Hello everyone and welcome to the show.

The next episode of Conflicted is currently in production, but if you're looking to get

your history fix in the meantime, I've got just the thing.

Today we're featuring an episode of a special guest podcast on the show's feed.

It's called Beef.

And if you dig what I do on Conflicted, I think you're really going to enjoy this one.

Human history, at its core, is the story of conflict.

People, personalities, and ideas, all clashing and colliding in a fight for supremacy.

Well, in the podcast, Beef, award-winning host Bridget Todd breaks down the juiciest rivalries

that change the world as we know it.

Mark Antony versus Octavian Caesar.

The United States versus the Soviet Union.

Penthouse versus Playboy. And while Beef does cover those more famous rivalries, it also delves into

stuff you've probably never heard of before. And today we're going to be listening to an episode

that chronicles an especially nasty feud between two British explorers, Sir Richard Burton and Captain John Haneing Speak.

In the late 19th century, Burton and Speak trekked deep into sub-Saharan Africa in hopes of

finding the source of the Great Nile River. During their journey, they encountered hostile

terrain, flesh-eating ulcers, and life-threatening hardships. But the greatest peril they eventually faced was each other.

The story of Burton and Speak is a twisty, tragic tale of professional jealousy,

personal ambition, and a bygone age of colonial exploration.

And to say any more would spoil the best parts for you,

so at this point I'll just shut up and hand it over to Bridget Todd.

...