In this episode, I chat with Daniel Hoyer from Seshat about looking at history through a statistical lens. We discuss the <a href="http://seshatdatabank.info">Seshat Databank</a> and his new book, Figuring Out the Past: The 3,495 Vital Statistics that Explain World History.   Let's Stay in Touch! You can join the conversation in our Facebook Group, <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/groups/445779795776532/">the History Fangirl Podcast Community</a>, or come say hi on <a href= "https://www.instagram.com/historyfangirl/">Instagram</a>!     My Travel Websites <a href="https://historyfangirl.com/">History Fangirl</a> - Culture & History Travel Guides in the USA, Europe, and Beyond <a href="https://sofiaadventures.com/">Sofia Adventures</a> - Balkan Travel Blog <a href="https://oklahomawonders.com/">Oklahoma Wonders</a> - Travel in Oklahoma & Route 66   The theme music for the podcast is "Places Unseen" by Lee Rosevere.

<description>&lt;p&gt;In this episode, I chat with Daniel Hoyer from Seshat about looking at history through a statistical lens. We discuss the &lt;a href="http://seshatdatabank.info"&gt;Seshat Databank&lt;/a&gt; and his new book, &lt;em&gt;&lt;span id="productTitle" class= "a-size-extra-large"&gt;Figuring Out the Past: The 3,495 Vital Statistics that Explain World History.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Let's Stay in Touch!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;You can join the conversation in our Facebook Group, &lt;a href= "https://www.facebook.com/groups/445779795776532/"&gt;the History Fangirl Podcast Community&lt;/a&gt;, or come say hi on &lt;a href= "https://www.instagram.com/historyfangirl/"&gt;Instagram&lt;/a&gt;!&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;My Travel Websites&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://historyfangirl.com/"&gt;History Fangirl&lt;/a&gt; - Culture &amp; History Travel Guides in the USA, Europe, and Beyond&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://sofiaadventures.com/"&gt;Sofia Adventures&lt;/a&gt; - Balkan Travel Blog&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://oklahomawonders.com/"&gt;Oklahoma Wonders&lt;/a&gt; - Travel in Oklahoma &amp; Route 66&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The theme music for the podcast is "Places Unseen" by Lee Rosevere.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;</description>

In this episode, I chat with Daniel Hoyer from Seshat about looking at history through a statistical lens. We discuss the  and his new book, Figuring Out the Past: The 3,495 Vital Statistics that Explain World History.   Let's Stay in Touch!...

World History by the Numbers

In this episode, I chat with Eric Halsey from the Bulgarian History  Podcast about the hidden gem of Veliko Tarnovo. This once-important Bulgarian city is one of the most picturesque in Europe, and yet not many outside of Bulgaria know much about it. You can find Eric's podcast <a href= "https://www.bghistorypodcast.com">here.</a>   Let's Stay in Touch! You can join the conversation in our Facebook Group, <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/groups/445779795776532/">the History Fangirl Podcast Community</a>, or come say hi on <a href= "https://www.instagram.com/historyfangirl/">Instagram</a>!   More on Veliko Tarnovo: If you are planning to visit Veliko Tarnovo, here are our Veliko Tarnovo travel guides. <ul> <li><a href= "https://sofiaadventures.com/things-to-do-in-veliko-tarnovo/">Things to do in Veliko Tarnovo</a></li> <li><a href= "https://sofiaadventures.com/how-to-get-from-sofia-to-veliko-tarnovo-bulgaria/"> How to Get from Sofia to Veliko Tarnovo</a></li> <li><a href= "https://sofiaadventures.com/instagrammable-places-in-veliko-tarnovo-bulgaria/"> Best Instagram Spots</a></li> <li><a href= "https://sofiaadventures.com/veliko-tarnovo-winter/">What to Do in Winter</a></li> </ul>   My Travel Websites <a href="https://historyfangirl.com/">History Fangirl</a> - Culture & History Travel Guides in the USA, Europe, and Beyond <a href="https://sofiaadventures.com/">Sofia Adventures</a> - Balkan Travel Blog <a href="https://oklahomawonders.com/">Oklahoma Wonders</a> - Travel in Oklahoma & Route 66   The theme music for the podcast is "Places Unseen" by Lee Rosevere.

