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PODCAST

Fascinating People Fascinating Places

Daniel Mainwaring

”Welcome to ’Fascinating People, Fascinating Places,’ the engaging bi-weekly documentary podcast that takes you on an immersive journey through the realms of news, history, politics, religion, and social justice. Join us as we delve into the depths of these critical subjects with leading experts and celebrity guests who bring their unique insights to the table. If you’re passionate about history, news, or social consciousness, this podcast is your essential guide. Discover moving stories and hear

society & culture documentary

All Episodes

00:34:39

The Extraordinary Tale of "The Scottish Indian"

Fascinating People Fascinating Places ·

2025/09/16

In the late 18th century in Scotland, a vagabond gained attention with a story of kidnapping, slavery, war, and immersion into native American culture. Peter Williamson became a sensation in the British Isles, but how much of his story was true? In this episode, I explore the bizarre tale of Peter Williamson. I separate fact from fiction and reveal the unlikely aspects of his story that proved to be true. Music provided by The ConradsSound Effects from Pixabay.

en-US

35:36

Coming to Terms with Historical Trauma: The Cambodian...

Fascinating People Fascinating Places ·

2025/08/16

Imagine one day waking up and being told to forget everything you had learned in school. Discovering that key industries in the economy had been eliminated. Learning that culture and history had been reset to year zero. And, worst of all learning that you and your friends and family were to be killed or sent to concentration camps.This is the horrific reality Dr. Sara Pol-Lim was faced with as a young girl in 1970s Cambodia. The regime of the time -- a Marxist inspired junta named the Khmer Rouge

en-US

36:55

Armenian Genocide: Truth and Denial

Fascinating People Fascinating Places ·

2025/08/03

On the eve of launching a genocidal conflict in 1939, Adolf Hitler is reported to have asked "Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?" The event he was referring to was the near decade long systematic destruction of the ethnic Armenian community living in the Ottoman Empire or today's Turkiye. Hitler was alluding to the old adage 'History is written by the victors.' In essence, you can do the most terrible things but if you come out on top and control the narrative then

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34:50

AI: The Dangers Real and Imagined with Prof. Margaret...

Fascinating People Fascinating Places ·

2025/06/19

Terminator, rogue chat bots, artificial intelligence replacing human workers ... over the last few years we have all seen numerous headlines about the existential threat posed to humanity by AI. But are these fears legitimate? Where do the fears come from? Are we really in danger from AI or something else? In this episode I speak with returning guest Prof. Margaret Schwartz of Fordham University. We discuss the cultural and societal impact of AI, but delve deeper than the media headlines as we try

en-US

32:01

Samurai: Fact Versus Fiction with Dr. Michael Wert

Fascinating People Fascinating Places ·

2025/06/05

We are all familiar with the Japanese Samurai: Sword wielding traditional warriors all consumed with a rigid honor code known as Bushido. But how much of this is true?In this episode I speak with an expert Dr. Michael Wert Associate Professor of East Asian History at Marquette University. Through his work which includes the book Samurai: A Concise History, he has cast aside the Hollywood stereotypes and uncovered a real history that is much more complex. He explains the origins of the Samurai,

en-US

34:02

To Run the World: The Kremlin's Cold War Bid for...

Fascinating People Fascinating Places ·

2025/05/22

At the end of ww1, the vast but ailing Russian empire collapsed. What followed was regicide, civil war and famine. But just a generation later, the world had changed. Russia, now part of the Soviet Union found itself uniquely positioned to itself on the global scene in a way it had done before. In this episode I speak with Russian born historian Sergey Rachenko, he Wilson E. Schmidt Distinguished Professor at the Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs about his groundbreaking book To Run the

en-US

26:57

Manipulating The Weather: Folly or Science? A History...

Fascinating People Fascinating Places ·

2025/05/09

Climate change has accelerated efforts by some theorists to develop mechanisms for controlling Earth's weather patterns and even the biosphere. But human attempts to control our these elements are nothing new. In fact, our ancestors aspired to do the same in antiquity. But what attempts have been made already to alter the weather? Were they successful? What did we learn from these efforts? Is this fantasy? madness? or something we can achieve? In this episode I speak with science and technology

en-US

25:32

The Bizarre Tragedy of Killer Catherine Hayes

Fascinating People Fascinating Places ·

2025/04/24

WARNING: This episode includes eye witness accounts of a violent murder and subsequent execution.Catherine Hayes was born into an unexceptional working class family at the end of the 17th century in Birmingham, England. Like so many of that era, and most of us today, she led a life that ordinarily wouldn't warrant mention in a history book. But one event caused her name to become synonymous with infamy: the murder of her husband. She claimed innocence up until her last breath but she was executed

en-US

35:25

Life After Hate: The Reformed Neo Nazis

Fascinating People Fascinating Places ·

2025/04/10

In recent years El Paso, Buffalo, Charleston, and Overland Park have joined the list of cities where right wing extremists have committed mass killings. Racial hate and fascism are not new. From slavery, into the civil war, Jim Crow, the civil rights era, onto the Oklahoma City bombing, Charlottesville and so on, right wing extremists have posed a threat to US society.But, what happens when a violent far right extremist decides to turn their back on the movement? Many of these people engage with

en-US

39:54

Lost Tribes and the Ark of the Covenant found in...

