Fascinating People Fascinating Places

Daniel Mainwaring
  • 5.0 (123)
  • DOCUMENTARY
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY
Fascinating People Fascinating Places

Weekly interviews and articles from around the globe covering the most Fascinating People and Fascinating Places past and present. I talk to or about the famous, and the infamous, the celebrated and the obscure. History, Science, Politics, Religion, Society, and Culture. The podcast to satisfy your curiosity.

  1. NOV 12

    Mata Hari: Super spy? or Victim of Circumstance.

    Mata Hari -- publicly portrayed as a mysterious Javan princess who became famous for her exotic dance routines and high profile affairs -- has become the poster child for twentieth century female espionage. The bombshell sex symbol who can seduce any man. The cunning and ruthless individual who will betray anyone to enrich herself as a double agent. She is model for the Bond femme fatales that have become a cinematic trope. But, is any of this true? In this episode I speak with historian Professor Tammy Proctor of Utah State University. During her research which has among other things yielded the excellent book “Female Intelligence: Women and Espionage in the First World War” (2003, New York University Press), Tammy has stepped behind the curtain to expose the real Mata Hari. Music and sound: Pixabay This episode is sponsored by World History Encyclopedia, one of the top history websites on the internet. I love the fact that they’re not a Wiki: Every article they publish is reviewed by their editorial team, not only for being accurate but also for being interesting to read. The website is run as a non-profit organization, so you won’t be bombarded by annoying ads and it’s completely free. It’s a great site, and don’t just take my word for it they’ve been recommended by many academic institutions including Oxford University. Go check them out at WorldHistory.org or follow this link: World History Encyclopedia.

    27 min

  2. OCT 21

    TITANIC

    In 1912, the ”unsinkable” jewel in the crown of White Star Line voyages -- The Titanic -- hit an iceberg and sunk on its maiden voyage. It is difficult to imagine how passengers enjoying the amenities of this luxury liner would have reacted when suddenly they realized the vessel had become a floating coffin. Only a third of the passengers and crew survived the harrowing journey.  But, a touring exhibition now casts light on those passengers in an intimate and immersive manner. The Titanic Exhibition is currently on tour in Seattle, Washington. Visitors will gain access to over 200 artifacts from the ill fated voyage, as well as immersive audio commentary shedding light on the personal stories of passengers, and the chance to explore incredible recreations of the decks from the iconic ship. In this episode, I speak with the CEO of Musealia -- the company behind the exhibition -- Luis Ferreiro about this remarkable, critically acclaimed exhibit as well as his personal story about how his father turned a Spanish national radio show about fishing into a global history exhibition company.  Learn more at www.titanicexhibition.com Music and sound: Pixabay This episode is sponsored by World History Encyclopedia, one of the top history websites on the internet. I love the fact that they’re not a Wiki: Every article they publish is reviewed by their editorial team, not only for being accurate but also for being interesting to read. The website is run as a non-profit organization, so you won’t be bombarded by annoying ads and it’s completely free. It’s a great site, and don’t just take my word for it they’ve been recommended by many academic institutions including Oxford University. Go check them out at WorldHistory.org or follow this link: World History Encyclopedia.

    30 min

  3. SEASON 5 TRAILER

    Mata Hari

    She has become the poster child for James Bond style cunning, honey-trap-setting, spying vixens but does reality match the myths around Mata Hari? In this upcoming episode I speak with Prof. Tammy Proctor of Utah State University, author of Female Intelligence: Women and Espionage in the First World War. We discuss the Dutch girl who became a ”Javan princess,” a spy and ultimately a casualty of the first world war. Here is a sneak peak.

