Profiles in Contrast
Sophie Manners delivers her thoughts on the life and times, traits and exploits of a prominent historical figure and then contrasts that individual with a mystery modern-age figure who is similar in the arc of their life, their personal credo, and how they have been treated by history. She begins with a brief biographical sketch, followed by a tease in which she describes the modern era contrasting figure before revealing their identity. She then explains her reasoning for her choice and contrasts the pair before concluding with summary comments and a personal statement about which one she finds the more compelling figure and why.
Music by Gregor Quendel from Pixabay
Episodes
20 episodes
Marie Antoinette and the Price of the Image
She didn't say "let them eat cake." She also didn't cause the French Revolution, didn't empty the treasury, and wasn't the scheming traitor of revolutionary mythology. In this episode Sophie cuts through two centuries of propaganda ...
Voltaire and the Weapon Called Wit
He was imprisoned twice, exiled repeatedly, censored constantly, and outlived all of it to become the most celebrated mind in Europe. In this episode Sophie examines the life of François-Marie Arouet - better known as Voltaire - whose wit...
Vlad the Impaler and the Politics of Terror
Set aside the cape, the castle and the coffins. In this episode Sophie cuts through twelve decades of gothic fiction to find the real Vlad III of Wallachia - a fifteenth-century military commander of genuine strategic brilliance who deployed te...
Lady Godiva and the Legend that Replaced Her
Nearly everyone knows the legend of Lady Godiva - the noble Saxon woman who rode naked through the streets of Coventry to win tax relief for its suffering citizens. Far fewer know the woman beneath the legend: a major landowner in her own...
Pontius Pilate
In this episode Sophie discusses the complex life of the very able, but conflicted and at times cruel, Roman administrator Pontius Pilate. Known most famously for presiding over the trial of Jesus of Nazareth before reluctantly authorizin...
Mary Queen of Scots
Mary Stuart, a woman widely known as Mary Queen of Scots, led a remarkable life marked by tragedy, abdication, imprisonment and execution. Sophie traces the arc of her tumultuous life and links her to a universally loved and admired...
Thomas Manners - 1st Duke of Rutland
Sophie's profile of Thomas Manners is especially poignant and personal, as she counts the Tudor-era nobleman and courtier of Henry VIII among her ancestors. Her comparison with a long-serving statesman and diplomat from the other side of ...
Leonard Euler
Sophie once again steps outside of her comfort zone to examine the life and myriad contributions of famed Swiss mathematician Leonard Euler. Euler not only introduced much of our modern mathematical notation but also defined the value of ...
Banastre Tarleton
Regarded as among the most skilled leaders of the British military during the American Revolution, Banastre Tarleton waged a vicious campaign against patriots in the south. Sophie has chosen a similarly controversial 20th century military leade...
Oliver Cromwell
Sophie leverages her extensive knowledge of British history in this intriguing expose on Oliver Cromwell - statesman, farmer and, ultimately, Lord Protector. Fittingly, and in typical fashion, she chooses as her modern subject a highly co...
William Wallace
Sophie's selection for this episode is Scottish freedom-fighter and inspiration for the movie Braveheart, William Wallace. The parallels of his life from youth to the Battle of Stirling Bridge and his gruesome execution are partially echo...
Charlemagne
In her most intellectually serious pairing in the series so far, Sophie tackles Charlemagne - medieval emperor, king, and leader of the Carolingian Renaissance.
Cleopatra
Queen of Egypt, lover of at least two Roman emperors and sworn enemy of a third, Cleopatra's reign was marked by intrigue, seduction, and civil wars. Sophie covers it all and teases an unexpected contemporary leader who can't quite compet...
Alexander the Great and the Problem with Infinity
Sophie retraces the magnificent tales of military conquest authored by the King of Macedon. Her comparison with a modern-age conqueror of daunting technological challenges is both surprising and compelling.
Mata Hari
Archetypal femme fatale and likely scapegoat, Mata Hari tempts Sophie to identify a modern-age temptress of near-equal notoriety.
John Harrison and the Longitude of Stubbornness
Global navigation's unsung forefather is arguably the English clockmaker John Harrison. Sophie examines his life and laser-focused pursuit of a solution to the most urgent scientific challenge of the 18th century. She then turns her...
Glenn Curtiss and the Audacity of the Possible
Straying from her formal European-history focus, Sophie takes on early American aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss and contrasts him with a similarly audacious and gravity-defying innovator.
Arthur Conan Doyle
In this episode Sophie examines the life of eccentric Scottish author and creator of the iconic detective Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. You will be intrigued by the modern era physician to whom she compares our most interesting...
