Enemy of All Mankind | A True Story of Piracy, Power, and History's First Global Manhunt | S30-E1
American Innovations
Audible
4.6 • 4.1K Ratings
🗓️ 21 May 2020
⏱️ 39 minutes
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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.
You can binge all episodes of American Innovations exclusively and ad-free on Wondery+. Find Wondery+ in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | You're listening to an episode of a Wondery Plus exclusive series. |
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| 0:11.6 | Find Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple |
| 0:14.2 | podcasts. A listener note. This episode contains mature content and discussions of |
| 0:19.7 | violence. excellence. |
| 0:25.0 | From Wundery, I'm Stephen Johnson, and this is American Innovations. On September 11th, 1695, two ships confronted each other in the middle of the Indian |
| 0:58.4 | ocean. One an enormous treasure ship owned by the Grand Moogal of India, the other a much smaller British |
| 1:05.2 | pirate ship called the Fancy. As the two ships first approached each other, it seemed as though |
| 1:10.9 | the pirates would be easily overpowered. |
| 1:14.0 | But then two unlikely events happened in quick succession. |
| 1:18.2 | A malfunctioning cannon on the treasure ship exploded, killing and maiming dozens of the Indians, and setting fire to the deck. |
| 1:26.3 | And then, a moment later, the fancy fired off a wild shot that split the main mast in two, effectively disabling the Indian ship in the water. |
| 1:36.0 | The British pirates made off with as much as a hundred million dollars in loot that day, |
| 1:41.0 | making it one of the most lucrative heists in the history of crime. |
| 1:45.0 | But their exploits nearly got the British-owned East India company kicked out of the |
| 1:49.2 | subcontinent. |
| 1:50.2 | They keep doing business there. |
| 1:51.8 | The company had to launch a global manhunt for the |
| 1:54.4 | pirates captain, Henry Avery, and drag his motley crew to trial. |
| 1:59.1 | This remarkable chapter of Pirate History is the subject of my new book, Enemy of All Mankind, |
| 2:07.0 | a true story of piracy, power, and History's First Global Manhunt. |
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