History Extra podcast

Africa's story has long been presented in western narratives as one that only 'began' with the arrival of non-Africans – yet modern science has revealed that the African continent was, in fact, the cradle of humanity itself. Zeinab Badawi speaks to Danny Bird about her new book that puts Africans firmly in charge of the telling of their continent's rich history – one that spans millennia of great civilisations, long-overlooked deeds of great men and women, and the African instinct to thrive in adversity. (Ad) Zeinab Badawi is the author of An African History of Africa: From the Dawn of Humanity to Independence (WH Allen, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/African-History-Africa-Humanity-Independence/dp/0753560127/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.URp_LAKHkzuEJR64At4TXjVGAbKt5Qodjj-n3C0sjpiwi7X6VuFyx4DXO3-3AygZ.eiBWV_si59ZvHOJy8XNzCx0ordvmcgBBG5e3_rMxkck&dib_tag=se&qid=1711628678&refinements=p_27%3AZeinab+Badawi&s=books&sr=1-1&tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the summer of 1940, the skies over Britain filled with the sounds as of engines and gunfire, as the battle of Britain saw the RAF and Luftwaffe go head-to-head in a fight for air dominance. For the British pilots, the objective could not have been more critical – protect their nation from the threat of Nazi invasion. But were the British pilots really the plucky underdogs in this fight? And could Germany have launched an invasion if they had won the air battle over Britain? In the first episode of this five-part series on the greatest battles of WW2, Rachel Dinning explores those questions and more with military historian James Holland. James Holland is a military historian and the author of several books on the Second World War including The Battle of Britain: Five Months that Changed History. He's the co-founder of the Chalke History Festival - which runs from 24-30 June this year. Find out more about the festival's extensive programme of history talks and events at chalkefestival.com. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Did Allied victory in the Second World War really hinge on the battle of the Atlantic? What made Stalingrad such a pivotal victory for the Soviet Union? And how did forces adapt to desert warfare at El Alamein? In our new five-part series, WW2's Greatest Battles, we're charting five of the pivotal moments that shaped the course of the conflict, with author and military historian, James Holland. New episodes will drop every Thursday, on the HistoryExtra podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Henry Kissinger, who died in November 2023 at the age of 100, was one of the most significant, and controversial, figures of the 20th century. Matt Elton spoke to historian Rana Mitter about the American diplomat’s life and legacy. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Famously branded "mad, bad and dangerous to know", Lord Byron captured the imagination – and attention – of early 19th-century Britain with his soul-bearing poetry, decadent lifestyle and torrid love affairs. In this Life of the Week episode, Corin Throsby speaks to Ellie Cawthorne about how the Romantic poet became the era's most scandalous celebrity. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Since it first hit TV screens back in 2009, Horrible Histories has brought Terry Deary and Martin Brown’s hugely successful series of books to an entire generation of children. As it marks its 15th anniversary, Matt Elton speaks to three members of the team behind the show that mixes comedy songs, gruesome deaths and a talking rat. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What would a medieval first aid kit have contained? What were the era's strangest cures? And is it true that it was better to steer clear of the doctor altogether in the Middle Ages? Speaking to Emily Briffett, Elma Brenner answers listener questions about medieval medical theory and practice – from how gruesome surgery really was, to whether leeches were actually that useful. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the early 19th century, two different British expeditions headed into the interior of West Africa – and both ended in disaster. But what was driving the expeditions, and why were they so ill-prepared? Speaking to Elinor Evans, Dane Kennedy, author of Mungo Park's Ghost shares the tale of the ill-fated missions, and explores the wider story of British exploration of the continent. (Ad) Dane Kennedy is the author of Mungo Park's Ghost: The Haunted Hubris of British Explorers in Nineteenth-Century Africa (Cambridge University Press, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mungo-Parks-Ghost-Explorers-Nineteenth-Century/dp/1009392980/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In part 2 of a special bonus episode of our Conspiracy series, Rob Attar and Gerald Posner delve deeper into the questions surrounding the assassination of JFK. Who did Lyndon Johnson think was behind the murder? Why do so many people believe in a conspiracy theory? And why is Lee Harvey Oswald’s other killing rarely discussed? The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The transatlantic slave trade was formally abolished in both Britain and the US in 1807 and 1808 – yet slave ships were still forcibly bringing enslaved African people to the Americas right up to the 1860s. David Musgrove speaks to historian Hannah Durkin about the long history of this horrific trade, through the eyes of the survivors of Clotilda, the last ship to transport slaves to America. (Ad) Hannah Durkin is the author of Survivors: The Lost Stories of the Last Captives of the Atlantic Slave Trade (HarperCollins, 2024). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fsurvivors%2Fhannah-durkin%2F9780008446512 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the latest episode of History Behind the Headlines, Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter are joined by award-winning journalist and producer Kavita Puri to discuss the history of famine, and the challenges of tackling the contentious legacies of events such as the 1943 Bengal Famine – the subject of her new series Three Million, available now on BBC Sounds, BBC Radio 4 and BBC World Service English The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Troubles in Northern Ireland was a difficult, bloody period, which lasted for almost 30 years. During that time, the British secret services ran an extensive intelligence operation to infiltrate the IRA, the details of which are only now coming to light. Speaking to David Musgrove, Henry Hemming discusses what he uncovered about this secret web of spies, agents and double agents for his new book Four Shots in the Night. (Ad) Henry Hemming is the author of Four Shots in the Night: A True Story of Spies, Murder, and Justice in Northern Ireland (Quercus, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Four-Shots-Night-Henry-Hemming/dp/1529426758/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What do white horses symbolise in Welsh mythology? What is the Mabinogion? Was King Arthur from Wales? And why do fairy folk hold a particularly sinister place in Welsh folklore? Speaking to Elinor Evans, Mark Rees takes listeners on a tour of the remarkable creatures and stories of Welsh mythology and legend. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Over the last 500 years, countless people in England and Wales have decided to tie the knot. But what motivated people in the past to get married? What inspired the traditional wedding vows? And when was the first divorce in Britain? Legal historian Rebecca Probert explores how ideas about marriage – and the laws around it – have changed in England and Wales over the last five centuries. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The killing of President John F Kennedy in Dallas in November 1963 is one of the defining events of the 20th century and the subject of multiple conspiracy theories. In part one of a special bonus episode of our Conspiracy series, Rob Attar rejoins the investigative journalist Gerald Posner to tackle your questions about the assassination and the web of intrigue that surrounds it. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sathnam Sanghera’s bestselling 2021 book Empireland catapulted the author into the eye of a media storm. Following the release of its follow-up, Empireworld, he spoke to Matt Elton about how it felt to be at the centre of a heated national debate on empire – and how we can have constructive conversations about Britain’s imperial past. (Ad) Sathnam Sanghera is the author of Empireworld: How British Imperialism Has Shaped the Globe: Signed Edition (Penguin, 2024). Buy it now from Waterstones: http://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=380&awinaffid=489797&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fempireworld%2Fsathnam-sanghera%2F2928377238056&clickref=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The name of medieval leader and military commander Saladin has gone down in history for unifying the Muslim Near East, capturing the holy city of Jerusalem and an iconic rivalry with Richard the Lionheart. But, is this extraordinary reputation just the product of his savvy PR team? Speaking to Emily Briffett, Jonathan Phillips charts the extraordinary rise of the Muslim leader, who usurped his patron before reaching dizzying heights – and questions how his legacy has changed across the centuries. (Ad) Jonathan Phillips is the author of The Life and Legend of the Sultan Saladin (Bodley Head, 2019). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-Legend-Sultan-Saladin/dp/1847922147/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Within just a few years of Stalin's death in 1953, the Soviet Union had sent the first artificial satellite, Sputnik, into orbit. An era of renewal and excitement beckoned. Speaking to Danny Bird, Robert Hornsby tells the story of how Soviet society embraced the 1960s – from new prospects for women, to faith in the energy of the young – before the era's promise was snuffed out by the Prague Spring of 1968. (Ad) Robert Hornsby is the author of The Soviet Sixties (Yale University Press, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Soviet-Sixties-Robert-Hornsby/dp/0300250525/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Were the Anglo-Saxons always called the Anglo-Saxons? What did it take to make or break an early medieval king? And how did Christianity revolutionise the governance of their kingdoms? Speaking to Emily Briffett, Joanna Story answers your top questions about the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Through the 19th century, people began to find strange and spectacular bones of "impossible monsters" in the earth. But what creatures could these bones belong to – and what did that mean both for religious beliefs and new evolutionary theories? Michael Taylor joins Rebecca Franks to discuss how the discovery of dinosaurs shook up Victorian Britain. (Ad) Michael Taylor is the author of Impossible Monsters: Dinosaurs, Darwin and the War Between Science and Religion (Bodley Head, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.waterstones.com/book/impossible-monsters/michael-taylor/9781847926784 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At the turn of the 20th century, bicycles and motor cars became fixtures on Britain’s roads. Bob Carlisle, the original ‘wheelbarrow pedestrian’, found himself overtaken in this transport revolution. In the final episode of our new series on this larger-than-life character of the Victorian age, David Musgrove considers how Carlisle’s pedestrian career helps us understand major changes in society, from athleticism and transport to the boom in advertising and consumer goods. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Elizabeth I is probably best remembered as an aging monarch, with a powdered white face and elaborate red wig. But she was just 25 when she became queen, and had by then had already lived a dramatic and tumultuous life. As author and historian Nicola Tallis tells Lauren Good, the queen's childhood and early years had a lasting impact on her as a ruler – and a woman. (Ad) Nicolas Tallis is the author of Young Elizabeth: Princess. Prisoner. Queen. (Michael O'Mara, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Young-Elizabeth-Princess-Prisoner-Queen/dp/178929519X/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Joan of Arc has gone down in history as the virgin saviour of France – a patriotic martyr who was unjustly burnt at the stake at the hands of her Anglo-Burgundian opponents. But there's more to the story than that. Speaking to Emily Briffett, historian Anne Curry charts the extraordinary rise and fall of the young peasant girl from Domrémy, whose visions and prophecies brought her face to face with King Charles VII and led to her spiritual leadership over the armies of France before ending in her unfortunate demise. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From Tudor slop buckets to WW2 potato peel recipes, Eleanor Barnett tells Ellie Cawthorne about how our ancestors used up food leftovers. She reveals some ingenious and appetising tactics for tackling food waste in the past and questions whether we might look back to history to help deal with the issue today. (Ad) Eleanor Barnett is the author of Leftovers: A History of Food Waste and Preservation (Apollo, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Leftovers-History-Food-Waste-Preservation/dp/180328157X/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How did the murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand lead events in Europe to spiral out of control so rapidly? Why was Germany and Austria-Hungary's bloody clash with the Russian empire during the First World War so brutal? And why has the fighting on the eastern front between 1914 and 1918 been overshadowed by its counterpart in the west? Speaking to Spencer Mizen, historian Nick Lloyd answers your questions on one of the most brutal theatres of conflict both in the First World War, and modern warfare as a whole. (Ad) Nick Lloyd is the author of The Eastern Front: A History of the First World War (Viking, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Eastern-Front-History-First-World/dp/0241506859#:~:text=Book%20overview&text=In%20the%20second%20volume%20of,the%20collapse%20of%20three%20empires./?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It would be fair to say that Second World War pilot Eric 'Winkle' Brown led an extraordinary life. He narrowly escaped death when his ship was torpedoed, smashed the world record for flying the most types of aircraft and had several unlikely encounters with the movers and shakers of his time. Speaking to Emily Briffett, historian and biographer Paul Beaver charts some of Brown's remarkable adventures and escapades. (Ad) Paul Beaver is the author of Winkle: The Extraordinary Life of Britain’s Greatest Pilot (Michael Joseph, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fwinkle%2Fpaul-beaver%2F9780718186708 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The great wheelbarrow craze of 1886-7 was a short-lived media sensation, witnessing a flood of people charging from Scotland to London with barrows. One man had kicked off this bizarre trend – Bob Carlisle. In the fifth episode of our series on this larger-than-life character of the Victorian age, David Musgrove talks to Bob Nicholson to explore the genesis of 19th-century Britain’s strangest crazes, and reveal what happened to Bob Carlisle while the wheelbarrow craze was in full swing. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the modern world we have a relatively narrow idea of who Jesus was, but things were quite different in the early years of Christianity. Many alternative versions of his life and personality proliferated, while at the same time, several other saviours also competed for attention. These stories are at the centre of a new book Heresy: Jesus Christ and the Other Sons of God by the classicist and author Catherine Nixey, who is joined in conversation for this episode by Rob Attar. (Ad) Catherine Nixey is the author of Heresy: Jesus Christ and the Other Sons of God (Picador, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Heretic-Lives-Christ-Saviours-Ancient/dp/1529040353/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mary Wollstonecraft was a firebrand thinker of the Enlightenment – proposing radical ideas about the fundamental rights of women. And her life was just as groundbreaking as her work, from having a front row seat at the French Revolution and embarking on a treasure hunt for stolen silver along the Norwegian coast, to courting scandal by giving birth outside of wedlock. In today's Life of the Week episode, author Bee Rowlatt tells Ellie Cawthorne more about Wollstonecraft's life and legacy. (Ad) Bee Rowlatt is the author of In Search of Mary: The Mother of All Journeys (Alma Books, 2015). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Search-Mary-Mother-All-Journeys/dp/1846883784/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1877, Annie Besant took the stand. She was on trial for selling an "obscene publication" – a pamphlet designed to educate the masses on birth control. Author Michael Meyer tells Ellie Cawthorne about how this sensational legal case lit a fire under Victorian society, and why the woman at the centre of it decided to represent herself in the courtroom. (Ad) Michael Meyer is the author of A Dirty, Filthy Book: Sex, Scandal, and One Woman’s Fight in the Victorian Trial of the Century WH Allen, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dirty-Filthy-Book-Victorians-1877-1888/dp/0753559927/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How did the Capetian dynasty hold on to the French throne for such a long time during the Middle Ages? How did deep-seated religious beliefs shape their rule? And what was the ‘Capetian miracle’? Speaking to Emily Briffett, Justine Firnhaber-Baker answers listener questions on the influential French dynasty – from how they popularised the name 'Phillip' and the iconic fleur-de-lis, to their religiously-inspired 'royal touch'. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

King Henry VIII famously ran into a world of problems trying to get out of his numerous marriages. And interestingly, we can find a similar story of royal marital strife all the way back in the ninth-century - during the reign of Lothar II. When this Carolingian ruler tried to divorce his wife, Theutberga, he ran headlong into a clash with the pope. Professor Charles West explains the story to David Musgrove and reveals what it can tell us about how power, politics and passions were intertwined in the ninth century. (Ad) Charles West is the author of The Fall of a Carolingian Kingdom: Lotharingia 855-869 (University of Toronto Press, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fall-Carolingian-Kingdom-Lotharingia-855-869/dp/1487545169/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tickling tigers one day, and cracking jokes to expectant crowds the next, Bob Carlisle was a circus showman, agent, clown and big cat tamer. In the third episode of our new series on this larger-than-life character of the Victorian age, David Musgrove speaks to historian John Woolf to consider Carlisle’s hair-raising life in the travelling circus, and how it helps us to understand the world of Victorian show business. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In January 1924 Ramsay MacDonald, the son of a farm labourer, strode into 10 Downing Street as prime minister - and changed the nation's political landscape for good. David Torrance tells Spencer Mizen about Britain's first Labour government, revisiting successes, failures and a complex relationship with the establishment. (Ad) David Torrance is the author of The Wild Men: The Remarkable Story of Britain's First Labour Government (Bloomsbury, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wild-Men-Remarkable-Britains-Government/dp/1399411438/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=&tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Stuart became king of Scotland at just 13 months old, and has since been known as 'the cradle king'. So, what was his childhood like? How did he come to the throne of England? And how much is known about his relationships with his famed favourites, as portrayed in new historical drama Mary and George? Speaking to Elinor Evans, Joe Ellis explores the life and dual reign of King James VI of Scotland and I of England. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At the turn of the 20th century, millions of European Jews were seeking an escape from antisemitic persecution. While many dreamed of Palestine, a few thousand made their way, instead, to Galveston in Texas. In conversation with Rob Attar, the author Rachel Cockerell tells the story of the little-known Galveston movement, explaining how it connects to the histories of America, Zionism and European Jewry. (Ad) Rachel Cockerell is the author of Melting Point: Family, Memory and the Search for a Promised Land (Wildfire, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Melting-Point-Promised-groundbreaking-Philippe/dp/1035408910/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=&tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Was the Duke of Marlborough Britain's greatest ever military commander? How did Britain face down the challenge of an expansionist France? And did soldiers during the Napoleonic Wars feel that they were living in the shadow of the Royal Navy? Military historian Saul David talks to Spencer Mizen about the evolution of the British Army between the 17th and 19th centuries. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Following the October Revolution of 1917, Russia's nascent Bolshevik regime acted on its word to take the country out of the First World War by brokering peace with Germany. Speaking to Danny Bird, Anna Reid explains how this prompted Britain, France, America and Japan to launch a joint 'intervention', by invading the vast terrain of the crumbling Russian empire in support of anti-Bolshevik forces. (Ad) Anna Reid is the author of A Nasty Little War: The West's Fight to Reverse the Russian Revolution (John Murray Press, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fa-nasty-little-war%2Fanna-reid%2F9781529326765 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tickling tigers one day, and cracking jokes to expectant crowds the next, Bob Carlisle was a circus showman, agent, clown and big cat tamer. In the third episode of our new series on this larger-than-life character of the Victorian age, David Musgrove speaks to historian John Woolf to consider Carlisle’s hair-raising life in the travelling circus, and how it helps us to understand the world of Victorian show business. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

New drama Mary and George has just arrived on Sky Atlantic and HBO, transporting us back to the intrigues and scandals of the court of King James VI and I. Author and historical advisor Benjamin Woolley introduces Mary and George Villiers, the mother-and-son duo who changed the face of this early 17th-century royal court. Speaking to Elinor Evans, he explores what we really know about George's relationship with King James, and the lingering question over the Villiers' hand in the monarch's death. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The latest instalment of our monthly series sees Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter talk to Matt Elton about the extent to which age has historically been a factor in who gets elected. Plus: telling working-class stories, and the history behind the new names for London Overground lines. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Oscar-nominated film The Zone of Interest is one of the most acclaimed and talked about films of 2024. Directed by Jonathan Glazer and loosely based on a novel of the same name by Martin Amis, The Zone of Interest focuses on the life of Rudolf Höss and his family during the Second World War, when he was commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp. In today’s episode, Professor Richard J Evans, one of the world’s leading experts on Nazi Germany, speaks to Rob Attar about the real story of Rudolf Höss. He also offers his thoughts on the film and recounts his experience of working with Martin Amis on the original book. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alcatraz is remembered as one of history's most hardline prisons, known for its ingenious escape attempts, gruelling regime, barren location and dangerous inmates. Speaking to Rebecca Franks, historian Ashley Rubin answers listener questions on 'The Rock', from how it withstood the corruption of the gangster era to its famous 'birdman'. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What secrets can medieval human remains unlock? With exciting new developments in the science of palaeopathology, researchers are able to glean much more from human bones than ever before. Speaking to David Musgrove, Professor Alice Roberts explores what the study of these bones can tell us about disease and violence in medieval Britain – considering how learning about historical diseases, like the Black Death and leprosy, can help us to understand and tackle modern diseases too. (Ad) Alice Roberts is the author of Crypt: Life, death and disease in the Middle Ages (Simon & Schuster, 2024). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fcrypt%2Falice-roberts%2F9781398519237 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What was it like to sail the high seas in the Victorian age? In the second episode in our new series on Bob Carlisle, a widely forgotten but larger-than-life character of the 19th century, David Musgrove transports listeners back to the dangers and daring exploits of life in the Victorian Royal Navy. With the help of maritime historian Martin Wilcox, David explores Carlisle’s years spent as a sailor in the navy and the merchant fleet, including on opulent transatlantic liners – revealing what his experiences can tell us about shipping in the era. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From Maastricht to Brexit, the European Union's first three decades have entailed plenty of political and economic drama. Danny Bird speaks to Dermot Hodson about his new book, Circle of Stars, which focuses on some of the key individuals that helped shape the history of the EU, from advocates of European integration to dyed-in-the-wool Eurosceptics. (Ad) Dermot Hodson is the author of Circle of Stars: A History of the EU and the People Who Made It (Yale University Press, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Circle-Stars-History-People-Made/dp/030026769X/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rudyard Kipling is beloved by many for his children's books and inspirational poems. But he was also called the "Bard of Empire", known for writing The White Man's Burden. For today's Life of the Week episode, Professor Janet Montefiore tells Rebecca Franks more about the life and contested legacy of the writer of The Jungle Book, If, the Just So Stories and Kim. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In his public life, Dr Winthrop Bell was a Harvard professor and wealthy businessman. But as a secret agent, reporting from Germany in the aftermath of the First World War, he was one of the first to warn of the Nazi plot for racial supremacy that would lead to the Second World War. Speaking to Elinor Evans, Jason Bell discusses this Canadian professor turned spy. (Ad) Jason Bell is the author of Cracking the Nazi Code: The Untold Story of Canada's Greatest Spy (HarperCollins, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cracking-Nazi-Code-Canadas-Greatest/dp/1443466743/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What was the Arts and Crafts movement? How far was it associated with radical politics? And is it alive and well today? The Victorian cultural movement was transformative in our understanding of the importance of the maker in the artistic process, and Suzanne Fagence Cooper joins us for this 'Everything you wanted to know' episode to answer your questions on the subject. Speaking to Elinor Evans, she explores the ideas that underpinned this influential movement and the 19th-century artists that formed it. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

