Showing results by publisher "audible originals" in History

The finest fighting force in the world. Escape. Evade. Survive. Repeat. Seven gripping tales of overcoming the impossible. Arguably the finest special forces troops of the Second World War, the SAS was the jewel in the British military crown. But the near-impossible nature of their heroic missions sometimes left them trapped behind enemy lines, the enemy closing and forced to endure the unendurable. But the unendurable is all in a day’s work for these magnificent seven. Incredible odds. Outstanding bravery. Real adventure.

Journey back to the height of the Cold War in this non-fiction Audible Original. It’s 1984. US intelligence officers battling the Soviets know that KGB spies could be anywhere. Anywhere except the FBI. Because the Bureau has never been compromised - until now. In this noir, spy thriller, we follow the life and mystery of Richard W. Miller, the first FBI agent arrested for espionage against his own country.

Since its rise to the highest ranks of power in Renaissance Europe, the Borgia family has developed a scandalous reputation. While they were indeed ostentatious, calculating, worldly, cruel - and even, occasionally, murderous - you may be surprised to find that the Borgias were not terribly different from other powerful and ambitious families of their day. So why has history set them apart as one of the most corrupt and reviled families in history?

A crew of 47 aboard an Alaskan fishing boat ominously nicknamed “The Danger Ranger” had been counting on a final run deep into the Bering Sea as a last-ditch effort to save a mediocre fishing season.

The Roman gladiator has long been a figure of fascination. Portrayed frequently in fine art and popular culture alike, the gladiator is both a real part of history and a legend of a romanticized past. We know that these men entertained Roman audiences by fighting in dangerous and often deadly games. But who were the gladiators? What were their lives like? And why do they continue to have such a strong hold on our imagination, centuries after the fall of the Roman Empire?

The rituals and pageantry of courtship in the 19th century can seem foreign to us today. Some of us may look back and see a more romantic age, while others will see a minefield of strict rules and stuffy protocol. Either way you look at it, it was worlds away from what dating is in the 21st century. In the six lessons of A Courtly History: Romance in the 19th Century, Professor Stephanie Insley Hershinow gives you a look at the complex and ever-evolving rules of romance in 19th-century Britain. Along the way, you will see why this fascinating era keeps drawing us back to novels and Netflix.

Lunar New Year, or the first new moon of the lunar calendar, is celebrated by people around the world and across different cultures. Within Chinese culture, the ushering in of a new year is celebrated through one of 12 distinct zodiac animals, each of which is known for its power to map a person’s behavior, character, and fate. In The Chinese Zodiac in Cultures and Traditions, you’ll gain insights into how cultures make sense of the passing of time and our relationship to it.

In 1984, as a New York City subway train made its way downtown, a white man named Bernhard Goetz shot four unarmed Black teenagers he believed were going to rob him.

How did hip-hop happen? To understand that, we have to go back to before the ‘birth’ of the culture.

The period between Bloody Sunday in 1972 and Good Friday in 1998 was one of the most troubled, turbulent, and triumphant periods for the Irish. The island went from financial depression to quietly becoming an economic powerhouse, while at the same time, bridging the violent divide between past and present, Catholic and Protestant, Unionist and Republicans, North and South. Join famed historian and master storyteller Edward Lengel to trace the roots and evolution of the Irish Troubles.

The 16th century was a time of immense change across the globe. For many historians, it marks a massive shift in the way the world operated; it is often considered the beginning of modernity. We may regard the 16th century as the time of Shakespeare and the conquistadors, but women also played a powerful role in many of the major events around the world. In 10 Women Who Ruled the Renaissance, you will explore the lives of 10 extraordinary women who exemplified the spirit of the 1500s - an era dominated by adventure, discovery, and cross-cultural exchange.

It’s not news that women have been denied the same educational and institutional opportunities, resources, and access as men, and that science’s history is often told through the stories of great men, with a few great women making an appearance here and there. But that approach misses the big picture. The history of science isn’t complete without women.

Since their arrival in the mid-20th century, video games have become a sprawling, multi-billion dollar business. On an annual basis, the industry is even more profitable than Hollywood. Today’s video games feature stunning, lifelike visuals and complex storylines - but they didn’t start out that way. The origin of video games can be traced back to World War II. In the 10 lectures of A History of Video Games, listeners will follow the development of the digital game from its roots in the war room to its proliferation in the 21st-century living room.

Andy Zaltzman attempts to reclaim the much-misused term ‘Greatest Of All Time’ by using all of time...and delving through the, what is it now, 13 billion years of archival material knocking around the universe. Joined each episode by a comedian, an expert guest and his ever improving robotic assistant, Andy rummages through the history-est history books to find the champion of champions in ever more specific categories. Download to find out who will win the coveted golden GOAT trophy and become the greatest of all time.

Is bourbon the quintessential American liquor? Bourbon is not just alcohol - the amber-colored drink is deeply ingrained in American culture and tangled in American history. From the early days of raw corn liquor to the myriad distilleries that have proliferated around the country today, bourbon is a symbol of the United States. This course traces bourbon's entire history, from the 1700s, with Irish, Scottish, and French settlers setting up stills and making distilled spirits in the New World, through today's booming resurgence.

Piña coladas. Mojitos. Hurricanes. Daiquiris. Mai tais. Nothing makes a vacation like one of these delightful rum drinks, right? But whether blended with ice and fruit or sipped neatly from a glass tumbler, this sweet and fiery spirit brings with it a fascinating, complicated history that stretches back to colonial times of the 17th century in the Caribbean.

Think of Cultured: A World History of Cheese as a 10-episode cheese course, or a cheese plate large enough to contain a well-rounded sampling of great cheeses from around the world. Janet Fletcher, a noted food writer and publisher of the Planet Cheese blog, provides deeper (and delectable) insights into a familiar food you only think you know. Included in this Audible Original are peeks at the nine steps of cheesemaking, the 10 most important cheese families, and tips on how to taste cheese with the same refined palate as a professional cheese judge.

Did you know that Henry Ford had a massive impact on square dancing in America? Or that the act of recycling traces back to 500 B.C. in Athens?

While most of us are familiar with the Underground Railroad, there was much more to the movement than helping individuals escape their bondage. In the eight lectures of The Abolitionists, Professor Kellie Carter Jackson of Wellesley College will bring you along as she traces the history of the fight to end slavery in America, from its relatively quiet origins to the turning point at Harper’s Ferry to the Civil War.

What is power and who is allowed to wield it? Why is female power so rare and, often, so feared? What can the women who gained power in the ancient world teach us about the contemporary world and our modern ideas of gender, authority, and equality? Listeners will explore these and other questions as you travel back to the ancient world and uncover the stories of remarkable women who overcame a host of barriers to wield power in a male-dominated world.