Best The Army Of Drunks Podcasts (2025)

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Episode 34: Why Avoiding Difficult Conversations Is Wrecking Your Life 12:35

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15h ago12:35

12:35

Why Avoiding Difficult Conversations Is Wrecking Your Life In this episode of the Evolved Caveman podcast, Dr. John Schinnerer explores the psychology behind avoidance and how it impacts our lives. He discusses why our brains are wired to avoid discomfort and the detrimental effects that avoidance has on our relationships, mental health, and person…

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The Free French Army in North Africa, 1940-1945 49:37

3d ago49:37

49:37

One of the principal architects of Allied Victory in North Africa during World War Two was French General Louis Dio. His importance in North Africa lies in his role as a key leader of the Free French forces and a trusted subordinate to General Philippe Leclerc. He participated in every battle from Douala to the Fezzan Campaigns in the early 1940s. …

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An Inventor’s Quest to Build a Pneumatic Subway System in 1870s New York 45:11

7d ago45:11

45:11

Alfred Beach built America’s first operational subway in secret beneath 1860s Manhattan, decades before the city’s official electric subway line in 1904. He designed and commissioned a 300-foot-long, eight-foot-diameter tunnel 20 feet underground, built with a tunneling machine he invented for this purpose. The car moved quietly and silently, pushe…

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Spirited Rivalry: Did Ireland or Scotland Invent Whisky? 48:53

12d ago48:53

48:53

There’s a divide between Scotland and Ireland as fierce as the Protestant/Catholic split during the Thirty Years’ War or the battles between Sunnis and Shias in the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s. It’s the debate over who invented whisky. Both Ireland and Scotland claim to have originated the spirit. Ireland cites its early monastic traditions and the …

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The Horse That Ate the Legion: Rome’s Cavalry's Triumph Over the Infantry 41:21

14d ago41:21

41:21

The cavalry 'wings' that probed ahead of the Roman Army played a key role in its campaigns of conquest, masking its marching flanks and seeking to encircle enemies in battle. However, at the very beginning of Rome’s history, it didn’t even have a cavalry, and relied on Greek-style phalanx formations instead. It began as a small cavalry arm provided…

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Beyond Joan of Arc and Agincourt: How the 100 Years War Crushed Medieval Europe and Launched its Global Order 58:41

19d ago58:41

58:41

Modern France and Britain were forged in the fires of the Hundred Years War, a century-long conflict that produced deadly English longbowmen, Joan of Arc’s heavenly visions, and a massive death toll from Scotland to the Low Countries. The traditional beginning and end of the Hundred Years' War are conventionally marked by the start of open conflict…

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Reverse Ellis Island: American Migrants Who Fought for Mussolini and Built Stalin’s USSR 38:33

21d ago38:33

38:33

By History Unplugged

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Don’t Use Rome as a Model of Why Societies Collapse; Use Crime Syndicates and Somalia Instead 49:42

26d ago49:42

49:42

12,000 years ago, human history changed forever when the egalitarian groups of hunter-gathering humans began to settle down and organize themselves into hierarchies. The few dominated the many, seizing control through violence. What emerged were “Goliaths”: large societies built on a collection of hierarchies that are also terrifyingly fragile, col…

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A Union General Found a Loophole in the Fugitive Slave Act, Causing 1 Million Slaves to Flee North 45:21

28d ago45:21

45:21

After the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850, enslaved people feared running away to the North, as their return was mandated, and they faced brutal punishment or even death upon return to deter others from escaping. But that changed during the Civil War. Black slaves in Confederate Virginia began hearing rumors that they could receive their …

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Episode 33: Longevity Hacks: Why Some Guys Age Like Fine Wine—and Others Like Warm Milk 18:16

29d ago18:16

18:16

Join Dr. John Schinnerer in this episode of the Evolved Caveman Podcast as he dives deep into the science behind aging and longevity. After a mind-blowing 40-year high school reunion, Dr. John explores why some people age gracefully while others, well, don’t. Learn about the role of telomeres, and discover practical, science-backed hacks to extend …

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The Civil War’s Brutal Finale: A War of Attrition as Terrible as WW2-Pacific and the Napoleonic Wars 47:55

