The Apple and The Hero

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“Beware, lest this very spot where we are now encamped get its name from the calamity that shall befall your army and transmit the memory of it to your children’s children!”
Bold words, spoken by the chief of a small, almost forgotten tribe to none other than Julius Caesar.
It was with such a declaration that Divico, chief of the Tigurini, sealed his fate and that of his people in life, eternalising them all into legend!
Let's go meet the ancestors of modern Swiss people, who chose to die free rather than live under someone else's rule.

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"Tierra, tierra!"
When the lookout from the Pinta yelled that he had seen the coast, little did Columbus and his men know that what seemed 'terra incognita' had been already discovered and colonised centuries before.
In this episode we follow the longships of the first people to discover and settle the New World.
Welcome, to the Age of the Vikings!

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Choices made by someone else have the power to shape our own lives. Sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. 
His father's choice had left Vlad III stranded at the Ottoman's court, preparing the soil for the horrors which were to come. 
In this second and last part, we're going to see how Vlad III gained the bloodthirsty nickname of "The Impaler" and how a simple invention shaped up the image we have of this voivode of Wallachia.

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Bloodthirsty monster or hero of a nation? Sometimes, in history, those are two sides of the same coin. The character we know now as the Prince of Darkness, the ultimate vampire, Dracula had a pretty human beginning.
In this episode we're going to see the start of that story, how the choices of others shaped up the life of one child.
Welcome to Wallachia, and the story of Vlad III Dracul!

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“You must never come look for me on a Saturday, or everything will be lost to you forever!”
These were the words spoken by Melusine, as she accepted the courtship of Raymondin count of Poitou. 
This kind of story, where one of the main characters accepts a proposal only if specific conditions are met is as old as it is familiar to us. We know that if the promise is upheld then love and fortune will abound, but if the vow is broken, then all is lost with or without the chance at redemption, depending on the tale.

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In the last episode we saw the beginnings of the story of Giuseppe Garibaldi. Now, in this second and final part we’re going to delve deeply into the explosive history of the 19th century in Europe and see how the charisma of one man - aided by the sacrifices and machinations of many others - have all played a part in unifying Italy for the first time since the Roman Empire!

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"We either make Italy here, or we die!" With these words Giuseppe Garibaldi transcended history and reached legend! For the Italians he is the man who gave us Italy, but he would have described himself as a cosmopolitan hero fighting for the cause of freedom all over the world. In the first part of this two-parts episode we’re going to travel in South America and alongside Garibaldi fight the battles for freedom which gave him the name 'Hero of Two Worlds'.

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With a single shot he cleaved an apple in two and carved his place into history and legend! Most people in the Wester World have heard, even if just in passing, the name William Tell. But who was he really? Did he really manage to hit an apple on the head of his son?
If you want these, and many more, questions answered, travel with me! We will delve into the history of the Apple Shot, how it evolved and we'll see the many objects used as target practice during the centuries. I'll introduce you the bowmen to whom William Tell owes his legend and we'll talk about the role this hero has had in the shaping of the Helvetic Confederation both in the past and today. 

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Hello fellow travellers, and welcome to The Apple and The Hero!
If you are ready to explore a history that sometimes feels more like a comic book, then come with me Doctor Sara Orfali as I take you to meet the heroes, legends and myths on which Europe was founded. 
Join me at The Apple and The Hero, streaming from November 16, on Apple Podcast, Spotify and Youtube! Subscribe now and get the episodes as soon as they’re live!