The Y in History

Episodes

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  Episode 141: 2011 - the Osama bin Laden Raid 19.09.2026 30m

  In May of 2011, the US Seal Team Six conducted a raid on a large residential compond in Abbottabad, Pakistan and killed Osama Bin Laden. But how did Bin Laden land in Abbottabad from the Tora Bora Mountains in Afghanistan?
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  Episode 140: 1975 - Sikkim's merger with India 05.09.2026 25m

  Sikkim became a British India protectorate under the 1861 Treaty of Tumlong. After India's independence in 1947, the Indo-Sikkim Treaty of 1950, made Sikkim a protectorate of India. An Indian Intelligence operation in 1975 led to a referendum which resulted in Sikkim becoming the 22nd State of the Indian Union.
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  Episode 139: Modern Warfare - lessons learned from Ukraine and Iran Wars 22.08.2026 19m

  Drones, Drone Interceptors, Speed Boats and Sea Mines are some of the inexpensive artillery, developed and used across the Russia-Ukraine and US-Iran Wars, which have drastically altered the battlefield dynamics. So, what lessons have these wars taught us?
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  Episode 138: Lebanon - from Paris of the Middle East to a den of the Hezbollah 08.08.2026 26m

  From 1950 to 1970, Lebanon's Capital, Beirut, was known as the Paris of the Middle East. But after the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) moved its Headquarters to West Beirut in 1971, South Lebanon became an active battlefield against Israel. Fractures in Lebanese society emerged and from 1975 to 1990, it descended into a disastrous Civil War. Amidst the melee, Hezbollah emerged as the new militant organization, in South Lebanon, with backing from Iran.
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  Episode 137: Match Fixing in Cricket 25.07.2026 27m

  In February 1995, Aussie Cricket legend, Shane Warne revealed that he and Tim May had been offered $200,000 each by Pakistan Captain, Salim Malik, to lose the October 1994 Karachi Test against Pakistan. The Qayyum Commission set up by Pakistan, the King Commission by South Africa and the CBI investigation by India, explored instances of Cricket Match Fixing and the players involved. The first ICC Anti Corruption Unit Chief, Lord Condon stated in 2011, that Match Fixing in Cricket was rampant in the 1980s and 1990s.
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  Episode 136: 2026 - US-Iran War 11.07.2026 24m

  The US-Iran War started on Feb 28, 2026 when the Iranian Spiritual Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's residential compound was pounded by American and Israelis missiles and bombs. The intent was regime change, but several months in, the regime seems intact and more hardline. So, is there any hope of peace?
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  Episode 135: 1776 - the Declaration of Independence 27.06.2026 26m

  Prior to 1776, the American Colonist Leaders were reluctant to go against the Crown. But in January 1776, Thomas Paine published a pamphlet "Common Sense", which laid the foundation for the Declaration of Independence in July 1776.
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  Episode 134: Soccer - 1950s through 1970s 13.06.2026 24m

  After 1958, FIFA ensured that the World Cup tournament alternated between continents. Brazil won a record 3rd time in 1970 to get permanent possession of the Jules Rimet Trophy. West German Captain Franz Beckenbauer became the first Captain to lift the new FIFA World Cup in 1974. 
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  Episode 133: Soccer - early times to 1950s 30.05.2026 25m

  In the mid-19th century, Association Football or Soccer, was introduced in English schools as part of the physical education curriculum. Soccer expanded globally, driven by British sailors, merchants, and engineers, as well as railway and mining companies, who brought the game to Europe, South America, and British colonies. FIFA was established in 1904 to provide rules for international matches so that teams from different countries could compete fairly.
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  Episode 132: 1961 - the Berlin Wall 16.05.2026 25m

  On August 13, 1961, the Communist government of East Germany) began to build a barbed wire and concrete barrier, between East and West Berlin, which came to be known as the Berlin Wall. The primary aim was to prevent mass exodus of East Germans into the affluent West Germany.  28 years later, on November 9, 1989, the Wall came crashing down, heralding an end to the Cold War.
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  Episode 131: Rivalries - Adidas, Coke, Tesla and Scotland 02.05.2026 24m

  Great rivalries from history - from the fraternal rivalry that led to Adidas and Puma to the Cola Wars between Coke and Pepsi. Tesla and Edison fought the Current Wars and Scotland continues to maintain a unique identity within Great Britain.
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  Episode 130: 2026 - Operation Absolute Resolve: Venezuela and Nicolas Maduro 18.04.2026 20m

  During the early hours of January 3, 2026, the US Forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. While the US called it an operation against narco-terrorism and drug trafficking, the real reason lay in a 1823 doctrine.
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  Episode 129: the Collapse of Empires - Great Britain and Japan 04.04.2026 24m

  Collapse of empires starts with economic exhaustion – when an empire stretches itself beyond its resources. The episode dives into detail of the factors that led to the collapse of the Empires of Great Britain and Japan, post WWII.
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  Episode 128: The origins of phrases 21.03.2026 21m

  A theater in England stole a playwright's thunder in 1704 to popularize the phrase. The auto industry in the 1920s, heavily promoted and popularized the term "jaywalking" to shift blame for traffic accidents from drivers to pedestrians. Tune in to learn the origins of several other phrases and terms in the English language.
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  Episode 127: Iran part 2: the Shah, White Revolution and Islamic Revolution 07.03.2026 29m

  The Shah of Iran initiated the White Revolution in 1963, which aimed to modernize Iran through land reform, women's suffrage, literacy programs, and industrial growth. While it brought economic growth, it also caused social disruption and increased opposition, contributing to the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
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  Episode 126: Iran - the Qajars, the Constitution and Reza Shah Pahlavi 21.02.2026 23m

  At the start of the 20th Century, the Qajars ruled Persia (Iran), but their incompetence led to a push for a Constitution for Iran. The British wanted a stable government in Iran and supported an Officer in the Cossack Brigade, Reza Khan in toppling the last Qajar monarch, to start the Pahlavi dynasty in Iran.
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  Episode 125: 1960 - OPEC - the emergence of a national oil cartel 07.02.2026 23m

  On September 14, 1960, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, and Kuwait officially formed OPEC to ensure that oil-producing nations, rather than private companies, had the power to stabilize international oil prices. The cartel really flexed its muscle when the global economy was brought to its knees during the 1973 Oil Embargo on the US and its allies.
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  Episode 124: Greenland - the Inuit and Denmark 24.01.2026 22m

  By 1500, the Inuit, with their mastery of marine hunting and adaptation to the Arctic, were the established people of Greenland. By 1776, Denmark declared a monopoly trade on Greenland, quietly colonizing it, in the process.  Post WWII, the US offered $100m in gold for the purchase of Greenland, which was rejected by Denmark. In 1953, Denmark once again, quietly transitioned Greenland from a Colony to a district of Denmark, without a referendum.
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  Episode 123: The Japanese Economic Miracle 10.01.2026 21m

  The 1950 Korean War provided the necessary boost to the Japanese economy post WWII. But a combination of factors, from export oriented growth to process innovation, spearheaded Japan to the second largest economy in the world from 1968 to 2010. A look at the factors that led to this economic miracle.
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  Episode 122: Unbelievable facts from History 06.12.2025 22m

  Einstein's brain was stolen at the time of his death, for research. The Great Fire of London of 1666, led to the creation of the Insurance industry. Tune in to this episode to listen to some unbelievable facts from history.