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PODCAST

pplpod

pplpod is a podcast about people, places and lots of other stuff. Each episode takes a deep dive into the lives, choices, and legacies of fascinating figures from history, culture, music, and beyond. From icons who shaped entire generations to hidden stories that deserve the spotlight, pplpod brings you closer to the people behind the headlines and the legends.Thoughtful, engaging, and story-driven, pplpod explores what makes these lives extraordinary—and what we can learn from them today.

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All Episodes

39:06

Diego Rivera: Murals, Marx, and a Life Larger Than Life

pplpod ·

2026/01/18

This week on pplpod, we explore the colossal life and legacy of Diego Rivera (1886–1957), the Mexican painter whose massive frescoes helped establish the mural movement on an international stage,. We trace his artistic evolution from his early experiments with Cubism in Europe to his return to Mexico, where he painted stories of society and the 1910 Revolution on the walls of public buildings,,.Join us as we discuss:• The Masterpieces: From the Detroit Industry Murals to the famous Dream of a Sunday

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30:30

The Sword and the Brush: The Defiant Art of Artemisia...

pplpod ·

2026/01/18

In this episode, we explore the life and legacy of Artemisia Gentileschi (1593–1654), a towering figure of the Italian Baroque and one of the most accomplished artists of the 17th century. We trace her journey from her early training in Rome under her father, Orazio Gentileschi, to her groundbreaking achievement as the first woman accepted into the prestigious Accademia delle Arti del Disegno in Florence.We examine the traumatic event that long overshadowed her artistic achievements: her rape by

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32:03

Dorothy Hodgkin: The Nobel Chemist Who Revealed the...

pplpod ·

2026/01/18

In this episode of pplpod, we profile the extraordinary life of Dorothy Hodgkin, the pioneering English chemist who advanced the technique of X-ray crystallography to unlock the secrets of biomolecules. Join us as we examine how Hodgkin mapped the three-dimensional structures of penicillin and vitamin B12, discoveries that led to her becoming the only British woman to be awarded a Nobel Prize in the sciences,.We also explore the perseverance behind her 35-year quest to decipher the structure of

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31:37

Barbara McClintock: Maize, "Jumping Genes," and the...

pplpod ·

2026/01/18

In this episode of pplpod, we explore the solitary brilliance of Barbara McClintock (1902–1992), the cytogeneticist who revolutionized our understanding of DNA through her study of maize chromosomes. We discuss how McClintock’s meticulous research at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory led to the discovery of "controlling elements"—or transposons—revealing that genes could move within the genome and regulate physical traits.Join us as we cover:• The "Capacity to Be Alone": McClintock’s early life, her

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34:12

The Divine Genius of Srinivasa Ramanujan: Infinity,...

pplpod ·

2026/01/18

This week on pplpod, we dive into the extraordinary life of Srinivasa Ramanujan, a self-taught mathematical prodigy who rose from poverty in South India to become a Fellow of the Royal Society. Despite having almost no formal training in pure mathematics, Ramanujan made substantial contributions to number theory, infinite series, and continued fractions, solving problems that were previously considered unsolvable.Join us as we trace his journey from failing his college exams in Madras because he

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39:07

Enrico Fermi: The "Pope" of Physics & Architect of...

pplpod ·

2026/01/18

This week on pplpod, we explore the life of Enrico Fermi, the brilliant Italian-American physicist known as the "architect of the atomic bomb". Renowned as one of the few scientists to excel in both theoretical and experimental physics, Fermi was jokingly nicknamed "The Pope" by colleagues for his seeming infallibility.Join us as we trace Fermi's journey from a child prodigy in Rome teaching himself calculus from old Latin textbooks to leading the famous "Via Panisperna boys". We discuss the

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31:15

Francis Crick: Unlocking the Secret of Life, the...

pplpod ·

2026/01/18

In this episode of pplpod, we unravel the complex life of Francis Crick, the English physicist-turned-biologist who famously co-discovered the structure of DNA. Join us as we trace Crick’s journey from designing mines for the Admiralty during World War II to his pivot into biology, driven by a desire to bridge the gap between the non-living and the living,.We discuss the race against Linus Pauling to discover the structure of DNA and how Crick’s partnership with James Watson at Cambridge led to the

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33:27

Marie Tharp: The "Girl Talk" That Mapped the Ocean Floor

pplpod ·

2026/01/18

In this episode of pplpod, we explore the life of Marie Tharp, the pioneering geologist and cartographer whose work fundamentally changed our understanding of Earth. Despite being barred from working on research ships due to her gender, Tharp used data collected by others to co-produce the first scientific map of the Atlantic Ocean floor in the 1950s.We discuss her groundbreaking discovery of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the rift valley, which provided crucial evidence for the controversial theories

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31:43

The First Lady of Physics: Chien-Shiung Wu

pplpod ·

2026/01/18

In this episode of pplpod, we explore the groundbreaking life and career of Chien-Shiung Wu, a pioneering experimental physicist known as the "Chinese Marie Curie" and the "Queen of Nuclear Research". From her early days as a student leader in China to her arrival in the United States on the SS President Hoover, we trace Wu’s journey to becoming one of the most important figures in 20th-century physics.Tune in to learn about:• The Manhattan Project: How Wu’s expertise in beta decay and the

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27:44

Caravaggio: The Murderous Master of Light and Shadow

pplpod ·

2026/01/18

In this episode of pplpod, we explore the tumultuous life and revolutionary art of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. Born in Milan in 1571, Caravaggio rose from poverty to become the most famous painter in Rome, fundamentally changing Western art with his dramatic use of tenebrism—a high-contrast style of light and shadow. We discuss how he shocked the establishment by using prostitutes and laborers as models for his religious masterpieces, eschewing idealized forms for gritty naturalism.However,

