Episodios

  • USRJ S3 Ep33 Millennium Park

    USRJ S3 Ep33 Millennium Park
    Oct 2 2024
    Millennium Park and the Lurie Garden - US Rail Journeys Series 3 Episode 33 'Millennium Park and the Lurie Garden' takes me through the streets of Chicago to this wonderful garden in the centre of the city. Please click on a thumbnail to see the photographs that go with this podcast: Through the streets: I'm now in the heart of The Loop, the 'downtown' area in Chicago. In every direction I look are the skyscrapers which last night had their tops hidden in the clouds. I'm see the amazing Carbide and Carbon building, built in 1929. It really is an absolute stunner. According to popular legend, the architects chose this building's dark green and gold colours, based on a gold foiled champagne bottle. Whether true or not, the building is one of the most distinctive features on the Chicago skyline. I pass plenty of places to eat. Some are premium establishments and many are chains. There are many that I've never seen before, such as Stan's Donuts and Bubblelicious Milk and Fruit Tea. Yes, it really does exist! Millennium Park: As you enter Millennium Park from the north one of the first things you see is the Millennium Monument. The dedication is to Millennium Park's founders. There are individuals, including someone called Anonymous, through to big corporations. It's quite a warm day and there is a big water feature where people are paddling. Others are getting soaked by the water raining down from above. In each part of Millennium Park the roadways and paths bear the names of some of the sponsors. The Lurie Garden: The Lurie Garden is a two and a half acre garden at the southern end of the Millennium Park. It combines natural planting with ecologically sensitive maintenance practices. It is an urban oasis for both visitors and wildlife. The habitat supports a wide variety of plants, animals, and insects. In 1997 the Illinois Central Rail Yards it were made available for development into the Millennium Park and Lurie Gardens. Today it creates a rooftop garden on top of the Millennium Park parking garage, which is itself above railway tracks. The garden blends with Chicago's past, present and future. It reflects Chicago's transformation from a flat marshland to a city that invests in extensive green spaces. Or as they call it, 'Herbs in Horto'. Apparently the Latin for a 'City in a Garden'. Listen to the podcast to hear the rest of my morning in Chicago. This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Vurbl , You Tube and others.
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    12 m
  • TH2023 Ep17 Deborah

    TH2023 Ep17 Deborah
    Sep 27 2024
    Season 2023 - Talk 17- Deborah In 'Deborah' Jim Hastie tells us the story about the First World War Tank D51, Deborah. Click a thumbnail below to view the image gallery that accompanies the talk. Jim tells us that Deborah is a very favourite lady of his. He says that this is her story in the Battle of Cambrai, the first major tank battle in November 1917. Deborah was a female tank. A part of D Battalion in the Royal Tank Corps. A Male and Female tanks: 150 tanks are built, 75 male and 75 female. Male tanks have sponsons mounting a 57mm 6 pounder gun whilst female tanks have two cumbersome sponsons designed to carry two Vickers, water cooled, heavy machine guns. Why Deborah? Tanks receive a name, often of wives or girlfriends, before their first battle. The names have the prefix HMLS - His Majesty's Landship. In 1917 there are two tanks with the name 'Deborah'. This is the story of the second, now preserved in France. Deborah II and Cambrai: Second Lieutenant Frank Heap commands a new Mark IV female tank. Manufacturer number 2620, crew number D51 and the name Deborah with a crew of 7. These tanks are not very reliable and Deborah is knocked out by shellfire. Today four of the crew are buried side by side at the British cemetery at Flesquieres Hill. Recovery and display: Cambridge schoolboy, Philippe Gorzinski, has a passion about World War I tanks and a desire to find relics in and around Cambrai. In 1977 he meets local shopkeeper, Michael Bacquet, known locally as Iron Man. Iron Man contacts British service organisations and French civic authorities and a 60th anniversary reunion takes place. There are more than 60 men with an average age of 82 there. In 1992, their investigation takes them Marthe Bouleux, a teenager in 1917, who tells them about a buried tank. Listen to Jim tell the full story and also talk about Talbot House, in Poporinge, a refuge for all service personnel irrespective of rank. About this podcast: This is an edited recording of a talk given to the Farnham u3a World History: Ancient, Medieval and Modern Group. This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher , Vurbl , You Tube and others. AKM Music licenses Media Magazine for use with this talk. © The MrT Podcast Studio and Farnham u3a World History: Ancient, Medieval and Modern Group 2018 - 2024
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    18 m
  • USRJ S3 Ep32 We arrive in Chicago

