Best Ernest Granson Podcasts (2025)

1
The complicated and messy birth of the legendary Jeep 1:16:44

Play Pause

8M ago1:16:44

1:16:44

Why is it called the Jeep? Depends on who you ask. Who first designed and developed this workhorse of the US military? Again, not a simple question to answer. Decades after thousands of these historic and vital vehicles were shipped all over the world to transport American soldiers and cargo, its true origins were still shrouded in obscurity. Those…

1
In the footsteps of T.E. Lawrence - a quest for understanding in the Middle East 57:08

10M ago57:08

57:08

The bitter and destructive struggle in the Levant has a lengthy, complex and grievous history. No doubt the region has experienced its share of territorial bloodshed from ancient times. However, much of the conflict and hostility which has plagued it over the last century or so can be traced to the pacts made between European powers during and afte…

1
T.E. Lawrence: the archeologist turned desert warrior 1:04:31

10M ago1:04:31

1:04:31

Many of our images of the First World War emanated from the trenches at the European front lines. But the war was not limited to those deplorable conditions. In the Mideast, another conflict seethed as the Central Powers of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire along with the Allied Powers of the British Empire, France, Russia, …

1
Jeep Shows: dodging bullets and bombs while entertaining on World War II front lines 44:19

12M ago44:19

44:19

World War II soldiers had to endure the grind of pushing through rough terrain in extreme cold and heat and to witness comrades dying in front of their eyes, sometimes for years. To help alleviate those hardships, even temporarily, soldiers stationed at military bases were treated to entertainment of all kinds, but those stage shows were not practi…

1
The legacy of Wyatt Earp - respected lawman, vigilante, gambler, pimp 49:37

1y ago49:37

49:37

A few years before his death, Wyatt Earp wrote to a friend, saying, "Notoriety has been the bane of my life. I detest it." As perhaps the most famous lawman in the United States, Earp and his brothers are well known for the infamous gunfight at the OK Corral, but those few minutes of gunfire are really only a slice of the Earps' struggle to tame th…

1
The Germans and the Vikings - Hitler's Norwegian fantasy 51:58

1y ago51:58

51:58

The year is 1940. The German army occupies Norway and begins construction of superhighways, a polar railroad and a glistening new German city in northern Norway. The Nazi party encourages German soldiers and Norwegian women to produce babies - all to create Hitler's vision of a super race of German/Norwegian Vikings. These master plans to rule the …

1
Napoleon - the film. When history and entertainment clash. 48:52

1+ y ago48:52

48:52

The Ridley Scott- directed film "Napoleon" is a big film. Big battle scenes. Moscow going up in flames. Napoleon facing down his detractors. The over-the-top coronation of the emperor. But according to the noted Oxford Napoleonic historian, Michael Broers, the film's emphasis on Napoleon's relationship with Josephine is as important as those other …

1
Surfing the Time Capsule: Are architects doomed for tragedy? 40:24

2y ago40:24

40:24

Frank Lloyd Wright, Antoni Gaudi, Adolf Loos, Louis Sullivan; why were their lives such a mess? Maybe it's the Jekyll and Hyde conundrum. In this episode of Surfing the Time Capsule, we'll take a look at this puzzling condition that seems to bedevil some architects.By Ernest Granson

1
Surfing the Time Capsule - Buying up the brightest stars in the art universe 20:17

2y ago20:17

20:17

Is the Leonardo da Vinci painting entitled "Salvator Mundi" worth almost half a billion dollars? For Saudi Arabian crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, that's chump change. Join journalist Ernest Granson as he examines the motivation behind the astronomical values of the world's most expensive paintings.…

1
Surfing the Time Capsule - John Dean cushions his behind in Poshinaya foam; John Galt slams volunteerism 9:59

2+ y ago9:59

9:59

Was Richard Nixon really a snivelling crook? Was Ayn Rand really a condescending, selfish snob? In this initial episode of Surfing the Time Capsule from Outrageous History, journalist Ernest Granson suggests that the two notorious personalities shared a common attribute - greed. You would think their colleagues and followers would consider that to …

1
Da Vinci's Salvator Mundi - The Bargain of the Millenium 48:26

2+ y ago48:26

48:26

In 2017, a painting of Jesus Christ holding a crystal orb became the world's most expensive painting when Saudi Arabian crown prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) paid $450 million for the piece which was auctioned off by Christie's in London. MBS purchased the painting based on its attribution to the Renaissance painter and all around genius, Leonardo…

1
The Evolution of Spin 1:25:19

2+ y ago1:25:19

1:25:19

Propaganda, publicity, public relations, spin. These words are really interchangeable but for many, they all evoke somewhat negative connotations. For politicians, the presidents of the United States especially, that's a problem. From the publicity-hungry Theodore Roosevelt to the media-obsessed Richard Nixon to the "no-spin" Barrack Obama, the chi…

