Fascinating People, Fascinating Places

Mauritania, one of Africa’s largest yet least talked about countries holds a dark secret: slavery. While slavery in various forms continues to exist around the world, in Mauritania its on a massive scale having been woven into the very fabric of society. In fact, the loathsome practice was only criminalized 15 years ago. But whereas the emancipation proclamation and subsequent events in the US eventually led to the visible liberation of milions of people, the new law in Mauritania had no such effect. Indeed, the government quickly moved on from criminalizing the trade to claiming there were no slaves in the country. Those suggesting otherwise risked harassment and arrest while the practitioners of the trade were largely undisturbed. But the situation is starting to improve in part because of the work of organizations such as anti slavery international. An entity founded in 1837 and designed to bring an end to the Atlantic slave trade. Almost two hundreds years later, despite much success, the groups work is not done, as  Emma Cain Programme Quality and Impact Manager explained to me. Learn more at and help fight slavery today by going to AntiSlavery.org Music: Pixabay --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/daniel-mainwaring5/message

In May 1930, a young English woman from Yorkshire arrived in Sydney, Australia she received a welcome fit for a Queen. Amy Johnson had become the first female pilot to fly from the United Kingdom to Australia. It was a remarkable feat for the 26 year old aviator who was born the same year the Wright brothers launched the first flight. It was also a notable achievement for a British woman considering that just two years earlier most women (Johnson included) weren’t even allowed to vote. In this episode I explore the life of the extraordinary aviator, from her childhood through her greatest triumphs up until her tragic and still controversial death. Music: Pixabay Film: Amy Johnson speaks with Jim Mollison, her husband, before her departure on solo flight to the Cape.  On this day in 1930, Amy Johnson became the 1st woman to fly solo from England to Australia. Big City down under gives courageous girl flyer big reception. Amy Johnson makes a lovely speech. Amy Johnson discusses plans for her tour British Movietone. Public Domain Polygoon Hollands Nieuws (producent) / Nederlands Instituut voor Beeld en Geluid (beheerder) Public Domain --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/daniel-mainwaring5/message

On 6 May 1937, four camera crews were on hand as the German Zeppelin airship the Hindenburg burst into flames. Separately, radio journalist Herbert Morrison was on the scene and his commentary of the event is forever associated with the tragedy. In this episode, I explore the Hindenburg disaster. What went wrong? What did it mean for Nazi Germany? And what was the dark past of one of its victims Ernest Lehman. Sound & Music Richard Wagner Ride of the Valkyries Conductor: James Allen Gähres Ensemble: Ulm Philharmonic Location: CCU Einsteinsaal, Ulm EFF Open Audio License - version 1 June 2014 Richard Wagner Ride of the Valkyries Public Domain Richard Straus "Wiener Blut", a waltz by Johann Strauss II Public Domain Mahler Symphony No. 5, IV. Adagietto.ogg Peabody Symphonyt Orchestra Public Domain November 19 2006 Pixabay Herbert Morrison WLS-AM Radio in Chicago (19:25, 6 May 1937, EST) Public Domain Photo: By Murray Becker/Associated Press - eBayfrontback, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27765273 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/daniel-mainwaring5/message

Having been lost to history for 3,000 years, Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun became a household name in 1922 when British Archaeologist Howard Carter excavated his tomb. But who was the man behind the iconic golden mask? What treasures were found in his tomb? and what is the truth behind the curse of Tutankhamun? Music by Pixabay --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/daniel-mainwaring5/message

Some 1500 years after Alaric led the Visigoths in the sacking of Rome, the eternal city was braced for another invasion. There was talk of as many as a million supporters of fascist politician Benito Mussolini, seizing power by force. What followed was simultaneously anti climactic and yet profoundly significant. In this episode I recount the 1922 March on Rome. Music from Pixabay --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/daniel-mainwaring5/message

In September 1972, the Olympic Motto “Faster, Higher, Stronger,” became an irrelevance as the world’s greatest sporting event was ravaged by violence and bloodshed as the Palestinian Black September group massacred 11 members of the Israeli delegation. In this episode, I discuss the Munich Massacre. Why it happened, how it happened, and whether it could have been prevented. Music by Pixabay --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/daniel-mainwaring5/message

Episode 3 of 3 As the Cold War was winding down, a group of 11 East European teenagers -- barely known to each other -- appeared on the playground at St. Mary's Roman Catholic School in Bishop's Stortford, a quiet town 30 miles from London. How would the town, and their new classmates react to their arrival? And why had they come? In this peculiar three-part story, I recount a tale of daredevil escape, a fake passport, war, the end of communism, and the remarkable story of these 11 people. Music: Pixabay Featured Guests: Kazik Bem, Neil Rodrigues, Marta Kazmierska-Skupinska, --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/daniel-mainwaring5/message

