In the summer of 1947, the British Raj relinquished its hold over the Indian subcontinent. In its wake, two new nations were created: India and Pakistan. The hastily-drawn border between the countries slashed through communities and bisected entire provinces, triggering one of the largest forced migrations in human history. In the first episode of a multi-part series, we examine the twilight years of the British in India, as well as the forceful personalities who helped loosen its colonial grip. From Mohandas Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru to the elegant Earl of Mountbatten, we’ll begin assembling the cast that that will be forced to grapple with the looming crisis. 

Sources:

Akbar, M.J. Tinderbox: The Past and Future of Pakistan. 2011.

Tharoor, Shashi. Nehru: The Invention of India. 2003.

Tharoor, Shashi. Inglorious Empire: What The British Did To India. 2017.

Khan, Yasmin. The Great Partition: The Making of India and Pakistan. 2007.

Guha, Ramachandra. Gandhi: The Years That Changed The World. 2018.

Sarila, Narendra Singh. The Shadow of the Great Game. 2005.

Charles Rivers Editors. The Punjab. 2018.

Charles Rivers Editors. British India. 2017.

Puri, Kavita. Partition Voices: Untold British Stories. 2019.

Malhotra, Aanchal. Remnants of Partition: 21 Objects From A Continent Divided. 2017.

Von Tunzelmann, Alex. Indian Summer. 2007.

Zakaria, Anam. The Footprints of Partition. 2015.

Ahmed Akbar. Jinnah, Pakistan and Islamic Identity. 1997.

Urvashi, Butalia. The Other Side of Silence: Voices from the Partition of India. 1998.

White-Spunner, Barney. Partition. 2017.

Lawrence, James. Raj: The Making and Unmaking of British India. 1997.

Hamdani, Yasser Latif. Jinnah: A Life. 2020.

Fischer, Louis. Gandhi. 1950. 

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On September 1st, 1983, a South Korean commercial airliner inexplicably drifted 200 miles off course into restricted Soviet airspace. In response, a Soviet fighter plane intercepted the aircraft, fired two missiles, and shot it down, killing all 269 people on board. In this standalone episode, we examine one of the most enduring outrages of the Cold War, a mystery that baffled investigators and inflamed political animus for more than a decade. 

SOURCES:

Degani, Asaf. Taming HAL: Designing Interfaces Beyond 2001. 

Westad, Odd Arne. The Cold War: A World History. 2017.

Service, Robert. The End of the Cold War. 2015.

Downing, Taylor. 1983: Reagan, Andropov, And A World On The Brink. 2018.

Dobbs, Michael. Down With Big Brother. 1997. 

Hersh, Seymour. The Target Is Destroyed. 1986. 

Dallin, Alexander. Black Box: KAL 007 and the Superpowers. 1985.

https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/public/digitallibrary/dailydiary/1982-09.pdf

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After weeks of uncertainty and fear, the Great Crash finally arrives on October 24th, 1929. While America’s financial infrastructure burns, Jesse Livermore makes $100 million in a single week. Wall Street’s great cheerleader, Sunshine Charlie Mitchell, schemes and maneuvers to puff up the bull market and preserve his legacy. Amidst the wreckage of the Great Depression, a scrappy immigrant lawyer named Ferdinand Pecora leads a Federal investigation into Sunshine Charlie and National City Bank that shakes the very bedrock of American financial law.   

SOURCES:

Ahamed, Liaquat. Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World. 2009.

Allen, Frederick Lewis. Only Yesterday: An Informal History of the 1920s. 1931

Blumenthal, Karen. Six Days in October. 2002. 

Charles Rivers Editors. Jesse Livermore. 2021.

Charles Rivers Editors. Wall Street. 2020.

Galbraith, John Kenneth. The Great Crash 1929. 1955.

Galbraith, John Kenneth. A Short History of Financial Euphoria. 1990.

Geisst, Charles R. Wall Street: A History. 1997.

Klein, Maury. Rainbow’s End. 2001. 

Morris, Charles R. A Rabble of Dead Money. 2017.

Nations, Scott. A History of the United States in Five Crashes. 2017.

Parker, Selwyn. The Great Crash. 2008.

Perino, Michael. The Hellhound of Wall Street. 2010.

Rubython, Tom. Jesse Livermore: Boy Plunger. 2016.

Thomas, Gordon. Morgan-Witts, Max. The Day the Bubble Burst. 1979.

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In this special featured episode of History Daily, host Lindsay Graham gives an atmospheric retelling of the events of December 2nd, 1956. On that day, the communist revolutionary Fidel Castro launched the Cuban Revolution. 

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As economic disaster looms in the Fall of ‘29, the American public is blissfully unaware, entranced by stratospheric share prices and the sunny proclamations of Wall Street cheerleaders. Jesse Livermore, the infamous “Boy Trader”, follows his hunches and prepares for the coming catastrophe. The Federal Reserve, rudderless and impotent after the untimely death of its leader Ben Strong, sits on its hands. “Sunshine” Charlie Mitchell, chief executive of the country’s largest bank, injects fresh life into the boom as the stock market bubble inflates to dangerous heights of make-believe. 

SOURCES:

Ahamed, Liaquat. Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World. 2009.

Allen, Frederick Lewis. Only Yesterday: An Informal History of the 1920s. 1931

Blumenthal, Karen. Six Days in October. 2002. 

Charles Rivers Editors. Jesse Livermore. 2021.

Charles Rivers Editors. Wall Street. 2020.

Galbraith, John Kenneth. The Great Crash 1929. 1955.

Galbraith, John Kenneth. A Short History of Financial Euphoria. 1990.

Geisst, Charles R. Wall Street: A History. 1997.

Klein, Maury. Rainbow’s End. 2001. 

