Pan Historia, and Other Nonsense

Before the Wall came down, before the days of Glasnost and Perestroika, the people of Poland began a series of defiant acts against their communist government. The Polish people suffered heavily during the Second World War under the brutal occupation of both the Nazis and Soviets. Following the end, the state remained a puppet of the Soviet Union. As the 1980s came around, the economy of Eastern E...

"They may crush the flowers, but they can't stop the spring." -Alexander Dubcek, 1968 Hundreds of thousands of citizens gathered in the streets of Prague, Czechoslovakia, as the country's politburo finally decided there was nothing more they could do. Having witnessed change in Poland, East Germany, and Hungary already come to pass, they knew it was only a matter of time before they were next. In...

The Iron Curtain across Europe Winston Churchill described was metaphorical rather than physical, at least at the time he made his famous speech. The divide between East and West had become an ideological conflict, Capitalism versus Communism. The defeated Germany was occupied by the Allies of the United States, United Kingdom, France, and the Soviet Union. Furthermore, Germany was organized into...

We're back!!! Season three begins with a conversation on watershed moments (mostly the Hong Kong Protests), religious ceremonies, and other nonsense.  Music: From Russia with Love by Huma Huma Soviet National Anthem

Another season has come and gone. In this episode, Lyndsay and Jonah unwind after a day at Calgary Pride by talking about the events of that day, museums they have visited, and other nonsense.

Deep in the ocean stalks a hidden hunter, virtually undetected and silent. Within, its crew works away, cramped, having not seen the sun in weeks. The crew drives blind through the depths, with only a pinging sonar available to aid navigation. They lay down there, waiting for the possibility to strike. Submarines have had a long history behind them, one which is seldom talked about except for bloc...

“Distance is but a relative expression, and must end by being reduced to zero.”  ― Jules Verne, From the Earth to the Moon Since the dawn of humanity, people have been interested in the cosmos. Of particular interest was Earth's closest wanderer: the Moon. Following the Second World War, the Americans and Soviets went head to head in a rivalry over ideology, power, influence, and technology. With...

In 1864, delegates from the Maritime Colonies and the Province of Canada met in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island to discuss proposals to create a union to better British North America's economic and defensive strength. By the end, the groundworks for a new country were born. A further two conferences and a Royal Assent later, Canada was born on July 1, 1867. The story behind its creation is not...

June is designated Pride Month in commemoration of the Stonewall Riots of 1969. The history of LGBT+ Rights is long, and sadly full of hardship and prejudice. Even today, members find themselves prosecuted around the world. The LGBT+ Rights movement has come a long way in the last century, and while there is still a ways to go, it can't be denied how far the community and its supporters have come...

We're all familiar with the political spectrum. There are people on the left, people on the right, and people in the centre. Sadly, in modern times, there is a lot of misconceptions and stigmas surrounding the vast number of ideologies in the world today. In this episode of Pan Historia, Lyndsay and Jonah decided to take a closer look at the histories behind and actual philosophies of different id...

“I know there is a God because in Rwanda I shook hands with the devil. I have seen him, I have smelled him and I have touched him. I know the devil exists and therefore I know there is a God.” –Roméo Dallaire Even today, the countries of Africa are in their youth. Yet, already, the continent has seen more than enough violence in the 50 years since decolonization. The scars from European rule run d...

On October 24, 1945, the countries of France, United Kingdom, Soviet Union, United States, and the Republic of China ratified a charter, officially organizing the United Nations. The purpose of the organization is to bring governments together in order to promote and maintain global peace and security. Since its beginnings, the UN has had both success and failure, praise and criticism. Today, 193...

Titanic was a ship who truly lived up to her name. The second of the mighty Olympic-class ocean liners, she was dubbed the ship of dreams, where her builders and crew bragged how not even God could sink her. She and her sister Olympic were the pride of the Belfast shipbuilders of Harland & Wolff, as no ocean liner before them were larger, or more beautiful. Titanic embarked on her maiden voyage fr...

