The Forgotten Race to Map the Amazon's Last Wilderness episode artwork

EPISODE · Jul 1, 2026 · 11 MIN

The Forgotten Race to Map the Amazon's Last Wilderness

from History Shorts

In 1925, British explorer Percy Fawcett vanished into the Amazon rainforest while searching for a lost civilization he called "Z." Accompanied by his son and a family friend, he entered one of the least-mapped regions on Earth—and was never seen again. In this episode of History Shorts, we explore the mystery that made Fawcett a legend, but also the larger story that is often forgotten: the race to chart the Amazon's final blank spaces. Long before satellites and GPS, vast portions of South America's interior remained unknown to the outside world. Explorers, scientists, soldiers, and adventurers risked disease, starvation, hostile terrain, and isolation in an effort to map rivers, mountains, and entire regions that had never appeared on modern maps.   SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast ADVERTISE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/advertise   LEARN MORE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/ SPONSORED BY: https://www.podcastrepublic.net/get-it-now 

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jul 1, 2026

Embed this episode

NOW PLAYING

The Forgotten Race to Map the Amazon's Last Wilderness

0:00 11:36

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of History Shorts?

This episode is 11 minutes long.

When was this History Shorts episode published?

This episode was published on July 1, 2026.

Can I download this History Shorts episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!