Season 2, Witness of the Times, Episode 9 – “Alexandria: The Soul of a City”

🎧 Show Notes – Witness of the Times

In this sweeping episode, we explore the rise—and eventual decline—of one of the most remarkable cities in human history: Alexandria, Egypt. Founded in 332 BC by Alexander the Great, Alexandria was built from the ground up with the ambition to become the intellectual, cultural, and naval heart of the Mediterranean. It boasted two harbors, the legendary Lighthouse of Pharos, and the world-renowned Library of Alexandria—home to over 500,000 scrolls and many of history’s greatest minds, from Euclid to Eratosthenes, and Hypatia. But Alexandria's greatness wasn’t just in architecture or scholarship—it was in its embrace of multiculturalism, tolerance, and the free exchange of ideas. Ultimately, it was the loss of those values, not fire alone, that led to the city's slow death. Join us as we trace Alexandria’s breathtaking rise and sobering fall—a lesson in what happens when knowledge is sacrificed and tolerance extinguished.

Connect with Us: If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to rate and review Witness of The Times on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. Every positive review helps new listeners find the show. We also want to hear from you! Send us your questions about the stories we profile. You can email us at [email protected]. You can find us on Facebook at Witness of the Times.

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Thank you for joining us on this incredible journey through history with Witness of The Times. We can't wait to share more enthralling stories with you in upcoming episodes.

🎙️ Witness of the Times – Season 2, Episode 8

In Episode 8, Dr. Bruce Baker continues our three-part arc on the cities that stood in the way of Rome's domination of the Mediterranean—Mare Nostrum. This week, we turn to Massalia (modern-day Marseille), a proud Greek colony and once-great trading power.

Founded by Anatolian Greeks, Massalia allied early with Rome—but when the Roman Republic collapsed into civil war, the city had to choose between Caesar and Pompey. It chose wrong. In this epic tale of siege warfare, naval blockades, political maneuvering, and shifting allegiances, Dr. Baker unpacks how this peaceful maritime republic became collateral damage in Caesar’s march to power.

Don’t miss the turning point where trade, loyalty, and empire collided.

Connect with Us: If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to rate and review Witness of The Times on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. Every positive review helps new listeners find the show. We also want to hear from you! Send us your questions about the stories we profile. You can email us at [email protected]. You can find us on Facebook at Witness of the Times.

Credits:

Thank you for joining us on this incredible journey through history with Witness of The Times. We can't wait to share more enthralling stories with you in upcoming episodes.

Witness of the Times – Season 2, Episode 7

In this sweeping episode, Dr. Bruce Baker traces the rise and fall of one of the most powerful cities of the ancient world—Carthage. Once a thriving hub of trade, innovation, and naval dominance, Carthage was born from Phoenician roots and flourished as the jewel of the western Mediterranean. From its founding by Queen Dido to its clashes with Greek colonies and eventual transformation into a republic, Carthage rivaled even Rome in might.

But power struggles, shifting alliances, and one of the most epic military rivalries in history—the Punic Wars—would change everything. Dr. Baker explores how Carthage’s military genius Hannibal came devastatingly close to defeating Rome, and how the tides turned at Zama.

This is the story of how Rome claimed Mare Nostrum—"our sea"—and why Carthage, despite its greatness, was destined to fall. Don’t miss it.

Connect with Us: If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to rate and review Witness of The Times on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. Every positive review helps new listeners find the show. We also want to hear from you! Send us your questions about the stories we profile. You can email us at [email protected]. You can find us on Facebook at Witness of the Times.

Credits:

Thank you for joining us on this incredible journey through history with Witness of The Times. We can't wait to share more enthralling stories with you in upcoming episodes.

Witness of the Times – Bonus Episode: Listener Q&A

Welcome to a special bonus episode of Witness of the Times! We're at the halfway point of Season Two, and we wanted to pause and answer a couple of excellent listener questions that came in after Episode 5, which explored the Babylonian origins of timekeeping.

Today, we’ll dig into why February is so short—and yes, it involves Roman superstition, royal egos, and a few missteps in ancient math. We’ll also explore how the Jewish calendar differs from the Gregorian one, and whether its roots also reach back to Babylonian astronomy.

