Have To Know History – it’s history you just have to know.
Hosted by teacher and storyteller Jason Freewalt, this podcast explores strange tales, wild myths, and unbelievable moments from the ancient world. From the Minotaur to Alexander the Great, these are the quirky, fascinating stories that make history feel alive.
Adapted from the YouTube series of the same name, each episode is like a mini time-travel adventure.
New episodes drop every couple of weeks—or whenever time allows. Follow now and don’t miss a thing!
The Real History Behind The Lord of the Rings: Tolkien’s Middle-earth
How much of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth came from real history?
Quite a bit, actually.
In this episode of Have To Know History, we look at the real-world ideas behind The Lord of the Rings — including Beowulf, Old English, Norse mythology, Anglo-Saxon culture, ancient stories about magical rings, World War I, and the English countryside Tolkien knew and loved.
We’ll also look at where names like Gandalf came from, why Rohan feels so much like an Anglo-Saxon world, how Tolkien’s experiences in war may have shaped the landscapes he imagined, and why characters like Samwise Gamgee may tell us something important about the kind of courage Tolkien admired.
Tolkien didn’t simply invent Middle-earth out of nowhere. He built it from old languages, ancient stories, real landscapes, personal experiences, and a lifetime spent studying the past.
So was Middle-earth real?
No.
But a surprising amount of the world behind it was.
Have To Know History — history you just have to know.
Watch the full video version of “Tolkien’s Real World” here:
https://youtu.be/HeGTPnfDUuM (https://youtu.be/HeGTPnfDUuM)
#Tolkien #LordOfTheRings #MiddleEarth #HistoryPodcast #Beowulf #NorseMythology #HaveToKnowHistory #JasonFreewalt
11 Sept 2026
The Hunger Games and Ancient Rome: Did Someone Pay Attention in History Class?
What does The Hunger Games have to do with ancient Rome?
Quite a bit, actually.
In this episode of Have To Know History, we look at the Roman ideas hiding all through Suzanne Collins’s world, from Panem and “bread and circuses” to gladiators, political spectacle, the Capitol, and all those very Roman names like Coriolanus, Caesar, Seneca, Plutarch, Cinna, Cato, Octavia, Portia, and Flavius.
We’ll also talk about how Roman leaders used public entertainment, why the arena was about more than fighting, how image and propaganda mattered in Rome, and why a futuristic dystopian story can still feel surprisingly ancient.
I’m not arguing that every single connection was intentional, but once you start noticing the Roman influence, it gets pretty hard to stop.
And don’t worry: this episode avoids spoilers from the newer Hunger Games books.
This is Have To Know History - history you just have to know. Thanks for being here!
Watch the full video version here:
https://youtu.be/0Jibil9PpQM (https://youtu.be/0Jibil9PpQM)
21 Aug 2026
Roman Gladiators: What Life in the Arena Was Really Like | Ancient Rome
What was it really like to be a Roman gladiator?
Movies like Gladiator and Spartacus have given us an unforgettable picture of ancient Rome, but the real history is a lot more complicated—and maybe even more interesting.
In this episode of Have To Know History, we look at who Roman gladiators actually were, where they came from, how they trained, and what happened when they finally stepped into the arena. Were they all enslaved? Did every fight end in death? Why would anyone actually volunteer to become a gladiator? And how did some of these fighters become celebrities in the Roman world?
We’ll also head beneath the Colosseum, look at some of the different weapons and fighting styles gladiators used, and explore why tens of thousands of Romans were willing to pack into an amphitheater to watch them fight.
And, of course, we can’t talk about gladiators without talking about Spartacus, the gladiator who escaped and helped lead a slave rebellion that became an enormous problem for Rome.
The movies are great. But what was life in the arena really like?
Let’s dig in!
This is Have To Know History - history you just have to know. Thanks for being here!
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
70,165
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 28 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
26
Social presence
0
YouTube
76
Engagement
0
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