1
We are the real monsters! 54:26

2+ y ago54:26

54:26

The Anglo-Saxons of pre-England Britannia lived in a world of real monsters where walking through the unsettled areas outside of town could mean being scorched by dragons or gobbled up by terrifying, giant humanoids. Were these monsters real and why were the medieval Anglo-Saxons so fearful of them? Join journalist Ernest Granson as his guest, auth…

1
The van Gogh You Never Knew 31:47

3y ago31:47

31:47

Imagine becoming a young widow with a baby boy and being entrusted with the priceless legacy of one of the world's most famous painters. That is the situation in which Johanna van Gogh-Bonger found herself when her beloved husband of only two years passed away. That husband was Theo van Gogh, brother of Vincent van Gogh. The two brothers died withi…

1
The Ambiguity of Stan Lee 53:17

3y ago53:17

53:17

Just who was Stanley Martin Lieber - or as millions of superhero fans know him - Stan Lee? Sure, Stan Lee has been credited by those fans as the creator of Spiderman, The Avengers, The X Men and a whole universe of superheroes that dominate not only the comic book industry but to a large extent, the film industry. He was a writer, a self-promoter, …

1
The last man who might know all there is to be known 42:35

3+ y ago42:35

42:35

Could there be such a person? That is how scientist J.B.S. Haldane has been described. He is credited with laying the foundations of genetics but his knowledge spanned far beyond that and until he passed away he constantly strove to inform the public about all aspects of science. Some of his knowledge he gained through self-experimentation, for ins…

1
Martha Was Right 36:56

3+ y ago36:56

36:56

The Watergate scandal in the 1970s turned U.S. politics upside down, creating skepticism, cynicism and pessimism throughout the country. For those involved in both the burglary of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at Washington D.C.'s Watergate hotel/apartment complex and the burglary coverup, it meant jail time and a loss of reputatio…

1
John Galt Lives! 48:55

3+ y ago48:55

48:55

The life story of Ayn Rand reads much like one of her block buster novels, except for the unhappy ending. In "The Fountainhead" and "Atlas Shrugged", the main female and male characters, one of whom is John Galt, become heroines and heroes, rhapsodizing with spectacular literary, political and philosophical statements. In real life, Ayn Rand, the q…

1
The Vengeance of the Shot Blue Marilyn 50:19

3+ y ago50:19

50:19

Art dealer and former gallery owner, Richard Polsky, spent a career trying to become the owner of an Andy Warhol silk screen. As a passionate admirer of Warhol's works, Richard eventually achieved his goal of purchasing, not one but two pieces, at separate times. But circumstances resulted in his move to sell both. Although he always believed in a …

1
The Bricklin: automotive fantasy or lost opportunity for prosperity? 45:15

3+ y ago45:15

45:15

When American automotive entrepreneur Malcolm Bricklin and the Province of New Brunswick's Premier Richard Hatfield sat down for coffee at the Lord Beaverbrook Hotel in Fredericton in 1973, little did they realize the bumpy road they would soon ride together. At that meeting, Bricklin, ever the salesman, convinced Hatfield to commit to a joint vent…

1
The Peculiar World of Prime Minister Mackenzie King 47:59

3+ y ago47:59

47:59

If you're taking part in contemporary politics, you had better board up your closet to prevent any skeletons from being revealed. It wasn't necessarily so 100 years ago. The private lives of politicians, were for the most part, kept private, even by publicity-seeking media outlets. If that weren't the case, then the longest serving Canadian prime m…

1
Tsar Nicolas' Game of Russian Roulette 54:16

3+ y ago54:16

54:16

Russia's Tsar Nicolas and his family died a gruesome death, executed by the Bolsheviks, after Nicolas was forced to abdicate following the Russian Revolution of 1917. King George V of Great Britain was Nicolas' cousin and agonized over offering the Romanov family refuge in England. George never made that offer. The irony is that Nicolas and George …

1
Rhea Clyman: the Canadian Bourgeois Troublemaker 37:02

4y ago37:02

37:02

Rhea Clyman, born in Poland and raised in Canada, jostled her way into becoming an foreign correspondent for the Toronto Evening Telegram in the 1920s. One of the few women journalists during that era, she managed to land an assignment to cover the newly emerging Communist U.S.S.R. Her epic trips to Siberia and other parts of the famine ravaged cou…

1
The Scientist Explorer who Died a Viking's Death 34:40

4y ago34:40

34:40

Alfred Wegener's life as a scientist in the early 1900s spanned numerous fields including astronomy and meteorology. But his theory of continental drift or displacement sparked a furor amongst geologists, many of whom branded him a scientific outsider, a reckless mischief maker ignorant of geological methods and given to wild speculations. As if th…

