Fascinating People Fascinating Places

The Borat movies were a fun but far fetched parody right? Think again. The Central Asian nation of Turkmenistan is currently ruled by the clownish Gurbangulyýewiç Berdimuhamedow and his son Serdar. He has styled himself as an action hero. Unfortunately he isn't very good at racing, handling horses, firing guns, singing, dancing, weight lifting, rapping or any of the other "talents" he likes to dem...

In 1994, Drocella Mugorewera was a young mother when Ethnic tensions between Hutu's and Tutsi's rooted in colonial divisions boiled over and led to a horrific genocide in Rwanda that cost up to one million lives. Drocella fled to the comparative safety of the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo before returning home determined to mold a better society in Rwanda.  She quickly became a government...

Despite being orphaned at a young age, Simon Bolivar was far from an orphan Annie character. Born into a wealthy Criollo family in 1783, his education continued before he made an extensive trip around Europe. While there, he was introduced to ideas of the enlightenment and events such as the French Revolution. Despite his ethnically Spanish roots, he returned to Venezuela determined to gain indepe...

The DeCavalcante  Crime Family of New Jersey were the inspiration for HBO's acclaimed Sopranos drama series. In this episode, I speak with one of their members: Aidan Gabor. He is a mafia henchman, turned DOJ informant and cop.  Gabor shares his origin story from his parents escape from Soviet occupied Budapest to his childhood descent into crime and his eventual redemption based on the Baha'i fai...

Rome's first and arguably greatest Emperor Octavian (Augustus) helped to evolve and expand the Roman Republic into an empire that encompassed France, parts of Germany, Asia Minor, Egypt and North Africa. But the seemingly all conquering Roman met his match in an African woman called Candace. Who was she? How did she come to be the de facto leader of the Kushites? How was she able to defeat Augustu...

In 1913, Albert Schweitzer, a respected theologian and organist left Alsace-Lorraine and made his way to the French colony of Gabon. As a newly qualified doctor, he decided to to use his skills to establish a free hospital in a remote corner of the French Empire. Schweitzer eventually earned a Nobel prize for his humanitarian work and his hospital still stands today. Decades later, award winning a...

30 years ago the US brokered Oslo accords seemed to herald a new era of peaceful coexistence for Israelis and Palestinians. Yasser Arafat -- long demonized as a terrorist in the Tel Aviv, whilst being hailed as a freedom fighter in Palestine -- shared a Nobel Peace Prize with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and politician Shimon Peres.  30 years later, peace seems further away than ever befor...

During the last 45 years, Iran has become synonymous with terrorism. While much of its direct, and indirect involvement in these acts is focused on Israel and the Middle East, plots involving Iran and its proxies have been uncovered in nations ranging from Denmark to Thailand. In this episode I speak with Matthew Levitt the Fromer-Wexler Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute and director of it...

500 years ago Spanish conquistadors invaded the Incan Empire and slew Atahualpa -- the unfortunate who would prove to be the last Emperor. Due to his vast wealth -- largely in the form of gold -- treasure hunters have spent centuries searching in vain for lost treasure of the Incas.  Ecuadorian historian Tamara Estupiñán Viteri who among other things studied and then created a dictionary of the di...

Wall Street Journal and Financial Times correspondent David Satter was expelled and banned from Russia after exposing corruption in Putin's regime. On 19 March he talks to  @FascinatingPeopleandPlaces  about the shocking death of #russian politician Alexie #navalny. We also discuss the #wagner group mutiny. The suspicious death of Wagner coup leader #yevgenyprigozhin, the war in #ukraine and #Russ...

In February 2024, Alexei Navalny a Russian politician died in an Arctic Russian penal colony. At just 47 years old his death would have been surprising were it not for the fact the Russian secret service FSB seemingly at the direction of Vladimir Putin had already tried and failed to kill him using a chemical weapon four years earlier. In this episode, I speak with Russian political expert David S...

Hundreds of years ago, it is believed a group of African migrants made their way South from the Remnants of the collapsing Mali Empire -- once ruled by the wealthiest human in history: Musa Mansa. These travelers eventually made their way to the South coast of what is now Ghana in North West Africa. They settled there but not on the land. Instead, they established a community in the middle of a ri...