This episode is our way of thanking you for your curiosity and support. If you have a question, you'd like us to explore, email us at [email protected] or message us on Facebook at Witness of the Times.

Connect with Us: If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to rate and review Witness of The Times on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. Every positive review helps new listeners find the show. We also want to hear from you! Send us your questions about the stories we profile. You can email us at [email protected]. You can find us on Facebook at Witness of the Times.

Credits:

Thank you for joining us on this incredible journey through history with Witness of The Times. We can't wait to share more enthralling stories with you in upcoming episodes.

Season 2, Episode 6 – Why Mesopotamia? The Land Between the Rivers That Built the World

In this episode—the final part of our mini-series on the origins of history—we ask a deceptively simple question: Why did civilization begin in Mesopotamia? Dr. Bruce Baker explores why this region, nestled between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, became the cradle of human advancement. From the agricultural revolution that fed cities to innovations in irrigation, trade, governance, writing, and architecture—Mesopotamia birthed the foundational elements of civilization. We unpack how the abundance of water first gave rise to settlement and surplus, and how the loss of that abundance forced humanity’s first great innovations. From Sumer to Babylon, ziggurats to laws, priest-kings to written codes—this was mankind’s first golden age. Don’t miss this insightful journey into why here and why then.

Connect with Us: If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to rate and review Witness of The Times on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. Every positive review helps new listeners find the show. We also want to hear from you! Send us your questions about the stories we profile. You can email us at [email protected]. You can find us on Facebook at Witness of the Times.

Credits:

Thank you for joining us on this incredible journey through history with Witness of The Times. We can't wait to share more enthralling stories with you in upcoming episodes.

In this episode of Witness of The Times, Dr. Bruce Baker picks up where he left off in Episode 4—exploring the origins of history itself. If writing gave us a way to record our past, it was the Babylonians who gave us the tools to measure when those events occurred. In this fascinating installment, we journey through the development of ancient timekeeping—from shadow clocks and water clocks to the Babylonians’ creation of the sexagesimal system, still used today to measure hours, minutes, and seconds. Dr. Baker explains how their astronomical observations and mathematical ingenuity turned time into a quantifiable—and highly valuable—commodity. From lunar cycles to political calendar tweaks (like why February is so short), this episode uncovers the innovations that made true history possible

Connect with Us: If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to rate and review Witness of The Times on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. Every positive review helps new listeners find the show. We also want to hear from you! Send us your questions about the stories we profile. You can email us at [email protected]. You can find us on Facebook at Witness of the Times.

Credits:

Thank you for joining us on this incredible journey through history with Witness of The Times. We can't wait to share more enthralling stories with you in upcoming episodes.

 Season 2,Witness of the Times: Episode 4: When History Began: The Invention of the Past

Hi folk’s Marc here, Welcome back to Witness of the Times. In today’s episode, we’re taking a step back… wayback. Dr. Bruce Baker joins us to unpack a question we rarely stop to ask: What is history? When did it begin, who started keeping it, and what does it really take for something to become… historical? In part one of this three-episode arc, we travel from prehistoric settlements to Sumerian scrolls, peeling back the layers of humanity’s earliest attempts to record time, trade, and tales. From copper chisels in Serbia to beer receipts in Mesopotamia, it’s a fascinating look at the dawn of written memory. So, settle in—because understanding where history begins might just change how you see the present. Welcome to Witness of the Times.

Connect with Us: If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to rate and review Witness of The Times on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. Every positive review helps new listeners find the show. We also want to hear from you! Send us your questions about the stories we profile. You can email us at [email protected]. You can find us on Facebook at Witness of the Times.

Credits:

Thank you for joining us on this incredible journey through history with Witness of The Times. We can't wait to share more enthralling stories with you in upcoming episodes.