    2 min

  4. SEP 29

    Saharan Nightmare: The Invasion the World Forgot featuring Prof. Jacob Mundy

    Situated on the Mediterranean, just a short distance from Spain and the rest of Europe, Morocco attracts tens of millions of tourists every year. They flock to see the iconic mosques and bazaars.  But there’s another, much larger structure that you won’t find in any tourist guides and is seldom talked about.  It’s a 2700 kilometer long barrier wall constructed of dirt and brick that runs through the heart of the Sahara Desert.  And for the people living in its shadow, it’s a symbol of an ongoing occupation and decades long period of oppression.  In this episode, I speak with Jacob Mundi, professor from Colgate University, an expert on the subject of Morocco’s illegal decades long occupation of Western Sahara and the refugee crisis it created that now spans generations.  Guest: Prof. Jacob Mundy Links Western Sahara: War, Nationalism, and Conflict Irresolution Stephen Zunes, Jacob Mundy Jacob Mundy on violence in the Middle East Music: Pixabay This episode is sponsored by World History Encyclopedia, one of the top history websites on the internet. I love the fact that they’re not a Wiki: Every article they publish is reviewed by their editorial team, not only for being accurate but also for being interesting to read. The website is run as a non-profit organization, so you won’t be bombarded by annoying ads and it’s completely free. It’s a great site, and don’t just take my word for it they’ve been recommended by many academic institutions including Oxford University. Go check them out at WorldHistory.org or follow this link: World History Encyclopedia.

    39 min

  5. SEP 12

    Amelia Earhart: Mysterious End, Fascinating Beginning

    In 1937, Kansas native and pioneering aviator Amelia Earhart sought to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the world. It was a daring adventure but one that ended in tragedy. Almost 9 decades later, a company named Deep Sea Vision produced evidence of a plane closely resembling Amelia’s at the bottom of the Pacific. Recovery attempts are ongoing and offer the potential for resolution to the enduring mystery of how and where Amelia’s journey came to an end. However, this apparent discovery while exciting is just the latest in a series of theories – backed by photographs or eye witness reports that suggest she died in a Japanese prisoner of war camp, crashed in Papua New Guinea, or that she starved to death on a tiny remote island. We may or may not ever now how her adventure ended but we do know how it began. And it was right here in Atchison Kansas. In this episode I uncover the equally intriguing story of Amelia’s early life as I speak with Heather Roesch Executive Director and Madison Paul Director of Archives at the Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum. With thanks to Heather Roesch & Madison Paul  Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum Sound and Audio: Public Domain Music: Pixabay This episode is sponsored by World History Encyclopedia, one of the top history websites on the internet. I love the fact that they’re not a Wiki: Every article they publish is reviewed by their editorial team, not only for being accurate but also for being interesting to read. The website is run as a non-profit organization, so you won’t be bombarded by annoying ads and it’s completely free. It’s a great site, and don’t just take my word for it they’ve been recommended by many academic institutions including Oxford University. Go check them out at WorldHistory.org or follow this link: World History Encyclopedia.

    23 min

  6. AUG 25

    ANGOLA

    An old Angolan proverb suggests it is the voyage not the ship that is important. And for the people of Angola the voyage has been a long one, from the era of the might Kongo empire, through the slave trade, colonialism, an independence struggle, and more recently decades of civil war. Despite this, in 2015 the capital city Luanda was in was listed as the most expensive city in the world, But new high rises built off the back of an oil boom sit uncomfortably alongside squalid outskirts of the city in the former Portuguese colony.  In this episode I speak with Alex Vines OBE was a UN observer when Angola held its first elections 30 years ago, as the Director of the Africa program at Chatham House, Alex has seen the growth of the nation, its slow transition towards real democracy and has expert insights into the nation, and the challenges it continues to face. Alex Vines OBE Chatham House Alex Vines has led the Africa Programme at Chatham House since 2002. Previously he has held roles at Chatham House as director for regional studies and international security, and director for area studies and international law. He chaired the UN Panel of Experts on Côte d’Ivoire from 2005 to 2007, and was a member of the UN Panel of Experts on Liberia from 2001 to 2003. He was also a member of the Commonwealth Observer Group to Nigeria in 2023 (Mozambique in 2019 and Ghana in 2016) and a UN election officer in Mozambique (1994) and Angola (1992). He worked at Human Rights Watch as a senior researcher on its Africa, Arms and Business and Human Rights programmes, and has served as a consultant including for the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC); JICA, DFID, USAID, the EU and for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). He has also written expert reports for the EU parliament and has testified to law makers including for the US Congress and Senate, the EU parliament, the UK and Finnish parliaments and the Angolan and Mozambican National Assemblies. Music: Pixabay This episode is sponsored by World History Encyclopedia, one of the top history websites on the internet. I love the fact that they’re not a Wiki: Every article they publish is reviewed by their editorial team, not only for being accurate but also for being interesting to read. The website is run as a non-profit organization, so you won’t be bombarded by annoying ads and it’s completely free. It’s a great site, and don’t just take my word for it they’ve been recommended by many academic institutions including Oxford University. Go check them out at WorldHistory.org or follow this link: World History Encyclopedia.

