Badass of the Week

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Henry Knox: The Cannon King Who Won America’s Independence

July 09, 2026

This Fourth of July, we’re telling the story of one of the greatest American heroes almost nobody remembers. Before he became George Washington’s trusted general and America’s first Secretary of War, Henry Knox was an overweight Boston bookseller with no formal military training—and a completely insane idea. In the dead of winter, Knox volunteered to haul 60 tons of captured cannons more than 300 miles through snow-covered mountains, across frozen rivers, and over roads that barely existed. ...

The Death Match: The Soccer Game That Defied the Nazis

July 01, 2026

A soccer game so legendary it inspired a Hollywood blockbuster… but did it really happen the way we’ve all heard? During the Nazi occupation of Ukraine, a ragtag team of former professional footballers took the field against a series of German military teams, culminating in a match that would become known as “The Death Match.” According to legend, they were ordered to lose. They refused. And they paid with their lives. But how much of that story is true? This week, Ben is joined by Badass ...

Vassili Paleokostas: History’s Wildest Prison Break Artist

June 23, 2026

History is full of master thieves, daring outlaws, and legendary escape artists... but few ever combined all three quite like Vassili Paleokostas. A small-town Greek electrician turned folk hero, Paleokostas spent decades robbing banks, kidnapping wealthy industrialists, humiliating police, and giving away portions of his loot to struggling families. To some, he was a dangerous criminal. To others, he was a modern-day Robin Hood sticking it to the rich and powerful. But what truly made Pale...