On our last episode, we began the story of Simon Bolívar, the most prominent figure in South American history. We covered his ancestry, his birth, childhood, and education. We covered his young adulthood in Europe and his return to Venezuela as a believer in independence from Spain. We left him as he was first exiled from Venezuela to New Granada (modern-day Colombia) for his initial attempt at liberating Venezuela from Spanish rule. In this episode, we finish his story – one of conquest, defeat, re-conquest, liberation, and independence.

In the history of South America there is no figure who has had as much impact as Simón Bolívar. Known as ‘El Liberador,’ he led most of Spanish South America to independence in the early 19th century. But the journey was long and the struggle was hard.

We tend to think that organized drug trafficking is something that just started recently — maybe a hundred years ago or so. But in the 17 and 1800s, British merchants were buying opium from India and selling it to people in China for a huge profit. By the mid-1800s the Chinese government started to see large numbers of its people becoming addicted to this dangerous drug that turned hard-working citizens into unproductive burdens. When the Chinese tried to fight back against the British, they found out exactly how far an imperial power will go to hang onto that power.

The Magna Carta is one of the foundational documents of Western democracy. It was a major milestone in the slow, but steady progression from concentrated to distributed political power. The impacts of this document are felt even today as we seek ways to ensure that each person’s voice is heard and honored in decision-making that affects them.

Whether you are casually interested in intriguing stories about what has happened in the past, or, you are a full-fledged history nut, check out our new podcast “Advancing History.” This ongoing podcast series will tell the tales of our past, covering all kinds of topics from the Magna Carta to the Manhattan Project, from Queen Hatshepsut of Egypt to Steve McQueen the action star. Check us out and subscribe to make sure you don’t miss an episode.