Yo-ho, a pirate’s life for she! Legends of Blackbeard and movie buccaneers like Captain Jack Sparrow give us the impression that piracy was a man’s world. But historians and the Nat Geo book Pirate Queens: Dauntless Women Who Dared to Rule the High Seas are righting the ship. Join the fleet of Zheng Yi Sao, a woman from southern China who at her peak command ... Show More
Jul 2023
Trapped in the icy waters of the Northwest Passage
For centuries, the Northwest Passage, the long-sought sea route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through northern Canada, was a holy grail of Arctic exploration. Even now, sailing through it isn’t guaranteed. Mark Synnott, a National Geographic Explorer, writer, and adv ... Show More
34m 16s
Jul 2023
Playback: Modern Lives, Ancient Caves
There’s a lost continent waiting to be explored, and it’s right below our feet. We’ll dig into the deep human relationship to the underground—and why we understand it from an instinctive point of view, but not so much from a physical one. (Hint: We’re afraid of the dark.) In an e ... Show More
28m 39s
Jun 2023
Playback: This Indigenous Practice Fights Fire with Fire
For decades, the U.S. government evangelized fire suppression, most famously through Smokey Bear’s wildfire prevention campaign. But as climate change continues to exacerbate wildfire seasons and a growing body of scientific research supports using fire to fight fire, Indigenous ... Show More
29m 8s
Mar 2011
Don't Cross the Dragon Lady, Cheng I Sao
<p>When people think of pirates, they usually picture male, western scoundrels flouting the law throughout the Caribbean. However, piracy is not a solely western pursuit. Listen in as Deblina and Sarah recount the exploits of pirates in the South China Sea.</p><p> </p> Learn more ... Show More
28m 8s
Aug 2022
Female Pirates
Yo ho ho, a pirate’s life for me - but what is a pirate’s life, and what was it like for women?This is the story of Anne Bonny and Mary Read, a pair of reputably vicious pirates, and their journeys onto and across the seas.With the help of Julie Walker, author of 'Bonny & Read', ... Show More
41m 31s
Apr 2021
Ching Shih: Pirate Queens Pt. 3
The most successful pirate in history is one few have heard of: Ching Shih, the pirate queen of the South China Sea. At her height in the early 1800s, Shih commanded nearly 80,000 pirates. She took on entire nations… and won. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices ... Show More
42m 32s
Jul 2022
Pirates: More than peg legs and parrots
Ahoy, matey! When you think of a pirate, you’re probably thinking of a white man with a beard and an eyepatch, maybe a pegleg, maybe a parrot on his shoulder. But we’re here to tell you that pirates didn’t usually look like that. Joy and co-host Elsa learn about what pirates were ... Show More
33m 54s