x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

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.

history music history

All Episodes

28:29

Adam Carolla: The Carpenter Who Built a Podcasting...

pplpod ·

2026/02/16

In this episode of pplpod, we drill down into the life of Adam Carolla, the blue-collar tradesman who became a radio legend and the "podfather." We trace his journey from a chaotic childhood in the San Fernando Valley—where he worked as a carpet cleaner and carpenter—to his big break training Jimmy Kimmel for a boxing stunt on KROQ.Join us as we revisit his rise to fame co-hosting Loveline with Dr. Drew and creating The Man Show. We also discuss his pivot to digital media, where he turned a radio

en

29:10

Boo.com: The Rise and Fall of a Dot-Com Icon

pplpod ·

2026/02/16

Boo.com was a prominent British e-commerce retailer that specialized in branded fashion and sportswear during the late 1990s. Despite its ambitious global vision and innovative use of 3D shopping technology, the company became a symbol of the dot-com bubble's collapse after burning through $135 million in venture capital within 18 months. Its failure is often attributed to excessive marketing expenses, poor website usability on slow internet connections, and an aggressive expansion strategy that

en

32:49

Segway: The Rise and Fall of a Personal Revolution

pplpod ·

2026/02/16

The Segway is a self-balancing, two-wheeled personal vehicle first introduced by inventor Dean Kamen in 2001. Though initially met with immense public hype and predictions of revolutionary change, the device faced challenges regarding its high cost and a difficult learning curve. In 2015, the company was purchased by its competitor Ninebot, a robotics startup based in China. Despite its utility in tourism and security, the original personal transporter model was eventually discontinued in 2020 due

en

33:09

Betamax: The Rise and Legacy of a Format Icon

pplpod ·

2026/02/16

Introduced by Sony in 1975, Betamax was a pioneering analog videocassette format that sparked a famous industry competition against its rival, VHS. Although many consumers and experts considered its visual fidelity superior, the format eventually lost the market lead due to limited recording times and Sony’s restrictive licensing policies. Beyond its role in the videotape format war, the technology influenced the legal landscape of copyright through a landmark Supreme Court case regarding home

en

33:48

AOL: The Rise and Evolution of an Internet Pioneer

pplpod ·

2026/02/16

AOL, originally founded as Control Video Corporation in 1983, evolved from a niche gaming service into the world’s most dominant internet service provider during the dial-up era. Known for its ubiquitous trial software disks and pioneering tools like Instant Messenger, the company reached its peak with a massive merger with Time Warner in 2001. Following the decline of dial-up and the rise of broadband, the brand shifted its focus toward digital media and advertising through acquisitions of

en

34:54

Iridium Communications and the Global Satellite...

pplpod ·

2026/02/16

Iridium Communications is a prominent American satellite firm that manages a sophisticated constellation of 66 active satellites in low Earth orbit. Originally conceived by Motorola and launched in 1998, the service initially faced financial collapse and bankruptcy due to high costs and bulky hardware. The company successfully re-emerged under new ownership, eventually completing a massive $3 billion "NEXT" campaign to replace its entire aging fleet using SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets. This network

en

33:49

The New Coke Debacle: A History of Brand Reformulation

pplpod ·

2026/02/16

In 1985, the Coca-Cola Company launched a sweeter version of its signature soda, commonly known as New Coke, to compete with rising rival Pepsi. Although the product performed well in preliminary blind taste tests, its release triggered a massive public backlash from loyal consumers who felt an emotional attachment to the original recipe. This intense pressure forced the corporation to reintroduce the old formula as Coca-Cola Classic only months later. The event is now studied as a famous marketing

en

27:34

GeoCities: The Rise and Fall of a Digital Frontier

pplpod ·

2026/02/16

Established in 1994, GeoCities was a pioneering web hosting service that allowed individuals to build personal websites for free within themed digital "neighborhoods." Originally called Beverly Hills Internet, the platform became a cultural hallmark of the early internet by organizing user content into categories like Hollywood for entertainment or Silicon Valley for technology. At the height of the dot-com bubble in 1999, the company was acquired by Yahoo! for billions of dollars, making it one of

en

30:20

The "Squircle" of Life: Microsoft Zune, the iPod...

pplpod ·

2026/02/16

Remember the brown brick? This week on pplpod, we travel back to 2006 to unpack the history of the Microsoft Zune, the device launched to challenge Apple’s dominance but which ended up as a "high-profile underdog". We discuss the Zune's unique "social" features that let users wirelessly share songs and the evolution of its hardware, from the original directional pad to the second generation's "squircle" touch-pad.We also cover:• The Launch: How Microsoft aimed to beat the iPod with a focus on

en

38:56

The Rise and Fall of Trans World Airlines

pplpod ·

2026/02/16

Trans World Airlines (TWA) was a prominent American aviation company that operated for over seven decades before merging with American Airlines in 2001. Originally known as Transcontinental & Western Air, the carrier grew into a major global player under the influential leadership of Howard Hughes, who expanded its reach across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Throughout its history, the airline became famous for its innovative aircraft, such as the Lockheed Constellation, and its iconic TWA