<description>&lt;p&gt;In this episode, I chat with Eric Halsey from the Bulgarian History  Podcast about the hidden gem of Veliko Tarnovo. This once-important Bulgarian city is one of the most picturesque in Europe, and yet not many outside of Bulgaria know much about it. You can find Eric's podcast &lt;a href= "https://www.bghistorypodcast.com"&gt;here.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Let's Stay in Touch!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;You can join the conversation in our Facebook Group, &lt;a href= "https://www.facebook.com/groups/445779795776532/"&gt;the History Fangirl Podcast Community&lt;/a&gt;, or come say hi on &lt;a href= "https://www.instagram.com/historyfangirl/"&gt;Instagram&lt;/a&gt;!&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;More on Veliko Tarnovo:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;If you are planning to visit Veliko Tarnovo, here are our Veliko Tarnovo travel guides.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href= "https://sofiaadventures.com/things-to-do-in-veliko-tarnovo/"&gt;Things to do in Veliko Tarnovo&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href= "https://sofiaadventures.com/how-to-get-from-sofia-to-veliko-tarnovo-bulgaria/"&gt; How to Get from Sofia to Veliko Tarnovo&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href= "https://sofiaadventures.com/instagrammable-places-in-veliko-tarnovo-bulgaria/"&gt; Best Instagram Spots&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href= "https://sofiaadventures.com/veliko-tarnovo-winter/"&gt;What to Do in Winter&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;My Travel Websites&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://historyfangirl.com/"&gt;History Fangirl&lt;/a&gt; - Culture &amp; History Travel Guides in the USA, Europe, and Beyond&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://sofiaadventures.com/"&gt;Sofia Adventures&lt;/a&gt; - Balkan Travel Blog&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://oklahomawonders.com/"&gt;Oklahoma Wonders&lt;/a&gt; - Travel in Oklahoma &amp; Route 66&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The theme music for the podcast is "Places Unseen" by Lee Rosevere.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;</description>

In this episode, I chat with Eric Halsey from the Bulgarian History  Podcast about the hidden gem of Veliko Tarnovo. This once-important Bulgarian city is one of the most picturesque in Europe, and yet not many outside of Bulgaria know much about...

Veliko Tarnovo: Bulgaria's Medieval Capital

Yes, it's been two years, and for that I'm very sorry! But I'm back with new episodes next week. In the meantime, enjoy this interview on Chernobyl I did a few weeks ago with Darmon Richter, the author of the new book Chernobyl, a Stalker's Guide.   The theme music for the podcast is "Places Unseen" by Lee Rosevere.

<description>&lt;p&gt;Yes, it's been two years, and for that I'm very sorry! But I'm back with new episodes next week. In the meantime, enjoy this interview on Chernobyl I did a few weeks ago with Darmon Richter, the author of the new book &lt;em&gt;Chernobyl, a Stalker's Guide.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The theme music for the podcast is "Places Unseen" by Lee Rosevere.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Yes, it's been two years, and for that I'm very sorry! But I'm back with new episodes next week. In the meantime, enjoy this interview on Chernobyl I did a few weeks ago with Darmon Richter, the author of the new book Chernobyl, a Stalker's Guide....

