Best Worldwarii Podcasts (2024)

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Episode 90: the physics of Dictatorships 21:48

8h ago21:48

21:48

Dictatorships can be classified into Military, Hybrid, Dynastic Civilian and the Democratically elected dictatorships. Dictators aspire to stay in power for a long time and do so by instilling fear in their citizens. And once they've achieved this, some prefer to build a cult following. But under certain circumstances Dictatorships can be toppled a…

1
Lucy you got some splaining to do 33:25

4h ago33:25

33:25

Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an iconic American actress, comedian, producer, and studio executive. Born in Jamestown, New York, she left home at fifteen to study drama in New York City. Her early career included modeling and small roles in films, earning her the nickname “Queen of the B’s” for her numerous roles in B-m…

1
Comedy on Trial: Lenny Bruce’s Fight for Free Speech 31:22

9d ago31:22

31:22

Lenny Bruce, born Leonard Alfred Schneider on October 13, 1925, in Mineola, New York, was a pioneering American stand-up comedian, social critic, and satirist. Known for his open, free-wheeling, and critical style of comedy, Bruce tackled subjects like politics, religion, sex, and vulgarity12. Bruce’s career was marked by his bold and often controv…

1
Episode 89: Singapore - the Economic miracle 21:47

9h ago21:47

21:47

The British arrived in Singapore in January 1819 when Sir Stamford Raffles landed on the island, establishing it as a trading post for the British East India Company. Singapore declared independence from Britain in 1963 and became part of Malaysia. Due to political and cultural differences, Singapore separated from Malaysia and became independent i…

1
Blood and Prejudice: The 1871 Los Angeles Atrocity 19:53

17d ago19:53

19:53

On October 24, 1871, a violent mob of around 500 people, consisting of both white and Latino men, descended upon Los Angeles’ Chinatown. This racially motivated attack resulted in the brutal murder of 19 Chinese immigrants, including a 15-year-old boy. The massacre was fueled by growing anti-Chinese sentiment and was triggered by the accidental kil…

1
Episode 88: 1975 - Emergency in India 23:34

19d ago23:34

23:34

In 1975, the Allahabad High Court finds Prime Minister Indira Gandhi guilty of electoral malpractices during the 1971 election and rules that she needs to step down as Prime Minister. This triggers a series of events that culminate in the imposition of Emergency in India - a period when all civil liberties of common citizens, are taken away by the …

1
Agatha Christie:The 96 year hide and seek champ. Still going strong. 13:46

24d ago13:46

13:46

In 1926, Christie’s mother passed away, and her husband, Colonel Archibald Christie, requested a divorce. During this tumultuous time, Agatha Christie mysteriously vanished for nearly two weeks. Her car was found abandoned on a roadside, leading to widespread speculation. #history #Beverly #mafia #⁠beverlyhils #truecrime #tedbundy #truecrimecommuni…

1
Echoes of Silence: The Assassinations That Shaped America 24:17

1M ago24:17

24:17

Welcome to Echoes of Silence: The Assassinations That Shaped America, where we journey through the shadows of history to uncover the stories behind some of the most pivotal and tragic moments in American history. .#history #Beverly #mafia #⁠beverlyhils #truecrime #tedbundy #truecrimecommunity #truecrimeaddict #truecrimememes #killers #killer #murde…

1
Episode 87: Explorers and Cosmonauts 25:56

24d ago25:56

25:56

Norway's Roald Amundsen was the first to reach the South Pole in Dec, 1911. Tenzing and Hillary became the first to scale Mt. Everest in May of 1953. Yuri Gagarin had the world spellbound as he became the first human in Space in April 1961.By Ajay Kaul

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What the hell happened to Walter Collins?! 22:14

1M ago22:14

22:14

The disappearance of Walter Collins is a tragic and puzzling case from 1928. Walter, a nine-year-old boy, vanished on March 10, 1928, after his mother, Christine Collins, gave him money to go to the cinema12. Despite extensive searches and nationwide attention, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) couldn’t find him. Five months later, a boy cla…

1
Behind the Facade: The Gypsy Rose Blanchard Story 28:45

1M ago28:45

28:45

Gypsy Rose Blanchard was born on July 27, 1991, in Golden Meadow, Louisiana. She is known for her involvement in the murder of her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard, a case that drew significant media attention due to its unusual and tragic circumstances. Gypsy’s mother, Dee Dee, subjected her to years of abuse under the guise of caring for her numerous fa…

1
Episode 86: Great Political Upsets 23:37

1M ago23:37

23:37

After leading the United Kingdom during WWII, Churchill loses his re-election bid. Harry Truman surprises polls to defeat Republican Thomas Dewey in 1948. Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev is ousted in a very democratic way in the Soviet Union, in 1964.By Ajay Kaul

