The Explorers Podcast

In part 4 of our series, Burke and Wills travel north to Cooper's Creek, where they establish a supply depot. Burke will spend a month scouting the area to the north, before finally departing for the north coast in mid-December. At Menindee, William Wright waits for money to buy more horses so he can haul all the supplies to Burke's new camp. Meanwhile, a policeman, Trooper Myles Lyons, strikes ou...

In part 3 of our series, the Victorian Exploring Expedition travels from Melbourne to the frontier outpost of Menindee on the Darling River. Along the way, the VEE will undergo a transformation as many key members will be fired (or resign), and others will join the company. Meanwhile, Robert Burke must dodge an arrest notice, criticism and his own ego to move the VEE forward. Map: https://explorer...

In part 2 of our series, Robert Burke and the Exploration Committee hire men for the Victorian Exploring Expedition (VEE), including William Wills - who will serve the expedition's surveyor, meteorologist, and astronomer. The VEE, consisting of 19 men, 26 camels, 23 horse, six wagons, and 200 tons of supplies, then prepares to depart Melbourne in August of 1860. The goal is to be the first men to...

The first episode in the Burke and Wills Expedition series provides background to the endeavor - which was an expedition to cross Australia in 1860-61. We are introduced to the organizers of the expedition - Royal Society of Victoria - and its eventual leader, Robert Burke. Key people and places Robert Burke - Irish police superintendent from Castlemaine. Will be named leader of the expedition. Ro...

Between 400-600 BCE, Hanno the Navigator of Carthage, conducted an epic voyage down the west coast of Africa - sailing more than 4,000 miles - reaching all the way to modern-day Gabon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Cossack Vladimir Atlasov explores the Kamchatka Peninsula in the late 1690s - claiming it for the Russian Empire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Series wrap up. We look at the aftermath of the siege of Tenochtitlan. We also cover the rest of Cortés' life, and the lives of some of the key players in our series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In part 7 of our series on Hernán Cortés and the Conquest of Mexico, the Spanish and their allies converge on the Valley of Mexico and begin the siege of Tenochtitlan - which will signal the end of the Aztec Empire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the wake of his defeat at Tenochtitlan, Cortés must fend off the Aztecs at the Battle of Otumba. He must then consolidate his forces, and plot his return to the Valley of Mexico - even while small pox ravages the empire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Part 5 in our series on Hernán Cortés and the Conquest of Mexico, Cortés must deal with threats from the recently arrived Panfilo de Narvaez, and an uprising in Tenochtitlan. Things will end with the La Noche Triste - the Night of Sorrows (hint: that's won't end well for the Spanish).  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In part 4 of our series on Hernán Cortés, the Spanish march into Tenochtitlan - the Aztec capital. In doing so, he will come face-to-face with the legendary Montezuma. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In part three of our series on Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés, the Spanish march west, encountering resistance from the independent Tlaxcalan people, as well as confronting possible treachery in the city of Cholula. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hernán Cortés forges an alliance with a discontented people, and establishes the first European settlement in New Spain - Vera Cruz. Also, he encounters the first emissaries of the Aztec Empire, who offer the Spanish a large bribe to leave their lands. Instead, Cortés becomes determined to travel to the heart of the Aztec Empire - Tenochtitlan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/...

Hernán Cortés leads an army to Mexico to seek out the sophisticated lands to the west. The Spanish will find something they never imagined - the Aztec Empire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Franklin Expedition disappears in the Canadian Arctic while trying to find the Northwest Passage. Part 2 in our series examines the tragic fate of Franklin, his men and their ships - and the 170+ years of searching for clues to the expedition's ultimate end. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1845, Sir John Franklin leads two ships into the Arctic in search of the fabled Northwest Passage. The ships and crew were the finest England had to offer, however, after heading into Lancaster Sound - the entrance to the Passage - neither ship would be seen again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin set off in Apollo 11 for the first lunar landing in history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The final episode in our series on Francis Drake covers the years of 1581-1595, as Drake leads the fight against Spain, including Singeing the King of Spain's Beard, and the Spanish Armada. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Francis Drake and Golden Hind head across the Pacific to the Spice Islands, before rounding the tip of Africa and returning to England Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In part 4 in our series, Francis Drake will lead his fleet into the Strait of Magellan. After surviving more than 50 days of storms, he will then proceed to attack Spanish shipping on the western coast of the Americas - capturing the greatest prize in English history.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1576, Francis Drake begins his circumnavigation of the globe. In this episode, Drake organizes his fleet, and then heads to the Strait of Magellan. However, he must deal with a potentially mutinous foe who could derail the entire expedition.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Francis Drake conducts three expeditions to the Caribbean, becoming the most hated main the Spanish Empire.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

English explorer, privateer and captain Francis Drake comes of age in 16th century England. This episode talks about Drake's younger years, and details the voyages he made to Africa and the Caribbean in the 1560s - including his first command - and culminates in the Battle of San Juan de Ulúa in 1568.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Portuguese explorer Diogo Cão travels down the coast of west Africa in the 1480s, becoming the first European to discover the Congo River, and setting the stage for others to round the tip of the continent. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Lewis and Clark Expedition is complete, so let's take a look at what happen at what happened with the end of the epic journey across the country. We'll also see what happened to the people involved in the expedition, and take a look at the legacy of Lewis and Clark and the Corps of the Discovery. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices