Audiobooks narrated by Colin Fluxman

The Conquistadors: A Captivating Guide to the Spanish Explorers, Conquest of the Americas, Cultural

Have you ever heard about the Spaniard Cabeza de Vaca, who survived eight years wandering from Florida to Texas? Find his story and more in this audiobook! In the early 16th century, Spanish adventurers swarmed over the islands of the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, and South America. Portuguese explorers and merchants pushed into the Indian Ocean and beyond to the Spice Islands of the South Pacific. The names of the leaders of these overseas conquests are well known: Hernán Cortés, Francisco Pizarro, Hernando de Soto, Afonso de Albuquerque, and Ferdinand Magellan. This audiobook explores the details of their incredible lives in service of their monarchs and personal wealth. Conquistadors set about to acquire gold, land, and monopolies in lucrative trade. In doing so, they systematically destroyed indigenous civilizations wherever they encountered them. This audiobook explores the negative aspects of early European exploration. When a local population had been pacified, some conquistadors attempted to dispense with competition among their own men. Listen to how one of Francisco Pizarro’s lieutenants rose up against him soon after conquering Peru. This audiobook presents the conquistadors in a new light. This introductory guide has been created in a neutral tone, presenting the facts as they are. In this audiobook, you will discover: - How the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean was used as a jumping-off point for Spanish expeditions; - The details of many failed and few successful Spanish expeditions to settle the lands around the Caribbean; - How the Portuguese came to dominate Brazil; - Why the Portuguese dominated trade in the East; - How Hernán Cortés conquered the Aztecs and defeated his Spanish rival for control of Mexico; Scroll up and click the “add to cart” button to learn about the exciting history of the conquistadors!

Captivating History (Author), Colin Fluxman (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Lavender Scare: The History of the Federal Government’s Persecution of the Gay Community in the

While the fight over gay marriage has been bitterly contested and debated for much of the 21st century, it’s still somewhat difficult to believe that just 50 years ago, homosexual activity was illegal in nearly every state in America. Homosexuals faced discrimination that surpassed that of even African-Americans or suspected Communists, and their lifestyles were so taboo that they were typically considered to be a security risk because it would be so easy for someone who wished to harm the country to blackmail them. In 1950, a Senate Subcommittee on Investigations reported, “In further considering the general suitability of perverts as Government employees, it is generally believed that those who engage in overt acts of perversion lack the emotional stability of normal persons. In addition there is an abundance of evidence to sustain the conclusion that indulgence in acts of sex perversion weakens the moral fiber of an individual to a degree that he is not suitable for a position of responsibility. Most of the authorities agree and our investigation has shown that the presence of a sex pervert in a Government agency tends to have a corrosive influence upon his fellow employees. These perverts will frequently attempt to entice normal individuals to engage in perverted practices. This is particularly true in the case of young and impressionable people who might come under the influence of a pervert. Government officials have the responsibility of keeping this type of corrosive influence out of the agencies under their control. It is particularly important that the thousands of young men and women who are brought into Federal jobs not be subjected to that type of influence while in the service of the Government. One homosexual can pollute a Government office.” Indeed, in the decades that followed, the FBI kept lists of known homosexuals, and law enforcement agencies regularly raided known gay bars and other similar establishments.

Charles River Editors (Author), Colin Fluxman (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Columbian Exchange: A Captivating Guide to the Transatlantic Transfer of People, Plants, Animals

How two worlds became one. In this audiobook, you will understand how Christopher Columbus proposed something new: reaching the riches of the East Indies by sailing west from Europe. The rulers of Spain agreed to support his risky venture, and he sailed off in 1492. He unexpectedly ran into two continents nobody in Europe knew about. He didn’t discover the continents; that had been done centuries before. Discover how the Old World of Eurasia and Africa began a monumentally important exchange of people, ideas, crops, animals, and diseases that changed history and humanity forever. This extended stitching together of the two hemispheres is called the Columbian Exchange. You’ll be fascinated by how Europeans did not know if the fifty million indigenous Americans were human and how a pope issued a proclamation in 1534 that the American native peoples actually had souls. You’ll learn how the initial contacts led to one of the greatest catastrophes in all of human history and how smallpox enabled Cortes and the Spanish to conquer the Aztec Empire, which was bigger than Spain. In this captivating audiobook, you will learn about the following: - Japanese samurai who guarded silver shipments in Mexico in the 1600s; - Catarina de San Juan, who began life as a Muslim girl in India and ended as a popular saint in Mexico; - The immense amount of silver from Peru and Mexico, which fueled Spain’s Golden Century and led to repeated bankruptcy; - American chili peppers giving some heat to cuisines from Hungary to Korea; - Crops domesticated by indigenous Americans enabling China to double its population; - Disease from the Americas making millions of Europeans miserable, including Henry VIII, Casanova, Ivan the Terrible, and Beethoven; Be sure to click the “add to cart” button so you can start learning about this world-shaking event in history!