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Ticking Countdown: Erie Collar Bomb Heist 23:08

1M ago23:08

23:08

The collar bomb case, also known as the pizza bomber case, is a notorious incident that occurred on August 28, 2003, in Erie, Pennsylvania. Here’s a brief bio of the case: Brian Douglas Wells, a pizza delivery man, was forced to rob a PNC Bank with a bomb locked around his neck. After delivering pizzas to a remote location, Wells found himself invo…

1
Episode 85: A history of Medicine 22:06

2M ago22:06

22:06

Modern medicine owes a lot of its development to the Ancient civilizations of Greece, India and China. Modern medicine took off after the Industrial Revolution because of faster spread of disease and infection within large industrial communities. The medical professionals were able to understand bacterial diseases way before they understood viruses…

1
Lisa "Left eye" Lopez and being chased by spirits. 24:58

2M ago24:58

24:58

Lisa Lopes, also known by her stage name Left Eye, was an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer. She gained fame as a member of the popular R&B group TLC, alongside Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas. Lopes contributed her own self-written raps to many of TLC’s hit singles, including “Waterfalls” and “No Scrubs” 1. Besid…

1
Scandal in the Oval Office: Unraveling the Clinton-Lewinsky Saga 1:02:19

2M ago1:02:19

1:02:19

The affair between Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky was a significant political scandal in the late 1990s. Monica Lewinsky, an intern at the White House, began a relationship with President Bill Clinton in 1995. The affair lasted approximately 18 months, from 1995 to 1997. In January 1998, the story broke out, leading to a media frenzy and public s…

1
Episode 84: The Children of Dictators 21:13

2M ago21:13

21:13

Stalin micromanaged his daughter and she ended up defecting to the US. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. though won the Presidential Office his dictatorial father held, via a democratic election. Mao's children mostly died young.By Ajay Kaul

1
Episode 83: A history of Tibet 25:19

3M ago25:19

25:19

Tibetan Empire reached its zenith under Songtsen Gampo's descendant Tri Song Detsuen in 755 AD who expanded Tibet politically and economically and promoted Buddhism to bring the nation together. However, about a century after him, the empire collapsed and Tibet entered its traditional "dark age." The Mongols conquered Tibet in 1244 but let the loca…

1
Episode 82: Corporate Cheating - Boeing, VW and Wells Fargo 24:32

3M ago24:32

24:32

Boeing hid information regarding the MCAS software from its 737-Max flying manual to short circuit the certification. Boeing's cheating cost 346 lives across 2 plane crashes. Volkswagen had a cheat device software in its diesel cars to circumvent the NOX level requirememts in the US and the EU. Wells Fargo opened millions of bank accounts without c…

1
Episode 81: Putin and Xi - the powerful Authoritarians 24:31

4M ago24:31

24:31

Putin was a working class outsider who rose through the ranks to the Country's top job. Once at the top, Putin consolidated his position by eiminating opposition and giving Russia a strategic economic advantage. Xi was a Princeling who ended up on the wrong side during Mao's time. But Xi believed in Mao and came back, aspiring to be Mao 2.0…

1
Episode 80: Cricket - 1950s through 1980s 22:40

5M ago22:40

22:40

The West Indies emerge as a force in Cricket as Frank Worrell leads the team to Australia in 1960. South Africa is banned from International Cricket in 1970 due to apartheid. Kerry Packer becomes a major disruptor in International Cricket as he signs up top players for World Series of Cricket.By Ajay Kaul

1
Episode 79: Cricket - early times to 1950s 25:30

5M ago25:30

25:30

Cricket was spread by England through its Colonies. But it needed stars like WG Grace to make it popular enough to become a spectator sport. The England-Australia rivalry led to the Ashes Trophy and containing Aussie star, Don Bradman, led to the infamous Bodyline series between the two sides.By Ajay Kaul

1
Episode 78: 20th Century Political Assassinations 29:06

6M ago29:06

29:06

JFK is assassinated as his convoy drives through Dallas, bringing the US and the rest of the world to a stunned standstill. Egypt's Anwar Sadat is assassinated while inspecting a parade. But Congo's Patrice Lumumba is made to disappear in the most barbaric manner.By Ajay Kaul

1
Episode 77: Silicon Valley 21:49

6M ago21:49

21:49

Railway tycoon Leland Stanford lived in Santa Clara Valley and founded Stanford University in 1891. Another prominent Stanford University figure, Frederick Terman. invested heavily in businesses that would base themselves in the area and employ talented young people. One such business was the original start-up, an electrical company started in a ga…

1
Episode 76: Financial Coups - Haiti, FDR and Guatemala 22:38

7M ago22:38

22:38

In 1914, American Marines rob Haiti's National Bank of $500,000 in Gold Reserves at th ebehest of the National City Bank. Wall Street looks to topple FDR and replace him with a business friendly Dictator. United Fruit, now Chiquita engineers the ouster of the democratically elected Jacobo Arbenz in Guatemala.…