Episode 2 of 3 As the Cold War was winding down, a group of 11 East European teenagers -- barely known to each other -- appeared on the playground at St. Mary's Roman Catholic School in Bishop's Stortford, a quiet town 30 miles from London. How would the town, and their new classmates react to their arrival? And why had they come? In this peculiar three-part story, I recount a tale of daredevil escape, a fake passport, war, the end of communism, and the remarkable story of these 11 people. Music: Pixabay Featured Guests: Kazik Bem, Neil Rodrigues, Marta Kazmierska-Skupinska, Tony Wood --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/daniel-mainwaring5/message

As the Cold War was winding down, a group of 11 East European teenagers -- barely known to each other -- appeared on the playground at St. Mary's Roman Catholic School in Bishop's Stortford, a quiet town 30 miles from London. How would the town, and their new classmates react to their arrival? And why had they come? In this peculiar three-part story, I recount a tale of daredevil escape, a fake passport, war, the end of communism, and the remarkable story of these 11 people. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/daniel-mainwaring5/message

Wagga Wagga: World War 1 Stories On commemorative occasion such as Anzac and Memorial Day, we inevitably reflect on the service of prior generations in The First World War as well as other conflicts. But while these service men and women fought bravely during the conflict, how did the war fit in with their broader lives? Its a topic that Historian Ian Hodges of The Australian Department of Veteran’s affairs has been exploring with regard to World War I. The conflict that saw Australia forge a national identity distinct from the broader British Empire and one that saw the creation of The Australian Imperial Force the nation’s first military force equipped for overseas conflict. To show the affect of the war he focused on one particular city located about 300 miles inland from Australia. It’s somewhat off the beaten bath and a name few outside South Eastern Australia are probably familiar with. Is it pronounced Wagga Wagga? Guest Expert: Ian Hodges of The Australian Department of Veteran’s Affairs Picture: Dept of Lands, Sydney - cropped from old map "County of Wynyard, New South Wales, 1897" at the National Library of Australia, located here Wagga Wagga in 1897 Public Domain File:Wagga Wagga map 1897.jpg Created: 1 January 1897 Music: English: Elgar; Enigma variations, Theme IX. Nimrod Date 1 January 1947 Source https://archive.org/details/EdwardElgar-EnigmaVariations/01ThemeI.C.a.e..mp3 Author John Barbirolli Halle Orchestra, Public Domain --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/daniel-mainwaring5/message

Robespierre: The Reign of Terror On 21 January 1793, a gruesome scene unfolded at the place de la revolution in Paris. After attempting to address the crowd only to have his words drowned out by drums, King Louis XVI the King of France was decapitated by the Guillotine. Spectators rushed forward and soaked their handkerchiefs in his blood to create a macabre souvenir of the event. A critical figure in the demise of Louis XVI was the revolutionary Maximilien Robespierre. He had argued that giving the King a trial would undermine the Republic. His fate was already sealed. As he put it, Louis must perish because our country must live. But just one year later, the incorruptible revolutionary, and reformer would meet the same fate on the very same spot. In this episode, I examine the life or Maximilian Robespierre, his development from a precocious child into a lawyer, then a revolutionary and ultimately – in the eyes of many – a tyrant. SPECIAL GUEST:  Marisa Linton Professor Emerita at Kingston University in London. I am a historian of the French Revolution, also eighteenth-century politics and the Enlightenment. I have written numerous books and articles on the politics of the French Revolution, including, Choosing Terror: Virtue, Friendship and Authenticity in the French Revolution (Oxford University Press, 2013), and, most recently, Terror: The French Revolution and its Demons, with Michel Biard (Polity Press, 2021). I also work as a historical consultant. I am currently working on a study of four leaders of the French Revolution – Maximilien Robespierre, Georges Danton, Louis-Antoine Saint-Just, and Camille Desmoulins. Music: Pixabay Picture: Portrait of Maximilien Robespierre, artist unknown. Public Domain --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/daniel-mainwaring5/message