Captivating History (Author), Colin Fluxman (Narrator)

Audiobook

Operation Mockingbird: The Controversial History of the CIA’s Efforts to Manipulate American Media O

Freedom of the press isn’t just a fundamental right in America but a key part of the democratic process. When the United States secured its independence against Britain in the War of Independence in 1783, there was no certainty about what the new country would look like in terms of national governance. In 1787, delegates from the various states convened in Philadelphia to draft a constitution that would define this. Freedom of the press became one of the core principles of democracy in the United States. People could only place their votes in an informed way if the press was free to provide information about politicians and their actions. Politicians must also know that their actions were accountable through a press that informed voters honestly and accurately. Up to the 1960s, most Americans were confident they had access to a truly free press, but then series of revelations emerged that suggested the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had been subverting journalists in the US and elsewhere through the use of bribery, blackmail, and covert operations. By the late 1970s, this alleged CIA plan had a name: Operation Mockingbird. Many people were understandably horrified at the notion that the federal government had attempted to operate counter to the First Amendment through one of its intelligence agencies, and Operation Mockingbird was widely discussed. These debates continue to the present day, including whether there actually was a covert CIA operation named Mockingbird, whether the operation truly sought to subvert the press in the US and elsewhere, and whether the operation really ended by 1976, as the CIA claimed. As such, nearly 50 years later, Operation Mockingbird remains a controversial topic.

Charles River Editors (Author), Colin Fluxman (Narrator)

Audiobook

Douglas Bader: The Life and Legacy of One of the Royal Air Force’s Most Famous Fighter Aces

Given the RAF’s importance, it should come as no surprise that some of the pilots ranked among Britain’s most recognized war heroes, and Douglas Bader remains one of the most famous British soldiers in World War II. He has become synonymous with courage and perseverance in adversity, especially since both his legs were amputated after an air crash in 1931, yet he managed to continue flying and return to the RAF at the outbreak of the war in 1939. He became a well-decorated and highly promoted fighter ace before being shot down and taken prisoner by the Germans, and as a prisoner of war for three and a half years, he made persistent attempts to escape, despite the considerable difficulties posed by having two artificial legs, until he was sent to Colditz. After the war, he received a knighthood and many other awards for his charitable work in support of disabled war veterans.

Charles River Editors (Author), Colin Fluxman (Narrator)

Audiobook

Homo Sapiens: A Captivating Guide to the History of Humans and Human Evolution

Have you ever wanted to know how Homo sapiens became “human?” In the beginning, Homo sapiens was just one of the human species in the world. After centuries of coexistence, it was the only survivor. How did that happen? This captivating audiobook on Homo sapiens uncovers the secrets of our species and what made us human. From their humble beginnings in the dawn of prehistory, Homo sapiens rose to become one of the most resilient species in the world. Unlike many other creatures, Homo sapiens lack the physical prowess of fierce predators. Yet, armed with an exceptional cognitive capacity, our species has defied the odds. How did we achieve that? This audiobook uncovers the fascinating stories locked within our DNA, as well as our cultural legacy, tracing the history of our species since its very beginnings. Our cognitive capabilities and advanced communication skills have paved the way for our species’ success. From harnessing the power of fire to mastering the art of metalworking, our ancestors were relentless inventors who tamed the wild and conquered new frontiers. Transporting readers back in time, this captivating exploration begins seven million years ago in Africa. Witness the remarkable moment when a group of primates started walking upright, setting in motion the extraordinary story of our species. Scroll up and click the “add to cart” button to learn more about Homo sapiens today!

