Faces Of History

Join Thee Duke of New York for this immersive 45-minute journey through the remarkable life of Creola Katherine Johnson — the trailblazing NASA mathematician whose calculations sent America’s first astronauts into space and brought them home safely. From her childhood in segregated West Virginia to her groundbreaking work as a ‘human computer’ at NASA, discover the true story behind the woman made...

When we think of slavery, we draw the lines in black and white. But the story of Antoine Dubuclet Jr. — the richest Black slaveholder in the South — reminds us history isn’t that simple. From sugar plantations to the halls of Louisiana’s treasury, this is the story of a man who defied and upheld the system that shaped him. Hosted by Thee Duke Of New York. Stay curious. Stay brave. How does Antoine...

When you think of the American Revolution, you see muskets, redcoats, and tea floating in Boston Harbor. But sometimes, the greatest rebellion begins with a flourish of ink. In this episode of Faces Of History, Thee Duke Of New York dives deep into the life of John Hancock — Boston’s golden boy who became a smuggler, a rebel, and the man whose bold signature shouted defiance at a king. From orphan...

It killed more people than World War I — yet you won’t see its face on a coin or a statue. This is the story of the Spanish Flu: the invisible killer that swept the world in 1918, infected 500 million, and changed history forever. Join Thee Duke Of New York as we peel back the myths, meet the forgotten dead, and remember what happens when nature’s smallest assassin finds us unprepared. Stay curiou...

Was Christopher Columbus a visionary sailor who changed the world — or a ruthless tyrant who shattered it? Tonight, Thee Duke Of New York takes you beyond the textbooks, into the storms, the ships, the islands, and the blood that made Columbus both legend and cautionary tale. From his Genoese childhood to his final days insisting he’d reached Asia, discover the man behind the myth — and the truth...

Tonight on Faces Of History, Thee Duke Of New York brings you the life of Nelson Mandela — the barefoot herdsboy who became South Africa’s first black president. From his Xhosa childhood and revolutionary youth to his 27 years in prison and his triumph over apartheid, discover the man behind the legend — the mistakes, the miracles, the legacy that still shapes our world today. What does Mandela’s...

Before there was “law and order” as a political slogan, there was George Wallace — the Alabama governor who promised “segregation forever,” blocked Black students at the schoolhouse door, and rode white fear all the way to a shot at the White House. In this episode of Faces Of History, Thee Duke Of New York uncovers the man behind the grin — from barefoot farm boy to the architect of a backlash th...

In this episode of Faces Of History, your host Thee Duke Of New York dives deep into one of the darkest chapters of the 20th century: Mao Zedong’s Great Leap Forward — the radical campaign that killed sparrows, melted pots, and left up to 50 million people dead from starvation and policy gone mad. From Mao’s childhood in rural Hunan to the desperate fields where peasants ate bark and clay, this is...

Tonight on Faces Of History, Thee Duke Of New York drills deep into the life of John D. Rockefeller — the boy who counted pennies, built an oil empire, crushed rivals, and gave away millions to change the world. Was he America’s greatest villain, or its most cunning benefactor? Light the lamps, grab your ledgers — and join us for a story of oil, power, and the price of wealth. 💬 “Do you think Roc...

Tonight on Faces Of History, Thee Duke Of New York tells the story of Alexander Graham Bell — the boy who grew up in silence, dreamed of voices flying through wires, and built an invention that changed how humanity connects forever. From his childhood in Scotland to the echo of his final breath in Nova Scotia, Bell’s story is one of curiosity, courage, and the spark of an idea that outshouted the...

From a Scottish weaving shop to the smokestacks of Pittsburgh, Andrew Carnegie rose from poverty to shape America’s steel backbone — then gave away his fortune to build libraries and teach the world. Join Thee Duke Of New York on Faces Of History as we dive deep into the contradictions of a titan who believed dying rich was the greatest disgrace of all. What do you think: was Andrew Carnegie a rut...

What makes a man stand before fire rather than kneel before fear? Tonight on Faces Of History, Thee Duke Of New York tells the haunting story of Giordano Bruno — the renegade monk who dared to say the universe was infinite, who defied kings and inquisitors, who burned for a truth too vast for his century. Follow his life from the cloisters of Naples to the stake in Rome — and discover why his visi...