On the periphery of the Malian city of Gao, close to the banks of the River Niger, sits an extraordinary pyramid-like structure. Standing 17 meters tall, and reportedly constructed with mud and wood shipped in from Mecca, some 7,000 kilometers away, it is known as the Tomb of Askia. And is believed to be the last resting place of Askia Mohamed I a man who ruled one of Africa’s largest yet less remembered superstates: The Songhai Empire. In this episode, I detail the key events in the meteoric rise and the spectacular demise of this extraordinary empire. And I talk to an expert, professor Mauro Nobili of the Univ of Illinois. His areas of expertise include Mali, Islam, and Arabic manuscripts in West Africa. His published works include Sultan, Caliph, and renewer of the faith Ahmad Lobbo, the Tārīkh al-fattāsh, and the making of an Islamic state in West Africa.Guest speaker: Prof. Mauro Nobili University of Illinois Urbana ChampaignGuest Bio: I am a historian of pre-colonial and early-colonial West Africa, with a specific interest in the area of the modern Republic of Mali and the town of Timbuktu. My special focus is on Muslim societies of the region and their Arabic manuscript heritage. I conduct research in several collections of Arabic manuscripts from West Africa, stored in public or private libraries in Africa (Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Niger, Ghana, and Ivory Coast), Europe (Denmark and France), and North America (USA). I have worked and published on topics linked to Arabic calligraphies and script styles, Islamic eschatology, genealogies, and the West African chronicle tradition.  My current project is an original study of the Timbuktu chronicle known as the Tārīkh al-fattāsh. The chronicle’s complex genesis and authorship is still shrouded in mystery. Notwithstanding the efforts of several scholars, the major obstacle has been the limited access to the actual manuscripts of the chronicle. My research thus comprises an effort to collect all the available manuscript copies of the Tārīkh al-fattāsh, on the basis of which I am producing an innovative analysis of the text. My study is revealing that the Tārīkh al-fattāsh is a novel chronicle written in the 19th century, and not the effort of three generations of scholars who worked on it starting from the early 16th century and eventually interpolated in the 19th century, as previously advanced by most scholars. This 19th-century Tārīkh al-fattāsh was composed by a substantial rework of a 17th-century anonymous work. The manuscripts available allow for a new, comparative edition of the two texts. My work is re-instating the two works to their historical periods and, by throwing light on the political and ideological motivations that lie under their production, as well as the usage of the chronicle themselves, is contributing to improving our knowledge of the intellectual history of West Africa, from the post-medieval period to the immediate pre-colonial time.Mauro's selected works: Amazon booksThe following music was used for this media project:Music: Heroes Of A Thousand Battles by MusicLFilesFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/8099-heroes-of-a-thousand-battlesLicense (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseArtist website: https://cemmusicproject.wixsite.com/musiclibraryfilesPhoto: The Tomb of Askia  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/daniel-mainwaring5/message

In the years after World War II, hundreds of millions of Africans experienced newfound independence after decades or in some cases centuries of Colonialism.  But in South Africa, the descendants of white settlers, and other European immigrants increased the subjugation of 90 percent of the populace through overtly racist policies under the umbrella term of Apartheid. During the Apartheid era, non-whites couldn't vote, marry, go to school with, or live alongside whites. Many also lost citizenship rights in their own nation.Gabeba Baderoon grew up in this era but as a young woman saw the end of Apartheid.  She is now an Associate Professor of  Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies, and African Studies at Penn State. Gabeba is also an award-winning poet. In this episode, I talk to Gabeba about South African society under apartheid both broadly and from her own personal experiences.Gabeba Baderoon's work: Amazon profileMusic: PixabayPhoto: An example Apartheid segregation photo 12345 Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/daniel-mainwaring5/message

On the 29 April 1770, two men attempted to stop the disembarkation of a group of strange and unwelcome visitors on a beach in what came to be known as Botany Bay in Australia. The interlopers were lead by Captain James Cook of the British Royal Navy, and they were the first Europeans to make landfall in Eastern Australia. This incident had huge ramifications not just for the native Australians but also for people 10,000 miles away in Britain. With the so-called bloody code in force, Britons could face the death penalty for over 200 hundred offences. But the government lacked the infrastructure and the public the appetite for execution on an industrial scale. Australia provided a new avenue for the punishment of criminals. In this episode I discuss penal transportation with historian Brad Manera, Senior Historian and Curator of the Anzac Memorial in Hyde Park, Sydney. He co-authored Australia’s submission to UNESCO which resulted in 11 penal transportation locations in the being listed as World Heritage sites. I began our conversation by asking him to explain the origins of Britain’s Australian colonies. Music: Pixabay Picture: A Guard tower at Port Arthur Penal colony, Tasmania Mundoo Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 Port Arthur Guard tower.jpg --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/daniel-mainwaring5/message

In the 18th and 19th centuries, Britons were subject to a penal system including up to 220 crimes punishable by death. These offences ranged from murder to theft, from arson to wearing blackface while poaching. Even young children, were subject to these draconian penalties. In this episode I explore the era of the so-called "bloody code" and explain how it developed, the level of enforcement, and the reasons for its demise. In this documentary style episode I interview two experts on this era in British History. Dr. Simon Devereaux Associate Professor (History) and Undergraduate Advisor at the University of Victoria Creator of the website The Old Bailey Condemned, 1730-1837 The Visitations of Horace Cotton, Ordinary of Newgate, 1823-1838 (London Records Society, forthcoming) Dr. John Walliss is senior lecturer in criminology in the School of Social Sciences, Liverpool Hope University, UK. His works include: The Bloody Code in England and Wales, 1760–1830  https://lawcrimehistory.pubpub.org/pub/cb2hj558/release/1  https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/handle/10026.1/8937 Music and sound: Pixabay --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/daniel-mainwaring5/message