Emperor Taizong of Tang: The Usurper Who Became the Model Emperor
In this episode of pplpod, we explore the life of Emperor Taizong of Tang, born Li Shimin, one of the most admired rulers in Chinese history and one of the most morally complicated. The episode begins...
19 Jun 19min
Emperor Wu of Han: The Empire Builder Who Nearly Destroyed His Own House
In this episode of pplpod, we explore the life of Emperor Wu of Han, one of the most consequential rulers in Chinese history and one of the clearest examples of how ambition, paranoia, and state power...
19 Jun 23min
Butch Cassidy: The Gentleman Bandit Who Refused to Stay Dead
In this episode of pplpod, we explore the life and mystery of Butch Cassidy, born Robert Leroy Parker, the Mormon pioneer son who became one of the most famous outlaws of the American West. The episod...
19 Jun 21min
David Crockett: The Real Man Behind the King of the Wild Frontier
In this episode of pplpod, we explore the real David Crockett, the Tennessee frontiersman and politician whose life has been buried under coonskin caps, Disney songs, Alamo mythology, and decades of A...
19 Jun 22min
Daniel Boone: The Real Man Behind the Coonskin Cap Myth
In this episode of pplpod, we explore the real Daniel Boone, a man far more complicated than the frontier cartoon America inherited. The episode begins by tearing down the familiar image of Boone as a...
19 Jun 25min
Qin Shi Huang: The First Emperor Who Unified China and Couldn’t Escape Death
In this episode of pplpod, we explore the life of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China, a ruler whose achievements shaped Chinese history for more than two thousand years and whose personal life ...
19 Jun 22min
Chief Joseph: The Diplomat Turned Into a Mythic Warrior
In this episode of pplpod, we explore the life of Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce, the leader remembered through the powerful but misleading legend of the “Red Napoleon.” The episode begins by stripping...
19 Jun 20min
Buffalo Bill: The Man Who Sold the Wild West to the World
In this episode of pplpod, we explore the life of William Frederick Cody, better known as Buffalo Bill, the man who helped turn the American West into a global myth. The episode begins with Cody’s bru...
19 Jun 23min
