CLASSIC: The Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm I Tried To Make An Army of Super Tall Soldiers

CLASSIC: The Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm I Tried To Make An Army of Super Tall Soldiers

Author: iHeartPodcasts September 8, 2026 Duration: 34:06

Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm was fascinated by all things military, but the crown jewel of his army was a group known as the Potsdam Giants -- men recruited on the basis of their height alone. If these tall boys, teens and men didn't want to sign up for the Giants, the King had no problem kidnapping them. Listen in to learn more about the strange story of the Potsdam Giants.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.


History is beautiful, brutal and, often, ridiculous. Join Ben Bowlin and Noel Brown as they dive into some of the weirdest stories from across the span of human civilization in Ridiculous History, a podcast by iHeartRadio.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 50

Ridiculous History
Podcast Episodes
CLASSIC: Bug Wars: When We Tried to Turn Insects into Soldiers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:58
Let's be honest: Bugs aren't everyone's cup of tea, but they're fascinating, crucial parts of the ecosystem. They're also, according to a few eggheads, the perfect weapons of war. Join the guys as they explore the bizarr…
CLASSIC: Yasuke, the African Samurai [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:43
Japanese Daimyo Oda Nobunaga was fascinated by the mysterious, towering slave of a visiting Jesuit missionary, and soon this man, Yasuke, joined Nobunaga's court, eventually becoming a full-on samurai. Join the guys as t…
Who Took William Lilly’s Fish? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:10
Back in seventeenth century England, William Lilly was a big deal. As the preeminent astrologer of his day, pretty much everyone followed his research, predictions, and writing. Yet as Ben, Noel and Max discover in today…