1
Episode 75: Patterns in History 21:34

7M ago21:34

21:34

Strategic mistakes in the Russia-Ukraine relationship or a leadership vision that led to lasting impact. This episode evaluates patterns that emerge from the learnings we've had across the previous 74 episodes. Impact from the whims of a deranged leader or the ego trip of two super powers. Some interesting patterns emerge as we traverse history.…

1
Episode 74: 2016 - the Panama Papers 21:39

8M ago21:39

21:39

The Panama Papers refer to the 11.5 million leaked encrypted confidential documents that were the property of Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca. The documents were released on April 3, 2016, by the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ), dubbing them the “Panama Papers.” The document exposed more than 140 politicians from more than 50 countr…

1
Episode 73: Artificial Intelligence - a history 21:13

8M ago21:13

21:13

The Turing Test in 1950 established the baseline for evaluating the real intelligence of a machine. To this day, no machine or software has been able to pass the Turing test. But do the next generation of ChatBots like ChatGPT have th epotential to pass the test?By Ajay Kaul

1
Episode 72: The Spice Trade 20:39

9M ago20:39

20:39

The long-range spice trade began in around 1000 BCE with the movement of cinnamon, and perhaps pepper, from India and Indonesia to Egypt. For the next 1000 years, the Arabs served as the sole middlemen of the spice trade. In 1498, the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama made the first sea voyage from Europe to India, via the southernmost tip of Afric…

1
Episode 71: Immigration across the globe 23:32

9M ago23:32

23:32

Over half of the emigration before the 1870s was from the British Isles, with much of the remainder from northwestern Europe. As migration increased along with new transportation technologies in the 1880s, regions of intensive emigration spread south and east as far as Portugal, Russia, and Syria. Migration to Southeast Asia and lands around the In…

1
Episode 70: The Middle East Peace Accords 22:14

10M ago22:14

22:14

Resolution 242 passed by the UN Security Council on 22 November 1967 embodied the principle that has guided most of the subsequent peace plans aound the Israel-Palestine conflict - the exchange of land for peace. From the Camp David Accords of 1978 to the Oslo Agreement of 1993, several peace accords were signed by the two sides, yet peace continue…

1
Episode 69: 1918 - World War I - key battles, the impact and conclusion 24:11

10M ago24:11

24:11

The US entered WWI after the Zimmermann Telegram was intercepted by the British where Germany asked Mexico to join the War against the US. US entering the War turned the tide in favor of the Allies as battle fatigue started overpowering Germany and Russia. Russia saw the Czar abdicating while Germany saw its sailors refusing to fight. The War ended…

1
Episode 68: 1914 - World War I - the origins and early days 23:49

11M ago23:49

23:49

On the eve of WWI, alliances galore across Europe with Germany aligned with Austria-Hungary and France aligned with Russia. All that is needed is a trigger and that happens on June 28, 1914 with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austria-Hungary throne. The alliances declare war on each but Germany ends up fighting on tw…

1
Episode 67: Cold War Era-Eastern Europe Uprisings 21:54

11M ago21:54

21:54

The East German uprising of 1953 began as a series of strikes and protests at living standards; it soon turned political, with town halls being stormed amid vocal demands for German reunification. The Soviets had to intervene with military force to quell the rebellion. On August 20, 1968, the Soviet Union led Warsaw Pact troops in an invasion of Cz…

1
Episode 66: Hyperinflation - the worst cases in history 24:35

12M ago24:35

24:35

The conventional marker for hyperinflation is 50% per month, first proposed in 1956 by Phillip Cagan, a professor of economics at Columbia University. Hyperinflation is the rapid, massive, and unmanageable increase in prices. In recent times, the worst cases of hyperinflation in history are Hungary from 1945 to 1946, Zimbabwe from 2007 to 2008 and …

1
Episode 65: Nearshoring and China+1 21:04

1y ago21:04

21:04

With a rise in geopolitical tensions with China, the World is looking to diversify its supply chain. Mexico presents an attractive nearshoring destination for manufacturers because of its proximity to the United States. The NAFTA enables free trade between the three signatory countries (US, Canada and Mexico) by reducing tariffs and other trade bar…

1
Two Kassel MIAs identified 40:21

1y ago40:21

40:21

The Kassel Mission of Sept. 27, 1944 was not only one of World War 2's most spectacular battles, it was also one of the most unusual, in that it took place between 20,000 and 26,000 feet above what would become the dividing line between East and West Germany. As a result, half of the 25 bombers that were shot down crashed east of the border, and th…