Morris, Charles R. A Rabble of Dead Money. 2017.

Nations, Scott. A History of the United States in Five Crashes. 2017.

Parker, Selwyn. The Great Crash. 2008.

Perino, Michael. The Hellhound of Wall Street. 2010.

Rubython, Tom. Jesse Livermore: Boy Plunger. 2016.

Thomas, Gordon. Morgan-Witts, Max. The Day the Bubble Burst. 1979.

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One of the worst financial disasters in history unfolded on Wall Street in late October of 1929. Within a week, 30 billion dollars had disappeared into thin air, leaving the global economy in tatters and heralding the beginning of a worldwide Depression. But what exactly happened? And why? In Part 1 of this 3-Part series on the Wall Street Crash of 1929, we discover how the American public became fatally infatuated with the stock market during the “Roaring 20’s”; and how one debauched day trader – Jesse Livermore – saw the whole thing coming. 

SOURCES:

Ahamed, Liaquat. Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World. 2009.

Blumenthal, Karen. Six Days in October. 2002. 

Charles Rivers Editors. Jesse Livermore. 2021.

Charles Rivers Editors. Wall Street. 2020.

Galbraith, John Kenneth. The Great Crash 1929. 1955.

Galbraith, John Kenneth. A Short History of Financial Euphoria. 1990.

Geisst, Charles R. Wall Street: A History. 1997.

Klein, Maury. Rainbow’s End. 2001. 

Morris, Charles R. A Rabble of Dead Money. 2017.

Nations, Scott. A History of the United States in Five Crashes. 2017.

Parker, Selwyn. The Great Crash. 2008.

Perino, Michael. The Hellhound of Wall Street. 2010.

Rubython, Tom. Jesse Livermore: Boy Plunger. 2016.

Thomas, Gordon. Morgan-Witts, Max. The Day the Bubble Burst. 1979.

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Some revere it as an art form, others revile it as a blood sport, but no matter where you stand, few traditions stir up strong emotions quite like the centuries-old ritual of bullfighting. Born in the villages of rural Spain, refined in the crowded arenas of Seville, and fetishized by wandering aficionados like Ernest Hemingway, the “corrida de toros” holds a special place not only in Spanish cultural life but in human history. Beneath the pomp and pageantry, will we find senseless animal cruelty? Or a transcendent reflection on the human condition? 

SOURCES:

Bailey, C. (2007). “Africa Begins at the Pyrenees”: Moral Outrage, Hypocrisy, and the Spanish Bullfight. Ethics and the Environment.

Bentley, Logan. (1962). “What The Horns Couldn’t Do”. Sports Illustrated.

Colenutt, Mark. Spanish Bull: A Provocative Guide to Bullfighting. 2014.

Conrad, Barnaby. The Death of Manolete. 1958.

Dozier, Thomas. (1955) “The One Who Lived”. Sports Illustrated.

Gamado, Ignacio. Discovering the World of Bullfighting. 2021.

Hardouin-Fugier, Elisabeth. Bullfighting: A Troubled History. 2010.

Hemingway, Ernest. Death in the Afternoon. 1932

Kennedy, A.L.: On Bullfighting. 1999.

McCormick, John. Bullfighting: Art, Technique & Spanish Society. 1998

Mitchell, Timothy. Blood Sport: A Social History of Spanish Bullfighting. 1991.

Ribezzo, Viviana. Adresi, Marta. The Corrida: The History of Bullfighting from its Origins to Present Day. 2018.

Tauromaquia. Jaime Alekos. 2017.

Tynan, Kenneth. (1955) “The Death of Manolete”. The Paris Review 

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It’s 1992. The 40th Army is long gone and the Soviet Union has collapsed, but war still rages across Afghanistan. As the Afghan communist regime crumbles, Ahmed Shah Massoud and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar’s forces clash in Kabul. While America turns its back and the Mujahideen turn on each other, new threats arise and threaten to sweep the old generation of freedom fighters away – The Taliban and Osama bin Laden. (Part 4 of Ghosts in the Mountains)

SOURCES:

Ahmadi-Miller, Enjeela. The Broken Circle: A Memoir of Escaping Afghanistan. 2019.

Alexievich, Svetlana. Zinky Boys. 1989.

Ansari, Mir Tamim. Games Without Rules: The Often-Interrupted History of Afghanistan. 2012.

Barfield, Thomas. Afghanistan: A Cultural and Political History. 2010.

Borovik, Artyom. The Hidden War. 1990.

Braithewaite, Rodric. Afgantsy: The Russians in Afghanistan, 1979-1989. 2011.

Coll, Steve. Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan and Bin Laden from the Soviet Invasion to 2001. 2004. 

Dobbs, Michael. Down with Big Brother: The Fall of the Soviet Empire. 1997.

Feifer, Gregory. The Great Gamble: The Soviet War in Afghanistan. 2009. 

Fremont-Barnes, Gregory. The Soviet-Afghan War, 1979-89. 2012.

Galeotti, Mark. Storm-333: KGB and Spetsnaz Seize Kabul. 2021.

Gall, Sandy. Afghan Napoleon: The Life of Ahmed Shah Massoud. 2021.

Grad, Marcela. Massoud: An Intimate Portrait of the Legendary Afghan Leader. 2009.

Goodwin, Jan. Caught in the Crossfire. 1987. 

Grau, Lester W. The Bear Went Over the Mountain: Soviet Combat Tactics In Afghanistan. 1996.

Hosdon, Peregrine. Under a Sickle Moon: A Journey Through Afghanistan. 1986.

Kalinovsky, Artemy. A Long Goodbye: The Soviet Withdrawal from Afghanistan. 2011.