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26:06

Yayoi Kusama: Polka Dots, Pumpkins, and the Art of...

pplpod ·

2026/01/18

In this episode of pplpod, we dive into the infinite world of Yayoi Kusama, the contemporary Japanese artist known for her obsession with polka dots and "infinity nets",. We explore her traumatic childhood in Matsumoto, where vivid hallucinations of dots consuming her surroundings became the foundation of her artistic style,.Join us as we track her move to New York City in the late 1950s, where she became a leader in the avant-garde scene, influencing contemporaries like Andy Warhol and Claes

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38:41

The Banksy Effect: Anarchy, Anonymity, and the Art of...

pplpod ·

2026/01/18

In this episode of pplpod, we attempt to unmask the enigma of Banksy, the pseudonymous England-based street artist and political activist whose real identity remains the subject of intense speculation. Join us as we examine the leading theories behind the mask—from the geographic profiling of Robin Gunningham to rumors involving Massive Attack’s Robert Del Naja—and trace the artist's roots in the 1990s Bristol underground scene.We dive deep into Banksy's evolution from a freehand graffiti writer to

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39:46

Oscar Wilde: The Wit, The Scandal, and The Tragedy

pplpod ·

2026/01/18

In this episode of pplpod, we explore the flamboyant life and dramatic fall of Oscar Wilde, the Irish poet and playwright regarded by many as the greatest dramatist of the Victorian era. We trace his journey from his roots as the son of Dublin intellectuals to his time as a brilliant scholar at Oxford, where he became a key figure in the rising Aesthetic movement. You’ll hear about his dazzling rise in London society, his lecture tours in North America, and the creation of his literary masterpieces,

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24:35

I, Too, Sing America: The Life and Legacy of Langston...

pplpod ·

2026/01/18

Join us for a deep dive into the life of James Mercer Langston Hughes, a central leader of the Harlem Renaissance and a pioneering innovator of jazz poetry. Born in 1901 in Joplin, Missouri, Hughes was raised primarily by his grandmother, who instilled in him a deep sense of racial pride that would define his literary career.In this episode, we explore:• The Making of a Poet: How a childhood stereotype about African Americans having "rhythm" led to his election as class poet, sparking a lifelong

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32:16

The Blood Jet: The Art, Anguish, and Legacy of Sylvia...

pplpod ·

2026/01/18

In this episode, we dive into the life of Sylvia Plath, the American writer credited with advancing the genre of confessional poetry. From her academic excellence at Smith College to the "domestic surreal" of her final months, we explore how Plath transformed her personal trauma into enduring art,.Tune in as we discuss:A Star on the Rise: Plath’s early drive to succeed, her time as a Fulbright scholar at Cambridge, and her passionate, tumultuous marriage to fellow poet Ted Hughes,,,.The Bell Jar:

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35:37

A Lover's Quarrel with the World: The Darker Truth...

pplpod ·

2026/01/18

Join us for a deep dive into the life and works of Robert Frost, the most celebrated American poet of the 20th century. While often remembered as a genial, "homespun New England rustic," this episode reveals the "desperate, frightened, and brave" modernist beneath the surface.We trace Frost’s journey from his birth in San Francisco to his unsuccessful years farming in New Hampshire, and finally to his literary breakthrough in England. Discover how a man "plagued by grief and loss"—enduring the

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37:13

America’s World Poet: The Life, Controversy, and...

pplpod ·

2026/01/18

Join us as we explore the life of Walt Whitman, the writer considered one of the most influential poets in both American and world literature. We trace his journey from a working-class childhood in Brooklyn and Long Island to his pivotal role as a volunteer nurse in Washington, D.C. during the Civil War, an experience that deeply shaped his poetry,,. Listeners will discover the history behind his magnum opus, Leaves of Grass, which he self-financed and revised until his death in 1892; though

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42:30

The Woman in White: Slant Rhymes, Secret Letters, and...

pplpod ·

2026/01/18

Join us for a deep dive into the enigmatic life of Emily Dickinson (1830–1886), the prolific American poet who lived in relative isolation in Amherst, Massachusetts,. Though known locally as "the Myth" and remembered for wearing only white clothing in her later years, , Dickinson created a revolutionary body of work that remained largely hidden until after her death.In this episode, we explore:• The Recluse of Amherst: We examine Dickinson's withdrawal from society, her refusal to leave her family’s

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34:11

From Silence to Song: The Life and Legacy of Maya...

pplpod ·

2026/01/18

In this episode, we explore the extraordinary journey of Maya Angelou, an American memoirist, poet, and civil rights activist who transformed her personal pain into a global legacy. Born Marguerite Annie Johnson in 1928, Angelou overcame a traumatic childhood in St. Louis and Arkansas, including a sexual assault at age eight that led her to become mute for nearly five years,. We trace her path from those early years of silence to her diverse career as San Francisco’s first Black female streetcar

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26:20

Beyond the Mockingbird: The Silence, Success, and...

pplpod ·

2026/01/18

In this episode, we profile Nelle Harper Lee, the literary icon whose 1960 novel To Kill a Mockingbird won the Pulitzer Prize and became a classic of modern American literature,. Join us as we explore how the daughter of a Monroeville, Alabama lawyer drew upon her family and childhood friendship with Truman Capote to create the world of Maycomb,.We dig deep into the fascinating and sometimes controversial history of her career, covering:• The Rewrite: How a critical editor, Tay Hohoff, guided Lee

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1,906 results

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