1
Episode 64: Modern Engineering Marvels 25:30

1y ago25:30

25:30

On August 16, 1858, Britain sent the United States an inaugural message via a transatlantic telegraph cable. In it, Queen Victoria congratulated President James Buchanan on their countries’ mutual success at building the very cable she was using to talk to him. The International Space Station is a truly global effort: nations ranging from America t…

1
Episode 63: 1980 - Iran - Iraq War 25:23

1y ago25:23

25:23

In September 1980, Iraqi forces launched a full-scale invasion of neighboring Iran, beginning the Iran-Iraq War. Fueled by territorial, religious and political disputes between the two nations, the conflict ended in an effective stalemate and a cease-fire nearly eight years later, after more than half a million soldiers and civilians had been kille…

1
Episode 62: US Political Scandals 24:47

1y ago24:47

24:47

The Credit Mobilier Scandal centered around Railroad construction and the Teapot Dome Scandal centrered around Oil Field contracts. In both cases, the guilty were mostly let off easy. Same was the case in the Iran-Contra Affair during Ronald Reagan's time. Though the scandal created an uproar, the guilty mostly escaped punishment. The ABSCAM though…

1
Episode 61: China's Territorial Disputes 23:14

1y ago23:14

23:14

China's territorial disputes exist with several of its neighboring States, but the South China Sea dispute takes them to another level. The US is wary of China's growing assertiveness in the region and this has led to greater US presence and participation in the region. This episode also delves into the East China Sea dispute with Japan and the bor…

1
Episode 60: Space Exploration - a history 22:52

1y ago22:52

22:52

The Germans were motivated into Space Exploration due to the allure of rocket technology in design and development of ballistic missiles, which ended up being used in WWII. After the defeat of Germany in WWII, a lot of these scientists moved to the US and played a central role in the early development of space launchers for the United States. But t…

1
Episode 59: A Multipolar World 22:34

1y ago22:34

22:34

The G7 group of nations finds itself challenged by China and the BRICS group. The US has aligned with a few nations in the Pacific to form the QUAD, mainly to check China's growing influence in the region and the South China Sea. So, is the world turning multipolar? With the economic impact of the G7 waning, it does appear that the world is turning…

1
Episode 58: Europe-a continent of wars 23:12

1+ y ago23:12

23:12

Europe has 4 times more countries per million sq kilometers than Asia and this one of the contributing factors why Europe seems to be always at war. The religious differences and ethnic diversity are other reasons behind Europe's conflicts through history. After World War II, the continent was relatively quiet, but there was a lot of tension within…

1
Episode 57: Most Impactful Inventions 24:26

1+ y ago24:26

24:26

In 1436, Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press, setting the stage for a new era in information exchange on a massive scale and kick-starting the era of scientific discovery. The Compass made it possible for sailors to move into deep sea and explore new lands, ultimately boosting international trade. Tune in to this episode to listen to oth…

1
Episode 56: Iran, North Korea, Pakistan and Iraq - the race to Nuclear weapons 27:52

1+ y ago27:52

27:52

In the 1990s, North Korea acquired access to Pakistani centrifuge technology and designs from scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, who had directed the militarization of Pakistan’s nuclear program. In exchange, Pakistan received North Korean missile technology. Through his job at URENCO, A.Q Khan methodically stole classified plans for a centrifuge, that w…

1
Episode 55: The British East India Company 21:53

1+ y ago21:53

21:53

On December 31, 1600, Queen Elizabeth I granted a charter to a group of London merchants for exclusive overseas trading rights with the East Indies. The new English East India Company was a monopoly in the sense that no other British subjects could legally trade in that territory, but it faced stiff competition from the Spanish and Portuguese, who …

1
Episode 54: Financial Scandals and Cons 27:48

1+ y ago27:48

27:48

In 1920, Charles Ponzi started the Ponzi scheme which promised a 50% return on investments after 90 days. After a few successful months, his luck ran out as new investments dried and Ponzi came under the radar of investigators. Victor Lustig conned two buyers and sold a national monument. The two biggest corporate bankruptcies in the United States …

1
Episode 53: Great Environmental Disasters 27:15

1+ y ago27:15

27:15

The Dust Bowl in the 1930s caused by extensive soil erosion in the southern plains region of the United States, led to severe dust storms during a period of extensive drought. For five days in December 1952, the Great Smog of London smothered the city, wreaking havoc and killing thousands. In the early 1950s, the Minamata Bay was the center of the …

1
Episode 52: 1967 - The Arab-Israeli Six Day War 28:02

1+ y ago28:02

28:02

On May 15, 1967 Egyptian President Nasser ordered his army to march into Sinai Peninsula and then demanded that the United Nations pull its peacekeepers from the peninsula. Then he declared the Straits of Tiran, closed to Israeli shipping. Subsequently, on June 5, 1967, the Israel Defense Forces initiated Operation Focus, a coordinated aerial attac…

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