1M ago47:55

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In 1864, the American Civil War reached a critical juncture with Ulysses S. Grant’s Overland Campaign, including the brutal battles of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania, which claimed over 60,000 casualties, surpassing Gettysburg as the Americas’ deadliest clash. Abraham Lincoln faced a contentious re-election against George B. McClellan, while Confe…

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Camp David Looks Like a 1970s Lakeside Retreat. Why is it the Site of the World’s Biggest Political Summits? 41:42

1M ago41:42

41:42

Camp David, nestled in Maryland’s Catoctin Mountains, spans about 125 acres, making it significantly smaller than other presidential getaways like Lyndon B. Johnson’s sprawling 2,700-acre Texas ranch or the vast 1,000-acre Bush family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine. Compared to grand diplomatic venues like the White House or international summit …

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Episode 32: How Men Can Navigate Modern Manhood 1:12:07

1M ago1:12:07

1:12:07

How do we successfully show up as men in such a politically-charged environment? Join Dr. John as he dives into an eye-opening conversation with Laurence Johns, a seasoned men's work expert. Raised amidst the gritty streets of 1980’s East London, Laurence shares his tumultuous journey from success to addiction to near-bankruptcy, and the brotherhoo…

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How British Scientists' Self-Experiments on Underwater Rebreathing Created D-Day Submarine Tech (And Nearly Killed Them in the Process) 53:29

1M ago53:29

53:29

In August 1942, over 7,000 Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy, France, in a largely forgotten landing, with only a small fraction surviving unscathed. The raid failed due to poor planning and lack of underwater reconnaissance, which left the Allies unaware of strong German coastal defenses and underwater obstacles. Inadequate submersible…

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Over 200,000 Allied Troops Tried and Failed to Crush the Soviet Revolution After World War One 41:20

1M ago41:20

41:20

The Allied Intervention into the Russian Civil War remains one of the most ambitious yet least talked about military ventures of the 20th century. Coinciding with the end of the first World War, some 180,000 troops from several countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Italy, Greece, Poland, and Romania, among others…

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How the U.S. Occupation of Japan After WW2 Forged the Most Durable Peace of the 20th Century 1:00:19

2M ago1:00:19

1:00:19

During World War II, the U.S. and Japan were locked in bitter hatred, fueled by propaganda portraying each other as ruthless enemies, exemplified by dehumanizing "Tokyo Woe" posters in the U.S. and Japanese depictions of Americans as barbaric invaders. After the war, the feelings seemed to turn 180 degrees overnight. By the early 1950s, American se…

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Episode 31: Have The Courage To Look At Your Own Shit 11:47

2M ago11:47

11:47

Loving Kindness and Radical Honesty: A Wish for the World In this episode of the Evolved Caveman Podcast, Dr. John shares his profound wish for the world: that everyone develops the courage to face their own inner challenges with radical honesty. He emphasizes that true loving-kindness is not just about wishing others well but involves facing perso…

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Homer Couldn't Have Written the Iliad, But He Probably Dictated it Word for Word 52:53

2M ago52:53

52:53

The Iliad is the world’s greatest epic poem—heroic battle and divine fate set against the Trojan War. Its beauty and profound bleakness are intensely moving, but great questions remain: Where, how, and when was it composed and why does it endure? To explore these questions is today’s guest, Robin Lane Fox, a scholar and teacher of Homer for over 40…

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Depression-Era Planners Thought They’d End Poverty with Public Housing. Instead, They Created the Projects 41:02

2M ago41:02

41:02

In the 1930s, New Deal-era technocrats devised a solution to homelessness and poverty itself. They believed that providing free or low-cost urban housing projects could completely eliminate housing scarcity. Planners envisioned urban communities that would propel their residents into the middle class, creating a flywheel of abundance where poverty …

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Episode 30: Mindset Makeover: Master Weight Loss, IQ, Pain Management, Stress Management, & Age Better 29:43

2M ago29:43

29:43

Join Dr. John on The Evolve Caveman Podcast as he dives into the power of mindset in transforming your life. With a mix of humor and candid storytelling, Dr. John discusses how adopting a growth mindset can boost intelligence, manage pain, master stress, slow aging, and even aid in weight loss. Hear inspiring real-world examples and learn practical…

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The Alabaman Jacksonians Who Rejected the Confederacy and Marched with Sherman to the Sea 49:01

