Eva Peron (Evita) in Life and Death

03/24/23 • 27 min

12 Listeners

In July 1952, some 3 million people gathered in the heart of the Argentine capital Buenos Aires. They had come to pay their last respects to Eva Peron the President’s wife. Overcome by emotion, the frenzied crowd poured forward leading to a crush in which 8 people were killed and thousands injured. Despite the huge crowds, Eva Peron or Evita as she was known was a divisive figure and her death was a milestone in rather than the end of her political influence in Argentina. In this episode, I explore the story of Evita.

Featuring Dr Margaret Schwartz Associate Professor (Phd. University of Iowa) at Fordham University and author of Dead Matter: The Meaning of Iconic Corpses.

Music from Pixabay

This episode is sponsored by World History Encyclopedia, one of top history websites on the internet. I love the fact that they’re not a Wiki: Every article they publish is reviewed by their editorial team, not only for being accurate, but also for being interesting to read. The website is run as a non-profit organization, so you won’t be bombarded by annoying ads and it’s completely free. It’s a great site; and don’t just take my word for it; they’ve been recommended by many academic institutions including Oxford University. Go check them out at WorldHistory.org or follow this link World History Encyclopedia

Featuring Dr Margaret Schwartz Associate Professor (Phd. University of Iowa) at Fordham University and author of Dead Matter: The Meaning of Iconic Corpses.

Music from Pixabay

Previous Episode

Eisenhower: President and General

1 Recommendations

By June 1944, the winds of war had changed. The German High Command was bracing for an invasion of mainland Europe by a liberating multi-national force. Kansas native, Dwight D Eisenhower was the Supreme Allied Commander of Operation Neptune (D-Day). The successful operation was a turning point in the war, and in Eisenhower’s life. Less than a decade later he made the switch from civilian to military leadership when he was sworn in as the 34th President of the United States.

In this episode I speak with two experts on Eisenhower’s life and legacy. Dawn Hammatt is the Director at Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum in Abilene, KS. The campus includes a vast repository of documents and artifacts, including the table he used while planning D-Day.

Professor Benjamin P Greene (PhD Stanford) teaches history at Bowling Green University in Ohio. He is also the author of Science Advice, and the Nuclear Test-Ban Debate, 1945-1963

With special thanks to Samantha Prior of the Dwight D Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood home.

Sounds: Pixabay
Audio: Eisenhower D-day speech, final speech in office both public domain

Next Episode

The King and I? First came Narai

2 Recommendations

The 1956 Hollywood version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I, popularized King Mongkut of Siam, who from a Western perspective was a hitherto obscure figure. In the musical, an English teacher played by Deborah Kerr, drags the monarch of a seemingly insulated and somewhat backward country into the modern world. As is so often the case. The Hollywood version of history was far from the truth. Though Mongkut did embrace science and technology he wasn’t the first Siamese ruler to do so. Some 200 years earlier, King Narai of Ayutthaya, sought out cutting-edge technology and formed alliances with powerful figures such as King Louis XIV of France. In this episode I speak with Australian historian Dr Ian Hodges about Narai, his reign, his legacy and his eventual successor the better-known King Mongkut.

Music: Pixabay

Guest: Dr Ian Hodges Historian at the Department of Veterans Affairs in Australia

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