The Aral Sea is actually situated in Central Asia, between Northern Uzbekistan and Southern Kazakhstan. Once the fourth largest freshwater lake in the world, the vanishing Aral Sea is nearly empty now, thanks to a decades-old, Soviet-begun desert irrigation program.
Author Archives: andrewspaulw
Podcast: Castle Bravo – a Human-made Armageddon
On Monday March 1st, 1954, at 6:45 am, the U.S. carried out its largest nuclear detonation ever – CASTLE BRAVO – at the Bikini Atoll in the South Pacific Marshall Islands. Both military servicemen and Marshall Islanders got to experience first-hand what Armageddon would truly be like. The explosion turned out to be 2.5 timesContinue reading “Podcast: Castle Bravo – a Human-made Armageddon”
The Forgotten Great Chinese Famine of 1959
From 1959 to 1961, the Chinese people were decimated, not by the coronavirus and COVID-19, but by a devastating famine. The death toll, concealed by the Communist government at the time, is still a matter of debate. The consensus however is that at least 30 million people died, though some estimates take it as high as 50 MILLION.
Podcast: Ten Theories about the Never-Aging Count Saint Germain
So who exactly was le Comte de Saint-Germain, the never-aging man of mystery who left so few clues behind? How could he hobnob around Europe throughout the 1700’s and never appear to grow old? Count Saint Germain He looked the same in London in 1743 as he did in St. Peterburg in 1762, as heContinue reading “Podcast: Ten Theories about the Never-Aging Count Saint Germain”
Podcast: Typhoid Mary Mallon – Villain or Victim?
Over the past 100 years, Typhoid Mary’s name has became synonymous with any notorious carrier or spreader of an infectious disease, causing an epidemic or worse. But there was a real-life woman, Mary Mallon, and a tragic story behind that infamous name. Who was she and how did Typhoid Mary become so notorious? Prefer toContinue reading “Podcast: Typhoid Mary Mallon – Villain or Victim?”
Podcast: Who Drained Russia’s Vast Aral Sea?
To answer the question, it was the Soviet Union, that’s who. The Aral Sea is actually situated in Central Asia, between Northern Uzbekistan and Southern Kazakhstan. Once the fourth largest freshwater lake in the world, the vanishing Aral Sea is now nearly empty, thanks to a flawed, decades-old, Soviet-engineered desert irrigation program. To read theContinue reading “Podcast: Who Drained Russia’s Vast Aral Sea?”
Podcast: The 1918 Spanish Flu Beats all Pandemics Since the Black Plague
Before COVID, before Ebola, before SARS, the 1918 Flu Pandemic killed more humans than all of World War I combined, over 50 million people worldwide! In just over a year, the so-called ‘Spanish Flu’ would infect a fifth of the world’s population. It remains to this day THE most devastating pandemic in recorded history. PreferContinue reading “Podcast: The 1918 Spanish Flu Beats all Pandemics Since the Black Plague”
Podcast: Six Forgotten Secrets of Michelangelo’s David
How much do you know about the famous Michelangelo’s David? You have likely seen countless pictures of the famous naked statue on the internet, TV or in books. You recognize the handsome, muscular, nude male, standing with his feet apart, sling at the ready, staring off into the distance at the giant, Goliath. But Michelangelo’s DavidContinue reading “Podcast: Six Forgotten Secrets of Michelangelo’s David”
Irena Sendler, Holocaust Heroine, saved more than Schindler’s List
Many acts of courage and decency took place during the World War II Jewish Holocaust by brave and compassionate people. Irena Sendlar was one of its greatest heroes.
White Friday 1916 – History’s Deadliest Avalanche occurred during WWI
The deadliest avalanche in history occurred at the worst possible time in the worst possible place. A powerful avalanche killed hundreds of Austrian and Italian soldiers near Italy’s Mount Marmolada on 13 December 1916, in the middle of World War I. It would come to be known as White Friday. Over the next several weeks,Continue reading “White Friday 1916 – History’s Deadliest Avalanche occurred during WWI”