    USRJ S3 Ep32 We arrive in Chicago
    Sep 4 2024
    We arrive in Chicago - US Rail Journeys Series 3 Episode 32 'We arrive in Chicago' completes our journey on the Texas Eagle. In 62 hours we have passed through cities and countryside, deserts and lush pasture, an amazing, ever changing, panorama. Please click on a thumbnail to see the photographs that go with this podcast: Leaving Pontiac: Our stop in Pontiac is brief, a few seconds maybe and worthy of a Formula 1 pit stop. Pontiac station hosts both the Lincoln Service, running between Chicago Union Station and the Gateway Transportation Center in St. Louis, and the Texas Eagle. The station has a single, low-level side platform and a modern station building for passengers. It complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Originally a stop on the Chicago and Alton Railroad the old station depot, built in 1901, was replaced with the current one in 2017. The old station, one block north of the new station, becomes a pizzeria. Joliet: The railway reaches Joliet began in 1852, enabling the city to rapidly grow into a railway hub. In 1909 an improvement project removes level crossings and constructs a new Union Station. Joliet Union Station opens in 1912, serving at its peak over 100 trains a day. The decline in passenger numbers in the late 20th century coupled with the increase in freight traffic leads to issues because of congestion. The station is 37.2 miles from Chicago Union Station and in 2018 it is the 51st busiest of Metra's 236 non-downtown stations, with an average of 996 passengers boarding on weekdays. In 2024, Joliet is served by eight Lincoln Service trains (four each way) and two Texas Eagle trains (one each way), every day and in 2023 hosts nearly 60,600 Amtrak passengers. We reach Chicago: Our journey into Chicago takes us through a varied landscape. We see old industry pouring pollution into the atmosphere, narrow streets and run down buildings. Conversely we also pass modern housing with pleasant gardens and then a yacht marina, home to leisure craft. In the distance there are the skyscrapers of the city, their top floors shrouded in the clouds. For me the high point is the Canal Street bridge, also called the Pennsylvania Railroad bridge, which is a vertical-lift bridge across the south branch of the Chicago River. Opening in 1915 it becomes an official Chicago Landmark on December 12, 2007. To visit the Amtrak website please follow this link. This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Vurbl , You Tube and others.
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    18 m
  • TH2023 Ep16 When newspapers were pressed

    TH2023 Ep16 When newspapers were pressed
    Aug 25 2024
    Season 2023 - Talk 16 - When newspapers were pressed to be 'right minded' In 'When newspapers were pressed to be 'right minded'' Andrew Cole tells us about the state's efforts to control the press using taxes. A situation lasting for 140 years. We learn of the efforts to achieve today's press freedom. The issue: Andrew tells us that we take today's relatively free press in Britain today for granted. The authorities see the arrival of the printing press as a threat to those in authority. Their desire - control. This talk explores how this is achieved. In particular Andrew looks at the use of taxation to suppress unwanted publications and encourage, in the view of the establishment, a 'right minded press'. To many these taxes are taxes on knowledge. Many see this as a fight for freedom bringing liberty, due scrutiny, and enabling the political awakening of the masses. The story isn't as glossy as that and historians, as always, have quite differing interpretations. Taxes: The attempt to control newspapers and their narrative involves taxation. This situation runs from 1712 to 1861, 140 years. Andrew tells us about the introduction of the taxes and their working. Andrew then tells us about their repeal and the consequences. We learn of the taxes on the type of publication, on paper and on advertising. You need to listen carefully as some of the ways that the taxes operate and some of the wheezes to avoid them are complex. We also learn about the growth of the press following the repeal of the taxes. Listen to the podcast and hear the whole story from Andrew. About this podcast: This is an edited recording of a talk given to the Farnham u3a World History: Ancient, Medieval and Modern Group. This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher , Vurbl , You Tube and others. AKM Music licenses Media Magazine for use the music in this talk. © The MrT Podcast Studio and Farnham u3a World History: Ancient, Medieval and Modern Group Group 2018 - 2024
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    51 m
  • USRJ S3 Ep 31 Carlinville to Pontiac