Captivating History (Author), Colin Fluxman (Narrator)

Audiobook

Dragons: The History of Dragon Legends and Folk Tales around the World

For millennia, people considered dragons to be real, and the vivid lore of dragons has touched societies from Central America to Europe, and from Egypt to China. The popularity of dragons can easily be assessed by the number of motion pictures that include them as an integral part of their narrative, from the friendly dragons of children’s cartoons to the monsters being bred underground to unleash their horrors on humanity. Indeed, some of humanity’s deepest cultural myths have included dragons, from the Greek and Georgian tale of Jason and the Argonauts to the stories from ancient China that influence modern New Year’s festivities. The English word “dragon” comes from the Greek word “drakon,” which means “snake,” and while people today may have a hard time imagining a dragon as a simple snake, some scientists think that the international nature of the myth is based on the presence of snakes on nearly every continent. Oxford professor of medieval European literature Carolyne Larrington explained, “The anthropologist David E. Jones has suggested that the dragon myth takes its origins from an innate fear of snakes, genetically encoded in humans from the time of our earliest differentiation from other primates. It is true, of course, that it makes evolutionary sense to avoid dangerous animals of every kind, but it is less clear why people should invent stories about imaginary oversized serpents in particular. Nevertheless, there is a clear benefit to tales that warn children against straying into perilous marshy areas where the serpent might seize them, or against scrambling up treacherous mountain sides in search of monsters and treasure hoards.”

Charles River Editors (Author), Colin Fluxman (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Sealand Dynasties: The History and Mystery of the Southern Mesopotamian Kings Who Conquered Baby

Thanks to countless written sources and corroborating archaeological evidence, the chronology of the ancient Near East is fairly well-known by modern scholars, but as with most periods in history, there are exceptions. In ancient Mesopotamia’s otherwise well-documented history, there were two dynasties that historians and archaeologists are only now beginning to understand: the Sealand I, or First Sealand Dynasty (c. 1742-1460 BCE), and the Sealand II, or Second Sealand Dynasty (c. 1025-1005 BCE). These dynasties are named after the way they are referred to in ancient texts, and they likely originated in the marshy region of southern Mesopotamia. The texts mentioning these dynasties documented them as legitimate Babylonian dynasties for the most part, but few details are ever related about the dynasties or their rulers, even though both dynasties coincided with periods when there was a lack of central power in Mesopotamia and the Sealand dynasties were briefly able to assume control of the city of Babylon itself. The ephermal nature of Sealand’s rule is not completely understood by experts, to the extent that all kinds of aspects of these dynasties remain open to debate. Ancient sources provide an outline of these dynasties, as well as some information concerning major events, but the nature of the Sealand government, how the people lived, and even where their cities were located (if any existed) all remain unclear. Due to problems with sources, scholars have largely avoided the Sealand dynasties and the topic of the Sealand in general in favor of better-documented periods in Mesopotamian history. That being said, some recent archaeological discoveries have helped provide a base for future research that may solve some of these riddles.

Charles River Editors (Author), Colin Fluxman (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Rise and Fall of the Banate of Bosnia: The History of Bosnia’s Struggle for Independence in the

Much has been written about Western intervention during the breakup of Yugoslavia, and whether it made matters worse, prevented worse atrocities, or was simply ineffective. In early 1992, however, what was clear was that Europe was hopelessly divided over the best course of action to take towards Yugoslavia, and after several years of fighting, the Bosnian War was one of the most violent conflagrations in Europe since the end of World War II. That war had been the byproduct of centuries of tensions in the Balkans, and an attempt in the wake of World War I to redraw the political boundaries of Europe and the Middle East. That included forming the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, initially known as the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, a particularly fragile enterprise, and there was almost constant tension between the majority Serbs and the other Yugoslav nationalities, especially the Croats. As a result, the Kingdom was a land of political assassinations, underground terrorist organizations, and ethnic animosities. Depending on the source, many authors have focused on different catalysts for Yugoslavia’s demise, but Vesna Drapac may have succinctly summed the situation up when he wrote that by the end, the state “lacked a reason to exist.” There is certainly something in this sentiment, but the disintegration came at an enormous cost. Given what happened in Yugoslavia, it should be little surprise that Bosnia did not have its fully-established borders until the 19th century, and even in modern times, in many respects the people distinguished and defined Bosnia as a polity more than its shifting borders, and regardless of whether Bosnia operated as an independent state or kingdom. It was during the Middle Ages that Bosnia’s culture and ethnic makeup truly began to coalesce, despite the politically rocky nature of the era in the Balkans.

