they own? That would be bad! So they cut the world in half. Spain owns this half of the Earth, and Portugal owns this half of the Earth. Spain gets to colonize the New World and make all the money buying slaves and selling sugar and chocolate and silver. Portugal gets to control who can sail around Africa, which means they get to make all the money trading slaves and spices.

But one day, an enterprising man by the name of Ferdinand Magellan arrives in the Spanish King’s court. He says “Your majesty, what if I told you the islands where Portugal gets its spices are actually on your half of the Earth? And what if I told you, you didn’t have to sail around Africa to get there? I’m like 90% sure we can wiggle underneath South America, and if we do, that’s your ticket to the untold riches of the spice trade. But it will take a captain of unassailable courage. My name is Ferdinand Magellan! I had a place in the conquest of Malacca, I served in the court of the Sultan of Ternate, I took a lance to the knee in Morocco. If you’ll have me, I am prepared to embark on the adventure of an age, to see for the first time with European eyes, ancient and diverse cultures and convert them to Catholicism. I am prepared to attempt what no man has ever dreamed before. Soon will I meet the men who shall be my brothers at sea, and I will be the first to circle the world!

[cue cut anime opening]

When History Repeats: A Tale of Two Mothers

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2024-01-05 | Thanks to Keeps for sponsoring this video! Head to http://keeps.com/jackrackam to get a special offer

You ever read a book, watch a movie, learn some history, and think to yourself “That was pretty good, but what if it turned out this way instead?”. Me too! I like speculative history as much as the next person, but the world is such a complicated place. The more accurate you try to be, the more vague your alternate history must become. It’s too bad we’ll never know for sure… or will we? If there’s one thing people like to say about history, it’s that it repeats. Today I’m going to tell you a story about how a young noblewoman used her position as the emperor’s wife to take control of the Roman Empire, only to find herself locked in a life and death struggle with her own teenage son. One story, with two very different endings.

Music (in order of appearance):
Pink Zebra - Cut the Cheese
Kevin Macleod - Hidden Past
Laurie Johnson - Happy Go Lively
Orchestralis - The Roman Legion
Kevin Macleod - Fun in a Bottle
Orchestralis - Medieval Harp and Flute
Studio Etude - Old Gnome
Music Dog - Greek Tradition
Death Note OST - Low of Solipsism
Score Wizards - The Magic Clock
Kevin Macleod - Holiday Weasel
Metatron Omega - Sanctum
Kevin Macleod - Our Story Begins
Kevin Macleod - Pippin the Hunchback
Kevin Macleod - Unholy Knight

The British Empire Didnt Go Quietly

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2023-12-24 | Get 50% off your first month of Armchair History TV using the code JACKRACKAM at checkout! armchairhistory.tv

The dissolution of the British Empire is actually a story of subterfuge and tremendous violence. It’s a lot of different stories happening all over the world all at once with centuries of context, so for my own convenience I’m going to commit a cardinal sin and oversimplify all of this through the lens of one of the imperialists who watched over it all. A man beloved by many as a national hero, and seen by many others as the embodiment of imperialism’s sins. Please welcome, Mr. Winston Churchill.

Music (in order of appearance):
Rule, Britannia (Instrumental)
Camille Saint Saens - Danse Macabre
The Coldstream Guards - Colonel Bogey March
Kevin Macleod - Malicioius
The Coldstream Guards - Heroes of the Sea
Metropolitan Opera - Verdi's Dies Irae
Manrique de Lara - Bach Cello Suite no. 1 in G Major

Nobody expects the Abbasid Inquisition (833 AD)

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2023-11-22 | youtube.com/watch?v=bX0O5CCxWEc

You may have heard it said that in the Middle Ages, when Europe was thrown into centuries of darkness, far to the east there was a shining example of science and the arts – well yes, but that’s too far East, I’m talking about right here. You may have heard that it was the Islamic Caliphate that preserved the works of ancient Aristotle, invented new fields of mathematics, and created beautiful works of art in the Baghdad House of Wisdom, a library to rival Alexandria. And that’s usually where the story begins and ends. It’s a bit like pointing to the Pantheon and saying “See, Italians do have culture!” and leaving it at that.

I wanted to know more about the empire that put all this together, and, yeah I found some great characters. So let me tell you more about the time when Baghdad was one of the world’s preeminent cities, about the people who made it, and how it all came to an end.

What Ended Islams Golden Age?