1
Maximilien Robespierre: Hero or Monster of the French Revolution? 36:52

4y ago36:52

36:52

The French Revolution is considered one of the most important events in the history of civilization. When it ended in the late 1700s, the feudal system, the French Catholic Church as it then existed and the French monarchy had been dismantled. For the French common people that was the upside. The downside: thousands of deaths by fighting and execut…

1
The Movie Star President 54:27

4y ago54:27

54:27

In American politics, you could say that there have been two Presidents elected with movie star quality - one of them is Ronald Reagan, who parlayed his movie and teleivsion career into the highest office in the land. The other is a man who never actually had any role in a film. His name: John F. Kennedy. But, as author John Hellmann writes in his …

1
The Honeymoon From Hell 1:01:29

4y ago1:01:29

1:01:29

The womanizing, gambling and boozing George, Prince of Wales, had one thing in mind in April of 1795 when he agreed to marry his smelly, stout and somewhat coarse first cousin, Caroline, Princess of Brunswick - to pay off his £600,000 (US$74 million in today's dollars) royal debt. George's father, King George III, had agreed to pay down the debt if…

1
Architect of Mayhem 39:06

4y ago39:06

39:06

Superstar architect Frank Lloyd Wright was as well known for his scandalous personal life as he was for his revolutionary architectural designs. Even Wright seemed to recognize he was a flawed man, but as biographer Paul Hendrickson argues, underneath Wright's arrogance existed a "fundamental soulfulness" that resulted in some of the world's most i…

1
Help wanted: For position of sovereign in mid-19th century, self-exploding Mexico 48:45

4+ y ago48:45

48:45

We require a young, idealistic European royal couple to lead transition of Mexico from republic to monarchy. Experience living in Mexico not necessary. Some financing for military support is available. Please note, there is a high chance of violence during the transition as well as a substantial risk of death by firing squad. Please apply to Napolé…

1
Kelly Johnson: Master of the Skies 1:19:05

4+ y ago1:19:05

1:19:05

What were those strange lights zipping around Groom Lake at Area 51 through the 1950s, 60s, 70s, 80s and beyond? Millions have been mystified. Chances are most of them were produced by the most advanced aircraft in the world taking off from and landing at Groom Lake on experimental flights. And most of those aircraft were designed and developed by …

1
Lee Miller: From Vogue model to Hitler's bathtub 45:08

4+ y ago45:08

45:08

Lee Miller is considered of the top photographers of her time, not to mention one of the first supermodels. But she was also one of the original and restless "free spirits," travelling the world, keeping company with celebrities and the avant garde, mixing and matching numerous lovers, even becoming an award winning chef. Yet it seemed as if she co…

1
Evil Roman Empire? Brutality - check; Debauchery - check; Corruption - check. Hold on. Not so fast. 26:00

4+ y ago26:00

26:00

The Romans were ruthless, right? That's how the Roman Empire became the dominant nation of its time. Its military forces stomped on other states, its leaders set the bar for weirdness and deviance while its citizens thrived on bloodthirsty entertainment. And yet, the Romans were responsible for astonishing technological and cultural achievements. O…

1
English big game hunter William Baillie-Grohman's absurd waterways diversion scheme 19:27

4+ y ago19:27

19:27

During the late 1800s, English big game hunter, William Baillie-Grohman concocted an outlandish scheme to dig a two kilometre long canal between the headwaters of the Mighty Columbia River and the Kootenay River at Canal Flats, British Columbia. Or was it outlandish? Journalist Ernest Granson and Tammy Hardwick, manager of the Creston & District Mu…

1
Searching for "The Dief" 29:31

4+ y ago29:31

29:31

John George Diefenbaker, or "the Dief", as his supporters called him, is known as one of Canada's most unforgettable and provocative Prime Ministers, serving as the country's 13th leader in the late 1950s and early 1960s, a volatile period of Canadian history. Diefenbaker's fiery campaign speeches and stinging political rebukes could strike fear in…

1
The Importance of Being Oscar (Wilde) 37:01

4+ y ago37:01

37:01

"There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about," proclaimed Oscar Wilde. The writer and playwright died in 1900, but like other deceased celebrities, he's become his own enterprise. But, as a once living person, where does he stand? Is he an influential literary figure, an important gay icon? What…

1
Caravaggio - Rabble rouser, criminal, misunderstood artist? 34:29

4+ y ago34:29

34:29

Before he died at the young age of 38 years, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio turned the art world upside down using "chiaroscuro," a lighting technique that created dramatic contrasts of light and darkness in his paintings. But that wasn't all that captivated Italian church goers who ogled his religious works. As models, Caravaggio used peasants,…

1
The Deadliest Chemist 31:59

4+ y ago31:59

31:59

Sidney Gottlieb, born in the Bronx, New York, was a trained chemist who spent his career as one of the most secretive employees of the CIA. During the Cold War years, Gottlieb almost singlehandedly created MK-ULTRA, a program intended to research and develop the secret to mind control. Join Ernest Granson as he interviews Stephen Kinzer, journalist…