What is courage? What is love? What is beauty?

More than 2,400 years ago, Socrates was asking the same questions we still struggle with today. In this episode of Have To Know History, we explore Socrates, the Socratic Method, and why asking questions — instead of accepting easy answers — became one of the most powerful tools in Western thought.

Socrates believed wisdom begins by admitting what you don’t know. That belief made him famous… and ultimately led to his execution.

This is Have To Know History — history you just have to know.
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What does it really mean to be romantic?

Believe it or not, the word “romance” originally meant being Roman.

In this episode of Have To Know History, we explore how the ancient Romans saw themselves as refined, polished, and civilized — and how that self-image shaped the meaning of romance, love, and even the Romance languages we still speak today.

From Roman bathhouses and Latin poetry to the rise of Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian, this episode connects everyday words to ancient history in a way that will completely change how you think about love and language.

We also look at how Latin evolved after the fall of Rome, why “barbarian” languages got their name, and how modern English is changing in similar ways today.

This is Have To Know History — history you just have to know.
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Before he conquered Rome, before he became dictator, and long before his dramatic assassination, Julius Caesar made one decision that changed everything: he crossed the Rubicon.

In 49 BC, Caesar stood on the edge of a small river that marked the legal boundary of his authority. Crossing it with his army was treason. Not crossing it meant losing everything — his power, his allies, his safety, and possibly his life.

According to ancient writers, a mysterious “man of noble mien” appeared, grabbed a trumpet, and signaled the march forward… as if fate itself pushed Caesar across the line.

In this episode, we explore:
• what the Rubicon actually was
• why crossing it was illegal under Roman law
• how Caesar’s enemies backed him into a corner
• the eerie story of the trumpet-blower
• and how one river crossing ignited a civil war that ended the Roman Republic

Once Caesar crossed that river, there truly was no turning back.
For him — or for Rome.

This is Have To Know History — history you just have to know.
Thanks for being here.

Julius Caesar, Crossing the Rubicon, Rubicon River, Roman Republic, ancient Rome, Caesar civil war, Caesar vs Pompey, Roman history, Caesar biography, world history podcast, Have To Know History, Jason Freewalt