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2023-11-14 | Warfare, politics, taxes, tribes, tribute, religion, family dynamics, bribery, incest, assassinations, oh my! Play your own role in history at play.crusaderkings.com/JackRackam

The man who escaped, Abd Al-Rahman: youtube.com/watch?v=ZwJf59wXZSs

You may have heard it said that in the Middle Ages, when Europe was thrown into centuries of darkness, far to the east there was a shining example of science and the arts – well yes, but that’s too far East, I’m talking about right here. You may have heard that it was the Islamic Caliphate that preserved the works of ancient Aristotle, invented new fields of mathematics, and created beautiful works of art in the Baghdad House of Wisdom, a library to rival Alexandria. And that’s usually where the story begins and ends. It’s a bit like pointing to the Pantheon and saying “See, Italians do have culture!” and leaving it at that.

I wanted to know more about the empire that put all this together, and, yeah I found some great characters. So let me tell you more about the time when Baghdad was one of the world’s preeminent cities, about the people who made it, and how it all came to an end.

Music (in order of appearance):
Derek & Brandon Feichter - Bedouin Tribe
CK3 OST - Echoes of an Empire
CK3 OST - Chronicles of the Caliphate
Junko Ohashi - 男と女 (Otoko to Onna)
CK3 OST - Legacy of Ancient Sands
Orchestralis - Journey to the Middle East

Long Connecticut: A True Story

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2023-11-06 | Hiya friends. I know we’ve been doing this whole “What happened in between WW2 and the Cold War” thing, and I’m very excited to tell you more about the rocky history of America’s plan to save Europe from economic collapse and the implosion of the British Empire, maybe even how close France was to going communist, but you see, there’s something that’s been living in my brain rent-free for a year now and I’ve just gotta share it with you. It is a dream deferred, a vision of a better world. It’s this. It’s Long Connecticut. It was real, and if you’re wondering where it went, that involves three American civil wars and a long-forgotten 51st state so buckle up!

Music (in order of appearance):
Kevin Macleod - Long Stroll
Kevin Macleod - Hidden Past
37 Room Music - Emotional Epic Trailer
Kevin Macleod - Doh De Oh
Kevin Macleod - Hackbeat
Mat Steiner - War of Stars
John Philip Sousa - The Honored Dead
Kevin Macleod - Darkling
Purple Planet - Film Noir Mobster
Orchestrails - Dark Ambient Documentary Cello

The Cold War Wasnt Supposed to Happen

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2023-10-21 | 📲 Install Raid for Free Mobile and PC: pl.go-ga.me/siujysze and get a special starter pack with an Epic champion Tallia 🔥

So my generation probably remembers the Cold War as the chapter at the back of the history textbook that we never had enough time to learn about in any detail. But we know the long and short of it: America and the USSR pretended to like each other just long enough to give Germany a good whooping, and then they both held the world hostage with the threat of thermonuclear armageddon. But as inevitable as it may seem, having a Cold War wasn’t part of the plan. As a matter of fact, hopes were very high that the rest of the century was going to be nothing but roses.

After all, with the Axis in ruins, and, well, with most of Europe in ruins too, the Allies were looking at a clean slate. Fascism was gone (mostly), and while capitalism and communism were radically different, in theory both the USA and USSR were opposed to the militarism and expansionism that had driven the Germans to war, and they had the opportunity to quite literally create a new world order, to change the rules to make the world a safer place. That’s what they wanted to do. The problem, of course, is that their ideas of peace looked very different.

Music (in order of appearance):
Glenn Miller - In the Mood
Kevin Macleod - Hidden Past
Raid Influencer Music
Kevin Macleod - I Got a Stick
Kevin Macleod - Enter the Party
Remstunes - Bebop Jazz Rocker
Kevin Macleod - As I Figure
Albert Genen - Sousa in Swing

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After Occupation: Why Didnt Germany Hold a Grudge?

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2023-09-30 | Sign up for a 14-day free trial and enjoy All of MyHeritage's amazing features. If you decide to continue your subscription, you’ll get a 50% discount. bit.ly/JackRackamcore

Music (in order of appearance):
Alex Bird - March
Pink Zebra - Swingin Blues for Oscar
Kevin Macleod - Jazz Brunch
Alex Rufire - Anime Fight
Remstunes - Bebop Jazz Rocker
Kevin Macleod - Beauty Flow
Matthew Pablo - Blue Chase

The US backed an autocrat in 1953. Shah-nanigans ensued

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2023-09-14 | Go to https://ground.news/jack to avoid propaganda and bias in the media. Sign up or subscribe through my link before Sept 30, 2023 for 30% off unlimited access!