On 31 August 1997, Diana Spencer the ex-wife of the now King Charles III of the United Kingdom was tragically killed in a car accident in Paris. Just 36 years old at the time, Diana left behind two young sons: William and Harry.  Her death sent a nation into mourning. Millions traveled to London in subsequent months to lay wreaths in her honor, and approximately one-third of the world's population...

Western media reports on North Korea tend to focus on the nation's missile launches, nuclear weapons program, and involvement in illegal activities such as weapon and drug smuggling. The despotic regime of the Kim Family are usually front and center in any reporting. But what about the millions of North Koreans living a dystopian nightmare under the regime? In this episode, I speak with Sokeel Par...

MAJ Jason Wright was forced to choose between following military orders and honoring the Constitution when tasked with defending 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed at Guantanamo Bay. The government and media had identified KSM as the culprit and he had freely admitted his guilt. But did his apparent guilt warrant the denial of his rights and the dismissal of elements of the US Constitution? Ja...

Journey back to the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration as we recount the epic expedition led by Englishman Robert Falcon Scott, who set his sights on reaching the elusive South Pole. This audacious quest represented not only a personal ambition but a monumental step for humanity in its pursuit of the southernmost point on Earth. Join us in this illuminating episode as we converse with Lizzie Meek...

"In our eye-opening episode, we confront the harsh reality of modern slavery as revealed by a sobering 2022 report from the International Labor Organization. Shockingly, the report estimates that a staggering 50 million people worldwide are ensnared in this web of exploitation, with 28 million enduring the horrors of forced labor. While some of the most egregious cases, such as the plight of Uighu...

In this gripping episode, we delve into the remarkable story of Eric Maddox, the interrogator who played a pivotal role in the capture of Saddam Hussein. In 2003, as part of a Delta Force team operating under the Joint Special Operations Command, Eric embarked on a mission to track down Iraqi fugitives, including the elusive Saddam Hussein. Through tireless dedication, daring raids, and conducting...

In this unusual and eye-opening episode, we dive headfirst into a topic that hadn't been on our radar until a surprising encounter with a female brothel owner from Nevada. Her story, which was featured in a previous episode, piqued our curiosity and led us to explore a controversial and often divisive aspect of the modern world. While I had initially been working on the long-awaited Piers Gaveston...

In October 2023, Hamas terrorists massacred Israeli civilians as well as many foreign tourists in an unprecedented attack. Consequently, the Israeli government under Netanyahu launched retaliatory strikes on Gaza with manifold civilian deaths. Over 50 years ago, a similar attack at the Munich Olympics also led to severe repercussions for Palestinian civilians.  I am rebroadcasting this episode whi...

This was the most disturbing episode I have ever recorded. Vatican Exorcist Vincent Lampert is one of the most prominent Roman Catholic combatants of demons in the world. I was very anxious when I made this episode as many people -- including a demonologist -- warned me I could provoke demonic forces. Thus far, I seem to have endured so I feel safe to reshare this episode. A few years ago, the Bar...

One of the most enjoyable interviews I have had over the past two years was with Prof. Margaret Schwartz from Fordham University about Eva Peron. Clearly, I wasn't alone as that episode was the most listened to of all episodes released within the last year. Next season, Prof. Schwartz will return with an episode on the late Lady Diana. But, in the meantime here is a chance for new listeners to hea...

Fascinating People, Fascinating Places returns in January. Here about the exciting new episodes in this preview.

The new series of Fascinating People, Fascinating Places launches on 5 January 2024 with new episodes featuring the man who caught Saddam Hussein, the lawyer for the 9/11 mastermind, and much more. But in the interim, I am replaying five episodes that were selected by listeners as the best content over the last few years. If you're new to the show now is the time to catch up. If you're a long-term...

Join us in this fascinating episode as we explore the pioneering work of Brian Hodgson, a true trailblazer in the realm of sound. With a background as a composer and as a member of the renowned BBC Radiophonic Workshop, Brian left an indelible mark on the world of electronic music long before the era of modern computers and Artificial Intelligence. Discover the incredible journey of an actor and R...