The Biographers
The Biographers
The Biographers is a deep-dive biography podcast that aims to tell the full and complete stories of history’s most fascinating and influential characters. Join hosts Daniel Newman and Akiva Meola as they take you through the expansive and entertaining stories of various historic figures.
In a time where short-form, hardly-researched videos flood TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, we are doing the exact opposite. The Biographers gives you the chance to learn the full life stories of historic figures, both famous and obscure, without cutting corners. With hour-long, deep-dive research, we provide a bigger, better story than what’s in your feed. If you love true crime, but are craving stories about people who truly made a difference, then you’ve just discovered your new favorite podcast.
In a time where short-form, hardly-researched videos flood TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, we are doing the exact opposite. The Biographers gives you the chance to learn the full life stories of historic figures, both famous and obscure, without cutting corners. With hour-long, deep-dive research, we provide a bigger, better story than what’s in your feed. If you love true crime, but are craving stories about people who truly made a difference, then you’ve just discovered your new favorite podcast.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 30, 2024 • 2h 14min
Abigail Adams Part 3: Bookie in a Revolution.
In an era where women could not have their own money or property, Abigail and John’s unique and trusting relationship allows Abigail to start an import business, invest in real estate, purchase government bonds, and more. Despite her success, she’s missing John more than ever before… when will their extended absence end? Find out in this episode! (Ep. 014)
Mar 16, 2024 • 1h 51min
Abigail Adams Part 2: Remember the Ladies.
In our second episode on Abigail Adams, all is not well in the colonies, as a revolution, rather than tea, was brewing. Abigail and John experienced more periods of separation, due to John’s position in the Continental Congress. The unintended consequence of this? Abigail was entrusted with many family responsibilities that women of the time typically didn't attend to. She also found courage to express more opinions about politics and women's needs to her friends, and her husband. Tune in to find out more! (Ep. 013)
Mar 2, 2024 • 1h 39min
Abigail Adams Part 1: First Second Lady, Second First Lady.
For our fourth series, we're heading all the way back to the 1700s to learn about the United States' second First Lady, Abigail Adams. Though you might simply know her as the wife of John Adams, critics called her "Mrs. President," a dig on her influence of her husband's political policy. Long before history would come to know her name, she was simply Abigail Smith, the daughter of a local Minister, but over the years would become one of the most well-regarded women of her time, advocating heavily for her country, and women's' rights. Tune in for part one as we dive into the earliest parts of Abigail Adams' life in the world of Colonial America! (Ep. 012)
Feb 17, 2024 • 1h 44min
Ian Fleming Part 6: Bond Hits the Big Screen.
As we come to the conclusion of Ian Fleming's incredible life, we finally get to see the infamous secret agent, James Bond, take to the big screen. You probably know which actor first portrayed him, but who were Ian's first two choices to play 007, and what provided the final push to go with Sean Connery? Did Ian have anything to do with producing the film adaptation of Dr. No, and what was up with all the Caribbean music? Oh, and did you also know that he became a published children's author before he died? Tune in for part 6 as we say farewell to Ian Fleming! (Ep. 011)
Feb 3, 2024 • 2h 15min
Ian Fleming Part 5: Pen to Paper, Mr. Bond.
Life finally seems to be settling down for Ian Fleming after so much -- shoot, I spoke too soon: looks like he's actually becoming a father after a 14 year affair with a married woman. Oh, and she wants to get married now that her current husband is divorcing her. If your world got shaken up like this, how would you handle it? Well, Ian Fleming took to obsessively writing his first novel, which happened to feature a certain 00-agent that would one day take the world by storm. Tune in for part five of our Ian Fleming series to learn more about the earliest stages of writing the world's most famous secret agent -- James Bond. (Ep. 010)
Jan 20, 2024 • 1h 57min
Ian Fleming Part 4: Make Life Stirring, Not Shaken.
As war rages on throughout the world, Ian Fleming finds himself entrenched ever-deeper into the world of international intelligence. What was Operation Golden Eye, and was it ever officially implemented? Did Operation Mincemeat have anything to do with pies, or was the whole thing just a hoax? Maybe most importantly: what's next for Mr. Fleming now that the Second World War is finally coming to an end? If it were me, I'd be desperate for a bit of rest and relaxation (and maybe a Vesper Martini), but which location is best suited to achieve maximum chill? Somewhere tropical, I should think. We'll answer all of these questions and more as we continue on with the exciting life of Ian Fleming! (Ep. 009)
Jan 6, 2024 • 1h 45min
Ian Fleming Part 3: Banks, Tanks, and Navy Ranks.
As the world moves closer and closer to the outbreak of the Second World War, Ian Fleming finds himself moving from journalism, to merchant banking, to stock broking... And now international intelligence reporting for the Naval Intelligence Division under Rear Admiral John Godfrey? Seriously? What did he do next, evacuate the MI6 headquarters in Paris during the Nazi invasion? Yup, and that's only the half of it. We're finally getting into Ian's involvement with the international spy network during World War II, how his involvement with the Naval Intelligence Division proved invaluable to the Allied war effort, and how his experiences during the war would spark a fire of imagination that would soon create the ultimate secret agent: James Bond. (Ep. 008)
Dec 16, 2023 • 2h 16min
Ian Fleming Part 2: The Name’s Fleming. Newspaperman Fleming.
A young Ian Fleming’s rocky start in journalism and how family connections landed him at Reuters. High‑speed Alpine motoring trials and ski‑cover assignments that double as secret radio monitoring. Reporting from a tense 1930s Germany and a dramatic trip to Moscow tied to the Metro‑Vickers saga. Romantic entanglements that bleed into his later fiction.
Dec 2, 2023 • 2h 4min
Ian Fleming Part 1: The Origins of James Bond.
In our third series, we're covering novelist (among many other titles), Ian Fleming, who is most famously known for his creation of the fictional character, James Bond. But did you also know that Ian's father fought in World War I alongside Winston Churchill's brother? Or that both of his great-grandfathers on his mother's side were knights? Or that Ian was forced to drop out of Military school as a result of some... delicate medical complications? Tune in for episode one in our Ian Fleming series as we uncover the earliest parts of his life, and how it ended up serving as the real-life foundation for the ultimate secret agent in what would later become the longest running film franchise in cinema history. (Ep. 006)
Jul 29, 2023 • 2h 8min
Mabel Dodge Luhan Part 5: So Long, and Thanks For All the Artists.
In the conclusion episode of our first series on Mabel Dodge Luhan, we find D.H. Lawrence and his wife, Frieda, being wooed to Taos, New Mexico, by a determined Mabel. What magic does D.H. Lawrence possess that seems to entrance Mabel so devotedly? Who is The Honorable Dorothy Brett, and what the heck is that thing she keeps shoving in her ear? Did Mabel actually succeed in bringing "all the great souls" to Taos? Join us as we wrap up the life story of Mabel Dodge Luhan, recorded on location at Mabel's house, Los Gallos, in Taos. (Ep. 005)