To mark LGBT+ history month, we're revisiting a classic episode on a pivotal moment in LGBTQ+ history. Speaking to Matt Elton in 2019, historian Chris Parkes explored the background to the 1969 Stonewall riots, when LGBT protests erupted at New York’s Stonewall Inn. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What led two teenagers from Canton province in China to emigrate to California in the late 19th-century? And what lives awaited them on America's west coast? Speaking to Elinor Evans, Hugo Wong discusses the interlocking stories of two of his ancestors, who left China as young men in the late 19th century for the riches of California. Met by both opportunity and prejudice, they later helped to establish a Chinese settlement in Mexico, with their descendants forging new cultural ties. (Ad) Hugo Wong is the author of America's Lost Chinese: The Rise and Fall of a Migrant Family Dream (C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Americas-Lost-Chinese-Migrant-Family/dp/1805260561/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Tiger Tamer who went to sea, from HistoryExtra, is the story of one remarkable Victorian man who lived the life of a dozen men. His adventures as a global seafarer and as a circus clown, showman and yes, tiger tamer would be fascinating enough. However, he was also a celebrated athlete, and Britain’s original long-distance wheelbarrow pedestrian. He pushed a wheelbarrow from Lands End to John O’Groats in 1879 but sadly missed the great wheelbarrow craze of 1887 because he was sailing the high seas. In this six-part series, David Musgrove reveals the untold story of this Victorian influencer, Bob Carlisle, and chats to a range of experts to find out what his life tells us about broader themes in 19th and early 20th century history – we cover the rise of mass media, the Temperance movement, enterainment and celebrity culture, the changing face of global trade and technology, the Edwardian healthy living movement, and yes, the noble sport of wheelbarrow-pushing. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bob Carlisle was a Victorian influencer and minor celebrity; a global seafarer, circus clown and lion tamer, and Britain’s original long-distance ‘wheelbarrow pedestrian’. This new six-part series sees David Musgrove recover the story of this widely forgotten and larger-than-life character. In this first episode, David talks to historians Valerie Sanders and Bob Nicholson to explore Bob’s early life and investigate what his experiences can tell us about life-writing and the media in 19th-century Britain. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Daniel Cowling talks to Spencer Mizen about the British occupation of Germany from 1945-49, and describes how the young officials tasked with rebuilding a broken nation navigated acute privation, a traumatised population and scepticism among their compatriots back home to help set Germany on the road to democracy. (Ad) Daniel Cowling is the author of Don't Let's Be Beastly to the Germans: The British Occupation of Germany, 1945-49 (Apollo, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dont-Lets-Beastly-Germans-Occupation/dp/1800243502/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the list of famous explorers, the name of Christopher Columbus stands out. Seen for many years as the man who supposedly 'discovered' the Americas, his heroic legacy is now being challenged and critiqued. Speaking to Paul Bloomfield, historian Julia McClure considers the exploits, achievements and failings of the explorer and navigator – from paving the way for the European exploration of the 'New World' to the poor treatment of the Americas' indigenous inhabitants. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Slavic diaspora is one of the biggest in the world – so why aren't their myths better known? Speaking to Kev Lochun, Noah Charney and Svetlana Slapšak introduce the Slavic gods, explaining how their myths continue to hold sway over daily life – and how these stories have been used to shape nations. You'll never look at a cabbage the same way again. (Ad) Noah Charney and Svetlana Slapšak are the authors of The Slavic Myths (Thames & Hudson Ltd, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fthe-slavic-myths%2Fnoah-charney%2Fsvetlana-slap-ak%2F9780500025017 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What did the average Roman soldier eat and drink while on campaign? Were the legions seen as a oppressive force in the regions they conquered? And why was one Roman centurion nicknamed 'bring me another'? Speaking with Emily Briffett, ancient historian Adrian Goldsworthy answers listener questions on life in the Roman army – from training and punishment to whether legionaries really hated being sent to Britain. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As AppleTV+ new drama The New Look hits our screens, we revisit this classic episode surrounding one of the series' central characters – fashion icon Coco Chanel. Speaking to Elinor Evans in 2020, writer and journalist Anne de Courcy discussed Chanel's experiences – alongside those of some other famous faces – on the French Riviera during the interwar years and the era of Nazi occupation. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Death was an everyday part of life in 19th-century Britain – and the Victorians were fascinated by it, developing a wealth of customs and rules about how people should bury their dead and how they should grieve. Many of these – from hair jewellery to deathbed photography – seem strange to modern eyes, but they sprang from a deep desire to pay respect to the deceased. Speaking to Rebecca Franks, Judith Flanders takes us on a moving journey from the sickbed to the cemetery. (Ad) Judith Flanders is the author of Rites of Passage: Death and Mourning in Victorian Britain (Picador, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rites-Passage-Mourning-Victorian-Britain/dp/1509816976/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the early 14th century, the Knights Templar were suppressed and the 200-year history of this military religious order came to an abrupt end. Or did it? What if some of the Templars escaped persecution to operate secretly until the present day, holding on to precious religious relics and maybe even discovering America? In this new episode of Conspiracy, Rob Attar is joined by medieval historian Steve Tibble to explore why myths have surrounded the Templars from the Middle Ages until the present day – and to explain how Rosslyn Chapel and the Holy Grail fit into the story. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From unwanted proposals and lingering looks across ballrooms to a wet-shirted Mr Darcy emerging from a lake, the romantic stories of Jane Austen – and their countless adaptations – have captured the hearts of many of us. But, if we turn to the real historical record of the Regency era, how much truth is there to these tales of happily ever after? As a nod to Valentine's Day, Lauren Good speaks to Rory Muir about the reality of love and marriage in the age of Jane Austen, from engagements and elopements to going on honeymoon with your mother-in-law. (Ad) Rory Muir is the author of Love and Marriage in the Age of Jane Austen (Yale University Press, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Love-Marriage-Age-Jane-Austen/dp/0300269609/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The latest instalment of our monthly series sees Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter explore the long history behind the Post Office Scandal, the historical precedents behind recent developments in US politics and more Our new monthly series explores the history hitting the headlines – and the way the past informs today’s world. The latest instalment of our monthly series sees Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter explore the long history behind the Post Office Scandal, the historical precedents behind recent developments in US politics and more. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Drag is an art form that's seen a great deal of success – and a little controversy – in recent years. Yet, as Jacob Bloomfield argues in his recent book, Drag: A British History, it's also entertained British audiences for decades, stretching back to the music halls of the Victorian era and revue shows of the Second World War. Matt Elton caught up with Jacob to find out more. (Ad) Jacob Bloomfield is the author of Drag: A British History (University of California Press, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Drag-British-History-Berkeley-Studies/dp/0520393325/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How did medieval Ireland come to have 150 kings at the same time? Who were the gallowglass? What is Brehon law, and why is it so influential in our understanding of the country in the Middle Ages? Speaking to Emily Briffett in this 'Everything you wanted to know' episode, Professor Seán Duffy answers your top questions on Ireland during the Middle Ages. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In June 1907, five plucky teams departed the Chinese capital and embarked on a 9,317-mile automobile race to Paris. Traversing scorching deserts and perilous mountain passes in ill-equipped vehicles, the participants regularly risked their lives – but their tenacity would transform attitudes towards the car forever. Kassia St Clair spoke to Jon Bauckham about the story behind the race, and what it can tell us about the wider history of transport, communication and globalisation. (Ad) Kassia St Clair is the author of The Race to the Future: The Adventure that Accelerated the Twentieth Century (John Murray Press, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Race-Future-Adventure-Accelerated-Twentieth/dp/1529386055/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

First published in Russia in 1903, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion purported to demonstrate evidence of a global Jewish conspiracy. Though it has repeatedly been proven to be a forgery, the text has helped fuel antisemitism across the world, from Henry Ford in America, to Nazi Germany, to Jew-hate today. In this new episode of Conspiracy, Rob Attar speaks to Professor Pamela S Nadell about why the infamous tract has proven so popular and how it connects to other antisemitic conspiracy theories. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From prehistoric carvings and medieval spell books to grand romantic gestures and tokens of affection, throughout history there has been no shortage of ways to say those three little words. Speaking to Charlotte Hodgman, Edward Brooke-Hitching shares some incredible, and curious, stories of love through time – from ancient Mesopotamia to the modern day. (Ad) Edward Brooke-Hitching is the author of Love: A Curious History (Simon & Schuster, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Flove-a-curious-history%2Fedward-brooke-hitching%2F9781398522718 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington has gone down in history as one of Britain's most formidable military commanders. But how did he earn such an impressive reputation? In today's Life of the Week episode, Dr Zack White guides Ellie Cawthorne through Wellington's successes on the battlefield, as well as his controversial tenure as a politician and salacious personal life. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Did you know that the seemingly bucolic Ploughman's lunch actually came about because of a marketing ploy? Or that turnips were once thought to be an aphrodisiac? Pen Vogler takes Lauren Good on a culinary journey through Britain's history, exploring moments when food was at the centre of social change and upheaval. (Ad) Pen Vogler is the author of Stuffed: A History of Good Food and Hard Times in Britain (Atlantic Books, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stuffed-History-Good-Times-Britain/dp/1838955747/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Where does the word "chivalry" come from? How should an honourable knight treat his vanquished foes? And do chivalric ideals underlie modern-day misogyny? In our latest Everything you wanted to know episode, medievalist Lydia Zeldenrust answers listener questions on the idealised code of knightly conduct that arose during the medieval era, in conversation with Rebecca Franks. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

According to legend, when Alexander the Great rocked up on the island of Pharos in northern Egypt, he had a vision of a spectacular city – a vision that later became reality in the form of Alexandria. On the mainland nearby, connected by a new causeway to Pharos, the metropolis grew and thrived, drawing people in from far and wide. Its power was symbolised by the remarkable Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the Great Library, which aspired to be home to all the world's knowledge. Speaking to Rebecca Franks, Islam Issa explores the origin story of this remarkable city. (Ad) Islam Issa is the author of Alexandria: The City that Changed the World (Sceptre, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Alexandria-City-that-Changed-World/dp/1529377587/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the 22 November 1963, President John F Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested and charged with the murder, but over the past 60 years millions of people have come to believe that Oswald was just a small cog in a wider plot to murder the president, orchestrated by a powerful group such as the CIA, the Mafia or the Cuban regime. In this new episode of Conspiracy, Rob Attar speaks to the journalist Gerald Posner whose landmark 1993 book Case Closed famously concluded that Oswald had indeed acted alone. Together they dissect the evidence from the assassination and consider why conspiracy theories about it have become so widespread. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Donald L Miller shares how US 'bomber boys' made D-Day possible, a story now dramatised in the Apple TV+ series Masters of the Air Masters of the Air is the big-budget Apple TV+ follow-up to Band of Brothers and The Pacific. Exec produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, it follows the exploits of the 100th Bomb Group, charting the vital role played by American airmen in the run-up to D-Day. The series draws its inspiration from a book of the same name by Donald L Miller, and in today's episode Kev Lochun speaks to Donald about the terrifying realities of flying a B-17 Flying Fortress during WW2 bombing missions. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"I am Spartacus" is one of the most iconic lines in cinema history: from the 1960 film starring Kirk Douglas in the titular role, it has come to define how we see the Roman rebel. However, according to Roman historian Alison Futrell, the real man behind the legend has an equally fascinating story to tell. Speaking to Emily Briffett, Alison explains how Spartacus's life has been told through a variety of skewed lenses, explores the context surrounding his extraordinary uprising – and reveals how he has come to be seen as a revolutionary hero. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Asia has long enthralled people in the west, with voyages of discovery and military expeditions setting out in search of wealth, wisdom and the chance to explore a "strange new world". Historian and author Christopher Harding speaks to Matt Elton about westeners' enduring fascination with India, China and Japan, and the ways in which it has shaped the relationship between East and West from the ancient world to the 21st century. (Ad) Christopher Harding is the author of The Light of Asia: A History of Western Fascination with the East (Allen Lane, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Light-Asia-History-Western-Fascination-ebook/dp/B0C68SSV9D/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Did the hanging gardens of Babylon really exist? How was Egypt's Great Pyramid built? And could any one person have seen all seven ancient wonders? In our latest Everything you wanted to know episode Rachel Dinning puts listener questions on the seven wonders of the ancient world to public historian Bettany Hughes, who gives us the lowdown on these spectacular monuments and explores why humanity has had such an enduring fascination with them. (Ad) Bettany Hughes is the author of The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Seven-Wonders-Ancient-World-ebook/dp/B0BXP3NDVQ/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War, a British stockbroker worked tirelessly to rescue hundreds of Jewish children from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia by transporting them to new lives in Britain. Nicholas Winton's life and achievements are the subject of a new film One Life, and ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day, Edward Abel Smith joins Spencer Mizen to discuss his story. (Ad) Edward Abel Smith is the author of The British Oskar Schindler: The Life and Work of Nicholas Winton (Pen & Sword, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/British-Oskar-Schindler-Nicholas-Winton/dp/1399011480/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On 7 December 1941, Japan attacked the US naval base at Pearl Harbor. It's one of the most notorious surprise attacks in history, but how much of a surprise was it? Did US President Franklin Roosevelt in fact know that the attack was coming and even encourage it as a means of propelling the US into World War Two? In this new episode of Conspiracy, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Steve Twomey joins Rob Attar to tackle the "back door to war" conspiracy theory, explaining why many Americans have been willing to believe in a president's treachery. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Often described as England's first colony, Ireland has a long – and deeply complicated – relationship with empire. Rhiannon Davies speaks to historian Jane Ohlmeyer to learn more about this complex picture, from how Ireland was a 'laboratory of empire' to how imperialism influenced the clothing people wore. (Ad) Jane Ohlmeyer is the author of Making Empire: Ireland, Imperialism, and the Early Modern World (Oxford University Press, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fmaking-empire%2Fprof-jane-ohlmeyer%2F9780192867681%23%3A~%3Atext%3DMaking%20Empire%20re%2Dexamines%20empire%2C1770s). The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

King Harold II is famous for getting an arrow to the eye at the battle of Hastings. But is that story even true? And what else should we know about this man whose main claim to fame is being defeated by William the Conqueror? In this Life of the Week episode, David Musgrove explores the life of the king commonly known as Harold Godwinson, with Caitlin Ellis, associate professor in medieval nordic history at Oslo University. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Britons may not always be the best at playing sports. But, as David Horspool tells Spencer Mizen, when it comes to inventing, codifying and becoming utterly obsessed by them, they are bona fide world beaters. From the brutality of medieval jousts to the mega-bucks of the Premier League, David reveals how sport has embedded itself in the fabric of British life over the centuries. (Ad) David Horspool is the author of // More Than a Game: A History of How Sport Made Britain // (John Murray Press, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/More-Than-Game-History-Britain/dp/1529363276/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Silk Road is one of the most famous trade routes in history, a vast interconnected network along which not only goods but ideas, knowledge and culture flowed. Sam Willis joins Rebecca Franks to discuss its remarkable history and answer listener questions on the subject, spotlighting unforgettable ancient cities, Marco Polo’s colourful tales of travel and asking whether the Silk Road ever entirely disappeared. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From the nightmarish creations of Hieronymus Bosch to the intricate flying machines of Leonardo da Vinci, the Renaissance was a time of experimentation and cultural exploration. Speaking to Charlotte Hodgman, art critic and writer Jonathan Jones takes a closer look at this period of seismic change and explores its enduring significance in European history. (Ad) Jonathan Jones is the author of Earthly Delights: A History of the Renaissance (Thames & Hudson, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fearthly-delights%2Fjonathan-jones%2F9780500023136 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In her most famous speech, delivered on 9 August 1588, Queen Elizabeth I declared that she had the "heart and stomach of a king". Was that just rhetoric? Or could England’s iconic Tudor queen actually have been a man masquerading as a woman? In this new episode of Conspiracy, Tudor historian Tracy Borman speaks to Rob Attar about the bizarre 'Bisley Boy' conspiracy theory that was popularised by none other than Dracula author Bram Stoker. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Who shot JFK? Have the Knights Templar been hiding the Holy Grail? And what really landed at Roswell in 1947? In the second series of Conspiracy from HistoryExtra, Rob Attar investigates some of history’s most popular and persistent conspiracy theories in the company of expert historians who are battling to set the record straight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From the Huns, Mongols and Magyars to the Turks, Xiongnu, Scythians and Goths, these nomadic people of the Eurasian steppes built long-lasting empires, facilitated global trade via the Silk Road and widely disseminated religion, technology, knowledge and goods. Speaking to Emily Briffett, Kenneth Harl details how these nomads profoundly shaped the course of history. (Ad) Kenneth Harl is the author of Empires of the Steppes: The Nomadic Tribes Who Shaped Civilisation (Bloomsbury, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Empires-Steppes-Nomadic-Tribes-Civilization/dp/1526630400/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1699632260&sr=1-1&tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Having run away from a life of slavery as a young man, Frederick Douglass went on to forge his own path as an abolitionist, orator, writer and statesman. In this 'Life of the Week' episode, Clare Elliott guides Paul Bloomfield through Douglass's life story, explaining how he came to play such a significant role in the fight for rights in the 19th-century US and beyond. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From women who worked in vital wartime intelligence centres like Bletchley Park to those who parachuted behind enemy lines as part of SOE operations, Helen Fry introduces the women who dealt in intelligence during the world wars. In conversation with Elinor Evans, she reveals some of their fascinating stories, including knitting coded messages to aid the Belgian intelligence network ‘La Dame Blanche’ and interrogating German 'ace' pilots. (Ad) Helen Fry is the author of Women in Intelligence: The Hidden History of Two World Wars (Yale University Press, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fwomen-in-intelligence%2Fhelen-fry%2F9780300260779 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From the groundbreaking novels of Virginia Woolf to the economic theories of John Maynard Keynes, the Bloomsbury Group shook up British culture in the early 20th century. In conversation with Rebecca Franks, Frances Spalding answers listener questions on this daring set of intellectuals, artists and writers, revealing what united their varied talents, and exploring how their personal lives (and tangled love affairs) were often just as fascinating as their work. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The birth of psychiatry in the early-19th century changed the way that 'madness' was understood, with beliefs in the supernatural becoming evidence of insanity. Charlotte Hodgman spoke to Professor Owen Davies about the men and women who found themselves placed in asylums as a result of their supernatural beliefs, and investigates how old beliefs clashed with new ideas in a rapidly changing world. (Ad) Owen Davies is the author of Troubled by Faith: Insanity and the Supernatural in the Age of the Asylum (Oxford University Press, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Ftroubled-by-faith%2Fowen-davies%2F9780198873006 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why does the Boston Tea Party still loom so large in the popular story of American independence today? Is it right that it holds so much significance? And what has been the impact of the protest in global history? In the final episode of our series, experts Benjamin Carp, Sarah Churchwell and Sarah Purcell weigh up the complicated legacy and discuss how we should regard the protest in the 21st century. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Romantics were obsessed with Mount Vesuvius, climbing up to peer into its bubbling depths, and even using it as a metaphor to describe some of the tumultuous changes revolution was wreaking in Europe at the time. Rhiannon Davies spoke to John Brewer to learn more about this fascinating historical episode. (Ad) John Brewer is the author of Volcanic: Vesuvius in the Age of Revolutions (Yale University Press, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Volcanic-Vesuvius-Revolutions-John-Brewer/dp/0300272669/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Josef Stalin is a titan of modern history – and one of its most infamous leaders, responsible for the deaths of millions. Danny Bird spoke to Robert Service to chart the Soviet tyrant's life, from his childhood in Georgia to his rise to become the dictator of the Soviet Union and an architect of the post-war world. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Longstreet spent the American Civil War as one of the leading generals in the Confederate Army. But after 1865 he became a supporter of reconstruction and black voting, even leading an interracial force in battle against former Confederates in New Orleans. In this episode, Longstreet's latest biographer, Elizabeth R Varon, talks to Rob Attar about his remarkable life and extraordinary change of heart. (Ad) Elizabeth R Varon is the author of Longstreet: The Confederate General Who Defied the South (Simon & Schuster, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Longstreet-Confederate-General-Defied-South/dp/1982148276/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Who were some of the most influential popes of the Middle Ages? What did you have to do to earn the title of 'anti-pope'? And which pope was believed to keep a pet demon? Kev Lochun spoke to historian Brett Whalen to find out more about the fascinating role of the papacy in this period. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Songs can trigger a range of emotions in their listeners: intense joy, sadness or even disgust. But how did this type of musical composition develop and become what it is today? The acclaimed singer and author John Potter takes Jon Bauckham on a tour through the history of song in Europe, covering everything from the works of Schumann and Sting to the musical troubadours of medieval Provence. (Ad) John Potter is the author of Song: A History in 12 Parts (Yale University Press, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Song-History-Parts-John-Potter/dp/0300263538/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The consequences of the protest are vital in understanding the role of the Boston Tea Party in the revolution that was to come. In episode four, we hear more about the immediate fallout from the destruction of the tea, and the brutal crackdown by Britain’s government that proved to be a turning point in uniting the 13 American colonies, and a crucial staging post on the road to war. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why did warfare play such a pivotal role in Aztec society? How could claiming captives benefit a warrior in life and death? And what was 'Flower War'? Speaking to Emily Briffett, Caroline Dodds Pennock takes a look at the warriors and weaponry of the Aztecs to consider how warfare played a prominent part in everyday life, from the cradle to the grave – and beyond. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The latest instalment of our monthly sees Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter look back at the history behind the big stories of 2023 – and what they might tell us about the year to come Our monthly series exploring how the past informs today’s world returns with a special episode catching up on some of 2023’s biggest stories, and considering how they might shape the events of 2024. Regular panellists Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter discuss the surprisingly brief history of elections, the panda democracy phenomenon, and the long roots of the Oxford Word of the Year – ‘charisma’. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How did British agents bug German PoWs during the Second World War? What qualities do you need to be a successful spy? And how are deepfakes changing the face of modern warfare? Amanda Mason introduces Spencer Mizen to some of the 150 objects starring in the new Imperial War Museums’ exhibition, Spies, Lies and Deception. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Habsburgs were one of Europe's most formidable – and durable – dynasties, ruling over swathes of the continent for centuries. Speaking to Spencer Mizen, Pieter Judson tells the story of this powerhouse of a family, from their championing of Catholicism to the disastrous effects of their incestuous marriages. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The medieval Welsh Marches are often seen as a hotly contested border territory between Wales and England that frequently boiled over into violence. But, as Helen Fulton - who is leading a new research project on this topic - explains in today's episode, by examining Welsh literature and praise poetry we can explore an often overlooked side to frontier life. Emily Briffett spoke to Helen to find out more. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The destruction of more than 46 tonnes of tea on the evening of 16 December 1773 is an event that holds huge importance in the popular story of the USA’s independence. But how much is actually known about the events of that night? Who organised it, and who took part? What can we learn from the disguises they employed? And how did the act of civil disobedience inflame tensions to new heights? The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sherlock Holmes is arguably the most famous fictional detective of all time. The resident of 221B Baker Street has been the subject of countless film and television portrayals, remaining a figure of fascination around the globe. But what inspired Holmes’s creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, to bring him into the world in the first place? Jon Bauckham speaks to the author and biographer Andrew Lycett about the origins of the character and what the stories reveal about Conan Doyle himself. (Ad) Andrew Lycett is the author of The Worlds of Sherlock Holmes: The Inspiration Behind the World's Greatest Detective (Frances Lincoln, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Worlds-Sherlock-Holmes-Inspiration-Detective/dp/071128167X#:~:text=From%20the%20Victorian%20crazes%20for,enduring%2C%20enigmatic%20and%20recognisable%20characters./?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What picture comes to mind when you think of Queen Victoria? For many, it will be a grieving woman in her mourning gown, or perhaps a monarch cooly stating "we are not amused". From her marriage to Prince Albert to founding many of the royal traditions we know today, Tracy Borman speaks to Lauren Good about Victoria’s life, and explains why we should rethink our opinion of her. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As a Christmas present from us, we're sharing an exclusive sneak peek into what 2024 has in store on the HistoryExtra podcast, from upcoming series delving into the Suffragettes and historical conspiracies, to new Everything You Wanted to Know episodes. Thanks for listening this year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Were druids the wise, kindly and benevolent figures of ancient societies, or bloodthirsty, barbaric priests with a penchant for brutal human sacrifice? Were they purely religious guides, or practitioners of magic? And why did the Romans perceive them to be such a dangerous threat? Speaking to Emily Briffett, Ronald Hutton answers your top questions on the mystical druids of ancient north western Europe. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Robert the Bruce’s landmark victory over the English at the battle of Bannockburn has secured his place as a hero in the annals of Scottish history. Speaking to Rachel Dinning, historian Helen Carr chronicles the story of the battle and its aftermath, and also explains why it had profound consequences for Scotland, England, and Ireland across the first half of the 14th century and beyond. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Boston Tea Party is often invoked as a symbol of non-violent protest, but how true is that picture? In episode two, we meet the Sons of Liberty – an organisation which, in combatting the rising taxes levied from the American colonists, sometimes turned to brutal and intimidating tactics that are often forgotten in the protest’s broader story. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

