Best ShackletonPodcast Podcasts (2024)

1
155_TAE_and_IGY_foreshadowing 59:01

4M ago59:01

59:01

You don't just throw a Trans-Antarctic Expedition or an International Geophysical Year together. These things take planning. Here's some background on the planners and introductions to some of the doers.

1
154_Macquarie_Island_catch_up 39:17

7M ago39:17

39:17

Several years of Macquarie Island winters receive attention as I chill out under a Casuarina after several fraught months.

1
153_A_furtive_summiting_And_The_Frontier_Below 39:15

7M ago39:15

39:15

I give voice to another almost but not quite lost snippet from "Big Dead Place" and I give the microphone to Adam Fitzgerald who voices the introduction to Jeff Maynard's new book, "The Frontier Below."

1
152_Vodka_in_a_Vegemite_Jar 1:00:12

7M ago1:00:12

1:00:12

In 1983 Australian glaciologist Trevor Hamley joined a Soviet traverse from the Russian coastal station, Mirny, to Dome Charlie, high atop the Antarctic plateau. Bouncing about in the back of a T-55 tank converted into a living quarters/galley/dining space/lab, recording locations on audio cassette tape, wielding a hammer, and ignoring the ideologi…

1
151_Jeff_Wilson_interview 1:11:50

7M ago1:11:50

1:11:50

Australian Antarctic Division alumnus, Jeff Wilson, recounts his experiences at Australian stations and in the Ross Sea. Road trip with our eldest. Good company at Anglesea. Good food. Good audio. One of the best days 2023 offered up.

1
150_Shepherds_of_Heard_Island 52:01

8M ago52:01

52:01

The ANARE presence at Heard Island runs to 1955 and switches focus to continental Antarctica. The Island taught Australians to work on glaciers and to run dog teams, saw John Bechervaise cut his Antarctic teeth and lead the first ascent of Big Ben, and claimed the lives of two winterers. "Ice Coffee" leaves Heard Island alone for a bit having docum…

1
149_Heard_Island_Appendices 1:02:49

8M ago1:02:49

1:02:49

ANARE occupation at Heard Island ran short but intense, and sometimes in tents. In addition to large quantities of wind and sleet the island provided a training ground for Antarctic travelers and their dogs. Challenging maritime approaches led to innovative approaches by maritime challengers, and everyone got home safely, this episode.…

1
148_The_Hope_Bay_Hype 1:50:57

11M ago1:50:57

1:50:57

Argentina and Britain needle each other over what huts go where around the Antarctica Peninsula and notes of protest change hands at a fevered pace. Hot heads at low temperatures lead to a low ebb in high latitudes camaraderie ashore at Hope Bayhia Esperanza. And Chile was there, too.

1
147_Dr_Hillary_Sebeny 1:26:11

1y ago1:26:11

1:26:11

Yet another amazing interview through which to inform you and by which to relieve myself of the burden to write and record a chronological narrative episode this month. "Ice Coffee": where me goofing off and being lazy still results in audio gold.

1
146 An interview with Professor Nash, another with Marsh, and an important update about the series 1:43:03

1+ y ago1:43:03

1:43:03

Professor Meredith Nash spent two years studying and reporting on the culture within the Australian Antarctic Division. Their findings, released late in 2022, may prove a turning point in the history of Australia's presence in Antarctica. Professor Nash spoke to me about their research and their experiences in Antarctica as part of the inaugural Ho…

1
145_Josh_Jensen_Hercules_Maintainer 31:17

1+ y ago31:17

31:17

Josh Jensen spent an austral summer keeping LC-130 Ski Hercules operational out of McMurdo. I spoke to him about the challenges that throws up and found out the days of boiling a pot of oil over the stove and pouring it into the sump ended with the last big roundy engines to depart the continent in the 1970s. Cheers to Josh for putting aside time t…

1
144_Russia_has_re-entered_the_chat 51:27

1+ y ago51:27

51:27

Some historical and political context for the Russian return south in Soviet Union form. Bolsheviks: form soviets and roll out.

1
Part 6: Will Sonic Booms Return to our Skies? 33:28

1+ y ago33:28

33:28

Why did Concorde disappear from our skies? In the final episode, we pose this question to the people closest to the Concorde project, from the teams who engineered its first flight to those who picked up the debris after the fatal Air France crash. We also discuss Concorde's legacy, and its impact on the aviation sector, on travel itself, and on th…

1
143_Samantha_Hodder_This_Is_Our_Time 44:24

1+ y ago44:24

44:24

I haven't interviewed other Antarctic podcasters because that would make for dull content. "Do you press record? Wow! I do, too! Hey, how good is Audacity? Antarctica's cold, huh?" This episode I interview Samantha Hodder about her Antarctic podcast because the stories told in her series, "This Is Our Time," lie so far outside those recounted in my…

1
142_Port_Martin_on_the_continent_and_on_fire 1:05:14

1+ y ago1:05:14

1:05:14

Paul Emile-Victor's charges are ashore and charging. But wait, there's more. Call now and get this free base fire valued at over five buildings.