Fascinating People Fascinating Places ·

2025/03/27

By the mid Nineteenth century Europeans had conquered or explored all of the Americas, Asia and even remote Pacific outposts that we know today as Australia, New Zealand, and Tahiti. But bizarrely one area remained largely unexplored and it was right on Europe's doorstep: Sub Saharan Africa. As you might expect, explorers, missionaries and of course colonialists soon made their way down South. They encountered new languages, customs, ethnic groups and evidence of previously unknown (to Europeans)

en-US

27:17

Classic Episode: Astronaut Steve Hawley

Fascinating People Fascinating Places ·

2025/03/19

Originally aired 2022.In 1990, astronaut Steven Hawley deployed the Hubble telescope in space as part of the crew of the space shuttle Discovery. Kansas-born Hawley was among the civilians selected to be part of the space program on the basis of his expertise in a specific area: astronomy. One of his subsequent trips into space involved completing maintenance on HST. More recently, he has used it at ground level during his research work. In this episode, I talk to Professor Hawley about Hubble,

en-US

35:31

Romanian Revolution 1989: Classics Revisited

Fascinating People Fascinating Places ·

2025/03/02

Explore the captivating story of the Romanian revolution of 1989, a pivotal moment shaped by the country's rich history of resisting and embracing external influences. This intricate tapestry of events traces back to the second century AD when the Roman Emperor Trajan conquered the region, leaving an indelible mark in the form of plundered gold. Subsequent waves of invaders, including Goths, Huns, Bulgars, Magyars, and Ottomans, were met with fierce resistance, led by legendary figures like Vlad The

en-US

27:13

Mata Hari: Super spy? or Victim of Circumstance.

Fascinating People Fascinating Places ·

2024/11/12

Mata Hari -- publicly portrayed as a mysterious Javan princess who became famous for her exotic dance routines and high profile affairs -- has become the poster child for twentieth century female espionage. The bombshell sex symbol who can seduce any man. The cunning and ruthless individual who will betray anyone to enrich herself as a double agent. She is model for the Bond femme fatales that have become a cinematic trope.But, is any of this true? In this episode I speak with historian Professor

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29:30

TITANIC

Fascinating People Fascinating Places ·

2024/10/21

In 1912, the "unsinkable" jewel in the crown of White Star Line voyages -- The Titanic -- hit an iceberg and sunk on its maiden voyage. It is difficult to imagine how passengers enjoying the amenities of this luxury liner would have reacted when suddenly they realized the vessel had become a floating coffin. Only a third of the passengers and crew survived the harrowing journey. But, a touring exhibition now casts light on those passengers in an intimate and immersive manner. The Titanic Exhibition

en-US

02:15

Mata Hari

Fascinating People Fascinating Places ·

2024/10/01

She has become the poster child for James Bond style cunning, honey-trap-setting, spying vixens but does reality match the myths around Mata Hari? In this upcoming episode I speak with Prof. Tammy Proctor of Utah State University, author of Female Intelligence: Women and Espionage in the First World War. We discuss the Dutch girl who became a "Javan princess," a spy and ultimately a casualty of the first world war. Here is a sneak peak.

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38:47

Saharan Nightmare: The Invasion the World Forgot...

Fascinating People Fascinating Places ·

2024/09/29

Situated on the Mediterranean, just a short distance from Spain and the rest of Europe, Morocco attracts tens of millions of tourists every year. They flock to see the iconic mosques and bazaars. But there's another, much larger structure that you won't find in any tourist guides and is seldom talked about. It's a 2700 kilometer long barrier wall constructed of dirt and brick that runs through the heart of the Sahara Desert. And for the people living in its shadow, it's a symbol of an ongoing

en-US

23:28

Amelia Earhart: Mysterious End, Fascinating Beginning

Fascinating People Fascinating Places ·

2024/09/12

In 1937, Kansas native and pioneering aviator Amelia Earhart sought to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the world. It was a daring adventure but one that ended in tragedy.Almost 9 decades later, a company named Deep Sea Vision produced evidence of a plane closely resembling Amelia’s at the bottom of the Pacific. Recovery attempts are ongoing and offer the potential for resolution to the enduring mystery of how and where Amelia’s journey came to an end. However, this apparent

en-US

29:50

ANGOLA

Fascinating People Fascinating Places ·

2024/08/25

An old Angolan proverb suggests it is the voyage not the ship that is important. And for the people of Angola the voyage has been a long one, from the era of the might Kongo empire, through the slave trade, colonialism, an independence struggle, and more recently decades of civil war. Despite this, in 2015 the capital city Luanda was in was listed as the most expensive city in the world, But new high rises built off the back of an oil boom sit uncomfortably alongside squalid outskirts of the city in

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29:06

"Witchcraft," and violence in paradise with Dr. Fiona...

Fascinating People Fascinating Places ·

2024/07/29

Imagine one day being cast out of your society, subjected to violence or killed simply because you continue to participate in the traditional rituals and activities your community have practiced for generations. It might sound extraordinary but as we’ve seen down the centuries this is what happens when age old activities are suddenly rebranded as witchcraft and it is something that is happening now in the tropical paradise of Papua New Guinea.In today’s episode I speak with Papuan native Dr. Fiona

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38:18

Sonic Booms, Feathers, & Dinosaurs: Renowned...

Fascinating People Fascinating Places ·

2024/07/07

Imagine an alien world where a creature could create a sonic boom simply by whipping its tail. Look no further as such creatures once roamed the Earth. This is just one remarkable discovery made by the world renowned Paleontologist Philip J. Currie -- the man whose worked inspire Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park.In this episode, I speak with Philip J. Currie about feathered dinosaurs, long necked giants, his fascinating career and ongoing work. More info: Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum Philip J

en-US

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