Author: Mark

054: A Martian Odyssey

Mark Podcast
From the December 9, 1906 edition of The New York Times.
From the December 9, 1906 edition of The New York Times.

An episode on certain developments in astronomy in the early years of the twentieth century: the appearance of Comet Halley, of a second, brighter comet, the Tunguska event, and the debate on the possibility of life on Mars.

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Playlist:
 
Fanfare

Opening Theme

“Vanishing”
Composed by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

1. X. 1905
Composed in 1905 by Leoš Janáček. Public domain.
Performed by Pandora Selfridge. Public domain recording. Source.

Symphony No. 1 in D major
Composed by Gustav Mahler in 1888. Public domain.
Performed by the DuPage Symphony Orchestra, Barbara Schubert conducting.
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 License. Source.

Closing Theme

Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2016 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

053: Take Advice From Theodore

Mark Podcast
William Howard Taft, the 27th President of the United States.
William Howard Taft, the 27th President of the United States.

Before Theodore Roosevelt left office, he’d settled on William Howard Taft as his successor. The two men had been political allies and close friends. With Roosevelt’s support, Taft was elected President in 1908, but the two men would have a falling out soon afterward.

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Ragtime Fanfare

The Twentieth Century Rag

Euphonic Sounds
Composed in 1909 by Scott Joplin. Public domain.
Public domain recording. Source. With much gratitude to Ragnar Hellspong for converting the music into a playable mp3 file.

Closing Theme

Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2016 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

052: TUOBGN

Mark Podcast
Donald Manson, an employee of the Marconi Wireless Company at work in 1905.
Donald Manson, an employee of the Marconi Wireless Company at work in 1905.

A look at the invention of radio, the first step on the road to modern electronics and modern mass media, a revolution in information, news, and entertainment.

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Playlist:
 
Fanfare

Opening Theme

Symphony No. 5 in C minor
Composed in 1808 by Ludwig van Beethoven. Public domain.
Public domain recording. Source.

Morse code sound effect created by Wikipedia user Horsten, and used pursuant to a Creative Commons license. Details.

Edison Phonograph advertisement is public domain and/or fair use. Source.

Recording of Kaiser Franz Josef is public domain. Source.

Closing Theme

Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2016 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

051: Goodbye, Youth!

Mark Podcast

Bosnian Annexation
The French publication Le Petit Journal on the annexation of Bosnia. Ferdinand of Bulgaria is shown tearing Bulgaria away from the Ottoman Empire with one hand as he crowns himself king with the other. Austrian Kaiser Franz Josef is shown similarly tearing away Bosnia and Herzegovina, as the Ottoman Sultan, Abdul Hamid II, looks on, annoyed but helpless.

Austria-Hungary makes a bid for relevance in the twentieth century by annexing Bosnia and Herzegovina, but in so doing, shakes things up in Europe.

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Playlist:
 
Fanfare

Opening Theme

An der schönen blauen Donau (On the Beautiful Blue Danube)
Composed in 1866 by Johann Strauss II. Public domain.
Recording used pursuant to a Creative Commons license. Details.

Strauss Waltz Medley
Arranged and performed by the United States Air Force Band Strolling Strings. Public domain. Source.

Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2016 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

050: The Prison of Nations

Mark Podcast
Published in Vienna in 1901, these humorous sketches caricature the conducting style of Gustav Mahler.
Published in Vienna in 1901, these humorous sketches caricature the conducting style of Gustav Mahler.

Austria-Hungary was known as “the prison of nations,” owing to its incorporation of many ethnic groups that would have preferred to be part of their own states. Vienna was a hotbed of anti-Semitism, but also an important cultural center.

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Playlist:
 
Fanfare

Opening Theme

Hungarian Dance No. 5 in G minor
Composed in 1869 by Johannes Brahms. Public domain.
Performed by the Fulda Symphonic Orchestra, and used pursuant to an EFF Open Audio License. Details.

Carnival Overture
Composed in 1891 by Antonín Dvořák. Public domain.
Performed by the United States Marine Band. Public domain. Source.

Symphony No. 9 in E minor, “From the New World”
Composed in 1893 by Antonín Dvořák. Public domain.
Performed by the Dupage Symphony Orchestra. Recording used pursuant to a Creative Commons license. Details.

Symphony No. 5
Composed in 1902 by Gustav Mahler. Public domain.
Performed by the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra, Jason Weinberger conducting. Recording used pursuant to a Creative Commons license. Details.

Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2016 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

049: Tales of Old Vienna

Mark Podcast
Distribution of the major ethnic groups within late Austria-Hungary. (Public domain image via Wikipedia.)
Distribution of the major ethnic groups within late Austria-Hungary. (Public domain image via Wikipedia.)

Austria-Hungary, an unwieldy confederation of ethnic groups (see map) struggles to hold itself together and remain relevant in an age of rising nationalism.

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Playlist:
 
Fanfare

Opening Theme

Symphony No. 40 in G minor
Composed in 1778 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Public domain.
Public domain recording. Source.

Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald (Tales from the Vienna Woods)
Composed in 1868 by Johann Strauss II. Public domain.
Recording used pursuant to a Creative Commons license. Details.

An der schönen blauen Donau (On the Beautiful Blue Danube)
Composed in 1866 by Johann Strauss II. Public domain.
Recording used pursuant to a Creative Commons license. Details.

Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2016 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

048: The Flight of Icarus

Mark Podcast
The only photograph of the Wrights' airplane in flight on the historic day. Orville is piloting, and Wilbur is on the right.
The only photograph of the Wrights’ airplane in flight on the historic day. Orville is piloting, and Wilbur is on the right.

The Wright brothers develop the first airplane, after many others have failed, by using the very twentieth century method of patient, careful experimentation.

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Fanfare

Opening Theme

Overture to The Flying Dutchman
Composed in 1843 by Richard Wagner. Public domain.
Performed by the University of Chicago Orchestra, and used pursuant to a Creative Commons License. Details.

“Flight of the Bumblebee” from The Tale of Tsar Saltan
Composed in 1900 by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Public domain.
Performed by the United States Army Band. Public domain recording. Source.

Closing Theme

Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2016 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

047s: Documents

Mark Supplemental

“Darius Green and His Flying Machine” was written c.1870, and I’m including it in the podcast because the poem captures the mixture of wonder and disdain that many people felt toward those who aspired to build a flying machine during this period.

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You can read the text of the poem here.

 

“Darius Green and His Flying Machine” is in the public domain. This recording ℗ 2016 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved.

047: Icarus Rising

Mark Podcast
Artist David Bovey created this 21st century interpretation of the myth of Icarus. ©2004 by David Bovey.
Artist David Bovey created this amazing 21st century interpretation of the myth of Icarus. ©2004 by David Bovey.

The dream of human flight is ancient in origin. While technologies to make small objects fly existed for a surprisingly long time, the engineering problems of scaling these up to human flight proved a tremendous challenge.

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Playlist:
 

Fanfare

Opening Theme

Roman Carnival Overture
Composed in 1844 by Hector Berlioz. Public domain.
Performed by the United States Army Band. Public domain recording. Source.

Gymnopédies No. 1
Composed in 1888 by Erik Satie. Public domain.
Performed by Accou. Public domain recording. Source.

Closing Theme

Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2016 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5. Enjoy more of David Bovey’s work here.