Shoulders of Giants

Today we are discussing Admiral Yi of the Korean Choson(Joseon) dynasty. Despite his noble upbringing Yi decided to follow a career in the military instead of the more traditional pursuit of civil service for a person in his societal rank. Yi was hardworking, humble and incredibly moral during a period of Korean history fraught with corrupt officials in every level of society. His incorruptibility caused many to attack his honor and accomplishments and yet through countless setbacks his abilities as a leader and tactician lead him to command the Korean army during one of the most pivotal times in its history. Japan, recently unified under Toyotomi Hideyoshi, sought to invade China through the Korean Peninsula. It was under Admiral Yi's command that the invasion ultimately ended due to Hideyoshi's forces losing the ability to resupply their forces via the sea. Admiral Yi is still regarded as a great Korean Hero and inspired future naval commanders in battles that would further shape world events.

Edward Jenner is often known as the father of the immunology. As a scientist during the late 18th and early 19th century, he applied local folklore with scientific methodologies to champion the first vaccine. It was through his efforts that marked the beginning of a global eradication campaign to successfully eliminate smallpox from the natural environment.

For episode twelve, we are talking about Jim Henson. Best known as the creator of the Muppets and helped found Sesame Street with its wonderful characters, Jim Henson grew up in a quiet warm family in Mississippi and later Maryland. Influenced by his maternal grandmother, he cultivated a creative, crafty, artistic personality that led him into TV and ultimately bringing to life beloved characters like Kermit the Frog.   Source material from Jim Henson the Biography, by Brian Jones and the Henson Company website.

Thurgood Marshall was America's first African American to serve on the nation's highest court. He championed the rights of the individual and prior to his Supreme Court appointment, he successfully argued more cases to the court than anyone before him. It was through Thurgood Marshall's efforts and those of the NAACP that "separate but equal" was overturned, helping establish a legal foothold for the civil rights movement in the years ahead.

A Spanish Conquistador following in the footsteps of his cousin Cortez, Francisco Pizarro was an ambitious commoner under the Spanish Crown. Working his way into positions of power in the New World Pizarro, motivated by rumors of a wealthy civilization further south of Spanish controlled America, took advantage of a greatly weakened Incan Empire. The empire of the Andes had been devastated by European diseases, killing or impairing up to 90% of the populace, and had finished a bloody civil war literal days before Pizarro met with the Incan ruler, Atahuallpa. Pizarro took advantage of the situation and ransomed then sacked the wealth of the Incan people before laying claim to their empire.

Travis here, and before we get started I wanted to say something brief upfront. November in the United States is usually focused on Thanksgiving and getting ready for Christmas, Hanukkah or any other winter festivities. However, there is one rather unsung day in November that we as Americans are hopefully growing more conscious of and involved with. This year it falls on the sixth, its Election Day. On this day we as Americans voice our right to decide our governmental representatives. Our vote may not always go to the winner but the important point is that every American should be free to cast their vote on who they want to govern us for the upcoming years. In practice, this is not the case. There are countless American's who have been denied a voice in choosing our government officials. I say all of this in the hopes that anyone reading who has not yet voted will be persuaded to do so but also because this very right that Americans have carries great significance in this month's subject. We are going to be talking about Cheif Joseph of the Nez Perce. An American legend whose actions and tremendous character deserve him a more notable spot in American history. Chief Joseph lead a band of Nez Perce people in the Wallowa Valley of eastern Oregon. His people's land and their way of life were encroached upon unlawfully for years by white settlers and despite this, he maintained a diplomatic and peaceful approach to resolving these problems up until it was no longer possible to do so.  We hope you gain an appreciation for his story and a desire to learn more about Cheif Joseph and the history of the American federal government's interactions with Native American tribes. Thanks again for listening.

Happy October listeners! We decided to turn into the darker side of the season and talk about a historical figure that is known only for their grotesque behavior and inhumanity, Ed Gein.  In this episode, we talk about graphic imagery regarding the desecration of corpses so if that's something you don't want to listen to skip forward starting at 45minutes to about 1 hour 10 minutes. Or listen to an older episode for this month.  Part three topics include defining evil, tribalism, and the improper use of religion to abuse others. Thanks for listening and as always please rate us on Itunes or whatever app you use.

Sorry for the delay folks but we've got September's historical figure finally up. It's King Philip II of Macedon. He is most commonly known as the father of Alexander the Great but Philip's ascension of power should be rightfully acknowledged for its own importance in shaping European and Middle Eastern culture for the centuries following his rule. Also in the Nick mentions a book describing greek mercenaries around the time of Philip's rule. That book is the Anabasis

Episode Six! We finally got around to telling a story outside of European cultural roots, Mansa Musa. If you've heard his name it was probably because he is thought to have been the richest human being to have ever lived. The ruler of the Malian kingdom in Western Africa in the 14th century spent much of his reign building his empire into an economic and cultural epicenter rivaling many other countries of the time.  During a period in which European nations faced constant power struggles and had yet to leave fully leave the "Dark Ages", Mansa Musa's rule highlights many ways in which Muslim culture continued progress on philosophy, medicine, and historical recordings. Works Cited: Mansa Musa and the Empire of Mali by P. James Oliver o Mansa Musa: Leader of Mali by Lisa Zamosky o Wikipedia page: Musa I of Mali o Wikipedia page: Songhai Empire o https://www.history.com/news/who-was-the-richest-man-in-history-mansa-musa o https://www.mrdowling.com/609-mansamusa.html o o Timbuktu The Sahara's Fabled City of Gold

This is our Fourth of July episode! We decided to talk about a prominent but lesser known American figure.  Frances Perkins might best be known as the first female Secretary of Labor but her works reach so much beyond that title. Perkins led a life focused on improving the living conditions of the poorest of Americans and could be considered the architect of the New Deal. Her legacy is one of servitude and has many lessons we can apply to modern day.