Anita Arnon

But you're right.

Sort of monstrous pride, isn't it?

It's sort of egotism that goes insane.

Shall we start with what is in common with some of the huge figures that we've talked about in the past?

And there are always common tropes about this.

I keep going back to sort of Stalin.

He hated his father or was an orphan or had a miserable childhood.

And you have sort of that kind of tragedy in the Bolivar story.

So he's born Simon José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios.

And he's born on July the 24th in 1783 in Caracas.

The moment that he's born, Willie, is a moment of revolution because just months earlier, Britain had signed this treaty effectively ending the American Revolution.

And across the Atlantic, you've got the man that you've named a few times as formerly a young artillery officer, Napoleon Bonaparte, building his reputation.

Bolivar, though, unlike Napoleon, was born into wealth.

The Bolivar family was one of the richest, most respected families in Venezuela.

Yeah, and I should say Creoles, you know, when you say Creoles, people will think mixed race, but that isn't the Creole that we mean here.

It's a disputed thing and it's a real hot topic of debate, as it is with Alexander Hamilton.

Oh, really?

Okay.

Well, this is vital information.

Good to know.