en

29:29

Windows Vista: Technical Profile and Lifecycle History

pplpod ·

2026/02/16

This episode is an extensive technical and historical overview of Windows Vista, a major operating system released by Microsoft in 2007. It outlines the platform's protracted development history, including the "Longhorn" project reset and the eventual transition to the Windows NT 6.0 kernel. Key technical advancements highlighted include the Aero graphical interface, enhanced security features like User Account Control, and the integration of the .NET Framework 3.0. The documentation also examines

en

30:29

The Rise and Fall of the Yahoo Internet Empire

pplpod ·

2026/02/16

Originally founded in 1994 as a curated web directory, Yahoo evolved into a pioneering internet portal and search engine during the early digital era. Despite its initial dominance and a massive public offering, the company later suffered a significant decline due to missed strategic opportunities and fierce competition from rivals like Google. Over the decades, the platform expanded its reach through various digital services, including email, news, and finance, while also navigating numerous data

en

28:08

The Edsel: Ford’s $2.9 Billion "Utopian Turtletop"

pplpod ·

2026/02/16

It was supposed to be the "car of the future," but Ford’s Edsel became the definition of a commercial disaster. On this episode of pplpod, we look back at the 1957 "E Day" launch and how a vehicle that cost over $250 million to develop ended up losing the modern equivalent of $2.9 billion.We break down exactly what went wrong, including:• The "Horse Collar" Grille: How a vertical design intended to be elegant was mocked for looking like "an Oldsmobile sucking a lemon".• The Wrong Car at the Wrong

en

27:48

The Wings of Man: The Rise and Fall of Eastern Air Lines

pplpod ·

2026/02/16

Eastern Air Lines was a prominent American aviation company that operated from 1926 to 1991, eventually becoming one of the nation's "Big Four" domestic carriers. Under the early leadership of Eddie Rickenbacker, the airline dominated travel along the East Coast and later pioneered the famous shuttle service between major northeastern cities. Despite its initial success and role as a launch customer for several iconic jet aircraft, the company faced severe financial instability following industry

en

26:59

Sabena: The Rise and Fall of Belgium's National Carrier

pplpod ·

2026/02/16

Operating as Belgium’s flagship airline for nearly eighty years, Sabena facilitated global travel from its inception in 1923 until its financial collapse in 2001. The carrier initially focused on connecting Brussels with other European cities and established extensive, often profitable, routes within the Belgian Congo. Throughout the mid-20th century, the company transitioned into the jet age, expanding its reach with transatlantic flights and modernizing its fleet with Boeing and Airbus aircraft

en

36:40

Fundamentals of the Real Estate Business

pplpod ·

2026/02/16

The real estate business encompasses a wide range of professional activities, including the purchase, sale, management, and leasing of various property types. To facilitate these processes, intermediaries such as brokers and estate agents provide essential marketing and sales expertise in exchange for compensation. Central to the industry is the real estate transaction, a complex legal and financial procedure where property rights are formally transferred between parties. Because these exchanges

en

30:01

The Rise and Fall of Swissair: The Flying Bank

pplpod ·

2026/02/16

This episode outlines the history of Swissair, which served as the national airline of Switzerland from 1931 until its collapse in 2002. Once celebrated as the "flying bank" for its remarkable financial stability and service quality, the carrier became a major global icon headquartered in Zürich. However, aggressive over-expansion through its "Hunter Strategy" and a tragic crash in 1998 eventually led to a severe liquidity crisis. These financial struggles were compounded by the economic downturn

en

32:55

Bitconnect: The Rise and Fall of a Crypto Ponzi

pplpod ·

2026/02/16

Bitconnect was a high-yield cryptocurrency investment platform that operated from 2016 until its dramatic collapse in 2018. The project is widely recognized as a Ponzi scheme that defrauded global investors of approximately $2.4 billion by promising impossible daily returns through a proprietary trading bot. Following intense regulatory pressure and cease-and-desist orders from U.S. authorities, the platform’s coin value plummeted by over 90%, leading to massive financial losses. The fallout

en

37:52

The Flight and Fall of Monarch Airlines

pplpod ·

2026/02/16

Monarch Airlines was a major British carrier that operated for five decades before its high-profile collapse in 2017. Originally established in 1967 as a charter service for affordable family holidays, the company eventually shifted to a low-cost scheduled model to compete with budget rivals. The airline maintained primary hubs at several major UK airports, including London Luton and Manchester, while serving numerous European leisure destinations. Throughout its history, the firm transitioned from

en

36:08

Everyone’s First Friend: The Rise, Fall, and...

pplpod ·

2026/02/16

Remember agonizing over your Top 8 and learning HTML just to make your profile sparkle? This week on pplpod, we log back into the chaotic, meteoric history of Myspace.We trace the story of the site's co-founder, Tom Anderson—from his teenage years as a hacker named "Lord Flathead" to becoming the default friend for millions of users worldwide. We break down the platform's 2003 launch using ColdFusion code, its massive $580 million acquisition by News Corp, and how a suffocating $900 million ad deal

en

7,536 results

Similar Podcasts

The History on Film Podcast

Ross Lennon

Today In History with The Retrospectors

The Retrospectors

The Old Front Line

Paul Reed

pplpod

pplpod

Based on a True Story

Dan LeFebvre