John Newton was a slave-ship captain in the 18th century. However, he was also a devout Christian who went on to become a famous preacher and wrote the globally recognised hymn Amazing Grace. James Walvin talks to David Musgrove about how Newton and his contemporaries made sense of the contradiction of slavery and Christianity, and how Amazing Grace has taken on a life of its own after him. (Ad) James Walvin is the author of Amazing Grace: A Cultural History of the Beloved Hymn (University of California Press, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Amazing-Grace-Cultural-History-Beloved/dp/0520391829/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Amelia Earhart broke record after record in 20th-century aviation, being the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean – and famously attempting to circumnavigate the world in 1937, on a doomed voyage that ended in her mysterious disappearance. Rhiannon Davies speaks to Clare Mulley to learn more about this adventurous figure. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1945, after defeat in the Second World War, many Germans claimed to have known nothing about what had happened to their fellow Jewish citizens – and with that, the idea of the ‘innocent bystander’ was born. But just how true was this claim? Delving into a rich archive of personal accounts of life in the Nazi era, Mary Fulbrook has unearthed a far more complex story, as she tells Rebecca Franks. (Ad) Mary Fulbrook is the author of Bystander Society: Conformity and Complicity in Nazi Germany and the Holocaust (Oxford University Press, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bystander-Society-Conformity-Complicity-Holocaust/dp/0197691714/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

1970s Britain has gained a reputation for being fairly bleak, filled with strikes and economic turbulence. But was it really so terrible? From the uniting power of television to his grandfather's safari suit, Alwyn Turner takes Lauren Good on a journey through this decade of change, answering listener questions along the way. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the concluding part of our new series on Julius Caesar’s rise and fall, we take the story on to its dramatic coda as battles continue to rage over who will ultimately succeed the murdered dictator. Rob Attar is joined by Dr Jane Draycott to tell the story of Antony and Cleopatra’s war with Octavian, while Professor Philip Freeman, Professor Catherine Steel and Professor Barry Strauss reflect on the legacy of the Ides of March. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In episode four of our new series on Julius Caesar’s rise and fall, we come face-to-face with the men who orchestrated the assassination. Professor Barry Strauss and Professor Philip Freeman join Rob Attar to dissect the characters of Brutus, Cassius and Decimus and reveal how the conspiracy got off the ground. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The deed is done, but the battle is far from over. In episode five of our new series on Julius Caesar’s rise and fall, Rob Attar is joined by Professor Philip Freeman, Professor Barry Strauss and Dr Volker Heuchert to plunge into the aftermath of Caesar’s murder as the dictator’s former allies and enemies go to war over the future of Rome. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The last decade of Julius Caesar’s life was dominated by civil war, his romance with Cleopatra and his quest for ultimate power. In episode three of our new series on Julius Caesar’s rise and fall, Rob Attar is joined by Professor Philip Freeman, Dr Jane Draycott and Dr Volker Heuchert to explore Caesar’s final years as the storm clouds were gathering around him. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When Julius Caesar was born, few would have expected him to climb to the summit of Roman political power, but by the time of his death that was exactly what he had done. In episode two of our new series on Caesar’s rise and fall, Rob Attar is joined by Professor Catherine Steel and Professor Philip Freeman to examine the early life and career of a man who would seek to reshape Rome in his image. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On 15 March 44 BC, Rome’s dictator strode into the Senate House of Pompey for a meeting with the city’s political elite. Little did he know that this would be the final meeting of his life. In episode one of our new series on Julius Caesar’s rise and fall, Rob Attar is joined by Professor Barry Strauss to describe the momentous events of a day that would transform Rome forever. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Netflix's hit drama The Crown has come to a close after six seasons and 60 episodes, having dramatised the Windsor dynasty from the mid-20th century to the early years of the new millennium. While it has faced some controversy for its portrayals of living royals and storytelling choices, its mass appeal has seen it become one of the flagship historical dramas of the decade. Elinor Evans spoke to the show's head of research, Annie Sulzberger, to hear more about The Crown's approach to the real history it portrays on screen. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How did tea become such an incendiary issue in late 18th-century Boston? To understand this, we need to travel back at least a decade. Joined by experts Benjamin Carp, Sarah Churchwell and Sarah Purcell, we delve into the colonial grievances that were growing in the wake of the Seven Years’ War, and get closer to the unrest in colonial New England. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the evening of 16 December 1773, around a hundred men boarded three ships in Boston harbour, hoisting more than 46 tonnes of tea over the vessels’ rails and into the sea. The destruction of the goods became a pivotal moment on the road to the American Revolutionary War, and is better known to history as the Boston Tea Party. In our new HistoryExtra podcast series, on the 250th anniversary of the rebellion, we’ll be looking at the causes, tensions, and violent origins of the protest, the key players involved in the plan – and why exactly tea was so important to the story. Join experts Benjamin Carp, Sarah Churchwell and Sarah Purcell as we delve into the act of defiance that sparked a revolution. Subscribe to History Extra Plus on Apple Podcasts to listen to the whole series immediately and ad-free. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Many might assume that Britain's grand houses were paid for, designed and built solely by men. However, as Amy Boyington reveals, this was far from the truth. Women acted as patrons, liaised with contractors, and even designed their homes with an expert hand. Speaking to Lauren Good, Amy uncovers these roles of women in Georgian architecture – some of which have been long forgotten. (Ad) Amy Boyington is the author of Hidden Patrons: Women and Architectural Patronage in Georgian Britain (Bloomsbury Visual Arts, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hidden-Patrons-Architectural-Patronage-Georgian/dp/1350358606/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’re making our new 'Life of the Week' series freely available for everyone to enjoy. Every Tuesday from 12 December, join us as we step back into the past and learn about the lives of some of history's most significant figures, from majestic ancient Egyptian pharaohs and medieval warriors to 20th-century daredevils.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the list of the world’s all-time wealthiest people, one name regularly tops the charts: Mansa Musa. Ruling a kingdom that stretched across West Africa, the 14th-century Mali emperor is best known for undertaking a glittering pilgrimage towards the holy city of Mecca. Yet, speaking to Emily Briffett, Hannah Cusworth argues Mansa Musa left a much larger legacy than that. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the Ides of March, 44 BC, the most famous Roman in history was murdered. Julius Caesar’s killers hoped to save the Republic, but in the end they destroyed it. In the six episodes of Caesar: Death of a Dictator, Rob Attar is joined by a group of expert historians to revisit these dramatic events and reveal how the assassination helped turn Rome into an empire.  All episodes will be freely available everywhere on Saturday 16th December 2023. Want to listen to the whole series now or access it ad-free? Subscribe to History Extra Plus on Apple Podcasts where you can also enjoy an ad-free experience across all HistoryExtra episodes, as well as regular bonus content. Start your seven-day free trial now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How did a severed ear start a war between Britain and Spain in the 18th century? And what has Queen Victoria's armpit got to do with the development of antiseptic? Speaking to Charlotte Hodgman, medical doctor and historian Dr Suzie Edge investigates our long-standing fascination with body parts, and explores the incredible stories of the people attached to them – from Albert Einstein's brain to the bones of 'Irish Giant' Charles Byrne. (Ad) Suzie Edge is a medical doctor, historian and the author of Vital Organs: A History of the World's Most Famous Body Parts (Wildfire, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vital-Organs-Suzie-Edge/dp/1035404583/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How did the Gilded Ages get its name? What caused the explosion of industry at this time? Who were the great industrialists of the age, and what can their philanthropy tell us about the morals of the era? Speaking to Elinor Evans, Nancy C Unger answers listener questions on the so-called Gilded Age in the US, from the expansion of railroads and manufacturing that shaped the era and made millions for the industrial barons, to the 'dollar princesses' who married into British aristocracy The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Throughout time, both authors and their readers have gone to war. In that process, the written word has become a deadly weapon and a glimmer of peace and hope – from the furious printing efforts behind publishing //Mein Kampf// to the daring exploits of James Bond. Speaking to Emily Briffett, Andrew Pettegree traces the surprising, and sometimes sinister, ways in which the written word has shaped, and been shaped, by the conflicts of last few centuries. (Ad) Andrew Pettegree is the author of The Book at War: Libraries and Readers in an Age of Conflict (Profile Books, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fthe-book-at-war%2Fandrew-pettegree%2F9781800814936 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Farah Karim-Cooper reveals what the playwright’s famous tragedy tells us about how death and mortality were viewed in the Tudor era Written at the turn of the 17th century, William Shakespeare’s //Hamlet// sees its title character haunted – both literally and emotionally – by complex feelings about death. As Farah Karim-Cooper explains, the playwright was tapping into the era’s wider confusion about mortality and spirituality The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Medieval people are often portrayed in popular culture as being grubby and smelly, with few manners to recommend them. However, in reality, such uncouth behaviour would certainly have been frowned upon. Speaking with Emily Briffett, Danièle Cybulskie delves into the historical handbook to pull out some of the top tips on social etiquette from the Middle Ages – and explores why these rules and ideals were so important at the time. (Ad) Danièle Cybulskie is the author of Chivalry and Courtesy: Medieval Manners for Modern Life (Abbeville Press, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chivalry-Courtesy-Medieval-Manners-Modern/dp/0789214695/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3ESD081ALMM7A&keywords=chivalry+and+courtesy&qid=1698924976&sprefix=chivalry+and+%2Caps%2C85&sr=8-1&tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Following its liberation in 1944, France began a reckoning with its years of defeat, occupation and collaboration with Nazi Germany. On trial was Marshal Philippe Pétain, the decorated World War I hero and onetime head of the collaborationist regime known as Vichy France. Speaking to Danny Bird, Julian Jackson discusses the role the trial played in the nation's attempt to reconcile itself with this controversial chapter in its history. (Ad) Julian Jackson is the author of France on Trial: The Case of Marshal Pétain (Allen Lane, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/France-Trial-Case-Marshal-P%C3%A9tain/dp/024145025X/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Was 1950s Britain a grim, grey nation, haunted by the spectre of the Second World War, or was it a vibrant, forward-thinking country that had – in the words of Harold Macmillan – “never had it so good”? Speaking with Jon Bauckham, Alwyn Turner separates fact from fiction and answers listeners’ questions about a decade that saw the birth of rock’n’roll, the Suez Crisis, and the crowning of a new queen. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The French Revolution of 1789 is one of the defining events of world history – but the decades preceding the revolution were also seismic, being marked by war, royal scandal, financial crisis and scientific wonder. In conversation with Rob Attar, Robert Darnton takes us on a journey through the streets of Paris in the 40 years that preceded the storming of the Bastille. (Ad) Robert Darnton is the author of The Revolutionary Temper: Paris, 1748–1789 (Penguin, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fthe-revolutionary-temper%2Frobert-darnton%2F9780713996562 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Islam Issa charts what the tragic history play tells us about the ancient world – and the insights it offers into the politics of the playwright’s own era It may be set in ancient Rome, with a cast of real-life characters – yet William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar also tells us a great deal about the machinations of the Elizabethan court. Islam Issa shares his thoughts on how the play offers a window into the politics of the playwright’s era. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Writing during the celebrated Tang dynasty, Du Fu is heralded as China's greatest poet, musing on subjects from how to cook noodles to war and rebellion. Speaking to Spencer Mizen, Michael Wood charts Du Fu's fascinating life, and explores what the poet can tell us about medieval Chinese culture. (Ad) Michael Wood is the author of In the Footsteps of Du Fu (Simon & Schuster, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Footsteps-Du-Fu-Michael-Wood/dp/1398515442/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From Renaissance Florence and ancient Babylon to the kingdom of Benin and Heian-era Kyoto, cities across history have served as launchpads for extraordinary outbursts of artistic flowering. Caroline Campbell, director of the National Gallery of Ireland and the author of The Power of Art, guides Ellie Cawthorne through some of these cultural metropolises, exploring what made them artistic hubs, and how they turbocharged the story of art. (Ad) Caroline Campbell is the author of The Power of Art: A World History in Fifteen Cities (The Bridge Street Press, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Power-People-Painting-Fifteen-Cities/dp/0349128480/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When was it established that the Earth is round? Did the Catholic church help or hinder the practice of astronomy? And how transformative was the big bang theory? Speaking to Spencer Mizen, James Hannam answers your queries on the long history of the study of the heavens. (Ad) James Hannam is the author of The Globe: How the Earth Became Round (Reaktion Books, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Globe-How-Earth-Became-Round/dp/1789147581/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Charles Dickens was a master of managing his personal brand. In fact, almost everything we know about him comes from one biography, written by his friend John Forster. But, if you dig a little deeper, strange biographical inconsistencies begin to emerge. Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne, Helena Kelly outlines her new theories on the truth behind the stories Dickens told about everything from his family and childhood to his sex life, and how they paint a much darker picture of the author’s life. (Ad) Helena Kelly is the author of The Life and Lies of Charles Dickens (Icon, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-Lies-Charles-Dickens/dp/1837731047/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=dKdrS&content-id=amzn1.sym.3413293e-3815-4359-96ba-1ec5110e0b30&pf_rd_p=3413293e-3815-4359-96ba-1ec5110e0b30&pf_rd_r=260-4281246-2111105&pd_rd_wg=KK2pp&pd_rd_r=22b9c5ce-9e82-4453-bc64-7ac5042e4472&ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk&tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rachel Herrmann charts the long history of America’s famous holiday – from modern parades and celebrations to the first feast From the fabled first feast between the Pilgrims and Native Americans to the darker side of the holiday's history, the American tradition of Thanksgiving has a long and complex past. Here, Charlotte Hodgman puts listener queries and popular search queries to Rachel Herrman on the history of Thanksgiving. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sophie Duncan delves into the playwright’s world-famous tragedy to reveal what it tells us about youth in the Tudor era The doomed romance of young lovers Romeo and Juliet has captured imaginations across the centuries – but what does William Shakespeare’s play tell us about the real experiences of youth at the time he was writing? Sophie Duncan offers her expert take. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why did medieval people hit the road or the high seas? Was it expensive to travel in the Middle Ages, and what were the biggest risks that a medieval traveller faced? Speaking to David Musgrove, Professor Anthony Bale gives the lowdown on the medieval travel experience. (Ad) Anthony Bale is the author of A Travel Guide to the Middle Ages: The World Through Medieval Eyes (Viking, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Travel-Guide-Middle-Ages-Medieval/dp/0241530849/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the summer of 1483, two young princes disappeared from the Tower of London – and were never seen again. Had they been killed by their uncle, Richard III, in his bid for the English throne? Had someone else murdered them? Or had they been whisked away to safety? Philippa Langley, whose work helped to locate the bones of Richard III under a Leicester car park, talks to Rebecca Franks about new discoveries made by The Missing Princes Project. (Ad) Philippa Langley is the author of The Princes in the Tower: Solving History’s Greatest Cold Case (The History Press, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Princes-Tower-Solving-Historys-Greatest/dp/1803995416/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How did the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood become so famous? Did Elizabeth Siddal really almost die in a bathtub when she modelled for John Everett Millais' Ophelia? And which Rosetti painting shocked the art establishment the most? Speaking to Elinor Evans, Suzanne Fagence Cooper answers your questions on the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood: a group of artists founded in 1848 who pushed the boundaries of artistic realism and courted scandal in Victorian Britain through their lifestyles and art. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why, across Nazi-occupied Europe, did some people choose to resist the Third Reich? This is the question at the heart of Halik Kochanski's book Resistance, which has just won the 2023 Wolfson History Prize. In conversation with Rachel Dinning, Halik speaks about the different types of resistance against Nazi occupation across Europe between 1939 and 1945 – from open partisan warfare in the occupied Soviet Union, to dangerous acts of defiance in Norway. (Ad) Halik Kochanski is the author of Resistance: The Underground War in Europe, 1939-1945 (Allen Lane, 2022). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Resistance-Underground-War-Europe-1939-1945/dp/0241004284/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jerry Brotton offers expert insights into what the playwright’s much-quoted history play tells about nationalism and nationhood at the time it was first performed Telling the story of the build-up to and aftermath of the 1415 battle of Agincourt, William Shakespeare’s Henry V has sometimes been linked to the nationalistic glorification of war. Yet, as Jerry Brotton reveals, the play also contains more nuanced and complex views of nationhood. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

William Shakespeare’s plays are among the celebrated works in all of English literature – but they also offer key insights into the time in which the playwright lived, and how the past was viewed in the Tudor era. In our new podcast series, Shakespeare: Past Master, experts delve into plays including Hamlet, Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet to explore how they depict the past. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

