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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

27:47

Thomas Piketty: The "Rock Star" Economist on Wealth...

pplpod ·

2026/02/01

In this episode of pplpod, we profile Thomas Piketty, the influential French economist and professor at the Paris School of Economics and the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences. We dive into the massive success of his 2013 bestseller, Capital in the Twenty-First Century, which utilized 250 years of economic data to argue that the rate of return on capital persistently outpaces economic growth.We explore Piketty’s warning about the rise of "patrimonial capitalism," a system where a

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36:13

Max Weber: The Iron Cage, Bureaucracy, and the Spirit...

pplpod ·

2026/02/01

In this episode of pplpod, we explore the life and legacy of Max Weber, the German sociologist, jurist, and political economist who is regarded as one of the founding fathers of modern social science alongside Karl Marx and Émile Durkheim,. We trace Weber's journey from his upbringing in a politically active Berlin household to his time in the "Weber Circle" at Heidelberg, and the severe mental breakdown that forced him to withdraw from teaching for nearly two decades,,.We dive deep into Weber’s

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36:00

The Architect of Sociology: Émile Durkheim on Social...

pplpod ·

2026/02/01

In this episode of pplpod, we dive into the life and mind of the French sociologist Émile Durkheim (1858–1917). Often cited alongside Karl Marx and Max Weber as one of the principal architects of modern social science, Durkheim was the driving force behind establishing sociology as a distinct academic discipline with its own scientific methodology.Join us as we explore how Durkheim sought to understand the invisible forces that shape our lives and keep complex modern societies from falling apart.Key

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41:21

Beans, Triangles, and Cults: The Myth and Reality of...

pplpod ·

2026/02/01

In this episode of pplpod, we explore the life of Pythagoras of Samos, the ancient Greek philosopher and polymath famous for the mathematical theorem that bears his name. We investigate why modern scholars debate whether he actually made the discoveries attributed to him, noting that the Pythagorean theorem was likely known to the Babylonians centuries before his time. Tune in to learn about the secretive school he founded in Croton, where followers lived a communal, ascetic lifestyle and were

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28:17

The Prince Who Lost Everything: The Rise and Fall of...

pplpod ·

2026/02/01

In this episode of pplpod, we chronicle the dramatic trajectory of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (born Prince Andrew), tracing his journey from a celebrated Falklands War helicopter pilot to a disgraced figure stripped of his royal titles and exiled from public life,,.We explore his early years as the Queen’s "playboy" second son and his naval career, where he saw active duty and was deemed a "promising officer",. However, the narrative shifts to his catastrophic fall from grace, centered on his

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71:19

J. Edgar Hoover: The G-Man, The Secrets, and The...

pplpod ·

2026/02/01

In this episode of pplpod, we investigate the complex and controversial life of J. Edgar Hoover, the man who defined American law enforcement for nearly half a century. Serving as director for 48 years under eight different presidents, Hoover transformed a small bureau into the modern FBI, introducing scientific crime-fighting innovations like centralized fingerprint files and forensic laboratories. We track his rise from a young Department of Justice clerk organizing the Palmer Raids during the

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33:13

Pericles: The Architect of the Athenian Golden Age

pplpod ·

2026/02/01

In this episode of pplpod, we explore the life of Pericles, the celebrated Greek statesman and general who dominated Athenian politics during the city’s Golden Age (c. 461–429 BC). Acclaimed by the historian Thucydides as "the first citizen of Athens," Pericles is renowned for fostering democracy to such an extent that critics labeled him a populist, while simultaneously transforming the Delian League into a powerful Athenian empire,. We discuss his ambitious cultural projects, including the

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37:47

Sappho: The "Tenth Muse" and the Mystery of the Lost...

pplpod ·

2026/02/01

Join us on this episode of pplpod as we explore the life and legacy of Sappho, the ancient Greek poet from the island of Lesbos. Revered in antiquity as the "Tenth Muse" and "The Poetess," Sappho is famous for her lyric poetry, which was originally composed to be sung while accompanied by music. Although she likely wrote around 10,000 lines of verse, only about 650 lines survive today, mostly in fragments, with the "Ode to Aphrodite" remaining her only certainly complete poem.We dive into the "Great

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29:50

Coco Chanel: The Orphan Who Revolutionized Fashion...

pplpod ·

2026/02/01

In this episode of pplpod, we unravel the complex legacy of Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, the only fashion designer named to Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. We trace her dramatic rise from a childhood in a poorhouse and orphanage, where she first learned to sew, to her brief stint as a cabaret singer where she likely acquired the nickname "Coco",,.Join us as we explore how Chanel redefined the feminine standard of style by eliminating corsets in favor of

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39:14

The Commodore: How Cornelius Vanderbilt Conquered...

pplpod ·

2026/02/01

In this episode of pplpod, we trace the ruthless ascent of Cornelius Vanderbilt, the American business magnate who transformed the nation's transportation infrastructure and amassed one of history's greatest fortunes. Born on Staten Island, Vanderbilt quit school at age 11 to work on his father’s ferry, eventually launching his own service and earning the lifelong nickname "The Commodore" for his energetic command of the waters. We discuss his early career breaking steamboat monopolies and his

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36:30

From a Teddy Bear to the Nobel Prize: Katalin...