    USRJ S3 Ep 31 Carlinville to Pontiac
    Aug 16 2024
    Carlinville to Pontiac - US Rail Journeys Series 3 Episode 31 'Carlinville to Pontiac' continues our journey through the lush farmland of Illinois and historic towns and cities. Please click on a thumbnail to see the photographs that go with this podcast: Carlinville: The town is the county seat of Macoupin County and has nearly as many historic sites as it does unique and interesting shops, restaurants and attractions. In the Historic District you'll find the Macoupin County Jail, Million Dollar Courthouse, and the largest collection of Sears & Roebuck mail-order homes in the U.S. The new Carlinville station dates from the Autumn of 2017 and hosted 8,332 passengers in 2023. Springfield: Abraham Lincoln spends a large part of his life here. His memory is celebrated all over the city. Visitors can tour his home from 1837 to 1861 and stand in the sitting room where he wrote his speeches. His marble family tomb is at Oak Ridge Cemetery and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum tells about his personal and political life. The station dates from 1895 and is due to be replaced by a, delayed, new facility in 2025. The station hosts over 140,000 passengers in 2023. Lincoln: When the railway company arrives here in 1853 they decide to name the new town after their lawyer - one Abraham Lincoln. Mr. Lincoln arrives on August 27, 1853, and leads a ceremony by the tracks to mark the founding of the new town. He pays a farmer to bring a wagon-load of watermelons, for the celebrants. Lincoln then cuts into one and "christens" the railroad with the juice. The current station opens in 1911 and in 2023 a total of 15,557 passengers use the station. Normal: Often called Bloomington-Normal, or BN, because the station serves both communities. The station dating from 1990 was rebuilt to open in 2012. It is a modern facility like some of the others on our route through Illinois. In 2023 it hosts nearly 204,000 passengers. Pontiac: We head through vast fields of maize until we reach Pontiac, another city on Route 66. The current station dates from 2017 and in 2023 nearly 13,000 Amtrak passengers use it. If you enjoy these podcasts please join me in a couple of weeks as we continue our journey on the Texas Eagle from Pontiac to Chicago. Links: To visit the Amtrak website please follow this link. This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Vurbl , You Tube and others.
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    20 m
  • TH2023 Ep14 Napoleon III and Eugenie

    TH2023 Ep14 Napoleon III and Eugenie
    Jul 30 2024
    Season 2023 - Talk 14- Napoleon III and Eugenie In 'Napoleon III and Eugenie' Jo Watson tells us about the man who was Emperor of France from 1852 until his defeat by the Prussians in 1870 and his wife Eugenie. Click a thumbnail below to view the image gallery that accompanies the talk. Napoleon III: Charles Louis Napoleon Bonaparte is born in Paris in the early hours of April the 20th, 1808. His father is Louis Bonaparte, the younger brother of the Emperor Napoleon. The union of his parents isn't overly successful as they not particularly compatible. They spend long times apart, but produce three sons, all called Napoleon something or other. Arriving a few weeks earlier than expected he's rather weak at birth so he's bathed in wine and wrapped in cotton wool. Was he just a premature child, or as the scandal mongers were later very fond of saying, fathered by someone else? He involves himself in political intrigue, failed putsches and becomes a feared ladies man. A few years elapse and he heads to London with his extensive inheritance. Louis sets up house in Mayfair with 17 servants and a monogrammed carriage and begins to mix with high society. He seduces eligible young ladies when their mothers aren't looking, notches up a couple of engagements and joins country house set. He attends shooting parties, reads voraciously in their libraries and hobnobs with eminent politicians all the time preparing for another shot at power. In 1853 he marries Eugenie Empress Eugenie: 26 year old Eugène Montejo, educated partly in Paris, is a regular visitor to the court. She is also one of the most beautiful women in Europe. She also impresses Napoleon with her horsemanship and conversation. She's a good Catholic girl and is determined not to be another notch on his bedpost. He definitely tries, but she never relents. 'What is the way to your heart', he asks. 'Through the church, sire', she replies. Jo Watson has written a book about Empress Eugenie and you can find more about it here. Listen to the podcast and hear the whole story from Jo. About this podcast: This is an edited recording of a talk given to the Farnham u3a World History: Ancient, Medieval and Modern Group. This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher , Vurbl , You Tube and others. AKM Music licenses Media Magazine for use with this talk. © The MrT Podcast Studio and Farnham u3a World History Group 2018 - 2024
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    1 h y 10 m
  • USRJ S3 Ep 30 Walnut Ridge to Alton