He was born in scandal, crowned while still in diapers, and ruled over two crowns that never fully fit. He survived plots, betrayed friends, and left behind the world’s most famous Bible. This is the untold story of King James VI & I — the boy behind the crown, the scholar behind the scriptures, and the king who couldn’t outrun his shadows. Join Thee Duke Of New York for 37 minutes of whispers...

Before your next rainy drive, meet the woman who made your windshield wipers possible. In this immersive episode, Thee Duke Of New York tells the remarkable story of Mary Elizabeth Anderson — the Alabama rancher, builder, and inventor who cleared the way for drivers everywhere, only to watch her idea get swept up and forgotten. A stormy story of vision, rejection, and a legacy you see every time t...

This episode of Faces Of History dives deep into the life of the man who fired the Union’s first shot at Fort Sumter — and whose name became forever tied to America’s greatest pastime. From his boyhood in New York’s forests to the fields of Gettysburg, to the timeless myth of baseball’s birth, follow Thee Duke Of New York as he unearths the truth and the legend behind Abner Doubleday. Subscribe, s...

Before the cartels. Before the nightclub mirrors. Before the addiction headlines — there was just a boy, a leaf, and a flask. In this immersive episode of Faces Of History, Thee Duke Of New York uncovers the forgotten life of Albert Niemann — the German chemist who isolated cocaine from the Andean coca leaf, transforming medicine, vice, and the modern world forever. Buckle up for a journey through...

Before astronauts, before jet engines, before the world ever knew what it meant to fly — there were two quiet brothers in a bicycle shop. In this immersive episode, Thee Duke Of New York unpacks the true story of the Wright Brothers — from curious boys building toy helicopters to pioneers defying gravity on the frozen dunes of Kitty Hawk. Listen, learn, and remember the ordinary men who gave human...

Before presidents called it home, one immigrant’s hands gave America its most famous house. Tonight, Thee Duke Of New York brings you the forgotten story of James Hoban — the Irish stonemason who carved the White House from swamp and stone. A tale of ambition, revolution, fire, and rebirth — and how one man’s quiet legacy still shapes the heart of American power. Subscribe, share, and join Faces O...

When a soldier’s son rose to power in a crumbling empire, he claimed he saw a vision that would change the world. Tonight, Thee Duke Of New York tells the tale of Constantine — the ruthless tactician who painted the cross on Roman shields, forged a new faith from old ruins, and founded a city that outlasted Rome itself. Was he a true believer — or the ultimate opportunist? Find out on Faces Of His...

Before the flashing cameras, before the Oscars, before the stars — there was Harvey Henderson Wilcox: a humble real estate developer who named a patch of orange groves Hollywood. He never made a film, never met a movie star, and died long before his land turned into the world’s dream factory. In this immersive episode of Faces Of History, your host Thee Duke Of New York digs deep into the accident...

Before Coke was red and white and sold by the billion, it was a desperate man’s cure for a saber wound. Tonight on Faces Of History, Thee Duke Of New York cracks open the real story of John Stith Pemberton — the wounded chemist, the Civil War vet, the morphine addict who mixed up a potion to save himself… and ended up feeding the world’s thirst for sugar and bubbles. Subscribe, pour a glass, and r...

He put America on wheels — and turned factories into engines of profit and control. Tonight on Faces Of History, Thee Duke Of New York opens the hood on Henry Ford: the farm boy who hated the plow, the engineer who birthed the assembly line, the boss who made workers rich — and crushed their spirits. Subscribe, share, and buckle up — because history’s road always has a few sharp turns. Did Henry F...

Who really built Harvard? And why does his name echo through centuries? In this episode of Faces Of History, host Thee Duke Of New York takes you deep into the forgotten story of John Harvard — the quiet Puritan scholar whose books, money, and deathbed gift gave birth to America’s oldest college. From plague-ridden London to the rugged shores of Massachusetts Bay, we’ll peel back the myth and meet...

"She cracked the atom wide open — and it cracked her right back. Tonight on Faces Of History, Thee Duke Of New York tells the real story of Marie Curie: the girl from Warsaw who glowed in the dark, the woman who won two Nobels, and the scientist who paid for discovery with her own life. Subscribe, share, and listen in — because the world she split is the one we live in now." Did Marie Cu...

He started with a single boat and built an empire that laid America’s railroad tracks and filled the vaults of Wall Street. Cornelius Vanderbilt — the Commodore — was part genius, part brute, all ambition. Tonight, Thee Duke Of New York unpacks the raw truth behind the man who made America move — and asked no permission to do it. ________________________________________ Do you think Cornelius Vand...