1
Part 5: Rising from the Ashes 37:25

1+ y ago37:25

37:25

In the late afternoon of July 25th, 2000, a Concorde crashed into a hotel near Charles de Gaulle airport. Air France flight 4590 was carrying 100 passengers, most of them tourists from Germany, along with a crew of nine. All perished, including four people on the ground. The incident shocked the globe, and halted Air France Concorde operations inde…

1
Part 4: Becoming the Sexiest Flight on Earth 31:01

1+ y ago31:01

31:01

As teams of engineers work around the clock to keep the supersonic airplane safe and in the air, to the outside world Concorde has become a pop cultural icon. Princess Diana, Mick Jagger, Phil Collins, Joan Collins, Sting – these celebrities form an A-list of frequent flyers. The in-flight menu includes haute cuisine and expensive champaign; air tr…

1
141_France_returns_south 28:59

1+ y ago28:59

28:59

Port Martin. Port Au Francaise. Port Malloy. Port Jean d'Arc. You'd think the French would switch up it with some cognac or cointreau.

1
140_Dave_Donnelly_and_really_big_whales 31:58

1+ y ago31:58

31:58

If you set an AI process in motion to build a hard as nails nineteenth century seadog you'd likely arrive at Dave Donnelly in ninety-nine percent of your iterations. Dave looks and moves through the world as though he just stepped out of the pages of a Joseph Conrad book. Have a listen to episode 140 to understand why I value Dave's company and reg…

1
139_Interview_with_Professor_McCahey_regarding_sexism_in_Antarctica 39:26

1+ y ago39:26

39:26

Professor Daniella McCahey of Texas Tech discusses sexism at Antarctic stations. * Except by HamiltonSuites, who should lie on their left side, raise their right knee to their chest, lubricate this episode and stick it up their arse.

1
138_Ice_Breakers 16:49

1+ y ago16:49

16:49

Ice'll kill ya' That's what I said Ice'll kill ya' And then you'll be dead

1
Part 3: "The Big Bird Flies!" 33:10

1+ y ago33:10

33:10

Years of hard work, innovation, and unprecedented collaboration between teams in the U.K. and France make the impossible, possible: the first French Concorde prototype takes flight, and a new page in aviation history is written. But the supersonic airplane isn’t ready to ferry passengers just yet. As you’ll hear in episode 3, Concorde’s journey fro…

1
Part 2: Building the Fastest Passenger Jet Ever 45:14

1+ y ago45:14

45:14

In this episode, host Nastaran Tavakoli-Far and Lead Producer Pedro Mendes travel to the Musée Aeroscopia in Toulouse, France, where they stand spellbound marveling at a giant, glistening Air France Concorde. And they meet with nonagenarian Dudley Collard, a member of Concorde’s Aerodynamics Design team. When the recording crew mention the beauty o…

1
Part 1: The Dream of Supersonic Flight 41:07

1+ y ago41:07

41:07

In the opening episode, host Nastaran Tavakoli-Far and producer Pedro Mendes set the stage for what’s going to be a supersonic journey documented in six parts—and also reflect on their personal connections to Concorde. You’ll hear about the monumental 1956 meeting of the Supersonic Transport Aircraft Committee (STAC) that set in motion a complex ne…

1
Season 4: The Untold Story of Concorde 3:53

1+ y ago3:53

3:53

Picture this: A flight from New York to London where your co-passengers are Princess Diana, Mick Jagger, and Sting. On the menu: caviar canapés, lobster, and champagne. Your journey takes a little over three hours – half of the time it takes today. And that one flight puts you in the history books, because you just flew faster than the speed of sou…

1
137_Interviews_about_an_air_crash_long_distance_Antarctic_engagement_and_a_ripper_of_a_new_book_about_Sir_Hubert_Wilkins 1:49:21

2y ago1:49:21

1:49:21

Thomas Walkington speaks about the wreck of the Pegasus and his time on the ice as part of VXE-6. Jim Butler showers praise on me and my output after discussing how he engages with Antarctica from half a world away. Jeff Maynard maps how he chose what to include and what to leave out of his most recent book about Sir Hubert Wilkins. Strap your ears…

1
136_Post_war_post_war_whaling 1:01:11

2y ago1:01:11

1:01:11

I wasn't expecting the Greek shipping magnate.