George Orwell – the author of classics like 1984 – is a household name. But have you heard of his first wife, Eileen O’Shaughnessy, who convinced her husband to write the political fable which evolved into Animal Farm? Despite being vital in Orwell’s career, she has been omitted from the historical narrative by both her husband and his biographers since. Speaking to Lauren Good, Anna Funder reveals O’Shaughnessy’s hidden life – and considers how women through the past have facilitated the success of their husbands from the shadows. (Ad) Anna Funder is the author of Wifedom: Mrs Orwell’s Invisible Life (Viking, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wifedom-Mrs-Orwells-Invisible-Life/dp/0241482720/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What are the earliest forms of written magic? How do the stories of magic and religion intersect? And how will these stories’ continued presence in popular culture influence events yet to come? Professor Owen Davies takes Lauren Good on a journey through the twisting history of the Grimoire, from the use of papyrus to the effects of ‘WitchTok’. (Ad) Owen Davies is the author of Art of the Grimoire: An Illustrated History of Magic Books and Spells (Yale University Press, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Art-Grimoire-Illustrated-History-Spells/dp/0300272014/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What myths did the Norse believe, and what influence did they exert on daily life? Was the trickster god Loki really that bad, and was Odin really that wise? And why is Christianity a crucial part of the story? Speaking to Kev Lochun, historian and broadcaster Eleanor Rosamund Barraclough answers listener questions about the pantheon of Norse myths, from the yawning void of Ginnungagap to the end of days, Ragnarok. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dan Jones chronicles the brutal siege of Calais, an overlooked campaign in the Hundred Years’ War, and the focus of his new novel During the Hundred Years’ War, after the English had stormed to victory at the battle of Crécy, they turned their attention northwards: to the prized port city of Calais. Dan Jones brings the lengthy siege to life in his latest historical fiction novel, Wolves of Winter, and here he spoke to Rhiannon Davies to reveal why those trapped inside the city considered turning to cannibalism. (Ad) Dan Jones is the author of Wolves of Winter (Bloomsbury, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fwolves-of-winter%2Fdan-jones%2F9781838937942 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In episode five of our new series on the First Crusade, we rejoin the crusaders for the last time as they reach their final goal, the holy city of Jerusalem Of all the holy places venerated by medieval Christians, there was nowhere quite as sacred as Jerusalem: the supposed location of Jesus Christ’s burial, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension. It would be the jewel in the crown of Christendom – but first they had to capture it. In this fifth and final episode of our latest HistoryExtra podcast series, we’ll be charting the last leg of the First Crusade, as the crusaders race down the Levant towards their final goal, which they hoped would mark the conclusion of their arduous mission. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Frank McDonough explores the infamous failed coup that shaped the early history of the Nazi party On 8 November 1923, the Nazi Party launched a coup attempt in Munich that has come to be known as the ‘Beer Hall Putsch’. The putsch itself was an abject failure, but it taught Hitler valuable lessons that would aid his path to power a decade later. Historian Frank McDonough is joined by Rob Attar to explore one of the best-known moments in the early history of Hitler and the Nazis. (Ad) Frank McDonough is the author of The Weimar Years: Rise and Fall 1918-1933 (Apollo, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Weimar-Years-Frank-McDonough/dp/1803284781/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Novelist Philippa Gregory reflects on 900 years of women’s history, from the huge upheavals of the Norman invasion to successfully securing the right to vote in the 20th century How have women’s lives changed since the 11th century, when William the Conqueror invaded England? Novelist Philippa Gregory has set out to explore this tumultuous history, explaining how global conflicts, the job market, deadly diseases and more have transformed the lives of women. Rhiannon Davies spoke to her to find out more. (Ad) Philippa Gregory is the author of Normal Women: 900 Years of Making History (HarperCollins, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fnormal-women%2Fphilippa-gregory%2F9780008644772 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For millennia, Egypt’s mighty pyramids have acted as emblems of the vibrant ancient civilisation that once straddled the Nile Valley. From mysteries surrounding their design and construction and the discovery of new passageways, to the enigma of the Great Sphinx, the pyramids continue to fascinate the world. Danny Bird puts some of our listeners’ questions to Egyptologist Mark Lehner. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nicknamed ‘Hellish Nell’ from childhood, spiritualist medium Helen Duncan made a living from claiming to communicate with the spirits of the dead at seances around Britain. But in 1944, her ‘psychic predictions’ of wartime tragedy saw her become the last person to be imprisoned under the Witchcraft Act of 1735. Malcolm Gaskill explores the remarkable events that led to Duncan’s incarceration and investigates the mysterious world of 20th-century spiritualism. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In late AD 1097, a weary and wartorn band of crusaders arrived at the imposing walls of Antioch: a key strategic location on the long journey down the Levant. In the shadow of the city’s tall towers, the crusaders plotted their next move. Morale was at an all-time low, but the stakes were high – a Turkish army was on its way. In this fourth episode of our latest HistoryExtra podcast series, we’ll be witnessing the moment the crusaders faced their biggest trial yet. Speaking to a host of expert historians, we’ll be considering top crusader tactics and revealing how the crusader army found the motivation to carry on in an unfamiliar and imposing land. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sixties Britain didn’t swing for all its citizens – with racism, anti-immigration rhetoric and the spectre of unemployment affecting many black and Asian Britons. But those affected were determined to fight for their rights. Speaking to Rhiannon Davies, Preeti Dhillon revisits this familiar era to reveal examples of anti-racist activism that have been largely forgotten today. (Ad) Preeti Dhillon is the author of The Shoulders We Stand On: How Black and Brown people fought for change in the United Kingdom (Dialogue Books, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shoulders-We-Stand-people-Kingdom/dp/0349702829/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ever since the shadow of Count Orlok crept up the staircase in 1922’s Nosferatu, and Fay Wray emitted her iconic scream in 1933’s King Kong, horror films have captivated and scandalised audiences in equal measure. Speaking to Matt Elton, Professor Roger Luckhurst explores how scary films have reflected changing social anxieties in the 20th and 21st centuries, and nominates the ten horror movies he thinks are most representative of their time. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Caribbean island of Jamaica has a long and complex history, from its crucial role in the transatlantic slave trade to being the birthplace of Rastafari. Here, Rhiannon Davies puts listener queries and popular search queries on the island’s history to Audra A Diptee. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Killers of the Flower Moon, the new historical epic from Martin Scorsese, dramatises a series of murders that was described by press at the time as the “bloodiest chapter in American crime history”. The crimes caught the attention of J Edgar Hoover, and became the focus of one of the fledgling FBI’s first major homicide investigations. David Grann, author of the book on which the film is based, joined Elinor Evans back in 2017 to discuss the murders' horrific impact on the Native American Osage Nation.   (Ad) David Grann is the author of Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI (Doubleday Books, 2017). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Killers-Flower-Moon-Osage-Murders/dp/0385534248/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the call to crusade that ignited the idea of holy war in the minds of the western European populace, Pope Urban II painted a picture of evil “infidels” torturing and massacring the Christians of the Holy Land. However, when the armed pilgrims of the First Crusade crossed over into Asia Minor, the situation was not as they had been led to believe – not least because they found a Christian population living alongside their supposed mortal enemies. Speaking to a range of expert historians in this third episode of our latest HistoryExtra podcast series, we follow the crusaders from hardship to hardship, as they face their first conflict and struggle across Asia Minor en route to the Levant. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tuberculosis – otherwise known as the ‘Great White Plague’ – was a scourge on society and killed countless sufferers. Rhiannon Davies spoke to Maria Smilios to find out about the little-known story of the black nurses of New York’s Seaview Hospital who helped fight the disease – and were part of the historic drug trials of the 1950s that saw the arrival of a long-awaited cure. (Ad) Maria Smilios is the author of The Black Angels: The Untold Story of the Nurses Who Helped Cure Tuberculosis (Little Brown, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2F9780349009254 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Winston Churchill’s remarkable career saw him interact with many of the other great figures of the age, many of whom had a profound impact on Britain’s wartime leader. Speaking to Rob Attar, Professor David Reynolds examines Churchill’s relationships with the likes of Stalin, Mussolini, Gandhi and Clement Attlee – and considers how these figures left their mark on the statesman. (Ad) David Reynolds is the author of Mirrors of Greatness: Churchill and the Leaders Who Shaped Him (William Collins, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0BY84WXVN/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why was Henry III so unpopular with his barons? How did the future Edward I turn the tide of the war? Did leading rebel Simon de Montfort create the first English parliament? And is it true that, after being killed in battle, his testicles were placed into his mouth? Speaking with Spencer Mizen, Nicholas Vincent answers your queries on the Second Barons’ War. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Whether it was creating super-fast thoroughbreds, or fashioning dogs small enough to fit in your sleeve, animal breeding was an obsession of the Renaissance era. And, as Mackenzie Cooley reveals, animal husbandry prompted people to think about whether humankind could also be improved by selective breeding. Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne about her Cundill Prize-shortlisted book The Perfection of Nature, she discusses how ideas about animal breeding tied into colonialism, race and eugenics. (Ad) Mackenzie Cooley is the author of The Perfection of Nature: Animals, Breeding, and Race in the Renaissance (University of Chicago Press, 2022). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Perfection-Nature-Animals-Breeding-Renaissance/dp/0226822281/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos had asked the pope for a small crack team of western knights to aid him with his struggles in Asia Minor – a plea for help which had set crusading wheels into motion. But, he was shocked when waves of unruly crusaders began arriving in waves outside the walls of his capital. In this second episode of our latest HistoryExtra podcast series, we’ll reconstruct the journey that saw the crusaders end up outside Constantinople, dealing with logistical challenges and fraught relationships along the way. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The early 1960s saw the British establishment face a challenging new landscape. It was an era of rapid change, but also of enduring conservatism. David Kynaston tells Spencer Mizen about Britain from 1962-65, when the rise of Harold Wilson and the Beatles threatened to shatter the status quo. (Ad) David Kynaston is the author of A Northern Wind: Britain 1962-65 (Bloomsbury, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Northern-Wind-Britain-1962-65/dp/1526657570/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=&tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our new bonus series delves into the fascinating lives of some of history's most significant figures, from ancient pharaohs to 20th-century secret agents. To access this new series and listen to all episodes completely ad-free subscribe to History Extra Plus on Apple Podcasts here: https://apple.co/3eHiXrc The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

October 2023 marks the centenary of the Walt Disney Company, which from its early days as one of the pioneers of animated films has grown to become a cultural behemoth. Speaking to Matt Elton, John Wills looks back at a hundred years of classic films, controversy and cultural dominance. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The decade and a half between the end of the First World War and the ascent of Nazism is one of the most debated and mythologised periods of German history. The democratic Weimar Republic was a period of great political instability but is also renowned for its liberal social attitudes and cultural achievements. For today’s everything you wanted to know episode Rob Attar is joined by Professor Frank McDonough to tackle some of the big questions – including those submitted by listeners – surrounding this doomed experiment in democracy. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The trans-Atlantic slave trade expanded greatly in the 18th century, growing from a relatively small enterprise to a global business that saw millions of African people clapped in irons, forced to undergo the tortuous Middle Passage and then sold at market in the Americas. Speaking to Rhiannon Davies, Nicholas Radburn investigates the merchants across the globe who tried to expand their bottom lines by branching out into slave trading. (Ad) Nicholas Radburn is the author of Traders in Men: Merchants and the Transformation of the Transatlantic Slave Trade (Yale University Press, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Traders-Men-Merchants-Transformation-Transatlantic/dp/0300257619/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In episode one of our series on the First Crusade, we consider how a landmark papal bull lit a fire under the idea of crusading, triggering a military machine that saw tens of thousands make an unprecedented journey into the unknown and face off against an unfamiliar enemy When we talk about the crusades today the mental images that spring to mind are as clear as they are striking – valiant crusader knights emblazoned with crosses and penniless pilgrims in search of salvation, perhaps even a brutal clash of civilisations. But, there's more to them than that. In the first episode of our latest HistoryExtra podcast series, we’re travelling back in time to where it all started, uncovering the origins of the First Crusade. Speaking to a range of expert historians, we trace how a complex web of ideas and problems came together to form a major movement, fired with religious zeal. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When we talk about the crusades today the mental images that spring to mind are as clear as they are striking – valiant crusader knights emblazoned with crosses and penniless pilgrims in search of salvation, perhaps even a brutal clash of civilisations. But, behind the popular myths, there lies a far more fascinating story. In our new HistoryExtra podcast series, The First Crusade: The War that Transformed the Medieval World, we’ll be travelling back in time to walk in the footsteps of the first crusaders, witnessing the hardships they faced, meeting the people they came across and seeing the landscapes they traversed through their eyes.     Episodes will be released weekly from 12 October. To gain early, ad-free access to all episodes now, subscribe to History Extra Plus on Apple Podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