Kaplan, Robert D. Soldiers of God: With Islamic Warriors in Afghanistan and Pakistan. 2001.

Rosen, Ethan. The Bear, The Dragon, & the AK-47. 2017.

Sands, Chris. Qazizai, Fazelminallah. Night Letters: Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and the Afghan Islamists Who Changed the World. 2019. 

Tanner, Stephen. Afghanistan: A Military History of Afghanistan from Alexander the Great to the War Against the Taliban. 2009. 

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As the CIA wages a covert proxy war against the Soviet 40th Army, the Mujahideen are showered with billions of dollars and cutting-edge weaponry. An old animosity between two prominent Mujahideen commanders – Ahmed Shah Massoud and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar - turns into a bitter, deadly rivalry. Meanwhile, Soviet reformers led by Mikhail Gorbachev attempt to extricate the USSR from Afghanistan with a shred of dignity intact. After the Soviet withdrawal, the world turns it back on Afghanistan as a civil war rages between the Mujahideen factions – and the Taliban emerges. 

SOURCES:

Ahmadi-Miller, Enjeela. The Broken Circle: A Memoir of Escaping Afghanistan. 2019.

Alexievich, Svetlana. Zinky Boys. 1989.

Ansari, Mir Tamim. Games Without Rules: The Often-Interrupted History of Afghanistan. 2012.

Barfield, Thomas. Afghanistan: A Cultural and Political History. 2010.

Borovik, Artyom. The Hidden War. 1990.

Braithewaite, Rodric. Afgantsy: The Russians in Afghanistan, 1979-1989. 2011.

Coll, Steve. Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan and Bin Laden from the Soviet Invasion to 2001. 2004. 

Dobbs, Michael. Down with Big Brother: The Fall of the Soviet Empire. 1997.

Feifer, Gregory. The Great Gamble: The Soviet War in Afghanistan. 2009. 

Fremont-Barnes, Gregory. The Soviet-Afghan War, 1979-89. 2012.

Galeotti, Mark. Storm-333: KGB and Spetsnaz Seize Kabul. 2021.

Gall, Sandy. Afghan Napoleon: The Life of Ahmed Shah Massoud. 2021.

Grad, Marcela. Massoud: An Intimate Portrait of the Legendary Afghan Leader. 2009.

Goodwin, Jan. Caught in the Crossfire. 1987. 

Grau, Lester W. The Bear Went Over the Mountain: Soviet Combat Tactics In Afghanistan. 1996.

Hosdon, Peregrine. Under a Sickle Moon: A Journey Through Afghanistan. 1986.

Kalinovsky, Artemy. A Long Goodbye: The Soviet Withdrawal from Afghanistan. 2011.

Kaplan, Robert D. Soldiers of God: With Islamic Warriors in Afghanistan and Pakistan. 2001.

Rosen, Ethan. The Bear, The Dragon, & the AK-47. 2017.

Sands, Chris. Qazizai, Fazelminallah. Night Letters: Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and the Afghan Islamists Who Changed the World. 2019. 

Tanner, Stephen. Afghanistan: A Military History of Afghanistan from Alexander the Great to the War Against the Taliban. 2009. 

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The Soviet 40th Army invaded Afghanistan in the closing days of 1979. They would not leave for another nine years. Exhausted and frustrated by their inability to decisively crush the elusive freedom fighters in the mountains – the Mujahideen – the Soviets turn to atrocity and criminal violence to achieve their objectives. Meanwhile, adrenaline-seeking journalists and idealistic Western reporters illegally sneak into the war zone to uncover the truth behind the war. 

SOURCES:

Ahmadi-Miller, Enjeela. The Broken Circle: A Memoir of Escaping Afghanistan. 2019.

Ansari, Mir Tamim. Games Without Rules: The Often-Interrupted History of Afghanistan. 2012.

Barfield, Thomas. Afghanistan: A Cultural and Political History. 2010.

Borovik, Artyom. The Hidden War. 1990.

Braithewaite, Rodric. Afgantsy: The Russians in Afghanistan, 1979-1989. 2011.

Coll, Steve. Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan and Bin Laden from the Soviet Invasion to 2001. 2004. 

Dobbs, Michael. Down with Big Brother: The Fall of the Soviet Empire. 1997.

Feifer, Gregory. The Great Gamble: The Soviet War in Afghanistan. 2009. 

Fremont-Barnes, Gregory. The Soviet-Afghan War, 1979-89. 2012.

Galeotti, Mark. Storm-333: KGB and Spetsnaz Seize Kabul. 2021.

Goodwin, Jan. Caught in the Crossfire. 1987. 

Grau, Lester W. The Bear Went Over the Mountain: Soviet Combat Tactics In Afghanistan. 1996.

Hosdon, Peregrine. Under a Sickle Moon: A Journey Through Afghanistan. 1986.

Kalinovsky, Artemy. A Long Goodbye: The Soviet Withdrawal from Afghanistan. 2011.

Kaplan, Robert D. Soldiers of God: With Islamic Warriors in Afghanistan and Pakistan. 2001.

Rosen, Ethan. The Bear, The Dragon, & the AK-47. 2017.

Tanner, Stephen. Afghanistan: A Military History of Afghanistan from Alexander the Great to the War Against the Taliban. 2009. 

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When Soviet Russia invaded Afghanistan in December of 1979, few could have imagined what a seismic impact it would have on the modern world. In an attempt to prop up a wobbly client regime, the Soviets sparked a transnational jihad, inflamed Cold War tensions, and hastened the downfall of their own empire. Often referred to as “Russia’s Vietnam”, the Soviet-Afghan War is an overlooked, deeply misunderstood, and immensely important conflict. In this first installment of a multi-part series, we will explore how the Soviets found themselves ensnared in the “graveyard of empires”, through the eyes of the everyday people who experienced it firsthand. 