In 1975, the economy of the richest country on Earth was broken. Unemployment in America was worse in 1975 than in 2020, and at the same time inflation was also out of control. According to rudimentary economics, that’s not supposed to happen. The Vice President gave a speech that year saying one person ought to teach the US government how to run a country, and that was the Shah of Iran.

Iran was a radically different place in the 70s. This Middle-Eastern monarchy was secular, it was urban, women went to universities sporting short skirts and big hair. Some of its social welfare policies were more progressive than Sweden, Sweden, and it was getting rich. The middle class was booming, the Shah was handing out loans to Britain and the United States. The country’s GDP per capita was only seven years behind contemporaries like Germany or Japan, and that gap was closing in fast.

That lasted until 1978. And in 1979, Iran was a dystopian police state at the mercy of a Supreme Leader whose main export is human rights violations. Revolutions are always complicated but this one is… weird.

Music (in order of appearance):
Basspartout - That 70s Sound
Kevin Macleod - Hidden Past
Remstunes - Jazz Swing 70s
Black Sea Music - 70s Disco
Penguin Music - Dark Cinematic Documentary
Orchestralis - The Middle East
Anthem of the Imperial State of Iran
Mohammadreza Shajarian - Gonbad-e-mina

Japans War did NOT Go to Plan

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2023-08-24 | Play World of Warships here: wo.ws/45DxB82
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The Pacific Theater of World War Two was a conflict rife with island hopping, naval clashes, and unprecedented mosquito swatting. Key hits included the Battle of Midway, where the ocean became a boxing ring, and island scuffles like Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima, which proved that beach vacations aren't for the faint of heart. Hiroshima and Nagasaki got a bit too close to Uncle Sam's barbecue, and the Japanese military took an early exit stage left.

Music (in order of appearance):
Tim Beek - Drunken Sailor
Village People - In the Navy
Tim Beek - Roll the Old Chariot

The Day the US Gave Up on Democracy

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2023-08-09 | 20th century Iran, where oil flows like water and politics are as stable as a unicycle on a tightrope. Britain gets a bit fussy when Iran takes the oil in Iran, so they throw the Shah a surprise birthday party by overthrowing the elected government with a little help from the CIA.

Music (in order of appearance):
Kevin Macleod - Magic Escape
Sersal Studio - The Violin
JJBA OST - Awaken
V-Audio - Easy Jazzy Shopping
Dirty Flint - Upbeat Corporate Inspiring Uplifting & Sport
GFORSE covering Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up
Matthew Pablo - Deliciously Sour
L'Orchestra Cinematique - The Star-Spangled Banner
Audio Zen - Slow Gangsters Blues
Joker 247o covering John Williams - Imperial March

Polands Drinking Smoking Soldier Bear

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2023-07-28 | Wojtek was a Syrian brown bear bought, as a young cub, at a railway station in Hamadan, Iran, by Polish II Corps soldiers who had been evacuated from the Soviet Union. In order to provide for his rations and transportation, he was eventually enlisted officially as a soldier with the rank of private, and was subsequently promoted to corporal

As my city falls, I will fall with her - Constantine XIs Final Speech

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2023-07-21 | youtu.be/GrHO6MTEOCY

Constantine XI was the last Roman emperor, reigning from 1449 until his death in battle at the Fall of Constantinople in 1453. Constantine's death marked the definitive end of the Eastern Roman Empire, which traced its origin to Constantine the Great's foundation of Constantinople as the Roman Empire's new capital in 330

Rome finally dies (1453)

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2023-07-19 | youtu.be/GrHO6MTEOCY

Constantine XI was the last Roman emperor, reigning from 1449 until his death in battle at the Fall of Constantinople in 1453. Constantine's death marked the definitive end of the Eastern Roman Empire, which traced its origin to Constantine the Great's foundation of Constantinople as the Roman Empire's new capital in 330

Im playing Twister with our son... who isnt related to us by blood

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2023-07-18 | youtu.be/f9Nviz45bKo

Belisarius was a military commander of the Byzantine Empire under the emperor Justinian I. He was instrumental in the reconquest of much of the Mediterranean territory belonging to the former Western Roman Empire, which had been lost less than a century prior.