St Augustine of Hippo is one of the most influential Christian thinkers of the past 2,000 years – and his work also offers fresh insights into the lives of women in the late Roman empire. That’s the contention of the historian Kate Cooper, who has drawn on his Confessions to tell the stories of Augustine’s mother, his lover, his fiancée and the Roman empress Justina, in her Cundill History Prize-shortlisted book Queens of a Fallen World. She speaks to Rob Attar about this unique window into the 4th century. (Ad) Kate Cooper is the author of Queens of a Fallen World: The Lost Women of Augustine's Confessions (John Murray Press, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fqueens-of-a-fallen-world%2Fkate-cooper%2F9781399807968 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our new monthly series explores the historical stories hitting the headlines – and the way in which the past informs today’s world. To access this new series and listen to all episodes completely ad-free subscribe to History Extra Plus on Apple Podcasts here: https://apple.co/3eHiXrc The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the UK marks Black History Month, a panel of expert historians – Hannah Cusworth, Pamela Roberts and Hakim Adi – tackle some of the biggest questions around bringing black histories to light. Speaking to Matt Elton, they explore the value of Black History Month in highlighting stories that may otherwise be obscured – and whether the focus on black history sparked by 2020's global protests has been maintained. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Cats have lived alongside us for centuries, and our relationship with them has transformed over time – from venerating them to vilifying them. What roles have humans cast cats in over the years? Why were they seen as deities by the ancient Egyptians? And how did they come to be synonymous with witches? In our latest Everything You Wanted to Know episode, Dr Andrew Flack answers listener questions about the history of our relationship with these fascinating creatures. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Known as “Darwin’s bulldog”, Thomas Henry Huxley fought a tireless battle against the opponents of evolutionary theory. His grandson Julian lived among the animals of London Zoo and made nature documentaries with a young David Attenborough. Alison Bashford is the author of a Cundill Prize-shortlisted book on the Huxley family, An Intimate History of Evolution. Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne, she reveals how this pioneering dynasty of scientists and thinkers shaped our view of nature across the 19th and 20th centuries. (Ad) Alison Bashford is the author of An Intimate History of Evolution: The Story of the Huxley Family (Penguin, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fan-intimate-history-of-evolution%2Falison-bashford%2F9780141992228 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the latest in our series charting the contested reputations of key historical figures, Vikram Visana and Jad Adams debate the complex, sometimes controversial life and legacy of Mahatma Gandhi, and discuss his views on everything from sex and gender to class and ethnicity The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For the decade between 1966 and 1976, Chairman Mao’s Cultural Revolution wreaked immense havoc on China – with up to 2 million killed, and another 36 million persecuted for perceived political or cultural sins. Tania Branigan is the author of a Cundill Prize-shortlisted book Red Memory, which draws on personal testimonies to chart the story of this terrifying decade. Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne, she discusses why the Cultural Revolution was such a significant moment in Chinese history and explores its continued impact on the country’s politics, culture and psyche today. (Ad) Tania Branigan is the author of Red Memory: Living, Remembering and Forgetting China's Cultural Revolution (Faber & Faber, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Red-Memory-Remembering-Forgetting-Revolution/dp/1783352647/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When Allied forces invaded Italy in September 1943, they hoped to be in Rome by Christmas. But by the end of the year, after four months of unrelenting warfare, the Italian capital was still 70 miles away. Historian, author and podcaster James Holland speaks to Rob Attar about this savage clash between the Allies and Nazi Germany. (Ad) James Holland is the author of The Savage Storm: The Battle for Italy 1943 (Bantam, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Savage-Storm-Battle-Italy-1943/dp/1787636682/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From his turn as Shakespeare in Upstart Crow to his historical sketches with Robert Webb, comedian and actor David Mitchell’s work has often touched on the past. Now he’s written his first history book, Unruly, charting England’s monarchy from its earliest days to the reign of Elizabeth I. David tells Matt Elton about this storied history. (Ad) David Mitchell is the author of Unruly: A History of England's Kings and Queens (Penguin, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Funruly%2Fdavid-mitchell%2F9781405953177 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The first half of the 20th century is often talked about as a golden age of archaeology – a time marked by thrilling finds such as those of Tutankhamun’s tomb and the ship burial at Sutton Hoo. But was it really as golden as we might wish to believe? Speaking to Kev Lochun, Dr Hélène Maloigne answers listener questions about one of most exciting periods in the history of archaeology, where glittering discoveries and moral conundrums stood shoulder to shoulder. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On 29 September 1923, the British empire was at its territorial height. But even as British power stretched across the globe, were the seeds of the empire’s destruction already sown? Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne, Matthew Parker charts what was happening across diverse territories in September 1923, through the testimonies of those on the ground, from Samoa and Nigeria to New Zealand and India. (Ad) Matthew Parker is the author of One Fine Day: Britain's Empire on the Brink (Little, Brown, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/One-Fine-Day-Matthew-Parker/dp/1408708582/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the latest in our series charting the reputations of key historical figures, June Purvis and Lyndsey Jenkins discuss the life and contested legacy of Emmeline Pankhurst – from whether her story obscures that of the wider suffragette movement to whether her political activism really means she can be labelled a ‘terrorist’ The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1923, a new periodical was launched to guide listeners through the BBC’s nascent radio offerings. Its name? The Radio Times. Across the coming decades, it not only featured radio and TV listings, but also offered a window into the nation’s changing media and social landscape. As Radio Times magazine marks its centenary, Matt Elton assembles a panel of experts to discuss the ways in which the dramatic social and media shifts of the past century are captured in its pages. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What did Roman emperors actually do all day? Were they really as bloodthirsty as legend would suggest? And why was food so important? Speaking to Matt Elton, popular historian, author and broadcaster Mary Beard tackles some of the big questions about life as a Roman emperor, profiling some extraordinary figures along the way. (Ad) Mary Beard is the author of Emperor of Rome: Ruling the Ancient Roman World (Profile Books, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Emperor-Professor-Mary-Beard/dp/1846683785/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=&tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With the climate crisis, war in Ukraine, a recent pandemic and the rise of AI, it can feel like there is more to be fearful of today than ever before. But according to historian Robert Peckham, human society has always been shaped by fear – and not always in the ways you might expect. Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne, Robert reveals how fear has been a force for both good and ill, from the Black Death and colonisation to the abolition movement and 19th-century concerns about technology. (Ad) Robert Peckham is the author of Fear: An Alternative History of the World (Profile, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2F9781788167239 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Battle of Britain has gone down in history as an epic dogfight between the RAF and the Luftwaffe – one where Britain faced overwhelming odds and the threat of an almost inevitable invasion. However, according to Dr Victoria Taylor, this wasn’t exactly the case. In conversation with Emily Briffett, Victoria answers listener questions on the battle, and unpicks some of the most enduring myths surrounding it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the late 1970s, NASA admitted women onto their space programme for the first time. Six women were chosen as the first cohort, and would endure unprecedented media attention alongside the agency’s rigorous training. Speaking to Elinor Evans, Loren Grush shares more about these pioneering women who forged a new chapter for America’s space programme. (Ad) Loren Grush is the author of The Six: The Untold Story of America's First Women in Space (Scribner, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Six-Untold-Story-Americas-Astronauts/dp/1982172800/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the latest in our series charting the contested reputations of key historical figures, Laura O’Brien and David Andress discuss the life and afterlife of Napoleon Bonaparte, and explore why his story – including his rise to power and his role as the driving force in the bloodshed of the Napoleonic Wars – can still provoke heated debate two centuries later The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We think of English houses as idyllic locations for an afternoon out, but as Stephanie Barczewski reveals, many have a more turbulent and violent history than we might expect. From the wholesale destruction of the Reformation and the damage caused by the Civil War, to financial instability and the influence of empire, Stephanie tells Elinor Evans more about the fascinating hidden histories of these beloved beauty spots. (Ad) Stephanie Barczewski is the author of How the Country House Became English (Reaktion Books, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Country-House-Became-English/dp/1789147603/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thomas Smallwood, a formerly enslaved shoemaker, helped hundreds of people to flee from slavery in the American South in the 1840s. Speaking to Elinor Evans, Scott Shane shares Smallwood’s remarkable story, and reveals how he was known for writing a cache of anonymous satirical letters that included the first use of the term ‘underground railroad’. (Ad) Scott Shane is the author of Flee North: A Forgotten Hero and the Fight for Freedom in Slavery’s Borderland (Celadon, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Flee-North-Forgotten-Slaverys-Borderland/dp/1250843219/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From torrid affairs and messy duels to corrupt law-enforcers and vengeful ghosts, Georgian Britain loved a good scandal. Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne, historian and author Emily Brand dishes the dirt on cases that shocked, appalled – and captivated – Georgian society. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From the gunpowder plot and Oliver Cromwell’s clash with Charles I to Winston Churchill’s speeches during the Second World War, parliament has witnessed some of the most dramatic moments in British history. Speaking with Spencer Mizen, Stephen Roberts answers your queries on the history of Britain’s legislature, from medieval practices to strange traditions. (Ad) Stephen Roberts is the author of The History of Parliament: The House of Commons 1640–1660 (History of Parliament, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/History-Parliament-House-Commons-1640-1660/dp/1399937146/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Long before the rise of the internet troll, malicious letters written by anonymous authors were causing untold grief to those who received them, and tugging at the seams of social cohesion in small communities. Speaking to Spencer Mizen, Emily Cockayne reveals why these spiteful missives caused such chaos in the Victorian and Edwardian eras. (Ad) Emily Cockayne is the author of Penning Poison: A History of Anonymous Letters (OUP, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Penning-Poison-Dr-Emily-Cockayne/dp/019879505X/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the latest in our series charting the contested reputations of key historical figures, Joyce Tyldesley and Catharine Edwards discuss the life and cultural afterlife of Egyptian queen Cleopatra – from her association with feminine beauty to the focus on her romantic relationships The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Held in Winchester Cathedral are several ornate chests, said to contain the venerated bones of early kings of Wessex and England, dating from the seventh to the 12th centuries. But what can these boxes reveal about attitudes to death and the politics in the Anglo-Saxon period? Cat Jarman explains all to David Musgrove. (Ad) Cat Jarman is the author of The Bone Chests: Unlocking the secrets of the Anglo-Saxons (William Collins, 2023) The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From ribbons, bonnets and ballgowns to Mr Darcy’s see-through shirt, the works of Jane Austen have long sparked the imaginations of fashion-minded readers and audiences. But what did the author herself wear? Austen has often been accused of dowdiness, but as Hilary Davidson reveals, this was in fact far from the truth. She takes Lauren Good on a tour through the wardrobe of the renowned writer, from the clothes she wore behind closed doors to her most treasured jewellery. (Ad) Hilary Davidson is the author of Jane Austen’s Wardrobe (Yale, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jane-Austens-Wardrobe-Hilary-Davidson/dp/0300263600/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Dambusters raid of May 1943 is one of the most celebrated episodes of the Second World War. But in military terms, was it in fact a flop? And was Barnes Wallis, the man behind the audacious attack, really the maverick genius long depicted in books and film? Richard Morris tells Spencer Mizen how the brilliant mind behind the Dambusters raid made the journey from cantankerous boffin to national hero. (Ad) Richard Morris is the author of Dam Buster: Barnes Wallis: An Engineer’s Life (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Barnes-Wallis-Richard-Morris/dp/1474623425/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Did the Spanish flu pandemic actually begin in Spain? What were the symptoms? Is it true it killed more people than the First World War, and how similar was it to the Covid pandemic? Speaking to Lauren Good, Agnes Arnold-Forster answers listener questions about the deadly pandemic that began in 1918 for our latest Everything You Wanted to Know episode. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How do you surface the stories of women in the Roman empire, when the majority of ancient texts were written by men, telling of military victories and losses, or intrigues in the political arena? Speaking to Elinor Evans, Emma Southon chronicles the Roman empire through the stories of women whose experiences illuminate war, empire and political machinations, taking readers from the foundational myth of Rome to a ‘leisure centre’ in ancient Pompeii. (Ad) Emma Southon is the author of A History of the Roman Empire in 21 Women (Oneworld, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/History-Roman-Empire-21-Women/dp/0861542304/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the latest in our series charting the contested reputations of key historical figures, Ronald Hutton and Mark Stoyle debate the life and legacy of statesman, politician and military leader Oliver Cromwell, exploring his religious zealotry, his campaign in Ireland, and more The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In downtown New York, in the early 20th century, a secret club of women met regularly, to discuss ideas, politics, art and their own lives. They forged friendships and alliances, and took up some of the most significant social fights of the day. Joanna Scutts joins Elinor Evans to discuss the women of the Heterodoxy club. (Ad) Joanna Scutts is the author of Hotbed: Bohemian New York and the Secret Club that Sparked Modern Feminism (Duckworth Books, 2022). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hotbed-Bohemian-Greenwich-Village-Feminism/dp/1541647173#detailBullets_feature_div/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Margaret Cavendish has been largely forgotten and, when remembered, divides opinion. One of England’s first female philosophers, professional authors and scientists, the 17th-century writer challenged convention throughout her life with her proto-feminist writing and audacious behaviour. Speaking to Lauren Good, Francesca Peacock explores this remarkable and complex woman. (Ad) Francesca Peacock is the author of Pure Wit: The Revolutionary Life of Margaret Cavendish (Head of Zeus, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fpure-wit%2Ffrancesca-peacock%2F9781837930173 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1429 a young peasant woman burst onto the scene and transformed the fortunes of England and France in the Hundred Years’ War. In today’s episode, medieval historian and former supreme court judge Jonathan Sumption joins Rob Attar to discuss the fifth and final volume of his epic history of the conflict, revealing how the arrival of Joan of Arc set the scene for one of England’s most significant defeats. (Ad) Jonathan Sumption is the author of The Hundred Years War Vol 5: Triumph and Illusion (Faber & Faber, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hundred-Years-War-Vol-Illusion/dp/0571274579/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Of all the enemies the Roman empire faced in its centuries-long history, one name stood out: Hannibal. In the late third century BC, the Carthaginian general came dangerously close to destroying Rome and utterly reshaping the history of the world. Hannibal’s campaigns were a pivotal episode in the Punic Wars (264-146 BC), and these three conflicts between Rome and Carthage are the subject of this Everything You Wanted to Know episode. Rob Attar puts your questions to Professor Philip Freeman on the causes, key events and legacy of the wars, and asks whether elephants were really of any use on the ancient battlefield. (Ad) Philip Freeman is the author of Hannibal: Rome’s Greatest Enemy (Pegasus, 2022). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hannibal-Greatest-Philip-Freeman-PhD/dp/1643138715/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-hist298 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Exactly 100 years ago today, on 1 September 1923, the streets of Tokyo began to shudder. It was the first warning sign that something terrible was coming – a devastating earthquake that would level much of the city. But, as historian Dr Christopher Harding tells Ellie Cawthorne, the Great Kantō earthquake wasn’t just a natural disaster – it also exposed deep lying social and political divides. (Ad) Christopher Harding is the author of The Japanese: A History in Twenty Lives (Allen Lane, 2020). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/India-Second-World-War-Emotional/dp/1787389456/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When cries of “Black Lives Matter” rang out across the world in 2020, protestors were echoing the chants of civil rights activists advocating for change in the previous century. In the sixth and final episode of our series delving into the US Civil Rights movement, Dr Adriane Lentz-Smith and Dr Kennetta Hammond Perry join Rhiannon Davies to consider the legacy of the struggle for racial equality – both in America and beyond.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1949 the notorious Nazi doctor Josef Mengele, known as the “Angel of Death” fled to South America. Three decades later, US lawyer Gerald Posner set out to track him down. What followed was a remarkable tale of dogged persistence and lucky breakthroughs, as Posner’s search brought him face to face with Nazi operatives and members of Mengele’s family. Matt Elton caught up with Gerald to find out more about his hunt for the notorious fugitive. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Across the 20th century, Britain’s empire reached a peak and then began to disintegrate. Yet, according to historian Charlotte Lydia Riley, the country continued to be indelibly shaped by an imperial mindset even despite decolonisation, as evidenced in everything from institutions and immigration to philanthropy and foreign policy. Charlotte speaks to Ellie Cawthorne about her new book Imperial Island, which traces the impact of empire on 20th-century Britain, and questions how we can best deal with its legacy today. (Ad) Charlotte Lydia Riley is the author of Imperial Island: A History of Empire in Modern Britain (Bodley Head, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-hist298&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fimperial-island%2Fcharlotte-lydia-riley%2F9781847926432 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why did Christianity become so deeply embedded across western Europe in the centuries after the end of the Roman empire? To what extent did the old gods of Rome survive? And how did the concept of being Christian change over the course of the Middle Ages? Professor Mark Pegg of Washington University in St Louis considers these questions, in conversation with David Musgrove.   (Ad) Mark Pegg is the author of Beatrice’s Last Smile: A New History of the Middle Ages (OUP, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fbeatrices-last-smile%2Fmark-gregory-pegg%2F9780199641574 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How brilliant a military leader was Genghis Khan? Could the Mongols have conquered all of Europe? And were they as brutal as they’re often portrayed to be? Speaking to Spencer Mizen, Nicholas Morton answers your queries on the nomadic warriors who established the largest contiguous empire the world had ever seen, stretching from the borders of Hungary all the way to the East China Sea. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From grimy back alleys and ghastly churchyards to debtors’ prisons and old curiosity shops, Charles Dickens evoked a vision of Victorian London that’s still vivid today. And, ever since Dickens’ books were published, literary fans have visited London to seek out traces of the lost world he described. Lee Jackson, author of Dickensland, guides Ellie Cawthorne through some of the atmospheric sites associated with the author – from Lincoln’s Inn to “Nancy’s steps”. (Ad) Lee Jackson is the author of Dickensland: the Curious History of Dickens’s London (Yale, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dickensland-Curious-History-Dickenss-London/dp/0300266200_encoding=UTF8&qid=1688035673&sr=1-1/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1965, Malcolm X walked out onto the stage of a Harlem ballroom, and was shot dead. In the fifth episode of our series delving into the US Civil Rights movement, Rhiannon Davies speaks to Dr Clarence Lang and Dr Ashley Farmer to find out more about Malcolm X’s life and untimely death, as well as his pivotal role in inspiring the Black Power movement.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In March 1984, miners across Britain walked out of the pits and refused to go back. What followed was one of the longest, largest, and most divisive strikes in British history, as the miners stayed out of work to fight for the survival of their livelihoods and communities. Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne, Robert Gildea revisits the trials and tribulations of the strike, based on his research interviewing more than 140 former miners and their families and supporters. (Ad) Robert Gildea is the author of Backbone of a Nation: Mining Communities and the Great Strike of 1984-85 (Yale, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-hist298&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fbackbone-of-the-nation%2Frobert-gildea%2F9780300266580 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today California is renowned worldwide as a heartland of sun-drenched luxury. But, according to Jean Pfaelzer, the state’s prosperity is in large part built on the proceeds of human bondage. Jean speaks to Ellie Cawthorne about the various forms slavery has taken in the state down the centuries – from Native Americans forced into indentured labour to Chinese girls trafficked into caged brothels. (Ad) Jean Pfaelzer is the author of California: A Slave State (Yale, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/California-Slave-State-Pfaelzer/dp/0300211643/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Pastons were a prominent aristocratic family from around 1380 to 1750, with stakes in the dynamic politicking of the Tudor and Stuart courts. But, what really makes this family stand out is the huge collection of letters and documents they left behind, sharing everyday details about their lives. Emily Briffett spoke to Dr Karen Smyth to uncover what the ‘Paston Letters’ can tell us about the wider social, cultural and political past. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