SOURCES:

Ahmadi-Miller, Enjeela. The Broken Circle: A Memoir of Escaping Afghanistan. 2019.

Ansari, Mir Tamim. Games Without Rules: The Often-Interrupted History of Afghanistan. 2012.

Barfield, Thomas. Afghanistan: A Cultural and Political History. 2010.

Borovik, Artyom. The Hidden War. 1990.

Braithewaite, Rodric. Afgantsy: The Russians in Afghanistan, 1979-1989. 2011.

Coll, Steve. Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan and Bin Laden from the Soviet Invasion to 2001. 2004. 

Dobbs, Michael. Down with Big Brother: The Fall of the Soviet Empire. 1997.

Feifer, Gregory. The Great Gamble: The Soviet War in Afghanistan. 2009. 

Fremont-Barnes, Gregory. The Soviet-Afghan War, 1979-89. 2012.

Galeotti, Mark. Storm-333: KGB and Spetsnaz Seize Kabul. 2021.

Grau, Lester W. The Bear Went Over the Mountain: Soviet Combat Tactics In Afghanistan. 1996.

Hosdon, Peregrine. Under a Sickle Moon: A Journey Through Afghanistan. 1986.

Kalinovsky, Artemy. A Long Goodbye: The Soviet Withdrawal from Afghanistan. 2011.

Kaplan, Robert D. Soldiers of God: With Islamic Warriors in Afghanistan and Pakistan. 2001.

Rosen, Ethan. The Bear, The Dragon, & the AK-47. 2017.

Tanner, Stephen. Afghanistan: A Military History of Afghanistan from Alexander the Great to the War Against the Taliban. 2009. 

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The infamous Koh-I-Noor diamond currently sits in the Tower of London among the crown jewels of the British monarchy, but its bloody, eon-spanning journey began in the riverbeds of ancient India. Cut, coveted, and stolen multiple times over, this is the story of the world’s most controversial gem. Told through a series of five chapters, we will look at some of the diamond’s most consequential owners, and how it shaped (or destroyed) their lives. 

SOURCES:

Dalrymple, William; Anand, Anita. Kohinoor: The Story of the World’s Most Infamous Diamond. 2016. 

Tharoor, Shashi. Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India. 2017. 

Axworthy, Michael. Sword of Persia: Nader Shah. 2006. 

Singh, Patwand; M. Rai, Jyoti. Empire of the Sikhs: The Life and Times of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. 2008. 

Atwal, Priya. Royals and Rebels: The Rise & Fall of the Sikh Empire. 2020.

Eraly, Abraham. The Mughal Throne: The Saga of India’s Great Emperors. 2004.

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After the Battle of Midway, the Japanese Navy is in tatters and Yamamoto’s hopes of a quick victory against the United States have evaporated. He has no choice but to fight a war he knows Japan will lose. Tom Lanphier, Rex Barber, and the pilots of the 70th earn their stripes at Guadalcanal. The U.S. codebreakers at Hypo Station uncover the secret to intercepting the hated Yamamoto. John “Mitch” Mitchell plans and executes a borderline miraculous operation. Tom and Rex learn that victory builds careers, but destroys friendships. (Part 2 of 2)

SOURCES:

Davis, Donald A. Lighting Strike: The Secret Mission to Kill Admiral Yamamoto and Avenge Pearl Harbor. 2005. 

Lehr, Dick. Dead Reckoning: The Story of How Johnny Mitchell and His Fighter Pilots Took On Admiral Yamamoto and Avenged Pearl Harbor. 2020. 

Hampton, Dan. Operation Vengeance: The Astonishing Aerial Ambush That Changed World War 2. 2020. 

Paine, S.C.M. The Japanese Empire: Grand Strategy from the Meiji Restoration to the Pacific War. 2017.

Harmsen, Peter: Storm Clouds Over The Pacific, 1931-1941. 2018.

Davis, Burke. Get Yamamoto. 1969.

Hoyt, Edwin P. Yamamoto: The Man Who Planned Pearl Harbor. 1990.

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In 1941, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto was the most hated man in America. As the architect of Japan’s December 7th surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States military decided Yamamoto had to die by any means necessary. Two years later, over the jungles of Southeast Asia, a daring aerial ambush gave the American people the closure they craved. 

But who was Yamamoto really? Did his death have any impact on the outcome of the war? And who actually landed the killing blow? After the success of “Operation Vengeance”, as it came to be known, two American flyboys would become locked in a decades-long feud over who deserved the credit for avenging one of the deadliest days in American history. 

A visionary Admiral. A longshot mission. A broken friendship.

SOURCES:

Davis, Donald A. Lighting Strike: The Secret Mission to Kill Admiral Yamamoto and Avenge Pearl Harbor. 2005. 

Lehr, Dick. Dead Reckoning: The Story of How Johnny Mitchell and His Fighter Pilots Took On Admiral Yamamoto and Avenged Pearl Harbor. 2020. 

Hampton, Dan. Operation Vengeance: The Astonishing Aerial Ambush That Changed World War 2. 2020. 

Paine, S.C.M. The Japanese Empire: Grand Strategy from the Meiji Restoration to the Pacific War. 2017.

Harmsen, Peter: Storm Clouds Over The Pacific, 1931-1941. 2018.

Davis, Burke. Get Yamamoto. 1969.

Hoyt, Edwin P. Yamamoto: The Man Who Planned Pearl Harbor. 1990.

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Civil war has torn the Caliphate apart. In 656 AD, Aisha marches with an army at her back. Ali, newly crowned as Caliph, has no choice but to oppose her. Muawiya sees an opportunity to grab power and start a dynasty of his own. Hussein begins his inevitable path towards Karbala…and martyrdom.