    USRJ S3 Ep 30 Walnut Ridge to Alton
    Jul 25 2024
    Walnut Ridge to Alton - US Rail Journeys Series 3 Episode 30 'Walnut Ridge to Alton' continues our journey through the night and into the morning as we travel through Arkansas, Missouri and enter Illinois. Please click on a thumbnail to see the photographs that go with this podcast: Walnut Ridge: By the time we reach Walnut Ridge we are 2,215 miles into our journey. I am asleep as the time is around 1.40 am. It is an Italianate/Mediterranean style station dating from 1920. Today it serves as the home to the local Chamber of Commerce tourist centre and the Amtrak passenger stop. In 2019 nearly 2,900 passengers brave the night hour and use the station. Poplar Bluff: We cross the Arkansas / Missouri border on our way to Poplar Bluff where the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway railway station dates from 1910. In 1994 the station is added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 2003 Union Pacific donates the building to a citizens-led non-profit local committee to Save and Restore the Historic Train Depot. The group raises money to restore both the exterior and interior of the station. The station hosts nearly 3,750 passengers in 2023. Arcadia Valley: First the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway serves the Arcadia Valley with a northbound station in Arcadia and a southbound one in Ironton. In 1941 the Missouri Pacific construct a new station to consolidate the stations in Arcadia and Ironton. They call the new station Arcadia-Ironton. In 1965 passenger services cease and the Arcadia Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Iron County Historical Society occupy the station. The current station opens in November 2016 and in 2023 a total of 1,228 night owls use the station. St. Louis and onwards: We arrive into the Gateway City of St. Louis and then travel through the morning to Alton in Illinois. If you enjoy these podcasts please join me in a couple of weeks as we continue our journey on the Texas Eagle through Illinois towards Chicago. Links: To visit the Amtrak website please follow this link. This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Vurbl , You Tube and others.
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    19 m
  • TH2023 Ep 13 The History Divide

    TH2023 Ep 13 The History Divide
    Jul 14 2024
    Season 2023 - Talk 13- The History Divide In 'The History Divide' Margaret Denyer, Alan Freeland, Andrew Cole, David Simpson and Richard Thomas give their views on the question ‘Whilst the Treaty of Versailles of 1919 ended the Allies war with Germany, did it lead to the outbreak of World War II in 1939?' The Paris Peace Conference: David Simpson opens by telling us about the Peace Conference and the key players. Just four men, British Prime Minister David Lloyd George, U. S. President Thomas Woodrow Wilson, French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau and Italian Premier Vittorio Orlando, known as the Big Four, control the discussions. So what are the goals of the Allies? France wants revenge by weakening Germany, Britain wants to punish Germany, but with restraint. The U. S. has the most idealistic position wanting an end to imperialism and the creation of the League of Nations. There is much conflict and much discussion, before they all agree. The main 5 provisions: The five main provisions are to: Establish the League of Nations. Reduce German armed forces. Germany to accept full and sole responsibility for the war, the so called War Guilt Clause. Germany to pay the Allies a sizeable sum in reparations. This figure will not be known until 1921. A reduction in German territories and colonies which has far reaching implications well beyond the borders of Europe. Our speakers discuss the financial implications of the treaty, the issues that the settlement has on many other nations and the League of Nations. At the end we leave it to you to decide whether it led to the Second World War or not. Listen to the podcast and hear the whole story from our speakers. About this podcast: This is an edited recording of a talk given to the Farnham u3a World History: Ancient, Medieval and Modern Group. This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher , Vurbl , You Tube and others. AKM Music licenses Media Magazine for use the music in this talk. © The MrT Podcast Studio and Farnham u3a World History Group 2018 - 2024
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    59 m