New Zealand has a short history in terms of human settlement – but according to Professor James Belich, that makes it all the more interesting and worthy of study. In conversation with David Musgrove, James answers listener questions on the history of New Zealand, in the latest instalment of our Everything you want to know series. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Around 2.5 million Indian soldiers fought in the Second World War. Behind this staggering number lies a complex web of emotional experiences – and Diya Gupta unpicks that tangled web in her new book, India in the Second World War: An Emotional History. Diya speaks to Ellie Cawthorne about how both Indian soldiers and civilians back home felt about the war, and how the conflict impacted on their lives. (Ad) Diya Gupta is the author of India in the Second World War: An Emotional History (Hurst, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/India-Second-World-War-Emotional/dp/1787389456/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When President Lyndon B Johnson signed the 1964 Civil Rights Act, he made history – but did sweeping laws actually result in tangible social change? In the fourth episode of our series exploring the US Civil Rights movement, Rhiannon Davies is joined by Dr Tomiko Nagin-Brown and Dr Rebecca Brueckmann to untangle the 1964 act’s complicated legacy. The episode also winds the clock back to 1957, to consider whether the experiences of the Little Rock Nine can shed new light on the question.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When we think about the experiences of people with learning and intellectual disabilities in the past, we often hear stories of discrimination, poor treatment and exclusion. While that is in many cases accurate, historian Lucy Delap is keen to highlight another side of the story. She speaks to Matt Elton about how her new research into the experiences of people with learning disabilities in the workforce in the first half of the 20th century reveals a surprising amount of access and inclusion. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’ve all heard of the astonishing Terracotta Warriors, but they are just one of a number of fascinating ancient burials to have been discovered across China. Speaking to Robert Attar, Professor Jessica Rawson explores the contents of a handful of these burials, to investigate what they can tell us about Chinese civilisation across 3,000 years. (Ad) Jessica Rawson is the author of Life and Afterlife in Ancient China (Allen Lane, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Afterlife-Ancient-China-Jessica-Rawson/dp/0241472709/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Between 1940 and 1943, a group of Polish diplomats and Jewish activists created a secret programme to forge and smuggle Latin American identity documents. Their aim? To help thousands of Jews escape extermination in the Holocaust. Historian and author Roger Moorhouse speaks to Lauren Good about this risky rescue mission – one of the largest of the Second World War – which has been almost entirely forgotten. (Ad) Roger Moorhouse is the author of The Forgers: The Forgotten Story of the Holocaust’s Most Audacious Rescue Operation (Bodley Head, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fthe-forgers%2Froger-moorhouse%2F9781847926760%23%3A~%3Atext%3DThe%20inspirational%20story%20of%20the%2Calmost%20completely%20unknown%20%2D%20humanitarian%20operation. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For more than 3,000 years, the ancient Egyptians adhered to a rich and complex system of beliefs, worshipping a vast pantheon of mighty – and often animal-headed – gods and goddesses. But how did this dynamic religion emerge? What was the pharaoh’s role in rituals? And what did the Egyptians believe happened to them after death? In our latest everything you wanted to know episode, Egyptologist Joyce Tyldesley speaks to Danny Bird to answer your questions on the mysteries surrounding religion in ancient Egypt. (Ad) Joyce Tyldesley’s books include The Penguin Book of Myth and Legends of Ancient Egypt (Penguin, 2011). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Penguin-Myths-Legends-Ancient-Egypt/dp/0141021764/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-hist298 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Take a deep dive into the past as we bring you the very best of BBC History Magazine, Britain’s bestselling history magazine. With a new episode released every Monday, enjoy fascinating and enlightening articles from leading historical experts, covering a broad sweep of the centuries – from the scandals of Georgian society to the horrors of the First World War, revolutions, rebellions, and more. Listen to this brand new podcast here: link.chtbl.com/HEXLongReadsPod Subscribe to History Extra Plus on Apple Podcasts to listen to HistoryExtra Long Reads and all other History Extra podcasts ad-free. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When did people first figure out the world wasn’t flat? Well, according to author James Hannam, it was much earlier than you might imagine. In today’s episode, James tells Jon Bauckham more about humanity’s quest to determine the shape of our planet – from ancient thinking and Chinese cosmology to Victorian flat-earthers. (Ad) James Hannam is the author of The Globe: How the Earth Became Round (Reaktion, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fthe-globe%2Fjames-hannam%2F9781789147582 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As well as being one of the largest protest marches ever staged, the 1963 March on Washington also made history as the setting for Martin Luther King Jr’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech. In the third episode of our series charting the US Civil Rights movement, Rhiannon Davies speaks to biographer Jonathan Eig and historian Clayborne Carson to consider King’s seismic contribution to the movement and reflect on the march. For Clayborne, such reflections are personal, as he attended the protest as a 19-year-old student.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Seven hundred years ago this August, Roger Mortimer broke out of the Tower of London and went on to mastermind the deposition of his captor and arch-enemy, Edward II. In conversation with Spencer Mizen, Paul Dryburgh explains why he believes the hugely talented baron was one of the most remarkable characters in medieval history – and could have cemented his status as the most powerful man in England, if only he hadn’t let that power go to his head. (Ad) Paul Dryburgh is the author of The Mortimers of Wigmore, 1066-1485: Dynasty of Destiny (Logaston Press, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mortimers-Wigmore-1066-1485-Dynasty-Destiny/dp/191083965/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After the psychological trauma and family separation of the Second World War, Britain underwent an emotional revolution. Psychologists and social reformers focused more than ever before on the vital importance of loving and intimate family relationships. And as Teri Chettiar tells Ellie Cawthorne, intimacy wasn’t just intended to improve life at home, but also forge a new generation of productive, well-adjusted citizens. (Ad) Teri Chettiar is the author of The Intimate State: How Emotional Life Became Political in Welfare-State Britain (Oxford University Press, 2023) The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Roman empire was used to getting its own way – but there was one power it was never able to overcome. Despite frequent bouts of warfare, the Parthian and later Persian empire managed to hold its own against Rome for more than six centuries, until a new force emerged that would transform the Middle East forever. Historian of the ancient world Adrian Goldsworthy speaks to Rob Attar about the evolving relationship between Rome and Persia, and explains why neither was ever able to vanquish the other. (Ad) Adrian Goldsworthy is the author of The Eagle and the Lion: Rome, Persia and an Unwinnable Conflict (Apollo, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Eagle-Lion-Persia-Unwinnable-Conflict/dp/1838931953/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What did Victorians get up to on the beach? When did fish and chips first become popular? And what’s the dark story behind Punch and Judy? It’s time to grab your bucket and spade, because for our latest Everything You Wanted to Know episode we’re taking a jolly holiday back through the history of the British seaside with Dr Kathryn Ferry. Speaking to Charlotte Hodgman, Kathryn answers listener questions on the 18th-century craze for drinking seawater, changing swimwear fashions and the popularity of the holiday camp. (Ad) Kathryn Ferry’s books include Seaside 100: A history of the British Seaside in 100 Objects (Unicorn, 2020). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Seaside-100-History-British-Objects/dp/1912690845/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-hist298 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Daniel Finkelstein’s parents were born into comfortable Jewish families in Germany and Poland, but the rise of Nazism and the onset of the Second World War turned their lives upside down. Targeted by two of the most destructive regimes in history, they were extraordinarily lucky to survive. The journalist and Conservative politician speaks to Rob Attar about retracing this family history, offering an intensely personal view of the twin tyrannies of Nazism and Soviet communism. (Ad) Daniel Finkelstein is the author of Hitler, Stalin, Mum and Dad: A Family Memoir of Miraculous Survival (William Collins). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fhitler-stalin-mum-and-dad%2Fdaniel-finkelstein%2F9780008483845 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rosa Parks’ momentous refusal to vacate her bus seat for a white passenger in 1955 sparked a boycott that lasted for 381 days, and successfully pressured city authorities to end bus segregation. In the second episode of our series delving into the US Civil Rights movement, Rhiannon Davies speaks to historians Jeanne Theoharis and Mia Bay to delve into the inner workings of the boycott, as well as the power of direct action.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Appearance was everything in the Renaissance – a way to make a good marriage and gain power and influence. But what if you fell short of the era’s exacting beauty ideals? Speaking with Charlotte Hodgman, Professor Jill Burke ventures into the realm of Renaissance beauty culture, touching on everything from poisonous makeup and hair removal to 16th-century body anxieties and homemade cosmetic recipes. (Ad) Jill Burke is the author of How to be a Renaissance Woman: The Untold History of Beauty and Female Creativity (Profile Books, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fhow-to-be-a-renaissance-woman%2Fjill-burke%2F9781788166669 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Artificial intelligence’s development seems to be moving at breakneck speed, and the ability of AI to automate even complex tasks – and, potentially, to outwit its human creators – has been making plenty of headlines in recent months. But how far back does our fascination with, and our fear of, AI extend? Matt Elton spoke to Michael Wooldridge, professor of computer science at the University of Oxford, to find out more. (Ad) Michael Wooldridge is the author of The Road to Conscious Machines: The Story of AI (Pelican, 2020). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Road-Conscious-Machines-Story-Pelican-ebook/dp/B07XCC7BMQ/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Known as “Mrs Pankhurst’s bodyguard”, Kitty Marshall was a cricket-ball-wielding, jujitsu-trained suffragette ready to go fist-to-fist with the police in her fight for votes for women. Historian and biographer Emelyne Godfrey tells Ellie Cawthorne more about Kitty’s unorthodox life, and the tense game of cat-and-mouse that suffragettes were locked in with Met police. (Ad) Emelyne Godfrey is the author of Mrs Pankhurst’s Bodyguard: On the Trail of ‘Kitty’ Marshall and the Met Police ‘Cats’ (History Press, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mrs-Pankhursts-Bodyguard-Marshall-Police/dp/1803991755/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2MBTS4LY5IQJX&keywords=mrs+pankhurst%27s+bodyguard&qid=1689935008&sprefix=mrs+pank%2Caps%2C85&sr=8-1&tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How did the British public respond when the NHS was first founded 75 years ago? How have the roles of doctors and nurses changed in the decades since? And was there ever a ‘golden age’ of the National Health Service? In our latest Everything you wanted to know episode, Andrew Seaton tackles listener questions about the UK’s National Health Service, to mark its 75th anniversary. (Ad) Andrew Seaton is the author of Our NHS: A History of Britain's Best Loved Institution (Yale University Press, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0C8CG7RJK/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In military history, we often hear the stories of great battles and detailed strategic manoeuvres, but what was life like for the men responsible for executing these sweeping orders? Drawing on oral history testimonies, Peter Hart shares personal stories of the 2nd Fire and Forfar Yeomanry – a WW2 tank regiment. Speaking with Emily Briffett, he reveals how they lived with constant fear of the sudden impact of German shells and the subsequent scramble to escape. (Ad) Peter Hart is the author of Burning Steel: A Tank Regiment at War, 1939-45 (Profile, 2022). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fburning-steel%2Fpeter-hart%2F9781788166393 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When Mamie Till decided to display the bruised and beaten body of her son, 14-year-old Emmett Till, in an open casket funeral, she poured gasoline on the emerging Civil Rights movement in America. In the first episode of our series delving into the movement, Rhiannon Davies is joined by biographer Devery Anderson and historian Adriane Lentz-Smith to look back at Emmett’s tragic lynching and the horrors of Jim Crow America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this HistoryExtra podcast series, we chart some of the key moments in the transformative history of the US Civil Rights movement. Expert historians share some of the movement's most recognisable stories, from the Montgomery bus boycott that inspired the nation to the landmark March on Washington, where Martin Luther King Jr shared his powerful dream for America’s future, as well as shining a light on some of the forgotten figures who helped forge the movement, and exploring how its legacy continues to shape the world around us today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1929, a sensational murder trial took place in Hungary. A group of women, all hailing from the same tiny village, stood accused of murdering dozens of men – including sons, lovers and husbands – over the course of more than a decade. But why did they do it? How did they do it? And how did they remain undetected for so long? Award-winning journalist Patti McCracken talks to Jon Bauckham about the so-called “Angel Makers of Nagyrév”, and sheds light on the wider social and economic factors that may have motivated them to murder. (Ad) Patti McCracken is the author of The Angel Makers: The True Crime Story of the Most Astonishing Murder Ring in History (Mudlark, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fthe-angel-makers%2Fpatti-mccracken%2F9780008579531%23%3A~%3Atext%3DA%20story%20so%20jaw%2Ddropping%2COver%20160%20mysterious%20deaths. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Throughout the Second World War, the men of RAF Coastal Command took to the skies and valiantly defended Allied ships from German U-boats in the Atlantic. But despite the heroism of its crews, Coastal Command spent a large portion of the conflict both chronically underfunded and underappreciated, leading some personnel to label it the “Cinderella Service”. Historian and author Leo McKinstry spoke to Jon Bauckham about the challenges that Coastal Command faced during these years, and how – thanks to innovative new technology and careful inter-service diplomacy – Cinderella finally made it to the ball. (Ad) Leo McKinstry is the author of Cinderella Boys: The Forgotten RAF Force that Won the Battle of the Atlantic (John Murray, 2023). But in now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cinderella-Boys-Forgotten-Battle-Atlantic/dp/1529319366/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1688035673&sr=1-1&tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A recent Nasa press conference detailing the American space agency’s research into UFO sightings sparked headlines across the globe about extraterrestrial visitors – but, as Dr David Clarke tells Matt Elton, such stories are nothing new. David explores how recent interest in UFOs fits into the longer history of our fascination with visitors from above, and what society’s shifting view of aliens tells us about the cultural and political currents of the 20th and 21st centuries. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When were dogs first domesticated? Why was adopting from London’s “Temporary Home for Lost and Starving Dogs” such a radical move? And how did a dognapping case change the life of 19th-century poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning? Speaking to Charlotte Hodgman, Professor Julie-Marie Strange answers your top questions on the history of dogs in Britain, from the popularity of certain breeds, to 19th-century dog shows and the origins of the Kennel Club. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why do some settlements become great centres of international influence, while others languish and ebb away? And how have Europe’s most important urban centres been shaped by geography, climate, resources, individual personalities, collective culture and sheer serendipity?  In series two of our HistoryExtra podcast series, History’s Greatest Cities, travel writer and history buff Paul Bloomfield virtually explores some of Europe’s most intriguing cities in the company of expert historian guides. Together they’ll roam the streets and sites, discovering stories of foundation, invasion, expansion and devastation. And along the way, they’ll even share some insider tips for getting to the historic heart of each destination. Follow History's greatest cities here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/historys-greatest-cities/id1660929072 Subscribe to History Extra Plus here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/channel/history-extra/id6442485182?itsct=podcast_box_promote_link&itscg=30200 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When the atom bomb was dropped in 1945, how did its inventor, J Robert Oppenheimer, feel? To mark the release of Christopher Nolan’s new blockbuster Oppenheimer, biographer Kai Bird joins Elinor Evans to discuss the man behind the creation of nuclear weaponry, and the difficult moral and political questions that dogged the genius physicist throughout his life. (Ad) Kai Bird is the co-author with Martin Sherwin of American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer. Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/American-Prometheus-Triumph-Tragedy-Oppenheimer/dp/183895970X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1689331913&sr=8-1&tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Barbie has been catapulted back into the cultural spotlight this week, thanks to a new movie. But, why is the iconic doll historically significant? Since her creation in 1959, Barbie has been about much more than high heels and hot pink hair accessories. Robin Gerber speaks to Ellie Cawthorne about Barbie’s changing image and what it can reveal about societal shifts over the decades. (Ad) Robin Gerber is the author of Barbie and Ruth: The Story of the World’s Most Famous Doll and the Woman Who Created Her (HarperBus, 2010). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Barbie-Ruth-Worlds-Famous-Created/dp/0061341320/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2MOVWSN8VZM5&keywords=Barbie+and+Ruth%3A+The+Story+of+the+World%E2%80%99s+Most+Famous+Doll+and+the+Woman+Who+Created+Her&qid=1689331826&sprefix=barbie+and+ruth+the+story+of+the+world+s+most+famous+doll+and+the+woman+who+created+her+%2Caps%2C213&sr=8-1&tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The death of King Edward VII in 1910 pitched Britain into a frenzy of mourning, as the nation marked the passing of a symbol of continuity and stability in an ever more unpredictable world. Speaking to Spencer Mizen, Martin Williams reveals how the ageing, conservative king emerged from the shadow of Queen Victoria’s reign to charm a nation experiencing dizzying change. (Ad) Martin Williams is the author of The King is Dead, Long Live the King!: Majesty, Mourning and Modernity in Edwardian Britain (Hodder & Stoughton, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fthe-king-is-dead-long-live-the-king%2Fmartin-williams%2F9781529383317 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In his famous speech of summer 1940, Winston Churchill hailed the RAF as the “few” who protected the skies during the Battle of Britain. But the success of Britain’s air force was also dependent on the lesser-known work of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force. Speaking with Emily Briffett, Dr Sarah Louise-Miller shares their highs and lows, and explores the vital work they did under immense pressure to facilitate some of the war’s most pressing missions, including the Battle of Britain and the Dambusters raid. (Ad) Sarah-Louise Miller is the author of The Women Behind the Few: The Women's Auxiliary Air Force and British Intelligence during the Second World War (Biteback, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fthe-women-behind-the-few%2Fsarah-louise-miller%2F9781785907852 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Eastern Europe has been the setting for some of history’s most climactic events. Yet barely 30 years since the collapse of Communism heralded the so-called “end of history”, are we now witnessing the region’s disappearance? Speaking with Danny Bird, Jacob Mikanowski discusses how eastern Europe’s unique diversity of cultures, traditions and ideologies has endured through the Ottoman empire and the Soviet Union, and wonders if the cultural identity of the region is at risk of disappearing entirely. (Ad) Jacob Mikanowski is the author of Goodbye Eastern Europe: An Intimate History of a Divided Land (Oneworld, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Goodbye-Eastern-Europe-Forgotten-History-ebook/dp/B09JPJPGHG/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How were Roman deities different to Greek deities? Why did the Romans sacrifice animals? What did religious cults get up to in ancient Rome? And just how many gods and goddesses did they worship? In our latest everything you wanted to know episode, Emily Briffett puts listener questions on the Roman pantheon of gods and goddesses to Philip Freeman, Professor of Classics at Pepperdine University. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As far back as the archaeological record takes us, we can find evidence of blind people. But the experiences of those people – and the ways they were seen by others – have always been hugely shaped by the historical context they lived in. Writer and broadcaster Selina Mills joins Ellie Cawthorne to explore the forces that have affected the lives of blind people through the centuries – from religious ideas and mythical tropes, to Braille and schools for blind children. (Ad) Selina Mills is the author of Life Unseen: A Story of Blindness (Bloomsbury Academic, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-Unseen-Blindness-Selina-Mills/dp/1848856903/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2ULR6FUNNHV94&keywords=selina+mills&qid=1687263768&s=books&sprefix=selina+mills%2Cstripbooks%2C56&sr=1-1&tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From advances in weaponry and warships to the use of telegraphs and photography, the Crimean War produced a whole host of innovations. In the final episode of our three-part series exploring the conflict, Professor Andrew Lambert takes Rachel Dinning through some of the key innovations that came out of the Crimean War. Plus, they consider some of the main misconceptions about the conflict, as well as the parallels with the Russia-Ukraine war today. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Writer Kate Mosse shares the historical inspirations behind her latest novel, The Ghost Ship, which takes readers across the high seas from 17th-century France and Amsterdam to the Canary Islands. Speaking to Elinor Evans, she also discusses the real female pirates that inspired her story and her own personal connection to the Huguenot refugees who fled from the French Catholic government during the Wars of Religion. (Ad) Kate Mosse is the author of The Ghost Ship (Pan Macmillan, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fthe-ghost-ship%2Fkate-mosse%2F2928377183936 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It would be easy to assume that before the invention of the modern clock, people didn’t have a very sophisticated sense of time – they rose with the sun, and went to bed when it got dark. But, according to Gillian Adler and Paul Strohm, medieval society’s timekeeping was, in fact, far more complex. Speaking with Emily Briffett, they delve into medieval ideas about time, from human life cycles to the ages (and end) of the world. (Ad) Gillian Adler and Paul Strohm are the authors of Alle Thyng Hath Tyme: Time and Medieval Life (Reaktion, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Falle-thyng-hath-tyme%2Fgillian-adler%2Fpaul-strohm%2F9781789146790 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Mediterranean coastline is strewn with the remnants of lost civilisations. From Tyre and Carthage, to Ravenna, Syracuse and Antioch, Katherine Pangonis revisits the lengthy, and sometimes legendary, pasts of five historical capitals of the region, and highlights some of the defining moments in their stories. Speaking with Emily Briffett, she also reveals why we have romanticised the fading civilisations of the Mediterranean for so long. (Ad) Katherine Pangonis is the author of Twilight Cities: Lost Capitals of the Mediterranean (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Twilight-Cities-Lost-Capitals-Mediterranean/dp/1474614116/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History M Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lucy Robinson responds to your questions on Britain in the decade of Thatcherism, Live Aid, Bananarama and the rise of the yuppie It was the decade in which the Aids pandemic transformed our relationship with sex and sexuality, MTV transformed the way we consume music, Princess Diana transformed the relationship between royalty and the media and Margaret Thatcher transformed the political landscape. In our latest Everything you wanted to know episode, Spencer Mizen puts listener questions on 1980s Britain to historian and author Lucy Robinson. (Ad) Lucy Robinson is the author of Now That's What I Call a History of the 1980s: Pop Culture and Politics in the Decade That Shaped Modern Britain (Manchester University Press, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thats-What-Call-History-1980s/dp/1526167255/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As history shows, ruling a vast empire is no mean feat. But in the second century AD the Romans seemed to be able to manage it with relative ease. This was the golden age of Ancient Rome, or “Pax Romana”, where peace and prosperity was said to have prevailed across the Mediterranean world. So, how did the Romans do it? Speaking with Rob Attar, historian, author and podcaster Tom Holland considers just this – from the fall of Nero to the reign of Hadrian. (Ad) Tom Holland is the author of Pax: War and Peace in Rome's Golden Age (Little Brown, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: http://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=164&awinaffid=489797&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fpax%2Ftom-holland%2F9780349146164&clickref=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You may be familiar with Alfred Lord Tennyson poem, The Charge of the Light Brigade, which famously – though not entirely accurately – describes the events of the 1854 battle of Balaclava, a key clash in the Crimean War. But how much do you know about the first confrontation along the Danube or the fierce fight to take Sevastopol? In this second episode of this new series charting the key moments in the Crimean War, Professor Andrew Lambert talks to Rachel Dinning about the key battles and encounters that shaped the conflict, as well as the military strategy that informed its outcome. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

July 2023 marks the 75th anniversary of Britain’s National Health Service: an institution which has come to occupy a unique place in British life since its founding in 1948. Speaking to Matt Elton, Andrew Seaton re-examines the divided reaction to the birth of the public-funded healthcare system, and charts the historical currents that have seen it survive both economic and political turbulence. (Ad) Andrew Seaton is the author of Our NHS: A History of Britain's Best Loved Institution (Yale University Press, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0C8CG7RJK/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How do you begin to recreate clothing from the past? What are the most tricky historical fashions to get right? And how important is accuracy in all this? Jane Malcolm-Davies busts some popular myths about historical clothing and unpicks the sources that give us a glimpse into what people really wore in the past. Speaking with Emily Briffett, she discusses the challenges of learning the historical tools of the trade, and offers advice to budding recreators. (Ad) Jane Malcolm-Davies is the co-author of The Typical Tudor: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1351741932/the-typical-tudor-reconstructing The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What was it like to be a child on Britain’s First World War home front? Just how effective was Britain in producing the mammoth amount of materials required for the war effort? And how exactly did the system of conscription work to recruit young men for the trenches? Sir Hew Strachan speaks to Lauren Good about the lives of Britons who were back home while fighting raged on the front line. (Ad) Hew Strachan is the editor of The British Home Front and the First World War (Cambridge University Press, 2022). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/British-Home-Front-First-World/dp/1316515494/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=&tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Franco-Prussian War was a short, if bitter conflict. Prussia would emerge as a clear winner in a matter of months – but the consequences of the conflict would play out across the wider world over the following century. It also leaves us with plenty of questions. What kind of leader was the Iron Chancellor? Why did the Paris Commune fail? Did victory render German unification inevitable? And how did the French desire for revenge contribute to the First World War? Speaking to Spencer Mizen, Rachel Chrastil answers your queries on the Franco-Prussian War. (Ad) Rachel Chastil is the author of Bismarck’s War: The Franco-Prussian War and the Making of Modern Europe (Allen Lane, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fbismarcks-war%2Frachel-chrastil%2F9780241419199 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the late 18th-century, Britain was catapulted into war with Republican France. At the same time, it was also grappling with the tumult of the Age of Revolutions. All this upheaval was keenly felt by the huge institution that was the Royal Navy. Speaking with Elinor Evans, James Davey delves into the Royal Navy’s journey across the turbulent 1790s, a period rife with radicalised sailors, mutinies and harsh responses from those in power. (Ad) James Davey is the author of Tempest: The Royal Navy & the Age of Revolutions (Yale University Press, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tempest-Royal-Navy-Age-Revolutions/dp/0300238274?keywords=tempest+james+davey&qid=1683301653&sprefix=tempest+james+,aps,84&sr=8-1&linkCode=sl1&tag=aspectsofhist-21&linkId=2ffed357d5dc10f0417d4cec79933310&language=en_GB&ref_=as_li_ss_tl&tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Crimean War of 1853 to 1856 saw an alliance led by Britain and France challenge Russian expansion. But why did the fighting break out, and can it really be described as the first 'modern war'? In this first episode of a new series charting the key moments in the conflict, Professor Andrew Lambert talks to Rachel Dinning about the long roots of the Crimean War – and considers whether its build up can be considered a 19th-century cold war. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Just how rich were Georgian bankers? What did they eat for lunch? And could they be described as “virtuous”? Speaking with Rob Attar, Professor Anne Murphy answers these questions and more as she delves into the extensive reports of an 18th-century investigation into the workings of the Bank of England to reveal how one of the great engines of the British state operated in this age of revolution. (Ad) Anne Murphy is the author of Virtuous Bankers: A Day in the Life of the Eighteenth-Century Bank of England (Princeton University Press, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Virtuous-Bankers-Life-Eighteenth-Century-England/dp/0691194742/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As recent history has shown us, human societies can prove surprisingly frail in the face of a tiny, yet powerful force: the microbes that cause infectious disease. Speaking with Matt Elton, Jonathan Kennedy explores the myriad ways in which pandemics have shaped the course of human history. (Ad) Jonathan Kennedy is the author of Pathogenesis: How Germs Made History (Torva, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pathogenesis-infectious-diseases-shaped-history/dp/1911709062/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Salon Kitty was the most notorious brothel in 1930s Berlin. Yet little did its clientele – foreign diplomats and high-ranking army officers among them – know that, while they were cavorting with sex workers, they were also being spied upon by Nazi agents. Nigel Jones tells Spencer Mizen what this story can reveal about the paranoia and petty rivalries that stalked the Third Reich. (Ad) Nigel Jones, Urs Brunner and Dr Julia Schrammel are the authors of Kitty's Salon: Sex, Spying and Surveillance in the Third Reich (John Blake, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kittys-Salon-Spying-Surveillance-Third/dp/1789466148/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=&tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Luddites are best remembered for smashing up machinery during the Industrial Revolution. But what did these 19th-century activists actually want from their destructive actions? How did the government use undercover spies to undermine their attempts at civil unrest? And why was the Luddites’ folkloric founder, Nedd Ludd, most memorably depicted wearing a polka-dot dress? Speaking to Emily Briffett, Professor Katrina Navickas answers listener questions on the rise and fall of the movement made up by textile workers whose livelihoods faced increasing threat from the innovations of the Industrial Revolution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Military history is generally assumed to be a male domain. But according to Sarah Percy, author of Forgotten Warriors, this popular perception ignores hundreds of years of women on the front line. Speaking with Emily Briffett, Sarah unpicks this narrative, and considers some of the roles women have played in warfare throughout history, from formidable commanders Queen Njinga and Charlotte de La Trémoille to Dahomey’s all-female regiment. (Ad) Sarah Percy is the author of Forgotten Warriors: A History of Women on the Front Line (John Murray, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Forgotten-Warriors-Women-Changed-History/dp/152934431X/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Seventy-five years ago, on 22 June 1948, HMT Empire Windrush landed at Tilbury docks. The arrival of the ship is rightly remembered as a landmark moment in the story of Caribbean people in Britain. But, as historian Christienna Fryar joins Ellie Cawthorne to discuss, the Windrush didn’t appear out of nowhere; it was preceded by a long and complicated relationship between Britain and the Caribbean which is less well remembered today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What makes Cornwall different from the rest of England? Is it history or geography that sets the area apart? And how have the industries of fishing, mining and tourism all transformed the face of the region? Tim Hannigan, author of The Granite Kingdom: A Cornish Journey explores Cornwall’s long and fascinating story in conversation with David Musgrove. (Ad) Tim Hannigan is the author of The Granite Kingdom: A Cornish Journey (Apollo, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Granite-Kingdom-Cornish-Journey/dp/1801108846/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What are the consequences when conspiracy theories, lies, and paranoia are combined with military might? Speaking with Danny Bird, Paul Preston discusses how General Franco and six other men staged an uprising in July 1936, inspired by hatred for the Spanish Republic’s social and economic reforms, and a delusional belief that a sweeping conspiracy threatened to destroy Spain’s Catholic identity (Ad) Paul Preston is the author of Architects of Terror: Paranoia, Conspiracy and Anti-Semitism in Franco's Spain (HarperCollins, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Farchitects-of-terror%2Fpaul-preston%2F9780008522117 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why is Waterloo still a fixture in the story Britain tells about its national history, more than two centuries on from the battle itself? Speaking to David Mugrove, Dr Luke Reynolds delves into the myth and memory of Waterloo, to uncover how battlefield tourism began almost immediately after the fighting, and why the legacy of the battle continued to be fought over for several decades after 1815. (Ad) Luke Reynolds is the author of Who owned Waterloo: Battle, Memory, and Myth in British History, 1815-1852 (Oxford University Press, 2022). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Who-Owned-Waterloo-British-1815-1852-ebook/dp/B0B39LJ5TQ/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From Sufi mystics in 16th-century Yemen to hipster baristas in cities across the world today, the history of this caffeinated beverage is a long and fascinating one. For our latest everything you wanted to know episode, Rob Attar is joined by Professor Jonathan Morris to explain how coffee and coffee houses conquered the world – and why you shouldn’t order a latte in Milan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the Ides of March, 44 BC, the most famous Roman in history was murdered. Julius Caesar’s killers hoped to save the Republic, but in the end they destroyed it. In the six episodes of Caesar: Death of a Dictator, Rob Attar is joined by a group of expert historians to revisit these dramatic events and reveal how the assassination helped turn Rome into an empire.  Get early access now to this limited series now through Apple Podcasts, where you can also enjoy an ad-free experience across all HistoryExtra episodes, as well as regular bonus content. Start your seven-day free trial now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From the Wall Street Crash of 1929 to the global turmoil of 2008, financial crises have wrecked countless lives, businesses and economies. But have lessons been learned from these catastrophes, or are policymakers – and speculators – doomed to repeat mistakes from the past? The award-winning economist Linda Yueh speaks to Jon Bauckham about the biggest crashes of the past 100 years, and what countries can do to protect themselves when the next crisis inevitably comes knocking. (Ad) Linda Yueh is the author of The Great Crashes: Lessons from Global Meltdowns and How to Prevent Them (Penguin Business, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Great-Crashes-Linda-Yueh/dp/0241422752/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Troubles is a chapter of history that many in Northern Ireland would rather forget, but 25 years on from the Good Friday Agreement, its legacy can still be felt there today. A new Imperial War Museum exhibition, Northern Ireland: Living With the Troubles revisits the conflict through the eyes of those who were there at the time, as curator Craig Murray discusses with Ellie Cawthorne. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What can the fall of Rome teach us about the decline of the west today? That’s the question at the centre of political economist John Rapley and historian Peter Heather’s new book Why Empires Fall. Peter and John join Ellie Cawthorne to discuss comparisons – and differences – between the two cases, and explore whether lessons from the ancient past could be applied to the future of the west. (Ad) Peter Heather and John Rapley are the authors of Why Empires Fall: Rome, America and the Future of the West. Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fwhy-empires-fall%2Fjohn-rapley%2Fpeter-heather%2F9780241407493 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Since Elizabeth I was less than three years old when her mother was executed, it is often thought that Anne Boleyn had little influence on her life. Speaking to Lauren Good, Dr Tracy Borman explains why this assumption is misleading, and details the impact Anne had on her daughter, both as a woman and a queen. (Ad) Tracy Borman is the author of Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I: The Mother and Daughter Who Changed History (Hodder & Stoughton, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fanne-boleyn-and-elizabeth-i%2Ftracy-borman%2F9781399705080 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How were sexuality, gender roles, and attitudes to the body influenced by men’s experiences in the Second World War? That’s something explored in Luke Turner’s new book Men at War. Luke speaks to Matt Elton about the stories of some of the men shaped by the conflict, and why he thinks the full range of experiences has been obscured by subsequent depictions of the war. (Ad) Luke Turner is the author of Men at War: Loving, Lusting, Fighting, Remembering 1939-1945 (Orion, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: http://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=4746&awinaffid=489797&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fmen-at-war%2Fluke-turner%2F9781474618861&clickref=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why did the British state decide to send criminals across the globe to Australia? Was it really as grim as you might expect to be one of those transported? And what was the impact of the convict transportation system on Australia and its indigenous peoples? In our latest Everything you wanted to know episode, Nancy Cushing answers listener questions on convict transportation to Australia. (Ad) Nancy Cushing is the author of A History of Crime in Australia: Australian Underworlds (Routledge, 2022). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/History-Crime-Australia-Australian-Underworlds/dp/1032226528/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Despite motherhood being viewed as a fundamental part of a woman’s destiny during the 19th century, pregnancy, birth, and the postnatal experience are often left out of written histories of the period. From Queen Victoria’s birthing room to advice surrounding breastfeeding, Dr Jessica Cox talks to Lauren Good about stories of motherhood that have been overlooked. (Ad) Jessica Cox is the author of Confinement: The Hidden History of Maternal Bodies in Nineteenth-Century Britain (The History Press, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fplato-of-athens%2Frobin-waterfield%2F9780197564752 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