THE CAST:

Aisha – The Prophet’s widow. “Mother of the Faithful”. Brave, jealous, and calculating.

Muawiya – Governor of Syria “Son of the Liver Eater”. Master politician, ruthless and cunning. 

Ali – The Prophet’s son-in-law. “Lion of God”. The Fourth Caliph. 

Hussein – Grandson of the Prophet. Murdered at Karbala. Martyr of the Shi’a faith.

Abu Bakr – Aisha’s father; The Prophet’s oldest friend. The First Caliph. 

Umar – Hothead, bruiser, warlord; The Second Caliph. 

Uthman – “He of the Two Lights”; The Third Caliph.

Muhammed – The Prophet. A merchant-turned-messenger from God. 

Fatima – Wife of Ali. Daughter of Muhammed. Mother to Hussein.

SOURCES:

Humphreys, Steven. Mu’awiya ibn abi Sufyan: The Savior of the Caliphate. 2006.

Madelung, Wilferd. The Succession to Muhammad: A Study of the Early Caliphate. 1996.

Kennedy, Hugh. The Great Arab Conquests: How the Spread of Islam Changed the World We Live In.  2007.

Shah-Kazemi, Reza. Imam ‘Ali: From Concise History to Timeless Mystery. 2019.

Hazleton, Lesley. The First Muslim: The Story of Muhammed. 2013.

Hazleton, Lesley. After The Prophet: The Epic Story of the Shi’a-Sunni Split in Islam. 2009.

Louer, Laurence. Sunnis and Shi’a: A Political History. 2020.

Hoyland, Robert G. In God’s Path: The Arab Conquests and the Creation of an Islamic Empire. 2014.

Betts, Robert Brenton. The Sunni-Shi’a Divide. 2013.

Charles Rivers Editors. The History of the Sunni and Shia Split: Understanding the Divisions Within Islam.2014.

Armstrong, Karen Keishin. Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Time. 2007.

Cole, Juan. Muhammed: Prophet of Peace Amid the Clash of Empires. 2018.

Safi, Omid. Memories of Muhammed. 2009.

Holland, Tom. The Shadow of the Sword: The Birth of Islam and the Rise of the Global Arab Empire. 2012.

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The Prophet is dead. In 632 AD, the armies of Islam explode out of Arabia, led by a series of aggressive new Caliphs. The Prophet’s young widow Aisha struggles to understand her new role as “Mother of the Faithful”. Meanwhile, Ali, snubbed for the title of Caliph, grapples with his conflicting feelings of bitterness and commitment to the stability of the Muslim community. All the while, an ambitious new rival, Muawiya, schemes and cajoles his way to absolute control over the new Islamic Empire.

THE CAST:

Aisha – The Prophet’s widow. “Mother of the Faithful”. Brave, jealous, and calculating.

Muawiya – Rising star. “Son of the Liver Eater." A master politician, ruthless and cunning. 

Ali – The Prophet’s son-in-law. “Lion of God”. The Fourth Caliph. 

Abu Bakr – Aisha’s father; The Prophet’s oldest friend. The First Caliph. 

Umar – Hothead, bruiser, warlord; The Second Caliph. 

Uthman – “He of the Two Lights”; Corrupt and controversial. The Third Caliph.

Muhammed – The Prophet. A merchant-turned-messenger from God. 

Fatima – Wife of Ali. Daughter of Muhammed. Mother to Hussein.

Hussein – Grandson of the Prophet. Murdered at Karbala. Martyr of the Shi’a faith.

SOURCES:

Humphreys, Steven. Mu’awiya ibn abi Sufyan: The Savior of the Caliphate. 2006.

Madelung, Wilferd. The Succession to Muhammad: A Study of the Early Caliphate. 1996.

Kennedy, Hugh. The Great Arab Conquests: How the Spread of Islam Changed the World We Live In.  2007.

Shah-Kazemi, Reza. Imam ‘Ali: From Concise History to Timeless Mystery. 2019.

Hazleton, Lesley. The First Muslim: The Story of Muhammed. 2013.

Hazleton, Lesley. After The Prophet: The Epic Story of the Shi’a-Sunni Split in Islam. 2009.

Louer, Laurence. Sunnis and Shi’a: A Political History. 2020.

Hoyland, Robert G. In God’s Path: The Arab Conquests and the Creation of an Islamic Empire. 2014.

Betts, Robert Brenton. The Sunni-Shi’a Divide. 2013.

Charles Rivers Editors. The History of the Sunni and Shia Split: Understanding the Divisions Within Islam.2014.

Armstrong, Karen Keishin. Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Time. 2007.

Cole, Juan. Muhammed: Prophet of Peace Amid the Clash of Empires. 2018.

Safi, Omid. Memories of Muhammed. 2009.

Holland, Tom. The Shadow of the Sword: The Birth of Islam and the Rise of the Global Arab Empire. 2012.

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When the Prophet Muhammed died in 632 AD, it triggered a succession crisis amongst his followers. After the dust settled, two divergent branches of the faith remained – Sunni and Shi’a. It is a deeply misunderstood story that has been unearthed and repackaged in the 21st century to inflame political animus and give superficial labels to complex tensions. In this episode, we will examine the very human, very relatable drama that unfolded against the backdrop of the rise of the Islamic Empire in the 7th century.

THE CAST

Muhammed – The Prophet. A merchant-turned-messenger from God. 

Aisha – The Prophet’s favorite wife; Charming, fiery, and envious. 

Ali – The Prophet’s cherished son-in-law. Lion of God. Humble, loyal, and honorable to a fault.

Fatima - Daughter of the Prophet and wife to Ali.

Abu Bakr – Aisha’s father, Muhammed’s close friend, and first Caliph.

