The Apache were more than fierce warriors; they were farmers, traders, and innovators who created a vibrant culture rooted in ceremony, kinship, and respect. Dr. Roy traces their migration into the American Southwest, their clashes with Spanish, Mexican, and U.S. armies, and the devastating genocides they endured. From their matrilineal traditions to their legendary leaders like Geronimo and Cochise, the Apache story is one of survival, adaptation, and resistance.Takeaways:The Apache as part of the Athabascan migration from northwestern Canada to the American Southwest.Distinctions between raiding and war in Apache society, and why raids were designed to avoid violence.The matrilineal and matrilocal structure of Apache families and its impact on property, marriage, and ceremonies.Encounters with Spanish, Mexican, and U.S. forces, including scalp bounties and massacres.Legendary leaders such as Mangas Coloradas, Cochise, Victorio, Nana, and Geronimo.The devastating loss of life and culture from 19th-century wars and forced relocations.The resilience of the Chiricahua Apache, from imprisonment as “prisoners of war” to surviving into the 20th century.Resources & References:Accounts of Mangas Coloradas, Cochise, and Geronimo.The Gadsden Purchase (1854) and its role in U.S.-Mexico relations.The Bascom Affair (1861) and the outbreak of war with Cochise.Standing Bear v. Crook (1879) and Native American legal rights.Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and the eventual resettlement of the Chiricahua Apache.Beyond the podcast: Want to watch this lecture? Check out the full video. Want to support the show? Buy Dr. Roy a coffee!This lecture was originally recorded at the Museum of the Future for the series Lessons from the Past (2025).
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1:11:21
Who Was Muhammad II Fatih?
The fall of Constantinople in 1453 marked the end of the Roman Empire after more than 2,000 years and the rise of the Ottomans as a dominant global power. Dr. Roy explores the centuries of turmoil that led to this moment: Mongol invasions, the Black Death, fractured kingdoms, and shifting alliances. With vivid detail, he traces Mehmed II's relentless campaign, the innovations of siege warfare, and the last desperate defense of the Byzantine world.Takeaways:How the Mongol invasions set the stage for centuries of upheaval in the Middle East and Europe.The fragmentation of the Roman Empire and the weakening of Byzantium after the Crusades.The rise of Mehmed II as a young sultan obsessed with taking Constantinople.The building of massive cannons, including the legendary “Basilica,” to batter the city’s famed walls.The ingenious naval maneuver of dragging ships over greased logs into the Golden Horn.The desperate final stand of Constantine XI and the multinational defenders of the city.Why the fall of Constantinople was not just an ending, but the beginning of a new imperial age.Resources & References:Genghis Khan and Timur Lang.The Black Death (1347-1351) and its long-term impact on population and immunity.Orban’s great cannon, “Basilica”, and other Ottoman siege innovations.Constantine XI Palaiologos, the last Byzantine emperor.The fall of Constantinople (1453).Vlad the Impaler, aka "Dracula".Beyond the podcast: Want to watch this lecture? Check out the full video. Want to support the show? Buy Dr. Roy a coffee!This lecture was originally recorded at the Museum of the Future for the series Lessons from the Past (2025).
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59:10
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59:10
Decoding Systems
Language isn’t just communication; it’s power. Drawing on insights from Malcolm X, George Orwell, and political history, Roy unpacks how misused words blur meaning and control our thinking. He then decodes the difference between countries, states, provinces, and nations, and why these distinctions matter for understanding politics, legitimacy, and sovereignty. Takeaways:Why Malcolm X studied the dictionary in prison, and what it reveals about language and empowerment.George Orwell’s 1984 and the dangers of shrinking vocabulary.The difference between accuracy vs. precision, theory vs. hypothesis, and why the misuse of words weakens critical thinking.Clear definitions of country, state, province, nation, and nation-state with real-world historical examples.How legitimacy, revenue, and violence form the foundations of sovereignty.The role of identity in creating nations, from the Navajo to the Rohingya.Why states fail, how legitimacy erodes, and what history teaches about repeating cycles.Resources & References:Malcolm X, The Autobiography of Malcolm XGeorge Orwell, 1984Harvard Implicit Bias Test (IAT)Case studies: Punt, Burgundy, Navajo Nation, Brexit and the EU, the Rohingya people, failed states like SomaliaU.S. Constitution and Articles of ConfederationBeyond the podcast: Want to watch this lecture? Check out the full video. Want to support the show? Buy Dr. Roy a coffee!This lecture was originally recorded at the Museum of the Future for the series Lessons from the Past (2025).
