379: Beyond Pearl Harbor with Joshua Donohue
BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 379) — Most movies focus on the surprise attack at Pearl Harbor, but the true story of December 7th, 1941, involves a coordinated global offensive across the Pacific. In this episode, history professor Joshua Donohue returns to explore what the movies miss—including attacks on Wake Island, the Philippines, […]
370: Titanic with Mark B. Perry
BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 370) — Twentieth Century-Fox’s “Titanic” starring Barbara Stanwyck and Clifton Webb claims to draw facts from 1912 congressional inquiries, so how well does it do when we compare it to history? Get Mark’s Book And Introducing Dexter Gaines Also mentioned in this episode Watch the movie Get the […]
368: Behind the True Story: Not a Real Enemy with Robert Wolf
BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 368) — Go behind the true stories shown in Holocaust movies through the experiences of Robert Wolf’s family. Since we’ll be talking about the Holocaust, listener discretion is advised. Get Robert’s Book Not a Real Enemy Find Robert on Social robertjwolfmd.com Disclaimer: Dan LeFebvre and/or Based on a […]
365: Black Hawk Down with Joshua Donohue
BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 365) — Discover the behind-the-scenes story of Black Hawk Down, as historian Josh Donohue shares insights on the chaotic 1993 mission in Mogadishu. Learn what truly happened versus what Hollywood depicted. Follow Josh on YouTube The Freelance Historian on YouTube Also mentioned in this episode Embattled Marines At […]
364: The Bridge on the River Kwai with Jon Parshall
BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 364) — Acclaimed historian Jon Parshall separates fact from fiction in the classic film “The Bridge on the River Kwai” and the brutal realities of the Thai-Burma Railway during World War II, also known as the Death Railway. We’ll contrast the film’s fictional Colonel Nicholson with his real-life […]
355: Tora! Tora! Tora! with Jon Parshall
BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 355) — Today is the 83rd anniversary of the surprise attack at Pearl Harbor that was depicted in the 1970 movie Tora! Tora! Tora! Often praised for its accuracy, Tora! Tora! Tora! has also perpetrated some myths about what really happened. To help us separate fact from fiction, […]
346: This Week: 300: Rise of an Empire, United 93, A Star-Spangled Story, The Exorcism of Emily Rose
BOATS THIS WEEK (SEP 9-15, 2024) — Tuesday this week marks the anniversary of the Battle of Marathon, which we see in the movie 300: Rise of an Empire. Then, of course, we’ll be looking at this week’s anniversary of the 9/11 attacks from the movie United 93. For our third historical event, we’ll learn […]
345: Today: The Great Fire and the Extinguishment of the Great Fire of London
BOATS TODAY (SEPT 5, 2024) — After four days of fighting the flames, the Great Fire of London was finally extinguished on this day in 1666 so today we’ll learn more about how the events from exactly 358 years ago today were shown in the TV miniseries called The Great Fire. Until next time, here’s […]
344: Today: The Great Fire and the Initial Ignition of the Great Fire of London
Editor’s Note: The fire started after midnight on September 2nd in London, so if you’re in the United States like I am then you might see this minisode release on September 1st due to time zones. BOATS TODAY (SEPT 2, 2024) — The Great Fire of London started exactly 358 years ago today, so we’ll […]
342: This Week: Saving Mr Banks, Krakatoa East of Java, From Hell
BOATS THIS WEEK (AUG 26-SEPT 1, 2024) — Tomorrow marks the 60th anniversary of Disney’s Mary Poppins premiered, and that event is shown in the 2013 movie called Saving Mr. Banks about the making of Mary Poppins. If that’s too confusing, give the episode a listen to unravel it all. From there, we’ll travel to […]
341: This Week: The Crucible, Sweet Dreams, Pompeii
BOATS THIS WEEK (AUG 19-25,2024) — Historical events from the movies start with The Crucible and how it depicts the Salem witch trials from this week in 1692. Then, we’ll learn a bit about Patsy Cline’s hit song “Crazy” because it was this week in 1961 that she started recording it in the studio, and […]