2M ago49:01

49:01

As the popular narrative goes, the Civil War was won when courageous Yankees triumphed over the South. But an aspect of the war that has remained little-known for 160 years is the Alabamian Union soldiers who played a decisive role in the Civil War, only to be scrubbed from the history books. One such group was the First Alabama Calvary, formed in …

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Frederick Douglass’s Private Writings on Abraham Lincoln, His Strong Critiques and Stronger Praise 49:05

2M ago49:05

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Frederick Douglass made the strongest arguments for abolition in antebellum America because he made the case that abolition was not a mutation of the Founding Father’s vision of America, but a fulfillment of their promises of liberty for all. He had a lot riding on this personally – Douglas was born into slavery in Maryland around 1818, escaped to …

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The Industrial Revolution Was Supposed to Lead to Unlimited Free Time But Only Gave Us Smartphones and Endless Dopamine 31:11

2M ago31:11

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Free time, one of life’s most important commodities, often feels unfulfilling. But why? And how did leisure activities transition from strolling in the park for hours to “doomscrolling” on social media for thirty minutes? Despite the promise of modern industrialization, many people experience both a scarcity of free time and a disappointment in it.…

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Episode 29: World Peace with Mandar Apte 49:39

2M ago49:39

49:39

One Human Family: Exploring Global Peace with Mandar Apte From Shell Engineer to Peace Advocate In this episode of The Evolved Caveman Podcast, Dr. John interviews Mandar Apte, a former petroleum engineer turned peace advocate. Mandar shares his fascinating journey from working at Shell Oil to teaching meditation practices to over 2000 Shell employ…

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James Cook Mapped the Globe Before Dying At the Hands of Hawaiians Who Once Worshipped Him 56:56

2M ago56:56

56:56

Christopher Columbus and Ferdinand Magellan are known for discoveries, but it was Captain James Cook who made global travel truly possible. Cook was an 18th-century British explorer who mapped vast regions of the Pacific, including New Zealand and Australia’s eastern coast, with unprecedented accuracy. He meticulously conducted soundings to measure…

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American Anarchists: The Original Domestic Extremists 39:37

2M ago39:37

39:37

In the early twentieth century, anarchists like Emma Goldman and Alexander Berkman championed a radical vision of a world without states, laws, or private property. Militant and sometimes violent, anarchists were heroes to many working-class immigrants. But to many others, anarchism was a terrifyingly foreign ideology. Determined to crush it, gover…

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Episode 28: Increasing Your Self-Worth: The Key to True Happiness and Success 25:55

2M ago25:55

25:55

In this high-energy episode, Dr. John dives illuminates the differences between self-worth, self-esteem, and self-confidence. Why is this so important? Discover why some men have been incredibly successful yet (often) still feel lousy about themselves. This is the critical difference between self-worth and self-esteem. Self-esteem is built from the…

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100 Years Before Ford v. Ferrari, a Horse Breeder Revolutionized Thoroughbred Racing Through a Similar Obsession With Progress 1:14:41

2M ago1:14:41

1:14:41

Horse racing was the most popular sport in early America, drawing massive crowds and fueling a cultural obsession with horses’ speed and pedigree. In the early 1800s, every town in America with a few thousand people had a horse racing track, with major cities drawing crowds of up to 50,000. In the midst of this was Alexander Keene Richards (1827–18…

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Western Rome Fell Due to Germanic Immigration, Mass Inflation, and a Bloated Bureaucracy 39:05

3M ago39:05

39:05

It took little more than a single generation for the centuries-old Roman Empire to fall. In those critical decades, while Christians and pagans, legions and barbarians, generals and politicians squabbled over dwindling scraps of power, two men – former comrades on the battlefield – rose to prominence on opposite sides of the great game of empire. R…

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Why the Atomic Bombing of Japan is as Justified in 2025 as it was in 1945 52:29

3M ago52:29

52:29

It's been 80 years since the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the question of whether or not those bombings were justified has never been more contentious. That wasn't the case in the immediate aftermath: 85% of the American public approved the decision to bomb the cities in 1945, but this has dropped to 56% in more recent years, particularl…

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Surviving the Siege of Leningrad with Sawdust Bread and Iron Determination 46:54

3M ago46:54

46:54

The first year of the siege of Leningrad that began in September 1941 marked the opening stage of a 900-day-long struggle for survival that left over a million dead. The capture of the city came tantalizingly close late that year, but Hitler paused to avoid costly urban fighting. Determined to starve Leningrad into submission, what followed was a w…