Drugs have been used for all sorts of purposes, from religious, to cultural ceremonies, to simply recreational. In today's episode of Pan Historia, we dive into the vast history of Mind Altering Substances, to explore what their uses were for, and what affects they have on the mind and body.

The rich and powerful of New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana filled the air with swinging jazz music, stuffed their faces with food, and drank their weight in champaign. Meanwhile, citizens living on the Bayou, the swamps, and the Northern plains were struggling to survive. These people were ignored by the elite, who they were unable to vote out due to a combination of racial voting laws, and a...

1850: the once great Ottoman Empire was now the sick man of Europe. Internal dissent from growing ethnic nationalism within the diverse country was beginning to crack the already fragile hold the Royal Family kept over their territory. Furthermore, a series of devastating wars against its neighbours have shrunk its size further and further out of Europe. Now, the Balkans were looking to host the n...

Lyndsay and Jonah are back, ready to kick off Season 2. In this episode of Other Nonsense, the two discuss what they've been up to during their break, their goals for this year, and a glimpse of upcoming episodes for the exciting second season of Pan Historia.

Viewer Discretion Advised: Strong Language, some disturbing content. As Yugoslavia collapsed around itself, one final piece decided to fall. Kosovo witnessed the chaos around them, and knew there would be no other option to get out. Between 1995 and 1999, the infamous Kosovo Liberation Army conducted insurgency operations within the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohja. This time, Serbia wasn...

100 Years ago, the First World War came to an end. At the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month of the year 1918, the guns fell silent. Up to 19 million people lost their lives, and 40 million were left wounded. The war was so horrific, it was believed no war would ever surpass it. This gave it the nickname The War to End All Wars. Sadly, the world was engulfed in a worse inferno only 20 y...

By the time of the Bosnian War, Yugoslavia was a mortally wounded mass refusing to admit its time had come. Desperate to hold on, JNA forces moved into Bosnia to support the Bosnian-Serb population, many of whom had joined the various paramilitaries in the new country. Meanwhile, Bosniaks and Bosnian-Croats formed a rocky alliance out of self preservations for their respective groups, and their sh...

A water tower stands tall over the city of Vukovar, still bearing the scars of Croatia's trauma. As Yugoslavia collapses, Croatia stands firm against Serbian aggression, both from Serbia itself and the Serbian-Croats within its borders. Ethnic tension runs at an all time high, and it soon becomes clear to the world this war will not be as quick as Slovenia's Ten-Day War. Both the Croats and Serbs...

At the beginning of the 20th Century, the Balkans were a powder keg waiting to go off. A spark from a gunman's bullet in Sarajevo ignited the inferno that was First World War. The embers of the conflict in turn fuelled the Second World War, history's deadliest conflict. By the latter's end, the world was changed, as were the Balkans. Under the facade of a slavic union, unseen embers were beginning...

In the midst of Lougheed's and Trudeau's dispute over the National Energy Program, resentment of the Easten dominated Federal government seeped deep into residents of Western Canada, some of which would evolve into hate. Call-in radio programs were flooded with support for Lougheed, as well as anger towards the Trudeau government. As one man said, "…I would be happy to fight for our freedom and I...

Alberta has been under the governance of the Social Credit Party, during which the province experienced a growth in the oil and gas industry. With the discovery of brand new oil and gas deposits in 1947, Alberta went from being one of Canada's poorest provinces, to one of the richest. However, the leadership of Ernest Manning made the party one of the most conservative parties in Alberta at that t...

The Scientific Revolution is famous for figures such as Copernicus, Galileo and Newton, and developments in technology and giving science a methodology. But ever think that there may be more to the Scientific Revolution than just science? Ever wonder how the humanities and the sciences became such separate entities? Have you heard "I think therefore I am" and wonder what that argument even means?...