1
135_NBSAE_part_2 1:25:14

2y ago1:25:14

1:25:14

Three members of the NBSAE drown in an accident on the barrier edge. Every other member of the NBSAE does their bit in making the project one of the most productive and smooth running examples of its type and of its time. Besides kicking off or sustaining the high latitudes careers of several scientist with extremely long Ice Coffee legs the glacio…

1
134_NBSAE_Part_1 1:02:49

2y ago1:02:49

1:02:49

John Giaever storms it in as a high latitudes can-do-mo-fo with an international team of scientists. No matter how many committees got involved and put their bureaucratic handbrake on the NBSAE, the residents of Maudheim got south and got on with their data gathering and trail prep.

1
133_Would_anyone_like_some_ham 26:44

2y ago26:44

26:44

The role of ham radio operators in keeping Antarcticans sane through the long dark is given some attention. Additional audio of Vivian Fuchs speaking to Donald Milner at the BBC was made available by Thomas Henderson of Graceful Willow Productions and with the permission of Jules Madey (http://www.gwillow.com/) The music closing out this episode is…

1
132_Chile 40:42

2+ y ago40:42

40:42

A brief and patchy history of Chile as context for the nation's expeditions southward in the twentieth century.By Matthew Alan McArthur

1
131_Straya_too 38:43

2+ y ago38:43

38:43

Heard and Macquarrie Islands: tragedy, rockets, sheep, and ham.By Matthew Alan McArthur

1
130_Straya 1:27:20

2+ y ago1:27:20

1:27:20

The first Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition gets moving. Led my Campbell, informed by Mawson, and ignoring any potential input from Davis, the first foryas didn't kick all the committee proposed goals but a start is a start. Heard Island. Macquarrie Island. The last Antarctic outing of the Wyatt Earp. The first Antarctic outing of L…

1
129_FIDS_1947-8 55:08

3y ago55:08

55:08

A mixed bag of achievements and tragedy for the 1948 FIDS. New faces with big Antarctic careers ahead of them show up in the narrative. If you are working through the series in order and don't usually listen to episodes immediately after they're released I urge you to give this one an early play as there's an important message about pies near the e…

1
128_Argentina 48:40

3y ago48:40

48:40

Where the history of other nations involved in the Antarctic land grab received plenty of attention in the series to date, Argentina only received mention as being close to the Antarctic Peninsula. I've sought to redress that in this episode. Thanks to Jim for test piloting the new audio settings. Hope I don't blow anyone's speakers with unexpected…

1
Where There's a Will (Smith), There's a Way 34:30

3y ago34:30

34:30

In March of 2020, as Will Smith is filming the biopic "King Richard," the emergence of COVID-19 abruptly shuts down all production. With unusual downtime and an urge to uplift his audience amid looming uncertainty, the actor meets with his production team at Westbrook Media to find a creative solution. What if they created a variety show with Will …

1
Campbell’s Finds the Soup for their Soul 28:48

3y ago28:48

28:48

The can is Americana itself; the product indistinguishable from the ordinary contents. It's part of a quintessential American meal, soothing the hunger and warming the souls of families for more than a hundred years. But in 2001, a toxic atmosphere hung over the workers at The Campbell Soup Company. Its headquarters stood isolated behind barbed fen…

1
127_Crime_in_Antarctica 54:55

3y ago54:55

54:55

While theft is rare in circumstances where most needs and wants are catered to by management other crimes occur in Antarctica with surprisingly monotonous regularity, given the small numbers of people in the far south at any given moment. Other podcasts have dedicated episodes to the matter but that doesn't mean I shouldn't cover it too, so I did. …

1
126_Book_reviews_and_interviews_Maori_perspectives_and_ashore_in_the_Kerguelens_and_True_South 1:19:58

3y ago1:19:58

1:19:58

A formal book review of "With Scott Before the Mast," an informal review of "Operation Deep Freeze II Gooney Birds," and interviews with Associate Professor Priscilla Wehi, Elodie Camprasse, and Evan Townsend.

1
125_RARE_Coda 1:11:17

3y ago1:11:17

1:11:17

Trail operations, survey flights, tension, and a surprise for the Darlingtons. The RARE comes to a close and departs Stonington Island with the aid of the Operation Windmill ice breakers. The FIDS stay to keep the lights on at Base E.

1
On a Mission for Equitable Internet in Detroit 29:39

3y ago29:39

29:39

When the pandemic struck, many pivoted their lives online – to connect with family, to work, to attend school. But many others, living in cutoff communities, like several neighborhoods in the city of Detroit, Michigan, where generations of systemic racism and poor infrastructure has left them largely isolated, this wasn't an option. Up to 40% of re…

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