Hussein – Grandson of the Prophet. Murdered at Karbala. Martyr of the Shi’a faith.

SOURCES:

Hazleton, Lesley. The First Muslim: The Story of Muhammed. 2013.

Hazleton, Lesley. After The Prophet: The Epic Story of the Shi’a-Sunni Split in Islam. 2009.

Louer, Laurence. Sunnis and Shi’a: A Political History. 2020.

Hoyland, Robert G. In God’s Path: The Arab Conquests and the Creation of an Islamic Empire. 2014.

Betts, Robert Brenton. The Sunni-Shi’a Divide. 2013.

Charles Rivers Editors. The History of the Sunni and Shia Split: Understanding the Divisions Within Islam. 2014.

Armstrong, Karen Keishin. MuhammedL A Prophet for Our Time. 2007.

Cole, Juan. Muhammed: Prophet of Peace Amid the Clash of Empires. 2018. 

Safi, Omid. Memories of Muhammed. 2009.

Holland, Tom. The Shadow of the Sword: The Birth of Islam and the Rise of the Global Arab Empire. 2012.

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Fake coffee. Rotten meat. Poison milk. This is the story of a few good men and their bitter fight to make America’s food supply safe. Hounded by enemies and discredited at every turn, a handful of scientists and activists challenged the titans of the 19th century food industry – and won. 

SOURCES:

Blum, Deborah. The Poison Squad: One Chemists Single-Minded Crusade for Food Safety at the Turn of the Twentieth Century. 2018.

Morris, Edmund. The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt. 1979 

Sinclair, Upton. The Jungle. 1906.

Hilts, Philip J. Protecting America’s Health: The FDA, Business, and One Hundred Years of Regulation. 2003.

Wilson, Bee. Swindled: The Dark History of Food Fraud, from Poisoned Candy to Counterfeit Coffee. 2008.

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Tank battles, Cold War politics, and nuclear alerts. This is the epic conclusion of a two-part series on the Yom Kippur War. On October 6th, 1973, Egypt and Syria launch a brilliant surprise attack on the nation of Israel. Golda Meir struggles to restrain her generals from unleashing doomsday weapons, and Dr. Henry Kissinger navigates the perilous world of Cold War diplomacy in hopes of bringing the conflict to a swift end. Even Nixon makes an appearance.

SOURCES:

Morse, David R. Kissinger and the Yom Kippur War. 2015.

Boyne, Walter J. The Two O’clock War. 2002.

Blum, Howard. The Eve of Destruction. 2003.

Klagsbrun, Francine. Lioness: Golda Meir and the Nation of Israel. 2017.

Herzog, Chaim. The War of Atonement. 1975.

Charles Rivers Editors. The Yom Kippur War. 2017.

Abraham Rabinovich. The Yom Kippur War. 2004.

Bregman, Ahron. The Spy Who Fell To Earth. 2016.

Oren, Michael B. Six Days of War. 2002.

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The Yom Kippur War of 1973 has been described as the greatest military intelligence failure since Pearl Harbor. This is the story of how a vengeful surprise attack almost destroyed the nation of Israel. Told through the eyes of titanic personalities like Anwar Sadat, Golda Meir, and Moshe Dayan. (Part 1 of 2).

SOURCES:

Boyne, Walter J. The Two O’clock War. 2002.

Blum, Howard. The Eve of Destruction. 2003.

Klagsbrun, Francine. Lioness: Golda Meir and the Nation of Israel. 2017.

Herzog, Chaim. The War of Atonement. 1975.

Charles Rivers Editors. The Yom Kippur War. 2017.

Abraham Rabinovich. The Yom Kippur War. 2004.

Bregman, Ahron. The Spy Who Fell To Earth. 2016.

Oren, Michael B. Six Days of War. 2002.

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On June 5th, 1864, the Shogun’s secret police raced against time to foil a sweeping terrorist plot in Kyoto. The ensuing bloodbath would have far-reaching consequences for the future of Japan. 

SOURCES:

Hillsborough, Romulus. Shinsengumi: The Shogun’s Last Samurai Corps. 2005.

Hillsborough, Romulus. Samurai Revolution. 2014. 

Hillsborough, Romulus. Samurai Assassins. 2017. 

Jansen, Marius B. The Making of Modern Japan. 2000.

Ravina, Mark. The Last Samurai: The Life and Battles of Saigo Takamori. 2004.

Esposito, Gabriele. Japanese Armies, 1868-1877. 2020.

Charles Rivers Editors. Commodore Matthew Perry. 2020. 

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The Marquis De Sade was a pariah in his time, a monster on the page, and a genius in death. But what crimes did the namesake of “sadism” actually commit? Where did his real-life appetites end…and his literary fantasies begin? (Explicit, obviously)

SOURCES:

Thomas, Donald. The Marquis de Sade. 1976.

Du Plessix Gray, Francine. At Home with the Marquis de Sade. 1998.

Lever, Maurice. Sade. 1994.

Schaeffer, Niel. The Marquis De Sade: A Life. 1999.

Gorer, Geoffrey. The Life and Ideas of the Marquis de Sade. 1933.

Marquis de Sade. The 120 Days of Sodom.

Marquis de Sade. Letters from Prison.

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How the US government deliberately sent thousands of mentally-disabled men into combat during the Vietnam War. A bonus episode and companion to Episode 12: "The Good Guys".

SOURCES:

Gregory, Hamilton. McNamara's Folly: The Use of Low-IQ Troops in the Vietnam War. 2015. 

Hsiao, Lisa. “Project 100,000: The Great Society’s Answer to Military Manpower Needs in Vietnam”. 1989.

Hastings, Sir Max. Vietnam: An Epic Tragedy (1945-1975). 2018. 

