It’s 1912, the golden age of Antarctic exploration, and teams from the Australasian Antarctic Expedition are preparing to journey into the wilderness. One trio, led by the Australian geologist Douglas Mawson, will venture the farthest — traversing 700 miles roundtrip of uncharted territory. But when his journey takes a disastrous turn, Mawson will have to en ... Show More
Jul 2025
In Their Words: Ali Truwit — Shark Attack Survivor | 1
<p>In May of 2023, competitive swimmer Ali Truwit had just graduated from Yale, completed her first marathon, and had a job lined up in New York City. But a few days after graduation, Ali was snorkeling with a friend in the Caribbean when, out of nowhere, she was attacked by a sh ... Show More
37m 10s
Jul 2024
Starvation in the Outback: Aussie Bushwhacking
In northern Australia, two friends venture deep into the bush on the lookout for a mysterious serpent. But after weeks trekking through desert plains and ancient jungle, Will and Geoff’s plans start falling apart. Out of supplies, with the weather and the wildlife against them, t ... Show More
52m 11s
Jul 2025
How the Horse Changed the World: Interview with Author David Chaffetz
<p>David Chaffetz, author of the recent and truly outstanding book Raiders, Rulers, and Traders: The Horse and the Rise of Empires, joins Tides to talk about the long and intertwined history of horses and people in Central Asia and beyond. The trade in horses, not silks and spice ... Show More
40m 8s
Sep 11
Alexander's Successors and the Danube Frontier
<p>While Alexander the Great's successors were fighting over control of his empire, Celtic-speaking migrants were moving east along the Danube River, mostly unseen and unnoticed by the Greeks to their south. The Macedonian kings should've been paying more attention, because soon, ... Show More
41m 9s
Feb 2025
Genghis Khan | Survival of the Fittest | 1
As a young boy on the Mongolian steppes, Temujin (not yet Genghis Khan) shows promise. He’s a wily hunter, a skilled rider and a keen falconer. He needs all those skills when his father’s death casts his family into the wilderness. In his fight for survival, he begins to attract ... Show More
47m 52s
Jan 2025
Challenger Disaster | Revisiting the Tragedy | 5
<p>Like most people who were alive in 1986, filmmaker Steven Leckart remembers the Challenger disaster. He was a kid in elementary school at the time. But as an adult, Leckart set out to explore the aftermath of what happened through interviews with astronauts’ family members, en ... Show More
36m 41s
Sep 24
Hole in the Ocean: Into the Vortex
Two men set out from Florida, ferrying a fishing boat to Cancún. It’s a routine job that should take a single day. But nearly 100 miles off the coast, the waters turn against them. Without warning, a yawning chasm opens in the middle of the ocean. Johnny Savage and his captain ar ... Show More
51m 3s
Jan 2025
The Wright Brothers | Fliers or Liars | 2
<p>By 1903, inventors and adventurers in Britain and France were launching their own experimental aircraft skyward. In the U.S., crowds gathered outside Washington, D.C. to see Samuel Langley of the Smithsonian Institution test his highly-anticipated “aerodrome”, only to watch th ... Show More
40m 28s