Stalking Chernobyl

On today’s episode of the History Fangirl Podcast, we talk with renowned travel blogger Megan Starr, whom we spoke to a few months back about Kiev. But this week, we’re talking in person, in Kazakhstan, at the site of the memorial to the Great Kazakh Famine, a historical event which not many people know about in the West but looms large in the history of Kazakhstan. And, we both have recovered from the Kazakhstani flu that has been going around, so we’re ready to get rolling! The Great Famine We’ve talked before about the Great Famine in Ukraine, but similar tragedies hit all over the Soviet region. There were actually two terrible genocides in the region. In 1919, many Kazakhs were killed by a drought. But due to the forced farm collectivization of the nomadic peoples in the region from 1931 to 1933, the Soviet Union ended up killing nearly 2 million people. It’s a terrible story, one not well-known outside the region, but one that everyone should hear. Outline of This Episode <ul> <li>[1:57] The memorial in Almaty</li> <li>[3:45] What Kazakhstan was like in the 20th century</li> <li>[6:59] Why it’s a genocide</li> <li>[9:37] About the statue</li> <li>[11:34] Life in Kazakhstan after the famine</li> <li>[15:10] Why this genocide isn’t as prominent</li> <li>[17:54] How Megan fell in love with Almaty, Kazakhstan</li> <li>[22:00] What to see in Almaty and in the region</li> <li>[27:58] The biggest mistake people make when traveling to Kazakhstan</li> </ul> Resources Mentioned <ul> <li><a href="https://www.meganstarr.com/">Megan Starr</a></li> <li><a href= "https://www.facebook.com/groups/121053081614593/">Megan’s Facebook Group</a></li> <li><a href= "https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-unveils-monument-victims-soviet-era-famine/28520523.html"> Info about the memorial</a></li> </ul> Connect With Stephanie <ul> <li><a href= "mailto:stephanie@historyfangirl.com">stephanie@historyfangirl.com</a></li> <li><a href= "https://historyfangirl.com">https://historyfangirl.com</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.patreon.com/historyfangirl">Support Stephanie on Patreon</a></li> </ul> Featuring the song “Places Unseen” by Lee Rosevere.

<description>&lt;p&gt;On today’s episode of the History Fangirl Podcast, we talk with renowned travel blogger Megan Starr, whom we spoke to a few months back about Kiev. But this week, we’re talking in person, in Kazakhstan, at the site of the memorial to the Great Kazakh Famine, a historical event which not many people know about in the West but looms large in the history of Kazakhstan. And, we both have recovered from the Kazakhstani flu that has been going around, so we’re ready to get rolling!&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2&gt;The Great Famine&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;We’ve talked before about the Great Famine in Ukraine, but similar tragedies hit all over the Soviet region. There were actually two terrible genocides in the region. In 1919, many Kazakhs were killed by a drought. But due to the forced farm collectivization of the nomadic peoples in the region from 1931 to 1933, the Soviet Union ended up killing nearly 2 million people. It’s a terrible story, one not well-known outside the region, but one that everyone should hear.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2&gt;Outline of This Episode&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;[1:57] The memorial in Almaty&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;[3:45] What Kazakhstan was like in the 20th century&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;[6:59] Why it’s a genocide&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;[9:37] About the statue&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;[11:34] Life in Kazakhstan after the famine&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;[15:10] Why this genocide isn’t as prominent&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;[17:54] How Megan fell in love with Almaty, Kazakhstan&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;[22:00] What to see in Almaty and in the region&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;[27:58] The biggest mistake people make when traveling to Kazakhstan&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2&gt;Resources Mentioned&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.meganstarr.com/"&gt;Megan Starr&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href= "https://www.facebook.com/groups/121053081614593/"&gt;Megan’s Facebook Group&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href= "https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-unveils-monument-victims-soviet-era-famine/28520523.html"&gt; Info about the memorial&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2&gt;Connect With Stephanie&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href= "mailto:stephanie@historyfangirl.com"&gt;stephanie@historyfangirl.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href= "https://historyfangirl.com"&gt;https://historyfangirl.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.patreon.com/historyfangirl"&gt;Support Stephanie on Patreon&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Featuring the song “Places Unseen” by Lee Rosevere.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

On today’s episode of the History Fangirl Podcast, we talk with renowned travel blogger Megan Starr, whom we spoke to a few months back about Kiev. But this week, we’re talking in person, in Kazakhstan, at the site of the memorial to the Great...