Turse, Nick. Kill Anything That Moves. 2013.

Charles Rivers Editors. The My Lai Massacre. 2015. 

Jones, Howard. My Lai. 2015. 

Fitzgerald, Frances. Fire In The Lake. 1972.

O’Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried. 1990.

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The 1968 My Lai Massacre shocked Americans, but the true nature of the Vietnam War went far beyond anything the public could’ve imagined. This is the story of the war within the War, between the soldiers who brutalized Vietnamese civilians, and the unsung men who tried to stop them.

SOURCES:

Jones, Howard. My Lai. 2015. 

Hastings, Sir Max. Vietnam: An Epic Tragedy (1945-1975). 2018. 

Hersh, Seymour M. Cover-Up. 1972.

Charles Rivers Editors. The My Lai Massacre. 2015. 

Fitzgerald, Frances. Fire In The Lake. 1972.

O’Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried. 1990.

Turse, Nick. Kill Anything That Moves. 2013.

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In 1945, the German city of Dresden was consumed in a firestorm engineered by the Allies. Many consider it to be a war crime. Others, a necessary evil.

SOURCES

Taylor, Frederick. Dresden: Tuesday, February 13th, 1945. 2004.

McKay, Sinclair. The Fire and the Darkness: The Bombing of Dresden 1945. 2020.

Charles River Editors. The Firebombing of Dresden and Tokyo. 2017.

Gregg, Victor. Dresden: A Survivor’s Story. 2013.

Harris, Arthurs. Bomber Offensive. 1947.

Klemperer, Victor. I Will Bear Witness: A Diary. 1995.

Harmon, Christopher. "Are We Beasts?: Churchill and the Moral Question of World War 2 Area Bombing". 1991.

Editors, History.com. "Massive fire burns in Wisconsin". Nov 2009

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A bonus episode concerning the Praetorian Guard's musical and murderous relationship with Rome's fabulous fifth Emperor, Nero. An epilogue to E10: "Kingbreakers"

SOURCES:

Strauss, Barry. Ten Caesars: Roman Emperors from Augustus to Constantine.2019

De La Bodeyere, Guy. Praetorian: The Rise and Fall of Rome’s Imperial Bodyguard. 2017

Rankov, Boris. The Praetorian Guard. 1994

Bingham, Sandra. The Praetorian Guard. 2012

Suetonius. Lives of the Caesars. AD 121

Dando-Collins, Stephen. Caligula: The Mad Emperor of Rome. 2019.

Tacitus, Cornelius. The Complete Works. 1994.

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The story of Rome through the eyes of the infamous Praetorian Guard, feared bodyguards who wielded the power and leverage to make – or break – the Emperors they swore to protect.

SOURCES:

Strauss, Barry. Ten Caesars: Roman Emperors from Augustus to Constantine. 2019

De La Bodeyere, Guy. Praetorian: The Rise and Fall of Rome’s Imperial Bodyguard. 2017

Rankov, Boris. The Praetorian Guard. 1994

Bingham, Sandra. The Praetorian Guard. 2012

Beard, Mary. SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome. 2015

Beard, Mary. The Roman Triumph. 2007.

Suetonius. Lives of the Caesars. AD 121

Dando-Collins, Stephen. Caligula: The Mad Emperor of Rome. 2019.

Tacitus, Cornelius. The Complete Works. 1994.

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Genghis Khan and the Mongols killed millions, but were they actually woke AF? Let's tackle the surprisingly progressive (yet blood-drenched) legacy of one of history's most mysterious empires.

SOURCES:

Weatherford, Jack. Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. 2004.

Weatherford, Jack. Genghis Khan and the Quest for God. 2016.

Weatherford, Jack. The Secret History of the Mongol Queens. 2010.

McLynn, Frank. Genghis Khan: His Conquests, His Empire, His Legacy. 2015.

Waterson, James. Defending Heaven: China’s Mongol Wars. 2013. Bergreen, Laurence. Marco Polo: From Venice to Xanadu. 2007.

Turnbull, Stephen. Genghis Khan & the Mongol Conquests, 1190-1400. 2003.

Turnbull, Stephen. Mongol Warrior, 1200-1350. 2003.

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Car bombs, hitmen, and hunger strikes. How "The Troubles" tore Northern Ireland apart.

SOURCES:

Toolis, Kevin. Rebel Hearts. 1995

McKittrick, David. Making Sense of the Troubles. 2000

Coogan, Tim Pat. The Troubles: Ireland's Ordeal and the Search for Peace. 1995.

Edwards, Aaron. The Northern Ireland Troubles. 2014.

O'Doherty, Malachi. The Trouble With Guns. 1998.

Collins, Eamon. Killing Rage. 1997.

Bingham, John. "Margaret Thatcher: Seconds from death at the hands of IRA bomber." April 2013.

Moriarty, Gerry. "Internment Explained: when it was introduced and why". August 2019. 

Simonson, Robert. "The Irish Car Bomb". March 2018

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Wonder and warmth quickly turn to slaughter and horror as Hernan Cortes meets Emperor Moctezuma in the explosive conclusion of this two-part series.

SOURCES:

Levy, Buddy. Conquistador: Hernan Cortes, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs.

Sheppard, Si. Tenochtitlan 1519-1521. 2018.

Thomas, Hugh. Conquest: Montezuma, Cortes, and the Fall of Old Mexico. 1993.

Prescott, William H. History of the Conquest of Mexico. 1843

Cortes, Hernan. Five Letters. 1519-1526.

Restall, Matthew. When Montezuma Met Cortez: The True Story of the Meeting That Changed History. 2018.

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How a handful of mercenaries, explorers, and pirates destroyed the Aztec Empire and burnt its capital city to the ground. Two cultures collide in the first of a two-part series on the Conquest of Mexico. 