    30 min

  7. JUL 29

    "Witchcraft," and violence in paradise with Dr. Fiona Hukula

    Imagine one day being cast out of your society, subjected to violence or killed simply because you continue to participate in the traditional rituals and activities your community have practiced for generations. It might sound extraordinary but as we’ve seen down the centuries this is what happens when age old activities are suddenly rebranded as witchcraft and it is something that is happening now  in the tropical paradise of Papua New Guinea. In today’s episode I speak with Papuan native Dr. Fiona Hukula a world renowned activist tackling gender-based violence. She worked for the Papuan government handling issues such as family and sexual violence, law reform and was the recipient of the Royal Anthropological society’s Satosoma Award. We discuss her efforts to tackle gender based violence in Papua New Guinea, how the intrusion of colonialism and fundamentalist Christianity created a maelstrom in the long isolated traditional communities of her homeland, and her thoughts on the future for her country.  Music: Pixabay This episode is sponsored by World History Encyclopedia, one of the top history websites on the internet. I love the fact that they’re not a Wiki: Every article they publish is reviewed by their editorial team, not only for being accurate but also for being interesting to read. The website is run as a non-profit organization, so you won’t be bombarded by annoying ads and it’s completely free. It’s a great site, and don’t just take my word for it they’ve been recommended by many academic institutions including Oxford University. Go check them out at WorldHistory.org or follow this link: World History Encyclopedia.

    29 min

  8. JUL 7

    Sonic Booms, Feathers, & Dinosaurs: Renowned Paleontologist Philip J. Currie

    Imagine an alien world where a creature could create a sonic boom simply by whipping its tail. Look no further as such creatures once roamed the Earth. This is just one remarkable discovery made by the world renowned Paleontologist Philip J. Currie -- the man whose worked inspire Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park. In this episode, I speak with Philip J. Currie about feathered dinosaurs, long necked giants, his fascinating career and ongoing work. More info: Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum Philip J. Currie Bio: Philip J. Currie, born in Brampton, Ontario on March 13th, 1949, is a leading Canadian palaeontologist and museum curator who helped found the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology. He is now a professor at the University of Alberta. Inspired as a child by a toy dinosaur in a cereal box, Currie went on to study zoology at the University of Toronto, and then vertebrate palaeontology at McGill, under the tutelage of Robert Carroll, himself a major figure in the study of extinct animals. After receiving his doctorate, Currie became the curator of earth sciences at the Provincial Museum of Alberta in Edmonton in 1976. In 1981, this department became the nucleus of the new Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology (now the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology), in Drumheller, Alberta, where Currie is curator of dinosaurs. Currie is an important figure in dinosaur science, and has specialized in fossils from Alberta’s Dinosaur Provincial Park as well as other Cretaceous sites (dating from the latter part of the dinosaur age) around the world. He is particularly interested in the evolution and classification of carnivorous dinosaurs (theropods) and their living descendants, birds. He has painstakingly investigated the skeletal anatomy of many of these, including the recently discovered feathered theropods (Protarchaeopteryx and Caudipteryx) of China. The find was considered clear evidence of the relationship between birds and dinosaurs. Other research has focused on dinosaur footprints, as well as dinosaur growth and variation, including description of embryonic duck-billed dinosaur bones discovered inside their fossilized crushed eggshells at Devil’s Coulee in southern Alberta. Courtesy of Canadian Encyclopedia, Encyclopedia Historica http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/ Music: Pixabay This episode is sponsored by World History Encyclopedia, one of the top history websites on the internet. I love the fact that they’re not a Wiki: Every article they publish is reviewed by their editorial team, not only for being accurate but also for being interesting to read. The website is run as a non-profit organization, so you won’t be bombarded by annoying ads and it’s completely free. It’s a great site, and don’t just take my word for it they’ve been recommended by many academic institutions including Oxford University. Go check them out at WorldHistory.org or follow this link: World History Encyclopedia.

    38 min
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About

Weekly interviews and articles from around the globe covering the most Fascinating People and Fascinating Places past and present. I talk to or about the famous, and the infamous, the celebrated and the obscure. History, Science, Politics, Religion, Society, and Culture. The podcast to satisfy your curiosity.

Information

  • Creator
    Daniel Mainwaring
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2024
  • Episodes
    95
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2023 Fascinating People, Fascinating Places
  • Show Website
    Fascinating People Fascinating Places

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