🎙️ Witness of the Times

Season 2, Episode 3 – The Girl Who Ran: Bobby Gibb and the Marathon That Changed Everything

Hi folks, Marc here. In the inspiring conclusion to our three-part series on trailblazing women who defied societal restrictions, Dr. Bruce Baker will explore the groundbreaking story of Roberta “Bobby” Gibb—the first woman to ever run and finish the Boston Marathon, despite being officially denied the opportunity.  Following our episodes on Dr. Mary Edwards Walker and the Soviet Union’s Night Witches, this final installment highlights how Bobby Gibb's courageous act reshaped public perception about gender and athletic ability. Raised in a Boston suburb and inspired by the annual tradition of the marathon, Bobby Gibb began training in secret, wearing nurse’s shoes and running up to 40 miles a day, determined to prove that women werecapable of endurance sports—even as the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) explicitly barred them from such competition. Denied entry into the 1966 race because women were deemed "physiologically incapable" of running a marathon. Gibb would return to run again in 1967 and 1968, each time finishing as the top woman. But it wasn’t until 1972 that the Boston Marathon officially allowed women to compete—and until 1996 that Bobby was formally recognized as a three-time winner. In 2021, a bronze statue titled “The Girl Who Ran”—designed by Gibb herself—was unveiled in Hopkinton, commemorating her historic start. Welcome to Witness of the Times!

Connect with Us: If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to rate and review Witness of The Times on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. Every positive review helps new listeners find the show. We also want to hear from you! Send us your questions about the stories we profile. You can email us at [email protected]. You can find us on Facebook at Witness of the Times.

Credits:

Thank you for joining us on this incredible journey through history with Witness of The Times. We can't wait to share more enthralling stories with you in upcoming episodes.

 Witness of The Times – Season 2, Episode 2: Marina Raskova & the Night Witches

Hi folk’s, Marc here. In this powerful episode of Witness of The Times, Dr. Bruce Baker takes us on an unforgettable journey into the extraordinary lives of the 588th Night Bomber Regiment—better known as the Night Witches—and the trailblazing Soviet pilot Marina Raskova, who made their missions possible. Following last episode’s exploration of Mary Edwards Walker, the only female recipient of the U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor, we now shift from the battlefields of the American Civil War to the icy skies of World War II’s Eastern Front.

Through gripping narration and historical insights, Dr. Baker reveals how, despite centuries of exclusion from direct combat roles, women in the Soviet Union broke barriers to become frontline aviators. These fearless women piloted fragile, open-cockpit biplanes in daring night raids that terrorized German forces and earned them a chilling nickname from their enemies: the Night Witches. This episode honors the courage, ingenuity, and indomitable spirit of the women who defied expectations and changed history. Welcome to Witness of the Times.

Connect with Us: If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to rate and review Witness of The Times on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. Every positive review helps new listeners find the show. We also want to hear from you! Send us your questions about the stories we profile. You can email us at [email protected]. You can find us on Facebook at Witness of the Times.

Credits:

Thank you for joining us on this incredible journey through history with Witness of The Times. We can't wait to share more enthralling stories with you in upcoming episodes.

Season 2, Episode 1: The Courage of Dr. Mary Edwards Walker

Hi folk’s Marc here, launching Season 2 of Witness of the Times. This season, we’re broadening our scope—as Dr. Bruce Baker will bring you incredible stories from across the globe that deserve more attention. Dr. Baker kicks things off with a gripping tale of bravery: the life of Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, the only female recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor. Her story is one of relentless determination—breaking barriers in medicine, defying gender norms, and risking her life on the battlefield during the Civil War. From being arrested as a spy to fighting for women's rights and dress reform, Walker’s legacy is a testament to what it means to stand firm in your convictions, no matter the personal cost. In this episode, we dive into her heroic acts, the controversies she sparked, and her hard-won recognition—decades after her death. Join Dr. Baker as he explores courage in its many forms and discover why Dr. Walker’s name still inspires us today. Welcome to Witness of the Times!

Connect with Us: If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to rate and review Witness of The Times on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. Every positive review helps new listeners find the show. We also want to hear from you! Send us your questions about the stories we profile. You can email us at [email protected]. You can find us on Facebook at Witness of the Times.

Credits:

Thank you for joining us on this incredible journey through history with Witness of The Times. We can't wait to share more enthralling stories with you in upcoming episodes.