Charles River Editors (Author), Colin Fluxman (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Italian Invasion of Ethiopia: A Captivating Guide to Mussolini's War in Abyssinia

The Italians were defeated at Adwa in 1898. But by 1935, they were playing for keeps. Learn more about the devastating Italian invasion of Ethiopia. Although the Ethiopians had beaten the Italians at their own game in the 1898 Battle of Adwa, when Italian armored divisions began pouring out of Italian-controlled Eritrea in 1935, the situation seemed almost impossible to overcome. This was not 1898 when the Italians were ill-equipped and ill-advised in their undertakings. The Italians had made sure they were guaranteed the upper hand. They had the best tanks and the best aircraft they could get their hands on. The Ethiopians had no tanks and only a handful of old planes. Their arms were also hopelessly outdated. They were not much better than the weaponry they had used back in 1898. The Italians were determined to win this time around, and few thought the Ethiopians had much of a chance. Although Ethiopian armaments left much to be desired, Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailie Selassie placed much of his hope in an international body known as the League of Nations. He ultimately had to flee his country when the Italians poured in. Selassie would continue to harangue the League of Nations from exile. But what happened after this? And what exactly happened during the invasion itself? This audiobook aims to explore just that. Explore why the Italians wanted Ethiopia to begin with, and discover the story of Ethiopians who were willing to fight and die for the freedom of their country. In this audiobook, you will learn: - The geopolitical background before the invasion - How the invasion was planned and what it entailed - The major battles fought during the Second Italo-Ethiopian War - The exile of Haile Selassie and how he continued to take a stand in exile - What happened to Ethiopia Scroll up and click the “add to cart” button to learn more about the Italian invasion of Ethiopia!

Captivating History (Author), Colin Fluxman (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Megalithic Temples of Malta: The History and Legacy of Europe’s Oldest Standing Structures

Malta’s history goes back further than many know, which can be attested to by the numerous Neolithic and Bronze Age era megaliths that dot the island of Malta proper as well as the island of Gozo to the north. Naturally, when European archaeologists began unearthing the megaliths of Malta in the 19th century, they did not know what to think, which led to a plethora of theories, many of them quite fantastic. At least 23 of these temples were uncovered, but because the people who built them lacked the knowledge of writing, speculation over who built them and why remained well into the 20th century (Rountree 2003, 26). Some people theorized that the Malta megaliths were built by a race of giants, while others believed that it was the center of a “Mother Earth” cult that later spread through Neolithic Europe. Early archaeologists were also perplexed about the physical origins of the Maltese megalith builders. Because Malta is such an isolated location, the builders had to have migrated there from elsewhere, but debates raged over the location. Equally confusing was when the megaliths were built. Although most legitimate historians believed from an early time that they were Neolithic structures, some argued that they were built much later and influenced by the Minoans and/or the Mycenaeans. Even as some answers have arrived, scholars still debate the purpose of the megaliths. Although there is a near consensus that they served as religious temples, the deities that were worshiped as well as the rituals carried out in the structures remain a mystery and sources of further debate. As such, the ancient monuments remain enigmatic and serve as sources of pride for the modern Maltese people and awe-inspiring to all those who visit them.

Charles River Editors (Author), Colin Fluxman (Narrator)

Audiobook

Celtic History and Mythology: An Enthralling Guide to the Celts and their Myths, Gods, and Goddesses

Two manuscripts in one audiobook: - Celtic History: An Enthralling Overview of the Celts - Celtic Mythology: An Enthralling Overview of Celtic Myths, Gods and Goddesses In the first part of this audiobook, you will know: - Where the Celts came from and who they were - How they settled in Ireland - Essential Celtic myths, gods, goddesses, legends, and heroes - Their seasonal festivals and celebrations - Key stories influencing the Celts and the modern Irish - Celtic art and its glorious evolution and influence through the ages - Celtic rituals, past and present - How Christianity affected Celtic society - The rise of Christianity in Ireland and the decline of paganism - Why the Celts matter In the second part of this audiobook, you will discover: - Methods used to explain the world without technology - Differences between myths, folklore, and legends - Thoughts on myths today - Children of Lir and other Irish myths - Festivals celebrating the cycles of nature - The Scottish Queen of Winter and her impact on the formation of Scotland - Mysteries surrounding Loch Ness and Nessie - Mystical and magical water creatures - Haunting myths from Dundee and Clanyard Bay - The major Irish gods and goddesses - Influencers from Britain, Wales, and Scotland - And many more enjoyable escapades! Scroll up and click the “add to cart” button to begin learning about Celtic History and Mythology today!

Billy Wellman (Author), Colin Fluxman (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks Narrated by Colin Fluxman