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Depression-Era Governor Huey Long Wanted to Confiscate Individual Fortunes Over $1 Million, Possibly Leading to His 1935 Assassination 1:05:41

3M ago1:05:41

1:05:41

The most radical piece of legislation in the 20th century was Louisiana Governor Huey Long’s “Share Our Wealth Plan,” a bold proposal to confiscate individual fortunes exceeding $1 million to fund healthcare, free college education, and a guaranteed minimum income for families struggling through the Great Depression—a plan so radical it sparked the…

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Rope Equals Fire as Humanity’s Most Important Invention: It Allowed Hunting Mammoths and Building Pyramids 55:36

3M ago55:36

55:36

“‘Rope!’ muttered Sam[wise Gamgee]. ‘I knew I’d want it, if I hadn’t got it!’” Sam knew in the Lord of the Rings that the quest would fail without rope, but he was inadvertently commenting on how civilization owes its existence to this three-strand tool. Humans first made rope 50,000 years ago and one of its earliest contributions to the rise of ci…

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Episode 27: The Untold Struggles Behind 'Lying Drunk': A Conversation with Tony Hicks 47:58

3M ago47:58

47:58

A Rollercoaster Journey Through Alcoholism Join Dr. John on The Evolved Caveman Podcast as he catches up with his old friend, Tony Hicks. From their middle school antics to Tony's new book 'Lying Drunk,' this episode dives deep into Tony's struggles with alcoholism. Tony shares brutally honest and sometimes hilarious stories about the trials, tribu…

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2025 Summer Science Show - With Ian McEwan 1:48:02

3M ago1:48:02

1:48:02

It's summertime! And you know what that means: Harvey Wallbangers and evidence-based practiced bolstered mathethmatically-tested methods for interfacing with large language models. Yes, it's our Summer Science Show 2025, and our good friend mathematician Ian McEwan is back to talk about AI -- or "artificial intelligence" as the kids call it -- and …

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The Scopes Trial Was Entirely Orchestrated But Became an Unintended 1920s Culture War Touchpoint 56:43

3M ago56:43

56:43

July 2025 marks the 100th anniversary of the Scopes Trial – a trial that exposed profound divisions in America over religion, education, and public morality. This was a legal case in Dayton, Tennessee, where high school teacher John Scopes was prosecuted for teaching evolution, violating the state's Butler Act. The Butler Act was a 1925 Tennessee l…

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Episode 26: Stop Taking Other’s Sh*t Personally: It’s Rarely About You! 17:23

3M ago17:23

17:23

Join Dr. John Schinnerer in this episode of The Evolved Caveman as he delves into the art of not taking other people's moods personally and helping others to do the same. Discover the 'depersonalization game,' learn the difference between emotions and moods, and master the 'crank call' to communicate your bad moods effectively (i.e., the best gift …

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The Panda Was First Discovered By Theodore Roosevelt’s Sons During a 9-Month Expedition in Himalayan China 42:05

3M ago42:05

42:05

In the late 1920s, Theodore Roosevelt Jr. and his younger brother Kermit, sons of President Theodore Roosevelt, wanted fame and glory apart from the family spotlight. They were seeking the “empty spots” on the maps, the areas that had yet to be explored and described by Westerners. From these remote places, they hoped to bring back exotic animals t…

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How Do We Really Know What Happened in the Past When Many Historians Were Propagandists and AI is Fabricating Everything Else? 48:46

3M ago48:46

48:46

“History is written by the winners.” This aphorism is catchy and it makes an important point that a lot of what we know about history was written with an agenda, not for the purposes of informing us. Unfortunately, it isn’t true. There are many times that the so-called “losers” wrote the histories remembered today. After the American Civil War, Sou…

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Eugénie de Montijo: The Spanish Empress Who Built Modern Paris and is Blamed For Imperial France’s Downfall 45:45

3M ago45:45

45:45

Thirty-three years after the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte’s Empire, his nephew (known as Napoleon III) became the first president of France before becoming emperor himself. Although he was a capable ruler and reformer, Napoleon III’s failed military campaigns, especially France’s loss to Germany in the Franco-Prussian War, led to his defeat, capture,…

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Episode 25: Battling Burnout: Tactics for a Balanced and Fulfilling Life 26:00