SOURCES:

Levy, Buddy. Conquistador: Hernan Cortes, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs.

Sheppard, Si. Tenochtitlan 1519-1521. 2018.

Thomas, Hugh. Conquest: Montezuma, Cortes, and the Fall of Old Mexico. 1993.

Prescott, William H. History of the Conquest of Mexico. 1843

Cortes, Hernan. Five Letters. 1519-1526.

Restall, Matthew. When Montezuma Met Cortez: The True Story of the Meeting That Changed History. 2018.

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The story of China’s infamous One-Child Policy, the most ambitious (and catastrophic) social engineering project the modern world has ever seen.

SOURCES:

Fong, Mei. One Child: The Story of China’s Most Radical Experiment. 2016

Evans, Karin. The Lost Daughters of China. 2008

Johnson, Kay Ann. China’s Hidden Children. 2016

Xinran, Message From an Unknown Chinese Mother: Stories of Loss and Love. 2012

Greenhalgh, Susan. Just One Child: Science and Policy in Deng’s China. 2008. 

Ren, Yuan. “How China's one-child policy overhauled the status and prospects of girls like me”. The Telegraph. Dec 2013. 

Clarke, Aileen. “See How The One-Child Policy Changed China”. National Geographic. Nov 2015. 

Chen, Shanshan. “Lost lives: the battle of China's invisible children to recover missed years”. Reuters. Dec 2016.

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How a single week in 1967 changed the Middle East, and the world, forever. This is the action-packed, heartbreaking origin story of Israel and the Six-Day War. 

SOURCES:

Oren, Michael B. Six Days Of War. 2002.

Pressfield, Steven. The Lion’s Gate. 2014.

Churchill, Randolph S. The Six Day War. 1967

Dana, Seif. “The 1967 Naksa: The Making of the New Middle East”. Al Jazeera. June 2016.

Samuel, Sigal. “How the Six Day War Transformed Religion”. The Atlantic. Jun 5 2017

Land, Graham. “Was the Great Jewish Revolt Against Rome a Preventable Tragedy?” HistoryHit. July 2018

Josephus. The Works of Josephus. The Wars of the Jews, Book 7

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African berserkers, graceful samurai, and deadly Soviet fighter pilots. A three-part, globe-trotting tour of remarkable female soldiers and the complicated lives that they led.

SOURCES:

Vinogradova, Lyuba. Defending the Motherland. 2015

Alpern, Stanley B. Amazons of Black Sparta. 1998.

Dash, Mike. “Dahomey’s Women Warriors”. Smithsonian.com. Sept 2011

Busch, Jenna. “Meet the Dahomey Amazons, the Inspiration for the Dora Milaje”. SyFy Wire. Nov 2018.

Joubeaud, Edouard. The Women Soldiers of Dahomey. UNESCO Digital Library. 2014

“Three Months in Captivity in Dahomey”. The Sydney Morning Herald. Oct 1890

Budnik, Ruslan. “Dahomey Amazons - The Only Elite All-Female Warrior Regiments”. War History Online. Oct 2018

Okoh, Lize. “Meet the Dahomey Amazons: The All-Female Warriors of West Africa”. Culture Trip. May 2018.

Turnbull, Stephen. Samurai Women, 1184 -1877. 2012.

Hoffman, Michael. “Women Warriors of Japan”. The Japan Times. Oct 2011.

Hastings, Cristobel. “How Onna-Bugeisha, Feudal Japan's Women Samurai, Were Erased From History”. VICE. Sept 2018.

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The Rated-R-for-Russian story of the Red Army’s horrific campaign of vengeance against Nazi Germany.

 SOURCES:

Beevor, Antony. The Fall of Berlin 1945. 2003.

Huggler, Justin. “Fall of Berlin: ‘Of course I was afraid. I was 17 years old.’”. The Telegraph UK. May 2015

Johnson, Daniel. “Red Army troops raped even Russian women as they freed them from camps”. The Guardian. Jan 2002.

Ash, Lucy. “The Rape of Berlin”. BBC News. May 2015.

Fitzgerald, Nora. “Berliners recall Red Army atrocities”. Chicago Tribune. September 2002.

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Sea battles, tiger hunts, and a mountain of human noses. This is the Shakespearean saga that triggered centuries of bad blood between Korea and Japan.

SOURCES:

Samuel, Hawley. The Imjin War: Japan's Sixteenth-Century Invasion of Korea and Attempt to Conquer China. 2005

Turnbull, Stephen. The Samurai Invasion of Korea. 2008.

Turnbull, Stephen. War in Japan, 1467-1615. 2002

Berry, Mary Elizabeth. Hideyoshi. 1982

Kristof, Nicholas D. “Japan, Korea, and 1597: A Year That Lives in Infamy”. Sept 1997

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A myth-busting breakdown of history’s favorite fitness cult.

SOURCES:

Hanson, Victor Davis. A War Like No Other. 2005.

Thucydides. History of the Peloponnesian War

Plutarch. Parallel Lives

Xenophon. Hellenica

Cartledge, Paul. “The Socratics’ Sparta and Rosseau’s”. Cambridge University. 1998

Penades, Antonio. “Bred for Battle - Understanding Ancient Sparta’s Military Machine”. National Geographic History. Dec 2016.

 Grant, R.G. “Battle of Leuctra”. Encyclopedia Britannica. March, 2017

Andrews, Evan. “8 Reasons It Wasn’t Easy Being Spartan”. History.com. Sept 2018 

Grant, R.G. “Battle of Leuctra”. Encyclopedia Britannica. March, 2017

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A quick introduction to the concept behind the show and your host, Zach Cornwell. 

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