pplpod ·

2026/02/01

In this episode of pplpod, we profile Katalin Karikó, the Hungarian-American biochemist whose decades of resilience laid the scientific groundwork for the mRNA vaccines that helped contain the COVID-19 pandemic. We trace her incredible journey from growing up in a home without running water in Hungary to immigrating to the United States in 1985, smuggling her family's life savings inside her daughter's teddy bear.We explore how Karikó persisted despite facing rejection and skepticism from the

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30:49

Margaret Hamilton: The Woman Who Coined "Software...

pplpod ·

2026/02/01

In this episode of pplpod, we explore the groundbreaking career of Margaret Hamilton, the computer scientist credited with coining the term "software engineering" to legitimize software development as a technical discipline,. We trace her journey from her early work in meteorology—where her programming contributed to Edward Norton Lorenz’s chaos theory—to her time working on the SAGE anti-aircraft defense system at MIT Lincoln Lab,.We take a deep dive into her role as the Director of the Software

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33:42

Heraclitus: The Weeping Philosopher, The River of...

pplpod ·

2026/02/01

In this episode of pplpod, we wade into the complex and paradoxical mind of Heraclitus of Ephesus, the pre-Socratic thinker known to history as "The Obscure" and "The Weeping Philosopher",. Join us as we explore his reputation as an arrogant misanthrope who criticized his contemporaries and held the masses in contempt, eventually retreating to a solitary life before his unusual death involving a cure for dropsy,,.We break down the central pillars of his philosophy, including:• The Doctrine of Flux:

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23:07

Calvin Klein: The Bronx Boy Who Redefined American...

pplpod ·

2026/02/01

From Back to the Future punchlines to the runways of New York, few names are as recognizable as Calvin Klein. In this episode of pplpod, we strip down the story of the designer who turned "clean lines" into a global empire.Join us as we explore:• The Hustle: How Klein went from the son of immigrants in the Bronx to a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology.• The Empire: The launch of his company in 1968 with childhood friend Barry Schwartz, leading to the signature jeans that grossed

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28:30

Empedocles: Love, Strife, and the Legend of Mount Etna

pplpod ·

2026/02/01

In this episode of pplpod, we explore the life and mind of Empedocles, a 5th-century BC philosopher from Sicily who originated the famous theory of the four classical elements: fire, air, water, and earth,. We examine his concept of the universe as a cosmic cycle driven by two opposing forces—Love, which unites the elements, and Strife, which separates them,.Beyond physics, we dive into Empedocles' unique theories on biology and the soul, including his belief in reincarnation and his strict advocacy

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34:34

The Estée Lauder Empire: From Four Creams to a $14...

pplpod ·

2026/02/01

In this episode, we trace the history of The Estée Lauder Companies, founded in 1946 by Estée and Joseph Lauder with just four skincare products and a dream in New York City. We explore how the Lauder family built a global portfolio that now ranks as the second-largest cosmetics company in the world, trailing only L'Oréal.Join us as we discuss:• The Massive Portfolio: How the company grew beyond its namesake brand to acquire powerhouse labels like MAC, La Mer, Bobbi Brown, Aveda, and Dr. Jart+.•

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34:24

Anaximander: The First Scientist, the Boundless...

pplpod ·

2026/02/01

On this episode of pplpod, we travel back to ancient Miletus to explore the mind of Anaximander (c. 610 – c. 546 BC), a student of Thales who is often credited as the "Father of Cosmology",. We dive into his revolutionary concept of the apeiron—the infinite, boundless mass from which all things originate and to which they return,.Join us as we discuss:• The First Cosmological Revolution: Anaximander’s "bold" realization that the Earth floats unsupported in the center of the infinite, held in place

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37:33

J. P. Morgan: The Titan Who Bailed Out America

pplpod ·

2026/02/01

In this episode of pplpod, we dive into the life of John Pierpont Morgan, the financier who dominated Wall Street during the Gilded Age and the Progressive Era. From creating the world’s first billion-dollar company to saving the U.S. economy from collapse, we explore how Morgan’s influence shaped the 20th century.Key topics discussed in this episode:• The Rise of a Titan: How Morgan moved from his father’s banking empire to establishing his own dominance through "Morganization"—the reorganization

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31:57

Anaximenes of Miletus: The Philosophy of Infinite Air

pplpod ·

2026/02/01

In this episode of pplpod, we explore the life and ideas of Anaximenes (c. 586–526 BC), the last of the three great philosophers of the Milesian School. We discuss how Anaximenes reconciled the theories of his predecessors, Thales and Anaximander, by proposing that the arche—the fundamental substance of the universe—is air.Join us as we break down Anaximenes’s revolutionary contribution to early science: a physical explanation for how matter changes form. We explain his theory of rarefaction and

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32:44

The Cannonball Conversion: From "Punkish Swordsman"...

pplpod ·

2026/02/01

In this episode of pplpod, we strip away the halo to examine the radical transformation of Ignatius of Loyola (born Íñigo López de Oñaz y Loyola). Before becoming a master theologian and the founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), Íñigo was a vain Basque soldier described as a "fancy dresser," a "womanizer," and a "rough punkish swordsman" driven by a desire for fame.Join us as we discuss:• The Shattering Moment: How a cannonball to the leg at the Battle of Pamplona in 1521 ended his military

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2,458 results

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