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The Spanish Conquistador who lead the conquest of the Inca Empire. Needless to say, some of his actions were not very nice.

That time when a local Hawaiian Chieftain convinced a German physician that they could overthrow the then King of Hawaii (Kamahameha the First) and establish a Russian colony there. It would make a great documentary or movie plot, hope that someone does it in the future. I don't think there are many Hawaiian films out there so there's an opportunity.   Picture: Fort Elizabeth (Russian fort on Kauai)

That time when the French secret service kind of messed up a secret operation. The Rainbow Warrior was a Greenpeace ship doing Greenpeace stuff. To be honest, kind of weird to name a ship Rainbow Warrior but that happened.

The 6th and 7th Secretaries-General of the United Nations. It was a rather long read.

The 4th and 5th United Nations Secretary-General.

The third Secretary-General of the United Nations and the first non-european to hold such a position. He was an excellent and extremely humble diplomat where he probably averted a World War 3 by helping diffuse the Cuban Missile Crisis.

The story of the first and second Secretaries-General of the United Nations. The two Scandinavians contributed much to the United Nations in its uneasy early years.

I read about the pillow. Its history, use and cultural significance. The article is one of the more unusual ones I have come across, who writes so much about pillows??

World Chess Champion 1960-1961. Known as the "Magician from Riga", Latvian Mikhail Tal's games are forever in the list of Brilliancies. He also holds the record (as of October 2018) for the longest unbeaten streak in competitive chess history. 

World Chess Champion of 1963-1969, from sweeping streets to sweeping opponent's chess pieces off the board. The Armenian "Iron Tigran" certainly left his legacy upon chess history.

Widely considered as the father of Czech Music, he led a colourful and slightly tragic life, composing many beautiful works. Rising to prominence over his life, he became deaf late in his life and soon passed on, but not before leaving us with some more music. In this episode, I share with you his story. Excerpts from his first String Quartet "From My Life" will be played inbetween sections. It was composed by him as a "semi-autobiography". I Hope that it would add to the atmosphere and allow listeners to hear some of his music.   Recommended listening - Ma Vlast - Moldau - The Bartered Bride Overture - String Quartets 1 and 2   I have always wondered if Moldau is going to have a music video. I would imagine drones being excellent in capturing the countryside and the cities. The music also allows quite a few nice transitions, and the theme of the rivers flowing would make a change in the subject between various Czech cities very fitting. Maybe someone can suggest that the tourism board or some independent film maker do something like that.

The history of silk is rather interesting, it began in China and spread to the rest of the world. How and why did such an item hold such prestige and be a symbol of luxury in the world? Its production saw heydays and rainy days, the carefully guarded secret of silk eventaully spread and other nations took part in this business. It made money then, and it still makes money now.

The history of the beverage of tea that's pretty interesting and tastes beautiful

How the British used a corpse to completely fool the Germans into redeploying troops from Sicily during WWII.

The famous norse father son explorer duo. 

The History of Coffee in its wholesome, natural and amazing state

Economic reforms that paved the way for China's resurgence from the excesses of Maoist policies to the economic powerhouse she is today.

Pax Sinica, China's Peaceful Rise, Chinese Century and the Chinese Dream. Articles comprising of China's past and future influence. These are but a small part of China to read about. But they are useful in giving us an overview of the trajectory of Chinese influence.

The story of two great cellists of all time, Pablo Casals and Jacqueline Du Pre. 

The empire on which the sun never sets. The King of Kings. Plus Ultra. Nec Pluribus Impar. These sound lofty. But they do have interesting meanings and stories to them.