Fastest Interrogation in History (1943)

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2023-07-16 | youtu.be/-RWE6cGiG7I

Sir Adrian Paul Ghislain Carton de Wiart was a British soldier awarded the Victoria Cross. He served in the Boer War, First World War, and Second World War. He was shot in the face, head, stomach, ankle, leg, hip, and ear; was blinded in his left eye; survived two plane crashes; tunnelled out of a prisoner-of-war camp; and tore off his own fingers when a doctor declined to amputate them. Describing his experiences in the First World War, he wrote, "Frankly, I had enjoyed the war."

The Army Couldnt Destroy this Temple

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2023-07-14 | youtu.be/9HaKlncDIu0?t=1037

James Jezreel, born James Rowland White, was a nineteenth-century soldier and self-proclaimed prophet. Demolition on Jezreel's Tower, designed to survive the apocalypse, took over 5 decades to complete.

Irishman Gets Bored, Starts a Cult (1828)

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2023-07-13 | youtu.be/9HaKlncDIu0?t=717

John Ward known as Zion Ward, was an Irish preacher, mystic and self-styled prophet, active in England from around 1828 to 1835. He was one of those claiming to be the successor of prophetess Joanna Southcott after her death.

The New Jerusalem Scandal (1831)

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2023-07-11 | youtu.be/9HaKlncDIu0?t=578

John Wroe was a British evangelist who founded the Christian Israelite Church in the 1820s after having what he believed were a series of visions. His leadership was rocked with several scandals, both in his initial home in England, as well as the United States and Australia.

One Preacher Nearly Outlawed Circumcision in Britain

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2023-07-10 | youtu.be/9HaKlncDIu0?t=578

John Wroe was a British evangelist who founded the Christian Israelite Church in the 1820s after having what he believed were a series of visions. His leadership was rocked with several scandals, both in his initial home in England, as well as the United States and Australia.

The Mother of God Died in 1814

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2023-07-05 | youtu.be/9HaKlncDIu0

Joanna Southcott was a self-described religious prophetess from Devon, England best remembered for her apocalyptic box of prophecies. A "Southcottian" movement continued in various forms after her death under at least eight different prophets between 1814 and 1934

The First Time Dmitri Ivanovich Died

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2023-07-03 | The 4 Lives of Dmitri Ivanovich: youtu.be/dDP0LT_MYpc

Dmitri Ivanovich was the youngest son of Ivan the Terrible, Tsar of Russia. He was Russian Tsarevich and was famously impersonated by a series of pretenders after his death, known as the False Dmitris.

This Box Could End the World

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2023-07-02 | Somewhere in the quaint town of Bedford England, there is a box, worn and weathered, its exact location unknown to all but a chosen few. It is a casket of prophecies, an ark of providence that must remain sealed until a day of crisis shall come to pass, and twenty-four bishops of the church of England shall bear witness to its opening. For when it is opened, the world’s days are sure to be numbered, and only the scripture inside will save those who open their hearts. All of this was foretold by the Mother of God - Joanna Southcott.

Music (in order of appearance):
Blind Guardian Twilight Orchestra - War Feeds War (Instrumental)
Kevin Macleod - Hidden Past
Francois-Adrien Boieldieu - Concerto in Three Tempi for Harp
Inplus Music - Sexy Music
Kevin Macleod - Darkness Speaks
Beethoven - Symphony No. 3
Leroy Anderson - The Typewriter
Bright Light - Mournful
S-Audio - Broadway Show Mood
Rossini - William Tell Overture
Allen Grey - Big Band Broadway
Alex Shulgin - Funky Organ Breakbeat
Gentle Jammers - Spooky Halloween
Orchestralis - Inspiring Woodwinds
The Beau Hunks Sextette covering - Powerhouse
Mozart - Requiem (Dies Irae)
Chloe Hanslip covering Bassini - Dance of the Goblins
Lesley Gore - Sunshine Lollipops and Rainbows
Orchestralis - Documentary Suspense Cello
Wynton Marsalis covering Jelly Roll Morton - Black Bottom Stomp
Edward Elgar - Salut d'Amour
Peacock Music - Inspiring Chamber Orchestra

History Channel Documentaries be like

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2023-07-01 | The 4 Lives of Dmitri Ivanovich: youtu.be/dDP0LT_MYpc

Dmitri Ivanovich was the youngest son of Ivan the Terrible, Tsar of Russia. He was Russian Tsarevich and was famously impersonated by a series of pretenders after his death, known as the False Dmitris.