4M ago26:00

26:00

The latest episode of The Evolved Caveman has dropped, and this time it’s about stress and burnout, comparing the two, unpacking why you should care and what the hell to DO about them. Burnout is a soul-crushing abyss, not just tiredness, but a full-blown system crash caused by chronic stress. Dr. John Schinnerer highlights the grim reality: 82% of…

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John Adams: The Most Influential Yet Overlooked Founding Father? 38:38

4M ago38:38

38:38

John Adams is arguably America’s most underrated Founding Father. He has no currency that bears his image. No national holidays celebrate his birth. He’s nearly never named as anyone’s favorite president. And he has no dedicated memorial in Washington, D.C. Despite this, he was perhaps the most influential early American, rivaling Washington, Jeffe…

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Why Thomas More -- Henry VIII’s Hatchet Man and Heretic Hunter -- Was Himself Executed For Heresy After the English Reformation 49:11

4M ago49:11

49:11

Thomas More was one of the most famous—and notorious—figures in English history. Born into the era of the Wars of the Roses, educated during the European Renaissance, rising to become Chancellor of England, and ultimately destroyed by Henry VIII, he hunted Protestants for heresy and had them burnt at the stake in the final years of Catholic England…

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Episode 24: Navigating Rude Realities: Unmasking the Epidemic of Incivility with Dr. John Schinnerer & Dr. John O'Brien 50:25

4M ago50:25

50:25

In today's sterling episode of The Evolved Caveman Podcast, Dr. John Schinnerer teams up with John O'Brien, a licensed psychologist & executive coach from Portland, Maine. Together, the Johns tackle the epidemic of rudeness plaguing our workplaces, political lives, and homes. From defining rudeness and its various types—interpersonal, cyber, and vi…

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Don’t Look to 1903s Germany to Understand American Populism. Look to 1830s New York Revivals Instead. 1:03:45

4M ago1:03:45

1:03:45

Something strange happened in Upstate New York during the 1830s. This area was called the "Burned-Over District" because so many fiery religious revivals swept through that it was metaphorically burned over. This region became a key source of the Second Great Awakening, a Protestant revival movement marked by emotional preaching and mass conversion…

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Operation Barbarossa Saw Millions of POW Executions, Civilian Murders, and Starvation Deaths 52:35

4M ago52:35

52:35

Operation Barbarossa, launched by Nazi Germany on June 22, 1941, aimed to swiftly conquer the Soviet Union, targeting key cities like Moscow, Leningrad, and Kyiv. Hitler reportedly said a meeting with his generals before the campaign began "We have only to kick in the door and the whole rotten structure will come crashing down," With German forces …

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Episode 23: A Love Letter To All Men 11:36

4M ago11:36

11:36

In this special episode of the Evolved Caveman podcast, Dr. John Schinnerer delivers a heartfelt message to men, addressing the significant pressures and outdated norms surrounding modern masculinity. Highlighting the findings of the State of American Men 2025 report by Equimundo, he discusses the harmful effects of societal expectations on men, in…

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Pistol Duels Existed Across the 19th-Century World, But Only the Chaos of the American West Produced Gunfighters 51:30

4M ago51:30

51:30

To understand American history and its deep-seated relationship with violence, we must look to the last three decades of the 1800s in the American West, which had the highest murder rate per capita in American history. And it all boils down to one place: Texas. Texas was born in violence, on two fronts, with Mexico to the south and the Comanche to …

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Rome Definitively Eclipsed Greece in 197 BC By Making the Alexandrian Phalanx/Cavalry Obsolete 46:35

4M ago46:35

46:35

The battle of Cynoscephalae represents a key moment in the history of the Greco-Roman world. In this one battle the Macedonian hold over mainland Greece was broken, with the Roman Republic rising in its place as the pre-eminent power in the Greek East. At Cynoscephalae, the proud Macedonian kingdom of Antigonid monarch Philip V was humbled, its arm…

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Episode 22: From Trauma to Triumph: Healing through Mindfulness 1:02:27

4M ago1:02:27

1:02:27

In this episode of The Evolved Caveman, Dr. John is joined by Dr. Kasim Al-Mashat, a multifaceted expert whose journey from skepticism to healing spans numerous disciplines. From a childhood in Iraq marred by war to groundbreaking research on trauma and refugees, Dr. Kasim's relentless pursuit of healing has led him through the realms of sales, cou…