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The Unhinged Hero of the American Revolution

Season 3 Episode 1 | 12m 01s

How does one of the most notorious pirates in British history become an iconic hero of the American Revolution? Long before he went toe-to-toe with the most powerful navy on the face of the planet, John Paul Jones was just a simple Scottish merchant ship captain…who committed a murder…or two.

Aired: 05/30/25
Funding for ROGUE HISTORY is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Extras
A network of traveling merchant-spies were essential to the expansion of the Aztec Empire.
The largest enslaved insurrection in US history was planned for 1856– and then called off.
A group of women mathematicians uncovered Soviet spies– but received none of the credit.
Ninjas are famous in popular culture, but behind the stereotypes lie a legendary history.
Chevalier d’Eon was a spy, fencer, and gender identity trailblazer who blackmailed a King.
“I wanted to start a personal war with Hitler. And I wanted to fight with my imagination.”
This musician spied on Black socialists then criticized the government for being racist.
A year into the Civil War, the Union Army unveiled their secret weapon: spy balloons.
One pirate’s tale of buried treasure led to generations of treasure hunting.
Sea Lords were as vital to medieval Japan as samurai, so why were they called “pirates?”
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A network of traveling merchant-spies were essential to the expansion of the Aztec Empire.
The largest enslaved insurrection in US history was planned for 1856– and then called off.
A group of women mathematicians uncovered Soviet spies– but received none of the credit.
Ninjas are famous in popular culture, but behind the stereotypes lie a legendary history.
Chevalier d’Eon was a spy, fencer, and gender identity trailblazer who blackmailed a King.
“I wanted to start a personal war with Hitler. And I wanted to fight with my imagination.”
This musician spied on Black socialists then criticized the government for being racist.
A year into the Civil War, the Union Army unveiled their secret weapon: spy balloons.
One pirate’s tale of buried treasure led to generations of treasure hunting.
Sea Lords were as vital to medieval Japan as samurai, so why were they called “pirates?”