More than a year in, the war between Russia and Ukraine has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, with repercussions on an international scale. It also continues to evoke parallels with a whole range of historical events, from the revolutions of 1917 to the breakup of the USSR in the early 1990s. Speaking with Matt Elton, Serhii Plokhy discusses the historical backdrop that helps make sense of the current conflict. (Ad) Serhii Plokhy is the author of The Russo-Ukrainian War: The Return of History (Allen Lane, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Russo-Ukrainian-War-Return-History/dp/0241617359/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

He learned from Socrates, taught Aristotle and is often described as the key figure in the history of philosophy. But what do we actually know about the life of Plato of Athens? And why was his work so pioneering? Plato’s latest biographer, Robin Waterfield, joins Rob Attar to explore these questions and more. (Ad) Robin Waterfield is the author of Plato of Athens: A Life in Philosophy (Oxford University Press, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fplato-of-athens%2Frobin-waterfield%2F9780197564752 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Slavery was a system that pervaded life in the American South, and as historian Stephanie E Jones-Rogers reveals in her book They Were Her Property, women played crucial roles in perpetuating that system. Stephanie is one of the winners of this year’s Dan David prize – awarded for outstanding historical scholarship. Here she speaks to Ellie Cawthorne about how white women were directly involved in the trade and ownership of enslaved people, and often used tactics that were just as brutal as those of slave-owning men. (Ad) Stephanie E Jones-Rogers is the author of They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South (Yale, 2019). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/They-Were-Her-Property-American/dp/0300218664/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

King Henry III was one of England’s longest reigning monarchs, but his time on the throne saw a long period of peace punctured by an extraordinary revolution. Professor David Carpenter talks to David Musgrove about the tumultuous events of 1258, when the king was removed from power by Simon de Montfort and a council of barons. (Ad) David Carpenter is the author of Henry III: Reform, Rebellion, Civil War, Settlement, 1259-1272 (Yale University Press, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Henry-III-Rebellion-Settlement-1259-1272/dp/0300248059/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The SAS – or Special Air Service – is Britain’s elite special forces unit. Founded in the deserts of North Africa during the Second World War, it has become famous across the globe for the physical and mental toughness of its recruits. But who was responsible for its creation? What was its original purpose? And what impact did a parachuting padre have on the morale of its men in the aftermath of D-Day? Author and broadcaster Joshua Levine answers listener questions on the SAS during the Second World War, in conversation with Jon Bauckham. (Ad) Joshua Levine is the author of SAS: The Illustrated History of the SAS (William Collins, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/SAS-Illustrated-History-During-Second/dp/0008549958/ref=asc_df_0008549958/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=606682156008&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12625238289494738680&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006715&hvtargid=pla-1760354823004&psc=1&th=1&psc=1&tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1623, at a Dutch fort on the remote island of Ambon, in modern-day Indonesia, a young Japanese mercenary was arrested for asking suspicious questions – and interrogated using torture. Within just 15 days, 21 people were dead, and two nations were set at odds. Historian Adam Clulow (one of the winners of this year’s Dan David Prize for outstanding historical scholarship) joins Ellie Cawthorne to explore the story of the Amboyna conspiracy trial – and investigate why events escalated so quickly. (Ad) Adam Clulow is the author of Amboina, 1623: Fear and Conspiracy on the Edge of Empire (Columbia University Press, 2019). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Amboina-1623-Adam-Clulow/dp/0231175124/ref=sr_1_1?crid=EUHCPCVBTLRM&keywords=adam+clulow+amboina&qid=1683879389&sprefix=adam+clulow+amboina%2Caps%2C70&sr=8-1&tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-hist295 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Even in the ancient Roman world of ruthless politicking, suspicious deaths and high-stakes schemes, the scandalous reputation of Empress Valeria Messalina stands out. The third wife of Emperor Claudius, she has gone down in history as a sexually insatiable schemer, whose cutthroat deeds kept her at the top of the Palatine court. Speaking with Emily Briffett, Honor Cargill-Martin, author of a new book on Messalina, interrogates the rumours that have long swirled around the empress. (Ad) Honor Cargill-Martin is the author of Messalina: A Story of Empire, Slander and Adultery (Apollo, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: ​​https://www.amazon.co.uk/Messalina-Story-Empire-Slander-Adultery/dp/1801102597/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You may think that Indiana Jones created a swashbuckling vision of archaeology that only exists on the silver screen – but, in fact, real archaeological history is also packed full of exciting and awe-inspiring tales of discovery. Professor Michael Scott digs into some of these sensational stories with David Musgrove, considering how far fictional images of intrepid treasure hunters are an accurate reflection of archaeological reality. (Ad) Michael Scott is the author of X Marks the Spot: The Story of Archaeology in Eight Extraordinary Discoveries (Hodder & Stoughton, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Marks-Spot-Archaeology-Extraordinary-Discoveries-ebook/dp/B0BSRTJXGB/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When Greek soldiers captured the royal command tent of the Persian king during the Greco-Persian wars, they were stunned by what they saw. Their mighty adversary’s seat of power was absolutely dripping with dazzling decadence – and, to the Greeks, indulging in this luxurious lifestyle was the reason for the Persians’ downfall. Speaking to Emily Briffett, curators Jamie Fraser and Kelly Accetta Crowe explain what a new British Museum exhibition can reveal about how the Persians and Greeks thought about luxury, wealth, democracy and power. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the recent past will attest, the discovery of vaccines can not only save lives, but also change the course of human history. Speaking with Matt Elton, Simon Schama explores the story of inoculation, charting the individuals and organisations who played a pivotal role in its use against deadly diseases including plague, smallpox and cholera. (Ad) Simon Schama is the author of Foreign Bodies: Pandemics, Vaccines and the Health of Nations (Simon & Schuster, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fforeign-bodies%2Fsimon-schama%2F9781471169892 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When were the first attempts to summit Mount Everest? Did Mallory really say he wanted to climb it just “because it’s there”? How did climbing expeditions spark diplomatic crises in the 20th century – and what was the ‘Affair of the Dancing Lamas’? To mark the 70th anniversary of the first summit of Everest on 29 May 1953, Dr Jonathan Westaway answers listener questions on the history of Everest mountaineering. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’re always looking to improve, so it’s really important to us to give you a voice in what we do next. Are you listening during a commute, while you potter around in the garden, or in a nice comfy chair with a cup of tea? We’d love to know how the podcast fits into your life. Have you always wanted us to cover a certain topic, or interview your favourite expert? This is your chance to tell us, so we can give you more of what you want. https://immediateinsiders.com/uc/admin/b7a7/?a=1&b=&c=2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The relationship between politics and history has long been a fraught one – particularly in recent years, when concerns that a political agenda may be shaping our view of the past have been rife. Speaking to Matt Elton, Zareer Masani details his thoughts on whether our view of the past is becoming distorted by present-day political concerns, and discusses his involvement in the scholarly group History Reclaimed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Katherine Parr was not just the “survivor”. She was also a ground-breaking intellectual, passionate religious reformer and canny political player. In episode six of our new series on the dramatic marital history of England’s most notorious monarch, Dr Estelle Paranque and Dr Tracy Borman join Ellie Cawthorne to share the tumultuous life story of Henry VIII’s final wife. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The history of the British empire has often been told as the story of an all-conquering spread of British values and influence across the globe. But, according to historian David Veevers’ new book The Great Defiance, in its early years the progress of the colonial project was much more halting – characterised by resistance, violence and, often, failure. Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne, David highlights places across the globe where local people put up fierce resistance to Britain’s imperial aims. (Ad) David Veevers is the author of The Great Defiance: How the World Took on the British Empire (Ebury, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Great-Defiance-world-British-Empire/dp/1529109957/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

