History of Everything

In 1975, a French mercenary named Bob Denard landed on the beaches of the Comoros Islands with a handful of men and changed the course of African history. Then he did it again. And again. And one more time for good measure. This is the story of how one man overthrew the same government four separate times, ruled an island nation as a puppet master for over a decade, and somehow died peacefully in France instead of prison.

From the bloody coups of the 1970s to the failed Operation Azalee in 1995, this is the story of the unbelievable career of France's most notorious soldier of fortune—a man who treated international borders like suggestions and presidential palaces like Airbnb rentals.

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Normally when one describes a dictator they will talk about murder, violence, oppression, coups, but not usually willingly giving up power. The dictator of Seychelles is perhaps one of the most rare examples of exactly that in history.

This is his story and how the Seychelles became a modern state.

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After World War II, Japan was devastated. Food was scarce, morale was low, and the country needed something—anything—to rebuild. That "something" turned out to be a simple bowl of wheat noodles in broth.

Today we trace how ramen went from a cheap street food to an unlikely economic and cultural savior for post-war Japan. We'll explore the black market stalls of 1940s Tokyo, the American wheat surplus that changed everything, and how instant ramen inventor Momofuku Ando literally helped feed a nation and to create what is one of the most popular foods on earth.

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Check out our sister podcast the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mystery of Everything⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Sheck Exley didn't just push the limits of human exploration—he redefined them. Today we dive into the life of the man widely regarded as the greatest cave diver who ever lived.

From his first cave dive at age 16 to his record-breaking descent past 800 feet into Mexico's El Zacatón, Exley spent three decades exploring the most dangerous underwater caves on Earth. Along the way, he developed the techniques, equipment, and safety protocols that made modern technical diving possible.

But his obsession with the depths would ultimately cost him everything. On April 6, 1994, Exley attempted to reach the bottom of the world's deepest underwater sinkhole—a dive from which he would never return.

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Meet Zhang Zongchang—the warlord so unhinged, so chaotic, that his own soldiers called him "72-Cannon Zhang" while everyone else just called him the Dog Meat General. Standing nearly 6'6" in an era when most Chinese men were a foot shorter, this mountain of a man ruled China's Shandong province like a fever dream wrapped in a nightmare.

In this video, we're diving deep into the absolute insanity that was Zhang Zongchang's life.

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Check out our sister podcast the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mystery of Everything⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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