Enemy of All Mankind | A True Story of Piracy, Power, and History's First Global Manhunt | 1

American Innovations

Wondery

Steven Johnson, History, Kids & Family, Education For Kids, Science

4.6 • 4.1K Ratings

🗓️ 21 May 2020

⏱️ 37 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On September 11th, 1695, two ships confronted each other in the middle of the Indian Ocean: one an enormous treasure ship owned by the Grand Mughal of India, and the other a much smaller British pirate ship led by Henry Every.

What happened next changed the world. Every and his crew took off with $100 million in loot and sparked the world’s first global manhunt. They also inadvertently set off a chain of events that led to the rise of globalization, the tabloid press, and even democracy itself.

All of that, and more, is the subject of Steven Johnson’s latest book, Enemy of All Mankind. We borrow Rufus Griscom from Wondery’s The Next Big Idea podcast to talk with Steven about Every and the surprising ways a single confrontation on the high seas shaped life as we know it.

You can read more about Steven’s book here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/545158/enemy-of-all-mankind-by-steven-johnson/

And check out The Next Big Idea, currently launching season two.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, Prime Members, you can listen to American Innovations,
0:03.6	Add Free on Amazon Music, download the app today.
0:07.0	A listener note, this episode contains mature content and discussions of violence.
0:13.0	From Wondery, I'm Stephen Johnson, and this is American Innovations.
0:26.0	On September 11th, 1695, two ships confronted each other in the middle of the Indian Ocean,
0:52.0	one an enormous treasure ship owned by the Grand Mughal of India,
0:56.0	the other a much smaller British pirate ship called the Fancy.
1:00.0	As the two ships first approached each other, it seemed as though the pirates would be easily overpowered,
1:06.0	but then two unlikely events happened in quick succession.
1:11.0	A malfunctioning cannon on the treasure ship exploded,
1:14.0	killing and maiming dozens of the Indians and setting fire to the deck.
1:18.0	And then, a moment later, the Fancy fired off a wild shot that split the main mast in two,
1:25.0	effectively disabling the Indian ship and the water.
1:28.0	The British pirates made off with as much as $100 million in loot that day,
1:33.0	making it one of the most lucrative heists in the history of crime.
1:37.0	But their exploits nearly got the British-owned East India company kicked out of the subcontinent.
1:42.0	To keep doing business there, the company had to launch a global manhunt for the pirate's captain Henry Avery,
1:49.0	and drag his modly crew to trial.
1:52.0	This remarkable chapter of pirate history is the subject of my new book, Enemy of All Mankind,
1:59.0	a true story of piracy, power, and history's first global manhunt.
2:04.0	It's the story of how one sea-heist helped give birth to our modern world.
2:09.0	One where the big winners or multinational businesses rather than dynasties,
	...

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