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1:13:22
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1:13:22
Leaders Who Shaped the Future
Why does leadership matter, and how do small decisions ripple across the future? Dr. Roy begins with the hidden dangers of implicit bias, from medicine to global politics, before diving into the story of Theodore Roosevelt. From cowboy adventurer to America’s youngest president, Roosevelt’s choices reshaped U.S. foreign policy, transformed the presidency, and continue to influence what leadership looks like today.Takeaways:How implicit bias influences medical treatment, politics, and global perceptions, often without people realizing it.Why Roosevelt’s rise from “Rough Rider” to president was more accidental than planned, and how he built power without party backing.The role of “shuttle diplomacy” in shaping U.S. foreign policy and Roosevelt’s Nobel Peace Prize.Roosevelt’s domestic reforms, from breaking up Standard Oil to reshaping football safety rules.The darker side of his presidency, including the war in the Philippines and his failure to support child labor reform.Why Roosevelt’s approach to foreign policy still echoes in the American presidency today.Resources & References:Harvard implicit bias study on race and gender in emergency roomsHarvard Implicit Association Test (IAT)Case study: 2002 Winter Olympics corruption in Salt Lake CityThe Treaty of Portsmouth (1905) and “shuttle diplomacy”Beyond the podcast: Want to watch this lecture? Check out the full video. Want to support the show? Buy Dr. Roy a coffee!This lecture was originally recorded at the Museum of the Future for the series Lessons from the Past (2025).
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1:02:46
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1:02:46
The 1,000-year Legacy of Ibn Sina
Known as the “Father of Modern Medicine,” Ibn Sina was a Persian polymath whose writings transformed science, philosophy, and ethics. In this episode, Roy traces the turbulent world Ibn Sina lived in, the intellectual traditions that shaped him, and the groundbreaking discoveries that continue to impact our lives today.Takeaways:The political and cultural backdrop of Ibn Sina’s time, including the collapse of empires and the rise of learning centers like the House of Wisdom.Ibn Sina’s early genius: memorizing the Qur’an at 10, mastering philosophy as a teenager, and serving as a court physician by 17.His most famous work, The Canon of Medicine, which introduced the revolutionary idea that diseases are distinct and can be prevented, not just cured.His contributions to philosophy, including early ideas of entropy and the concept of a singularity, foreshadowing the modern Big Bang theory.Why Ibn Sina’s legacy remains vital to medicine, science, and human knowledge.Resources & References:Ibn Sina, The Canon of Medicine (1025)Secondary readings: Aristotle, Metaphysics; Euclid, Elements; Ptolemy, Almagest; Al-Farabi’s commentary on Aristotle; Writings preserved and translated through the House of Wisdom (Islamic Golden Age)Beyond the podcast: Want to watch this lecture? Check out the full video. Want to support the show? Buy Dr. Roy a coffee!This lecture was originally recorded at the Museum of the Future for the series Lessons from the Past (2025).
The Dr. Roy Casagranda Podcast is dedicated to unerasing the erased peoples of the world. Too often, history is written by the powerful, leaving entire communities, cultures, and truths out of the dominant narrative. This show seeks to tell those stories.Through these conversations, Dr. Casagranda digs for the truth, weeds out misinformation, and challenges conventional wisdom. The conversations span politics, world history, philosophy, and culture, always with an eye toward justice and a deeper understanding of where we've been, where we are, and where we are heading. This is the official podcast of Dr. Roy Casagranda and Sekhmet Liminal Productions, FZCO.
New Zealand