The Great Kazakh Famine

This week’s episode is something a little different. I am in Isyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan, covering the World Nomad Games, a festival of sports that’s sort of like the Olympics for nomadic peoples. The sports, though, are way more interesting than, say, basketball. My first interview this episode is with the co-captain of the American Kok Boru team (I’ll explain later), and the sports include horse archery, tug of war, arm wrestling and more. I have a whole slew of interviews in this week’s episode, and next week we’ll dive into what makes these games so special, and what importance the history of this event has to the people who play in it. The Blue Wolf My first interview is with Garrett, the co-captain of the U.S.’s Kok Boru team, who describes playing in these games as a “wild ride.” Kok Boru is the national sport of Kyrgyzstan, and translates to the Blue Wolf. As Garrett says, it’s not a game, it’s “one of the most intense competitions” you could ever take part in. As he says, it’s essentially rugby on horseback, but it dates back centuries in Kyrgyzstan, and stems from a time when men would chase away wolves who were attacking livestock, and pick up the wolves and toss them from one horse to the other. So yeah, a little different than baseball. World-Class Mangala One of the many things that distinguish the World Nomad Games from the Olympics is that it includes intellectual games. Imagine if chess was in the Olympics, that’s the place that the Turkish game of Mangala (mancala in the U.S.) holds in the World Nomad Games. As the competitor I interviewed said, he was drawn to the sport because he could sit down. I also had the opportunity to speak with the president of the Turkish horse archery federation. Next-Level Tug-of-War One of the American teams I was able to interview were a man and woman who compete in mas wrestling, a sort of tug-of-war competition between two people who grasp a stick, and try to pull their opponent over a board. I also was able to chat with Kyle, a Peace Corps volunteer in Kyrgyzstan, about the cultural traditions of the country. One of the fascinating aspects of the culture that Kyle mentioned is that younger men must approach an older gentleman they encounter and introduce themselves, as a sign of respect. I also got to speak with Ashley, another Peace Corps volunteer, who is actually Kyle’s teammate on the American arm-wrestling team. We Are the World (Nomad Games) The World Nomad Games are an incredible experience, filled with unbelievable characters (as you can tell from my interviews) from all across the country. Whether it’s the Scottish caber tosser who’s skeptical of Americans’ tartans or the Pakistani representative calling for World Peace, it’s an amazing competition. Make sure you tune in next week as we dig into the history of the games. Outline of This Episode <ul> <li>[3:05] USA Kok Boru team</li> <li>[6:44] Tajikistani game of men and women</li> <li>[9:30] Turkish Mangala</li> <li>[14:57] Mas wrestling</li> <li>[23:29] Pakistani competitors</li> <li>[26:45] The Great Britain delegation</li> <li>[31:15] Antigua and Barbuda</li> <li>[34:21] Iran’s team</li> <li>[38:05] USAID representative</li> </ul> Resources Mentioned <ul> <li><a href="http://worldnomadgames.com/en/">The World Nomad Games</a></li> <li><a href= "https://historyfangirl.com/kyrgyzstan-travel-advice/">Stephanie's Kyrgyzstan Travel Advice</a></li> <li><a href= "https://historyfangirl.com/kyrgyzstan-sim-card-bishkek-cholpon-ata/"> How to Get a Sim Card in Kyrgyzstan</a></li> </ul>   Connect With Stephanie <ul> <li><a href= "mailto:stephanie@historyfangirl.com">stephanie@historyfangirl.com</a></li> <li><a href= "https://historyfangirl.com">https://historyfangirl.com</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.patreon.com/historyfangirl">Support Stephanie on Patreon</a></li> </ul> Featuring the song “Places Unseen” by Lee Rosevere. More info and photographs for this episode at: https://historyfangirl.com/the-world-nomad-games/

