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Introducing "Hostile History" Jun 17, 2026

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Since the dawn of time, humanity has been at war. Conflict in one form or another has been part of our existence since we first walked the earth.

In this first episode of a four-part series, join military historian David Borys as we travel back in time to Iran, where we chart how a modern monarchy, which was armed, wealthy, and globally backed, lost control. On our journey, we'll be helped by historian Roham Alvandi from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

While conflict and armed rebellion have evolved to look very differently over the centuries, if you want to understand the world today, you need to go back because history doesn't just repeat itself; it echoes.

Be sure to follow "Hostile History" on your favourite podcast app, so you never miss an episode.

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Listen Next - Global National with Dawna Friesen | Liberals win another minority government; Poilievre loses seat; NDP's big losses Apr 30, 2025

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The challenges ahead for Prime Minister Mark Carney as the Liberals win another minority government. What's next for Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre after he lost his own riding? How the NDP lost official party status and its leader. Plus, the hopes the Liberals can reset relations with the Prairies.

Click here for more Global National: ⁠https://link.chtbl.com/gndf

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Listen Next: A Most Audacious Heist - Shoot For The Moon | 01 Feb 11, 2025

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It’s a summer night in 1998. Vienna, Austria. And petty thief Daniel Blanchard is about to carry out the heist of a lifetime. Stealing a crown jewel. The last remaining diamond Sisi Star.

His plan? A daring night-time parachute jump.

Daniel is no ordinary thief. His heists are ingenious, meticulously planned; his escapes from the law defy belief. And Daniel knows that if he can get his hands on the star, it will launch him into the criminal big-leagues.

Daniel’s exploits unleash a relentless game of cat-and-mouse, as police track him across continents yet vanishes from their grasp.

What he doesn’t know is that the Sisi Star has a history. A dark history. Its original owner, the legendary Empress Elisabeth of Austria, used it to carve her own legacy of absolute beauty and power. That pursuit drove her to her very limits.

And now Daniel’s fate is fixed to that same star. But how long can Sisi’s star stay lucky for Daniel?

This is A Most Audacious Heist – it’s the story of a master thief, an intercontinental manhunt, and the jewel that changes everything.

Contact:

Facebook: @BlanchardHouseStories

Instagram: @BlanchardHouseStories

X (formerly Twitter): @BlanchardTweets

Blanchard House website: blanchard-house.com

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The Vancouver Riots | 8 Dec 21, 2023

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On June 15, 2011, riots broke out in Vancouver following Game 7 of the NHL Stanley Cup final downtown after The Canucks were defeated by the Boston Bruins in a stunning 4-0 win.

A report found that total damage caused by the riot was just over $3.7 million. There were 112 businesses and 122 vehicles damaged, and 52 assaults were reported against civilians, police and emergency personnel.

On this episode of What happened to…? Erica Vella speaks with those who were in the ground experienced the riot first hand and learns more about the push for change and accountability following the riots.

Find out more at https://globalnews.ca/news/9899622/what-happened-to-2011-vancouver-riots/

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Toronto Bathhouse Raids | 7 Dec 07, 2023

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On February 5, 1981, Toronto Police launched Operation Soap. Officers ambushed four Toronto bathhouses in a series of coordinated raids following a six-month investigation, which led to almost 300 patrons being arrested on the street.

The raids were a watershed moment for Toronto's Queer community because, thousands of activists protested along the streets of Toronto and decided to fight the attacks in court.

On this episode of What happened to…? Erica Vella speaks with members of the Queer community about the 1981 Toronto bathhouse raids. She learns about the public’s response, and ultimately, how communities came together to create lasting change.

Find out more at https://globalnews.ca/news/9888886/what-happened-to-the-1981-toronto-bathhouse-raids/

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TikTok security concerns | 6 Nov 23, 2023

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TikTok is one of the most popular apps around the world, with more than one billion users, but in February of 2023, Canada's federal government announced a ban of the app on government devices.

It's a move several countries have made in recent months.

TikTok has maintained the app isn’t unique in the amount of information it collects and all social media companies should be looked at with the same scrutiny.

On this episode of What happened to…?, Erica Vella speaks with experts about whether these concerns are legitimate and if similar measures will be taken against other social media apps.

Find out more at https://globalnews.ca/news/9899774/what-happened-to-tiktok-security-concerns/

Contact:

Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca

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Introducing... Uncharted: Crime and Mayhem in the Music Industry | The Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash | 1 Nov 11, 2023

Show notes

The old days of air travel were quite risky…compared to today, the chances of your flight going down were far greater …every airport had kiosks and coin-operating vending machines where you could buy life insurance before you headed to the gate—you know, just in case you thought you weren’t going to make it to your final destination…

1977 was one of the worst years for accidents in aviation history…in addition to several violent hijackings every month—sometimes with fatal results—There were also passenger plane crashes with great loss of life…including the worst aviation disaster of all time when two 747s planes collided on a runway in the Canary Islands, killing 583 people.

Frank Sinatra’s mother, the Prime Minister of Yugoslavia, and all but one member of the University of Evansville basketball team died in crashes…

But then there were the events of October 20, 1977, when a rickety chartered plane went down in a swamp in Mississippi…on board were members of Lynyrd Skynyrd…six of the 24 passengers died, including singer Ronnie Van Zandt, guitarist Steve Gaines, backup singer Cassie Gaines, and assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick…both pilots also died…

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Like what you hear? You can find and follow Uncharted: Crime and Mayhem in the Music Industry on your favourite podcast app or by clicking here: https://link.chtbl.com/uncharted-rssdrop

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TikTok text-to-speech voice | 5 Nov 09, 2023

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TikTok is one of the most popular social media applications with more than 1 billion users around the world.

On this episode of What happened to…? Erica Vella speaks to Bev Standing, the original voice behind TikTok’s text-to-speech feature. She also speaks with Kat Callaghan, the woman behind TikTok’s current text-to-speech character “Jessie.” She learns about the adoption and evolution of the feature, and how it changed the way users create and interpret TikTok videos.

Find out more at: https://globalnews.ca/news/9888850/what-happened-to-tiktok-text-to-speech-voice/

Contact:

Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca

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Ukrainian Airlines FLIGHT PS752 | 4 Oct 26, 2023

Show notes

Kourosh Doustshenas met Forough Khadem in 2010 but a relationship between the couple wouldn't blossom until years later.

The couple planned to get married, but before that could happen, Khadem traveled to see her family in Iran. Her return ticket to Canada was scheduled for Dec. 21, 2019, but the flight changed and she was now scheduled to depart on Jan. 8, 2020.

By the beginning of January 2020, tensions between the U.S. and Iran began to escalate following the death of Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani who was killed by a U.S. airstrike as he and others travelled from Baghdad’s international airport on Jan. 3, 2020.

As the couple watched the news unfold Forough Khadem boarded Flight PS 752 on Jan. 8 and was one of the 176 people killed after the two surface-to-air missiles struck the plane.

On this episode of What happened to…? Erica Vella speaks with Dousteshenas about his experience and the work he does with the Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims. She also learns more about what the international community has done to seek accountability from Iran.

Find out more at https://globalnews.ca/news/9899880/what-happened-to-ukraine-international-airlines-flight-ps752/

Contact:

Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca

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Google Glass | 3 Oct 12, 2023

Show notes

On this episode of What happened to…?, Erica Vella revisits Google Glass — the product that sparked curiosity, protests and internet memes around the world. She speaks with one of Wired’s gadget reporters, Mat Honan, about the controversial pair of smart glasses.

Find out more at https://globalnews.ca/news/9873033/what-happened-to-google-glass/

Contact:

Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca

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