On September 7, 1695, English pirate Henry Avery led one of the most daring pirate attacks - and most lucrative - in history. And to top it all off - he got away with it.

Sources

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Every

"Enemy of all Mankind" by Steven Johnson

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Henry_Every.gif

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In 1719, Daniel Defoe published the book, “The LIfe and Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe.” The story is about a sailor who is stranded on an island for more than 20 years. It has gone on to be one of the most popular novels in western literature. In this episode, we tell the story of Alexander Selkirk, the man many believe to be the inspiration for Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe.

Sources

"The Real Robinson Crusoe" - https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-real-robinson-crusoe-74877644/

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Alexandria

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Selkirk_reading_his_Bible.png

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More than 2,000 years ago, in Alexandria Egypt, Ptolemy II had a dream - to establish the greatest library the world had known. What emerged was one of the grandest institutions ever built, and the forerunner to all modern libraries. This is the story of the Library of Alexandria. 

Sources

"Libraries in the Ancient World" by Lional Casson

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Alexandria

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ancientlibraryalex.jpg

The Explorers Podcast is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

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In 1933, a small brass plate was discovered near San Francisco - not far from where famed English privateer Francis Drake had supposedly landed back in 1579. It fit the description of a plate reportedly left by Drake - making it potentially one of the great relics of North American Exploration. 

Sources

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drake%27s_Plate_of_Brass

Science Beat: Drake's Plate -- the end of the mystery? https://www2.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/NSD-Drakes-plate.html"

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1583_portrait_of_Sir_Francis_Drake.jpg

The Explorers Podcast is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

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On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks would have enough. Sitting on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, she was told to give up her seat. She said no. Sick and tired of decades of segregation, racism and oppression, she would sit defiantly. This would lead into some of the most pivotal moments in the American civil rights movement.

Sources

Montgomery Bus Boycott - https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/montgomery-bus-boycott

"The Rebellious life of Rosa Parks" by Jeanne Theoharis

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rosa_Parks_in_watercolour.png

The Explorers Podcast is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

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On January 30, 1661, Oliver Cromwell, one time Lord Protector and ruler of the English Commonwealth, was hanged for treason. After being cut down, his head was chopped off, and placed on a 20-foot pole above Westminster Hall. While that sounds nasty, the truly weird thing is that Oliver Cromwell had died three years earlier. In this episode, we take you on the story of the Head of Oliver Cromwell.

Sources

"The macabre tale of Oliver Cromwell's head" - https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0j8vn2ne70o

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Cromwell%27s_head

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Narrative_relating_to_the_real_embalmed_head_of_Oliver_Cromwell,_now_exhibiting_in_Mead-Court,_in_Old_Bond-Street_Fleuron_T135438-1.png

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In the boiling summer of 1518 in Strasbourg, France, one women started to dance in the street. But this was no ordinary dance. She continued until her feet were bloody And soon, she was joined by hundreds of other dancers, dancing until they passed out from exhaustion or death.

Sources

"A Time to Dance, a Time to Die" by John Waller

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Die_Wallfahrt_der_Fallsuechtigen_nach_Meulebeeck.jpg

The Explorers Podcast is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

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On May 16, 1975, Japanese mountaineer Junko Tabei reached the summit of Mount Everest - and in the process became the first woman to ever climb the highest point on earth.

Sources

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junko_Tabei

Women in Exploration: https://womeninexploration.org/timeline/junko-tabei/

Junko Tabei, first to summit Everest in 1975: https://www.jobradshaw.co.uk/blog/junko-tabie-pioneering-mountaineer-and-first-women-to-summit-everest"

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Junko_Tabei_85_(3to4).jpg

The Explorers Podcast is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

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In 1941, an exiled Polish army would find itself in Iran. There it would adopt an orphaned bear cub who would go on to serve the army as their mascot, fellow soldier, and their friend.

Sources

"The bear who was a private in the Polish army" - https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy4nd3n33yeo

Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wojtek_(bear)

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_badge_of_the_22nd_Artillery_Support_Company_of_the_2nd_Polish_Corps.jpg

The Explorers Podcast is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

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In 1932, the Australian army began a military campaign to take on a horde of menacing invaders. These swarms of great beasts threatened the nation’s food supply, and the livelihoods of thousands of decent Australians. This is the Great Emu War. 

Sources

"The Great Emu War: When Australians Lost to Flightless Birds: https://www.thecollector.com/great-emu-war/

The Real Story Behind Australia’s Great Emu ‘War’ Of 1932 (And Why They Lost—Twice): https://www.forbes.com/sites/scotttravers/2024/12/26/the-real-story-behind-australias-great-emu-war-of-1932-and-why-they-lost-twice/

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emu_War"

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Natural_History,_Birds_-_Emu.jpg

The Explorers Podcast is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

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