Brazilian Royalty = The Longest Names Ive Ever Seen

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2023-06-30 | Pedro II - Why Brazil Should have Been a Superpower: youtu.be/TMFEugM2Anw

Pedro I - The King who Declared Independence from Himself: youtu.be/43chV-jgVbc

The Empire of Brazil was a 19th-century state that broadly comprised the territories which form modern Brazil and (until 1828) Uruguay. A colony of the Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil became the seat of the Portuguese Empire in 1808, when the Portuguese Prince regent, later King Dom John VI, fled from Napoleon's invasion of Portugal and established himself and his government in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. On 7 September 1822, his son Pedro declared the independence of Brazil and, after waging a successful war against his father's kingdom, was acclaimed on 12 October as Pedro I, the first Emperor of Brazil.

I Dont Want it! Romes Most Reluctant Emperor

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2023-06-29 | youtu.be/f9Nviz45bKo

Flavius Hypatius was an Eastern Roman noble who held the position of commander in the East during the reign of Justin I, and was chosen by the mob as emperor during the Nika riots in Constantinople against Justinian I. Hypatius himself tried as hard as he could to stay out of it, but was executed in the aftermath of the riots.

Arkansas Civil War Started Over this Disagreement

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2023-06-28 | youtu.be/LSYhMwLCYrI

Everyone knows the United States had a civil war in the 1800s. Lincoln wins election, the South secedes, the Union prevails, slavery’s abolished (mostly), Lincoln’s mind is blown at the theater, kids stuff. Well… we had one civil war, yes. But what about the second civil war? A war in the South in the 1800s in which a controversial election led to two leaders fighting over who had the right to govern. In Arkansas, not even ten years after the war of the rebellion was finished, two men with nearly identical beliefs turned Little Rock into a warzone.

John Wilkes Booths Family Werent Even Confederates

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2023-06-27 | youtu.be/3mQ3I2JTyxA

As the Civil War went on, Booth increasingly quarreled with his brother (and more successful actor) Edwin, who declined to make stage appearances in the South and refused to listen to John Wilkes' fiercely partisan denunciations of the North and Lincoln

The First Partition of Poland (1772)

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2023-06-25 | youtu.be/6tuaXhpwHRU

The First Partition of Poland took place in 1772 as the first of three partitions that eventually ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth by 1795. Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, engineered the partition to prevent Austria, which was envious of Russian successes against the Ottoman Empire, from going to war. Territories in Poland–Lithuania were divided by its more powerful neighbours (Austria, Russia and Prussia) to restore the regional balance of power in Central Europe among those three countries.

Why Its Called a Ponzi Scheme

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2023-06-24 | Ever wonder where the term Ponzi scheme comes from? Today associated with figures like Bernie Madhoff, it originated with one Charles Ponzi and his plan to make millions with postage stamps. Back in 1920, there was a deal where you could effectively pay for postage in one country, and redeem the value in the country you received it, where the price of postage might be different. Do this between the United States and Italy, where inflation had wracked the country, and according to Ponzi you could make a profit of 400%. Well he told his friends about his great plan, and he doubled their money in 90 days. So he started a company in January 1920, and by July he was taking in a million dollars a day. But here’s the catch: That whole postage scheme? The value was redeemed in stamps, not cash. Logistically the overhead purchasing such large quantities and shipping them from Europe to America would cost more than he could make in profit, so he didn’t - as long as more people kept investing, he kept paying out. Until the Boston Post reported that to cover his investments he would’ve needed 160 million postal reply coupons… and there were only 27,000 in circulation. Charles Ponzi lived 6 months as a millionaire, and the rest of his life in poverty.

A Single Gunshot Killed 20 Million People (1914)

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2023-06-23 | Who Killed Austria-Hungary? youtu.be/XAWIx6z5dNc

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand is considered one of the key events that led to World War I. Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, were assassinated on 28 June 1914 by Bosnian Serb student Gavrilo Princip. They were shot at close range while being driven through Sarajevo, the provincial capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina, formally annexed by Austria-Hungary in 1908.

The REAL Reason they Killed this Famous Emperor

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2023-06-22 | youtu.be/wWX7GQ2GuCI

One of history's most despised rulers managed to upset the Senate and the Army enough to kill him, but not for the obvious reasons

The Most Predictable Assassination in History still Worked (41 AD)

History Abridged with Jack Rackam 2023-06-21 | youtu.be/wWX7GQ2GuCI

One of history's most despised rulers managed to upset the Senate and the Army enough to kill him, but not for the obvious reasons