Central Marc

📜 Episode Summary:

Episode ten. Featuring Louis Eastwood. What if Harald Hardrada’s Vikings triumphed at Stamford Bridge in 1066? Explore an alternate England divided between Viking North and Norman South, shaping history without the Hundred Years’ War or traditional English-French rivalry. Would England embrace Scandinavian governance, language, and culture? Discover how a Norse victory could redefine medieval geopolitics, influence the Great Schism, and even impact colonial America. From Viking legends to medieval power struggles, dive deep into a fascinating scenario where history pivots dramatically, with legendary conquerors Harald Hardrada and William the Conqueror facing off for control of Britain’s destiny. Who would you bet on in 1066? Viking Rommel, Medieval Napoleon, or Boris Johnson?

📚Recommended Reading:

“1066: The Year of the Conquest” by David Howarth

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* The views, opinions, and analyses expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and do not reflect the official policy or position of any employer, organization, or affiliated entity.

📜 Episode Summary:

Episode nine. Featuring Louis Eastwood. In this first-ever co-hosted episode with Louis Eastwood, we explore Norse settlers in Vinland, Indigenous alliances, and a radically different North America. From Leif Erikson to native diplomacy, Viking ships to canoes, we dive into the real Norse sagas. Could a Norse-Native superpower have risen? Would Leif replace Columbus? Axes, myths, and mayhem await in this bold reimagining of America’s forgotten first colony.

📚Recommended Reading:

The Saga of Greenlanders and The Saga of Erik the Red

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* The views, opinions, and analyses expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and do not reflect the official policy or position of any employer, organization, or affiliated entity.

📜 Episode Summary:

Episode eight. In 1906, San Francisco was on the rise—a booming metropolis, the financial heart of the West Coast, and a gateway to the Pacific. Then the earthquake struck, leveling the city and reshaping its future overnight. But what if the disaster never happened?

In this episode, we explore an alternate timeline where San Francisco never fell. Would it have overtaken New York as America’s financial capital? The quake that rewrote history—reversed.

📚 Recommended Reading:

San Francisco’s Earthquake: The Disaster That Built a City (Simon Winchester, 2023)

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The views, opinions, and analyses expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and do not reflect the official policy or position of any employer, organization, or affiliated entity.

📜 Episode Summary:

Episode seven. What if humanity never looked up? No satellites, no Moon landing, no Star Wars—just an Earthbound existence. In this episode, we unravel how space exploration shaped technology, culture, and even our view of life itself. From ancient geocentrism to the modern Space Age, we explore what we’d lose without telescopes, GPS, and the search for extraterrestrial life.

Would we be stuck in a smaller, more superstitious world? Would sci-fi even exist? What industries would have thrived instead? And without the Pale Blue Dot perspective, would we even care about Earth’s fragility?

📚Recommended Reading:

Orbital (Samantha Harvey, 2023)

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* The views, opinions, and analyses expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and do not reflect the official policy or position of any employer, organization, or affiliated entity.

📜 Episode Summary:

Episode six. Before baseball ruled the U.S., cricket was king. George Washington played it, Abraham Lincoln had his own bat, and in 1844, the U.S. and Canada faced off in the world’s first international sports match. So why did cricket fade while baseball became “America’s pastime”?

In this episode, we break down the forgotten rivalry: How war, nationalism, and media pushed baseball ahead.

What if the U.S. had embraced a T20-style format before the Civil War? The missed billion-dollar opportunity—how American cricket could have shaped global sports. Could a National Cricket League (NCL) have coexisted with MLB, the NFL, NHL, and NBA?

📚Recommended Reading:

Howdy or howzat? When USA and Canada made cricket history in 1844 (Andy Bull, the Guardian, 2024)

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* The views, opinions, and analyses expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and do not reflect the official policy or position of any employer, organization, or affiliated entity.

📜 Episode Summary:

Fifth episode. In 1282, Wales stood on the brink of history. Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, the last Prince of Wales, fought to keep his nation independent against the relentless expansion of Edward I. His defeat reshaped Welsh identity, law, and governance for centuries. But what if Wales had won? This episode explores the real history of the Welsh resistance, the brutal conquest, and the legal transformation under English rule.

📚Recommended Reading:

• The Prince of Wales: What Everybody Gets Wrong (Cambrian Chronicles)

• BBC - Welsh History

• Edward I’s Conquest of Wales (Sean Davies, 2017)

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* The views, opinions, and analyses expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and do not reflect the official policy or position of any employer, organization, or affiliated entity.

📜 Episode Summary:

Fourth episode. This episode uncovers how one crop scaled entire countries, and led to massive urbanization and population growth; also attempting to find some modern parallels. The Potato King, Potato Vodka & the Irish Famine.

📚Recommended Reading:

The Potato's Contribution to Population and Urbanization: Evidence From A Historical Experiment (Nathan Nunn & Nancy Qian, 2011)

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* The views, opinions, and analyses expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and do not reflect the official policy or position of any employer, organization, or affiliated entity.

📜 Episode Summary:

Third episode. The final one on Dutch NYC, where we answer questions from listeners on directness, sports culture, unique facts, comparison with Londoners & the port.

📚 Recommended Reading:

• De Tawl: Hoe de Nederlandse taal (Bijna) Amerika veroverde  (Philip Dröge, 2023)
• Youtube link to Pella Dutch example

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* The views, opinions, and analyses expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and do not reflect the official policy or position of any employer, organization, or affiliated entity.

📜 Episode Summary:

Second episode. Where we focus on the economical and cultural developments in Dutch NYC.

📚 Recommended Reading:

Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898 (Mike Wallace & Edwin Burrows, 1998)

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* The views, opinions, and analyses expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and do not reflect the official policy or position of any employer, organization, or affiliated entity.

📜 Episode Summary:

Pilot episode. Discussing the first statement: how would New York City have developed if it had stayed under Dutch rule, the lost story of New Amsterdam.

📚 Recommended Reading:

The Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony That Shaped America (Russell Shorto, 2005)

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* The views, opinions, and analyses expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and do not reflect the official policy or position of any employer, organization, or affiliated entity.