<description>&lt;p&gt;This week’s episode is something a little different. I am in Isyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan, covering the World Nomad Games, a festival of sports that’s sort of like the Olympics for nomadic peoples. The sports, though, are way more interesting than, say, basketball. My first interview this episode is with the co-captain of the American Kok Boru team (I’ll explain later), and the sports include horse archery, tug of war, arm wrestling and more. I have a whole slew of interviews in this week’s episode, and next week we’ll dive into what makes these games so special, and what importance the history of this event has to the people who play in it.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2&gt;The Blue Wolf&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;My first interview is with Garrett, the co-captain of the U.S.’s Kok Boru team, who describes playing in these games as a “wild ride.” Kok Boru is the national sport of Kyrgyzstan, and translates to the Blue Wolf. As Garrett says, it’s not a game, it’s “one of the most intense competitions” you could ever take part in. As he says, it’s essentially rugby on horseback, but it dates back centuries in Kyrgyzstan, and stems from a time when men would chase away wolves who were attacking livestock, and pick up the wolves and toss them from one horse to the other. So yeah, a little different than baseball.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2&gt;World-Class Mangala&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;One of the many things that distinguish the World Nomad Games from the Olympics is that it includes intellectual games. Imagine if chess was in the Olympics, that’s the place that the Turkish game of Mangala (mancala in the U.S.) holds in the World Nomad Games. As the competitor I interviewed said, he was drawn to the sport because he could sit down. I also had the opportunity to speak with the president of the Turkish horse archery federation.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2&gt;Next-Level Tug-of-War&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;One of the American teams I was able to interview were a man and woman who compete in mas wrestling, a sort of tug-of-war competition between two people who grasp a stick, and try to pull their opponent over a board. I also was able to chat with Kyle, a Peace Corps volunteer in Kyrgyzstan, about the cultural traditions of the country. One of the fascinating aspects of the culture that Kyle mentioned is that younger men must approach an older gentleman they encounter and introduce themselves, as a sign of respect. I also got to speak with Ashley, another Peace Corps volunteer, who is actually Kyle’s teammate on the American arm-wrestling team.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2&gt;We Are the World (Nomad Games)&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;The World Nomad Games are an incredible experience, filled with unbelievable characters (as you can tell from my interviews) from all across the country. Whether it’s the Scottish caber tosser who’s skeptical of Americans’ tartans or the Pakistani representative calling for World Peace, it’s an amazing competition. Make sure you tune in next week as we dig into the history of the games.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2&gt;Outline of This Episode&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;[3:05] USA Kok Boru team&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;[6:44] Tajikistani game of men and women&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;[9:30] Turkish Mangala&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;[14:57] Mas wrestling&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;[23:29] Pakistani competitors&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;[26:45] The Great Britain delegation&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;[31:15] Antigua and Barbuda&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;[34:21] Iran’s team&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;[38:05] USAID representative&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2&gt;Resources Mentioned&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://worldnomadgames.com/en/"&gt;The World Nomad Games&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href= "https://historyfangirl.com/kyrgyzstan-travel-advice/"&gt;Stephanie's Kyrgyzstan Travel Advice&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href= "https://historyfangirl.com/kyrgyzstan-sim-card-bishkek-cholpon-ata/"&gt; How to Get a Sim Card in Kyrgyzstan&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2&gt;Connect With Stephanie&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href= "mailto:stephanie@historyfangirl.com"&gt;stephanie@historyfangirl.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href= "https://historyfangirl.com"&gt;https://historyfangirl.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.patreon.com/historyfangirl"&gt;Support Stephanie on Patreon&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Featuring the song “Places Unseen” by Lee Rosevere.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; More info and photographs for this episode at:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;https://historyfangirl.com/the-world-nomad-games/&lt;/p&gt;</description>

This week’s episode is something a little different. I am in Isyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan, covering the World Nomad Games, a festival of sports that’s sort of like the Olympics for nomadic peoples. The sports, though, are way more interesting than, say,...

The World Nomad Games

An interview podcast about historic places for history lovers and travel enthusiasts. 

Stephanie Craig is a history and travel blogger. She travels full-time and writes at historyfangirl.com.

The History Fangirl Podcast

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