William the Conqueror famously defeated King Harold at the battle of Hastings in 1066. But in order to achieve this victory, he first had to get his army (and some 2000 horses) across the sea from Normandy. So how exactly did he manage that gargantuan task? Speaking to David Musgrove, Rebecca Tyson reveals how a wealth of maritime knowledge and experience was required to pull off this extraordinary feat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Black Death unquestionably wrought a horrific death toll in the mid-14th century, but did it also sweep in social and cultural changes that eventually led to the rise of Europe? Professor James Belich certainly thinks so, and he lays out his argument in new book The World The Plague Made. Speaking to David Musgrove, James considers how the inventiveness required in a depopulated world led to global changes with long-term consequences. (Ad) James Belich is the author of The World the Plague Made: The Black Death and the Rise of Europe (Princeton University Press, 2022). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/World-Plague-Made-Black-Europe/dp/0691215669/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The first half of the 19th century witnessed the rise of an extraordinary working-class campaign for political reform: Chartism. What made this movement so remarkable was its size and sophistication – and the level of anxiety it provoked among the British establishment. But who were the Chartists? Why was the authorities' reaction to them so draconian? And did they actually achieve any of their aims? Speaking with Spencer Mizen, Joan Allen answers your top questions about Chartism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Before being scattered across different kingdoms, Catherine de’ Medici, Elisabeth de Valois and Mary, Queen of Scots spent many years of their formative years at the French court. Speaking to Lauren Good, Leah Redmond Chang explores the bonds between these extraordinary women and considers how French king Henry II’s death changed the course of their futures in unexpected ways. (Ad) Leah Redmond Chang is the author of Young Queens: Three Renaissance Women and the Price of Power (Bloomsbury, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Young-Queens-Three-Renaissance-Women-ebook/dp/B0B4DP7TMZ/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Catherine Howard was a teenaged bride who captivated King Henry VIII, but was brought down by secrets from her past that refused to remain buried. In episode five of our new series on the dramatic marital history of England’s most notorious monarch, Ellie Cawthorne is joined by Kate McCaffrey and Dr Tracy Borman to rehabilitate the executed queen’s image. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ramesses II is the only pharaoh in history to be known as ‘the great’, but does he deserve that title? Was he the pharaoh in the Exodus story? And was his mummy really given a passport when he travelled to France? Egyptologist Toby Wilkinson has just written a new biography of Ramesses and he answered these questions and more in conversation with Rob Attar. (Ad) Toby Wilkinson is the author of Ramesses the Great: Egypt's King of Kings (Yale University Press, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ramesses-Great-Egypts-Kings-Ancient/dp/0300256655/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Look at a Tudor family portrait, and you’ll often find children depicted like miniature adults, standing confidently alongside their parents in their doublets and dresses. But how far is this an accurate portrayal of what childhood was like in the 16th century? Nicholas Orme, author of new book Tudor Children, joined Emily Briffett to talk about the lives of young people in the era, from nursery rhymes and moralistic bedtime stories, to playtime, punishment and more. (Ad) Nicholas Orme is the author of Tudor Children (Yale University Press, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Ftudor-children%2Fnicholas-orme%2F9780300267969 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Was Richard I homosexual, and would it matter if he was? Although he was known to have shared a bed with the King of France, according to Dr Gabrielle Storey, that was part and parcel of being a king in the Middle Ages. Speaking to Kev Lochun, she unpicks the debates surrounding Richard I’s sexuality, explores what his life tells us about concepts of masculinity in the medieval era, and considers why we need to be careful about applying modern labels to historical figures. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It was the decade that saw the fall of the Soviet Union, the rise of Tony Blair and the landmark Good Friday Agreement. But what was behind the landslide victory of New Labour? How did the death of Princess Diana change the monarchy? And was ‘Cool Britannia’ really that cool? Speaking to Spencer Mizen, Alwyn Turner answers listener questions on Britain in the 1990s. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The story of East Germany has been largely told in the context of Cold War geopolitics. But while the country may have been an ideological battleground, ordinary life there still carried on regardless – people picked up supplies at the local shop, took their kids to school and enjoyed trips to the cinema. Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne, Katja Hoyer reexamines the experiences of ordinary people in the GDR to uncover a new perspective on the communist state. (Ad) Katja Hoyer is the author of Beyond the Wall: East Germany, 1949-1990 (Penguin, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fbeyond-the-wall%2Fkatja-hoyer%2F9780241553787 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anne of Cleves is remembered as a comedy anecdote, a figure of mockery who repulsed King Henry VIII on first sight. But her reputation deserves to be rescued from this myth. In episode four of our new series on the dramatic marital history of England’s most notorious monarch, Dr Elizabeth Norton and Dr Tracy Borman join Ellie Cawthorne to reveal how the so-called “Flanders mare” was in fact a much-admired woman with a full, fascinating and independent life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1848, a tidal wave of revolution swept across Europe – from Sicily to Paris, Berlin to Vienna. But what sparked this cascade of unrest, and how can we explain its apparent synchronicity? Speaking to Matt Elton, Christopher Clark charts the causes of the uprisings, and explores the consequences on the continent in the following decades. (Ad) Christopher Clark is the author of Revolutionary Spring: Fighting for a New World 1848-1849 (Penguin, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Frevolutionary-spring%2Fchristopher-clark%2F9780241347669 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today we take it for granted that we can meet friends at an agreed time, work a set amount of paid hours, or catch a train before it leaves. But so much of the fabric of our modern lives is entirely dependent on one thing: the ability to accurately tell the time. Watchmaker and author Rebecca Struthers joins Ellie Cawthorne to chart the long history of watches and other timekeepers, and reveals how they have revolutionised humanity’s perception of time. (Ad) Rebecca Struthers is the author of Hands of Time: A Watchmaker's History of Time (Hodder & Stoughton, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fhands-of-time%2Frebecca-struthers%2F9781529339031 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For too long, argues Professor Ned Blackhawk, Indigenous people have been marginalised or viewed merely as passive participants in the history of the United States. Speaking to Matt Elton, Ned discusses the central role that Indigenous people have played across centuries of the nation’s history – from the course of European colonisation to 20th-century bids for equality and self-determination. (Ad) Ned Blackhawk is the author of The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History (Yale University Press, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fthe-rediscovery-of-america%2Fned-blackhawk%2F9780300244052 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What’s the difference between the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths? Why did the Goths have whole settlements devoted to the production of combs? And were these Germanic tribes really responsible for the fall of the Western Roman empire? Speaking with Emily Briffett, Professor Peter Heather answers listener questions on the uncertain and complex history of the Goths, from debates around their origins to their later interactions with the Huns and the Franks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The British monarchy is known for its pomp and pageantry, and a coronation is a big chance to show off. But with so much pressure to get time-honoured traditions right, down the centuries things haven’t always gone to plan. So, what separates a crowning success from a royal fiasco? Speaking to Emily Briffett, Dr Tracy Borman offers up her top tips for pulling off the historic ceremony without a hitch – from rocking the right regalia and crowning the correct king to staying in tune with the times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jane Seymour has gone down in history as Henry VIII’s dream wife – the simpering spouse who couldn’t put a foot wrong. But the reality was much more interesting. In episode three of our new series on the dramatic marital history of England’s most notorious monarch, Dr Nicola Tallis and Dr Tracy Borman join Ellie Cawthorne to delve into the real story of Jane’s short-lived queenship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tomorrow, period drama fans will be glued to their screens as Netflix releases their latest show set in the Bridgerton universe – Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Created by showrunner Shonda Rhimes, the series fictionalises the story of Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, a young woman shipped off to marry the king of England, George III. Polly Putnam, historical advisor on the drama, speaks to Ellie Cawthorne about some of its real inspirations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Later this week, royal ceremony and spectacle will be deployed in full force for the coronation of King Charles III. But this latest lavish display is nothing new – British monarchs have long used pomp and pageantry to reinforce their power and popularity. Dr Alice Hunt speaks to Ellie Cawthorne about how monarchs down the centuries have used ceremony and ritual – and how it’s gone down with the public. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How risky were the D-Day landings? What sealed the downfall of Nazi Germany? And why did the US decide to drop atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki? In the final episode of our five-part series tackling the big questions of the Second World War, historian Laurence Rees joins Rachel Dinning to explore the final stages of the conflict. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Westminster Abbey has hosted royal coronations since the medieval period, and the next monarch to be crowned there will be King Charles III. In our latest Everything You Want to Know episode, David Musgrove speaks to Professor David Carpenter (who grew up in the abbey) to answer listener questions on the lengthy history of this iconic building – from marvellous medieval acoustics to the destruction of its brightly coloured art. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This April marks the 60th anniversary of the beginning of the Bristol bus boycott in 1963, a campaign to overturn a bar on black and Asian conductors and drivers working on buses in the city. Hannah Cusworth tells Spencer Mizen how a group of activists turned the boycott into a cause celebre, and paved the way for landmark legislation against racial discrimination in Britain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Harlot, feminist, witch, backstabber, icon, powerplayer, victim – in the centuries since her execution, Anne Boleyn has been branded all of these. But what do we know about the real Anne and her story? In episode two of our new series on the dramatic marital history of England’s most notorious monarch, Ellie Cawthorne is joined by Dr Owen Emmerson and Dr Tracy Borman to uncover the rollercoaster story of the woman who set Tudor England ablaze. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thirty years ago, a deadly standoff in Texas between a religious cult and the FBI hit the headlines around the United States. The story of leader David Koresh and the power he held over the Branch Davidian religious group has fascinated and appalled in the decades since, and has cast an increasingly dark shadow over US politics. Matt Elton spoke to author Stephan Talty about what Waco tells us about 20th-century America, and the ways in which its mythologisation have come to inform extremism in the 21st century. (Ad) Stephan Talty is the author of Koresh: The True Story of David Koresh and the Tragedy at Waco (Apollo, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Koresh-True-Story-David-Tragedy/dp/1801102678/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In January 1742 a ramshackle boat washed up on the Brazilian coastline. Inside were 30 men, half starved and close to madness. Claiming to be survivors of the wrecked British vessel the Wager, they told an incredible tale of survival on the high seas. The men were hailed as heroes until, six months later, another group of castaways washed ashore. And these men had a very different story to tell about what had happened to the crew of the Wager. Author David Grann tells Ellie Cawthorne how a shipwreck led to mutiny, murder and even cannibalism. (Ad) David Grann is the author of The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder. Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-mayiPad&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fthe-wager%2Fdavid-grann%2F9781471183676 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How did the Nazis’ poisonous antisemitic rhetoric eventually culminate in the systematic mass-murder of millions? In the fourth episode of our five-part series tackling the big questions of the Second World War, historian Laurence Rees joins Rachel Dinning to chart the course of the Holocaust – from its origins to its devastating conclusion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After the fall of Jerusalem into Frankish hands in 1099 during the First Crusade, a string of new crusader states emerged, initiating Western rule in the region for almost 200 years. Drawing on listener questions and top search queries, Emily Briffett speaks to Dr Nicholas Morton, Associate Professor at Nottingham Trent University, to find out more about these states – and why the complicated story of this region has such a long cultural afterlife. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Looking at sport history, it’s easy to get the impression that women’s involvement in sporting activities only began in the 1970s. However, as author Rachel Hewitt outlines, women were excluded from sport as rules and regulations were codified from the 19th century. Speaking with David Musgrove, she considers how the sporting and outdoors endeavours of women have consequently been overlooked in sporting history. (Ad) Rachel Hewitt is the author of In Her Nature: How Women Break Boundaries in the Great Outdoors (Vintage, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Her-Nature-Women-Boundaries-Outdoors-ebook/dp/B0BD73MK7K/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Catherine of Aragon’s 23-year-long marriage to King Henry VIII witnessed many twists and turns – triumph, tragedy, and, ultimately, betrayal. In episode one of our new series on the dramatic marital history of England’s most notorious monarch, Ellie Cawthorne is joined by Dr Nicola Clark and Dr Tracy Borman to discuss the fluctuating fortunes of Henry VIII’s first wife. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Æthelflæd was a successful and celebrated ruler of the Mercian peoples in the early 10th century, who enjoyed a period of great political prosperity. Speaking to Emily Briffett, Rebecca Hardie explores what this fascinating figure can tell us about contemporary definitions of power, the lives of other women at the time and the complicated patchwork of early medieval kingdoms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the 19th century, cannabis, cocaine and heroin were widely available over the counter at the local chemist. Respected scientists and doctors tested out laughing gas and chloroform on their friends at dinner parties, while philosophers and artists dabbled in drug use to try and unlock different states of consciousness and even access the spirit world. Mike Jay, author of Psychonauts: Drugs and the Making of the Modern Mind, tells Ellie Cawthorne about these formative experiments in drug taking. (Ad) Mike Jay is the author of Psychonauts: Drugs and the Making of the Modern Mind (Yale, 2022). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Psychonauts-Drugs-Making-Modern-Mind/dp/0300257945/ref=sr_1_3?qid=1679582312&refinements=p_27%3AMike+Jay&s=books&sr=1-3 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How instrumental was Churchill in Britain’s decision to stand against Hitler? What was it like to work with the consummate charmer President Roosevelt? And why did Stalin feel betrayed by his allies? In the third episode of our five-part series tackling the big questions of the Second World War, historian Laurence Rees joins Rachel Dinning to discuss the role of the ‘Big Three’ – Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin – in shaping the course of the conflict. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Who were the rulers of Russia prior to the 1917 Revolution? How accessible were they to the ordinary peoples of the Russian empire? How did a foreign-born princess manage to secure absolute power in St Petersburg, and what impact did the Napoleonic Wars have on tsarist influence? Speaking to Danny Bird, Simon Sebag Montefiore answers listener questions about the Russian tsars, from the ancient origins of their regal title to the monarchy’s dramatic collapse. (Ad) Simon Sebag Montefiore is the author of The Romanovs: 1613-1918. Buy it now on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Romanovs-1613-1918-Simon-Sebag-Montefiore/dp/1474600875crid=Y7HQ1IS420LY&keywords=attack+warning+red+julie+mcdowall&qid=1680258464&sprefix=attack+warnon%2Caps%2C189&sr=8-1/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A dastardly bandit responsible for incredibly heinous crimes, or a runaway in search of his freedom? Meg Foster unravels the myth of “Black Douglas”, whose life of crime across 19th-century Australia made him a target of lynch mobs and the popular press. Speaking to Emily Briffett, she explains how Douglas was branded a shadowy bogeyman, and delves into his experiences as a hard-drinking prize-fighter and phrenologist. (Ad) Meg Foster is the author of Boundary Crossers: The hidden history of Australia's other bushrangers (NewSouth, 2022). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Boundary-Crossers-history-Australias-bushrangers/dp/1742237525/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The KGB would stop at virtually nothing in its attempts to spread chaos and confusion in the west throughout the Cold War. From honeytraps and smear campaigns to spreading fake news, Mark Hollingsworth tells Spencer Mizen about the KBG’s extraordinary attempts to destabilise its enemies. (Ad) Mark Hollingsworth is the author of Agents of Influence: How the KGB Subverted Western Democracies (Oneworld, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Agents-Influence-Subverted-Western-Democracies/dp/0861542169/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The 17th century was a turbulent time for England, overshadowed by a civil war, a coup and a regicide, not to mention the looming threats of terrorism, plague and witch panics. However, in the coffee shops and on the street corners of growing cities, the common people finally had their voices heard – and those voices were loud. Speaking with Emily Briffett, Jonathan Healey illuminates a revolutionary society that helped forge modern Britain. (Ad) Jonathan Healey is the author of The Blazing World: A New History of Revolutionary England (Bloomsbury, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fthe-blazing-world%2Fdr-jonathan-healey%2F9781526621658 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What can Viking poetry reveal about the era in which it was written, and the people that wrote it? And why are ships, love and death some of its most common recurring motifs? Judith Jesch and Carolyne Larrington shared their expert insights with Matt Elton, tackling listener questions and reading excerpts from some of their favourite examples. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why did Hitler make the fateful decision to invade Poland in 1939? How did Churchill turn defeat at Dunkirk into a victory on the home front? And why did Japan’s imperial designs lead to war in east Asia? In the second episode of our five-part series tackling the big questions of the Second World War, historian Laurence Rees joins Rachel Dinning to guide you through the early years of the conflict – from Pearl Harbor to the fall of Tobruk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What was it really like to live and fight in WW1 trench? Why was throwing your empty food tins into No Man’s Land a death sentence? And what was the worst care package a Tommy could receive from home? Speaking with Emily Briffett, Peter Hart answers listener questions on life in the trenches – from favourite foods and morale-boosting parades to a soldier’s chances of survival in the face of deadly diseases, gas and explosions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If – or when – a nuclear bomb was dropped on Cold War Britain, the nation was primed to react fast. When the sirens sounded, children would run home from school using the quickest familiar route. Families would wait out the nuclear fallout under the stairs, while political leaders would evacuate to bunkers across the country, ready to launch the regeneration plan. But were all these plans actually just a load of nonsense? Julie McDowall tells Matt Elton about Britain’s nuclear response plans, and questions their effectiveness when faced with the reality of instant annihilation. (Ad) Julie McDowall is the author of Attack Warning Red! How Britain Prepared for Nuclear War. Buy it now on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Attack-Warning-Red-Julie-McDowall/dp/1847926215/ref=sr_1_1?crid=Y7HQ1IS420LY&keywords=attack+warning+red+julie+mcdowall&qid=1680258464&sprefix=attack+warnon%2Caps%2C189&sr=8-1&tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In recent years, discussions about sustainability and how we can create greener, more environmentally conscious urban spaces have been at the forefront of city planning. But to what extent are these considerations new? Author Ben Wilson tells Jon Bauckham about the ways in which societies have tried to bring wildlife into urban spaces, from the gardens of the Aztec empire to the bombsites of postwar Berlin. (Ad) Ben Wilson is the author of Urban Jungle: Wilding the City (Vintage, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Echolands-Journey-Boudica-Duncan-Mackay/dp/1399714112/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rome’s conquest of Britain in the first century AD was a brutal affair, as was the revolt against it led by Boudica. Duncan Mackay guides David Musgrove through the course of the rebellion, sharing the location of the final bloody battle, considering what we know about Boudica herself, and exploring why she continues to be a resonant figure today. (Ad) Duncan Mackay is the author of Echolands: A Journey in Search of Boudica (Hodder & Stoughton, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Boundary-Crossers-history-Australias-bushrangers/dp/1742237525/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How many pieces of clothing did the average Tudor own? Did women in the 16th century have specialised maternity wear? And what was behind the fascination with codpieces? Jane Malcolm-Davies stitches together our understanding of what the Tudors wore, from knitted hats and linen handkerchiefs right down to underwear. Speaking with Emily Briffett, Jane details how clothes were lovingly made, kept and cleaned – and reveals the unusual fashion trend she’d like to see revived. (Ad) Jane Malcolm-Davies is the co-author of The Typical Tudor: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1351741932/the-typical-tudor-reconstructing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the first episode of our podcast series The Big Questions of the Second World War, historian and broadcaster Laurence Rees explains some of the short and long term causes of the global conflict – from the legacy of the Treaty of Versailles to the rise of Hitler and the Nazi party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What was the interior design like in medieval castles? Why were so many of these fortresses built in Wales? And what was it like to live in one? In our latest ‘Everything you wanted to know’ episode, Marc Morris answers listener questions on the history of British castles. Speaking to Charlotte Hodgman, he touches on building techniques, the architectural influence of the crusades, and England’s first fortresses. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Holocaust is an event so vast and terrible it can often be hard to wrap our heads around it. But what motivated those who perpetrated horrific crimes in the name of the Third Reich, and how did they justify their actions? Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne, Martin Davidson discusses the devastating power of Hitler’s antisemitic worldview, and how it shaped the mindset of Nazi persecutors. (Ad) Martin Davidson is the author of Mobilising Hate: The Story of Hitler's Final Solution (Little Brown, 2022). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fmobilising-hate%2Fmartin-davidson%2F9781472146410 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s modern fascination with true crime is nothing new – our early modern ancestors also devoured sensational stories of brutal deaths and shocking, unexplained crimes. Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne, Blessin Adams delves into several sensational murder cases from between 1500 and 1700 to explore what they can reveal about society at the time. (Ad) Blessin Adams is the author of Great and Horrible News: Murder and Mayhem in Early Modern Britain (HarperCollins, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fgreat-and-horrible-news%2Fblessin-adams%2F9780008500221 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Seventy years since James Watson and Francis Crick first revealed DNA’s double-helix structure, Dr Kersten Hall shares the story of the scientist who almost beat them to their major discovery: molecular biologist William Astbury. Speaking with Emily Briffett, Kersten details how, despite missing this major opportunity, Astbury forged a new discipline, made pioneering steps in the field of X-ray crystallography – and also wore a coat made of peanuts. (Ad) Kersten Hall is the author of The Man in the Monkeynut Coat: William Astbury and How Wool Wove a Forgotten Road to the Double-Helix (Oxford University Press, 2014). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fthe-man-in-the-monkeynut-coat%2Fkersten-t-hall%2F9780198704591 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

George Eliot is hailed as one of the greatest novelists of the 19th century. And in many ways the writer’s life was just as fascinating as her work. She repeatedly challenged the restrictive norms of Victorian society by eloping with a married man, writing fiction under a male pseudonym and marrying someone 20 years younger than her. Professor Clare Carlisle tells Ellie Cawthorne about the author’s unconventional experience of marriage and her fascination with philosophy, and how these may have influenced her books. (Ad) Clare Carlisle is the author of The Marriage Question: George Eliot's Double Life (Penguin, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fthe-marriage-question%2Fclare-carlisle%2F9780241447178 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the Second World War raged, King George VI faced not only a battle for the nation’s survival, but also for the royal family’s reputation. And that reputation came under threat from close quarters, when figures within the royal orbit, including the king’s own brother, were either linked with or sympathetic to Nazi Germany. Alexander Larman tells Ellie Cawthorne about the threat these connections posed to Britain’s royals, at a moment of national crisis. (Ad) Alexander Larman is the author of The Windsors at War: The Nazi Threat to the Crown (Orion, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: http://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=4746&awinaffid=489797&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fthe-windsors-at-war%2Falexander-larman%2F9781474623933&clickref=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Indian subcontinent, North America, south-east Asia and continental Europe all saw vicious fighting in the 1750 and 1760s as part of a major conflict now known as the Seven Years’ War. But did it really last for seven years? What role did George Washington play in its outbreak? And can it be described as history’s first truly global conflict? In conversation with Spencer Mizen, Jeremy Black answers listener questions on the Seven Years’ War. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The story of Henry VIII’s six wives is a tale of political crisis and personal tragedy, sacrifice and survival, sex and death, scandal, love and betrayal. But, after centuries of myth have built up around this story, has it clouded our view of the real women involved? In this brand new podcast series, we’ll be peeling back the layers of mythmaking to take another look at these fascinating women, who shaped the course of Henry’s reign – and the history of England.  To access all six episodes ad-free now, subscribe to HistoryExtra Plus, on Apple subscriptions.  https://link.chtbl.com/T82VCEDM   Episodes will be released weekly on this feed from 20 April.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Throughout history, have societies always been dominated by men? And how have patriarchal values shaped lives across centuries and continents? Historian June Purvis and writer and broadcaster Angela Saini discuss Angela’s new book The Patriarchs: How Men Came to Rule, touching on examples from across world history. (Ad) Angela Saini is the author of The Patriarchs: How Men Came to Rule (Fourth Estate, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Patriarchs-How-Men-Came-Rule/dp/000841811X/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How did the British army keep order among troops and officers during the Napoleonic wars of the early 19th century? And were the rank and file really as rough and ready as you might imagine? Speaking with David Musgrove, Dr Zack White details the most common crimes and punishments in the armies of the Duke of Wellington and his contemporaries, considering whether the effective imposition of discipline helped the British and their allies finally defeat Napoleon on the battlefield of Waterloo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You might think that the crusades were a largely male enterprise. But while that may have been the case on the battlefield, it certainly wasn’t elsewhere. Speaking with Emily Briffett, medieval historian Helen Nicholson delves into the archives to uncover just how vital a role women played in crusading campaigns, in recruitment, support, patronage and prayer. (Ad) Helen Nicholson is the author of Women and the Crusades (Oxford University Press, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Patriarchs-How-Men-Came-Rule/dp/000841811X/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Although 19th-century thinkers promoted the narrative that Christianity and science have always been at each other’s throats, in reality, argues Nicholas Spencer, the two have existed for centuries in a state of relative harmony – with some notable spikes in tension. Rhiannon Davies speaks to Nicholas to explore this intertwined relationship. (Ad) Nicholas Spencer is the author of Magisteria: The Entangled Histories of Science & Religion (Oneworld, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fmagisteria%2Fnicholas-spencer%2F9780861544615 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From the glories of early medieval Northumbria to the urban powerhouses of the industrial revolution, northern England has long had an identity of its own. In his book Northerners, Brian Groom traces the story of the North from the Ice Age to the present day. He tells Ellie Cawthorne about some of the key moments in the history of the region – and how the North-South divide goes back further than you might think. (Ad) Brian Groom is the author of Northerners: A History, from the Ice Age to the Present Day (HarperCollins, 2022). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fnortherners%2Fbrian-groom%2F9780008471200 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What did ancient pagans actually believe? Why were they fascinated by the divinity of nature? And why did paganism capture the imagination of the Romantics? Speaking to Emily Briffett, Professor Ronald Hutton answers your questions on the complex history of paganism, from difficulties of definition to recent revivals and popular misconceptions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Canteen dining conjures up visions of plastic trays, hard benches and bowls of beige slop. But as the hardships of the Second World War began to bite, punters flocked to an idealistic establishment called the “British Restaurant” for good food, good prices and good company. Bryce Evans tells Ellie Cawthorne about these healthy, economical establishments, and explores what lessons they could hold for us today. Read a feature by Bryce Evans on British Restaurants here: https://www.historyextra.com/period/second-world-war/british-restaurants-ww2-rationing-canteens/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the 19th century, one businesswoman shocked, horrified and fascinated New York society more than any other. Madame Restell was a celebrity and self-made millionaire known for her diamonds and love of oyster breakfasts. How did she make this fortune? By selling birth control pills and abortions from her Fifth Avenue Brownstone boarding house. Jennifer Wright tells Ellie Cawthorne about what Restell’s story can reveal about attitudes towards abortion, motherhood and the role of women in American society at the time. (Ad) Jennifer Wright is the author of Madame Restell: The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Old New York’s Most Fabulous, Fearless, and Infamous Abortionist (Hachette, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FMadame-Restell-Resurrection-Fabulous-Abortionist%2Fdp%2F0306826798 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For centuries, people have been dazzled by the illuminated manuscripts of the Middle Ages. But how much do we know about the countless makers, collectors and connoisseurs who took care of them behind the scenes? Speaking with Emily Briffett, Christopher de Hamel introduces some of these extraordinary people – from a Norman monk and a Florentine bookseller to a rabbi from central Europe, a Greek forger and an American woman with a spectacular library. (Ad) Christopher de Hamel is the author The Posthumous Papers of the Manuscripts Club (Penguin, 2022). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fthe-posthumous-papers-of-the-manuscripts-club%2Fchristopher-de-hamel%2F9780241304372" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Queen Njinga, the 17th-century ruler of Ndongo and Matamba, in modern-day Angola, established an impressive reputation for her skills as a warrior and diplomat. At a time when Portuguese colonists were ramping up operations in the region, Njinga had to fight tooth and nail for survival, and make difficult decisions to protect her people. Luke Pepera tells Kev Lochun more about this formidable leader, whose story has been brought to life in a new Netflix docu-drama, African Queens. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From the dangers of childbirth to female sexuality, myths and legends about female monsters like mermaids and sirens can tell us a lot about different societies’ attitudes towards women over time. Speaking with Rachel Dinning, Sarah Clegg, author of the new book Woman’s Lore, examines the portrayal of women as seductive, child-killing monsters through history – from Lamashtu and Gello, to Lamia and Lilith. (Ad) Sarah Clegg is the author of ​​Woman's Lore: 4,000 Years of Sirens, Serpents and Succubi (Apollo, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Womans-Lore-Sirens-Serpents-Succubi/dp/1803280271/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the Second World War raged across the world, what was life like for those back home in Britain? How did families make it through the terror of bombing raids? How many people took part in black market dealings? And what was it like to open up your home to an evacuated child? In our latest “Everything you wanted to know” episode, Professor Dan Todman speaks to Lauren Good to answer listener questions about Britain’s home front during the Second World War. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Headlines have been made recently by proposed changes to the Treasure Act in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The changes would see more historical and archaeological artefacts defined as “treasure”, and could help museums acquire historically significant items. Speaking to Matt Elton, Lord Parkinson, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Arts and Heritage in the UK, discusses the thinking behind these proposals, and some of the other issues facing heritage in the UK. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Women blown up like balloons about to burst; leaders carving up the globe like a plum pudding; a drunken, bloated prince sprawled surrounded by unpaid invoices – the art of satirists like James Gillray, Thomas Rowlandson and Isaac Cruikshank gives us an unfiltered look at the preposterous highs and grisly lows of Georgian society. Alice Loxton tells Ellie Cawthorne how these artists pricked the pomposity of politicians, mocked the outlandish fashions of the aristocracy and gave the people of London a good laugh while doing so. (Ad) Alice Loxton is the author of Uproar: Satire, Scandal and Printmakers in Georgian London (Icon Books, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fuproar%2Falice-loxton%2F9781785789540 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the 1580s, the remote Essex village of St Osyth was beset by poverty and social tensions – and when a servant accused her neighbour of witchcraft, it sparked a crisis that engulfed the entire community. Speaking with Charlotte Hodgman, Marion Gibson explores what this late 16th-century witchcraft trial can tell us about life in early modern England. (Ad) Marion Gibson is the author of The Witches of St Osyth: Persecution, Betrayal and Murder in Elizabethan England (Cambridge University Press, 2022). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Witches-St-Osyth-Persecution-Elizabethan/dp/1108494676/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In March 2003, a coalition of troops from nations including the United States and the United Kingdom mounted an invasion of the Republic of Iraq, with the stated aim of removing weapons of mass destruction apparently held by the nation. Twenty years on, BBC security correspondent Gordon Corera tells Matt Elton about his new BBC Radio 4 series considering the causes and consequences of the Iraq War – and discusses whether now is the right time to view the conflict as history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For thousands of years, humans have been in thrall to climate – it has dictated the crops we grow, the water we drink and even the diseases to which we might succumb. Rhiannon Davies speaks to Peter Frankopan about his new book that examines this crucial relationship, The Earth Transformed, to explore whether lessons from the past might help us navigate a potentially frightening future. (Ad) Peter Frankopan is the author of The Earth Transformed: An Untold History (Bloomsbury, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dress-Diary-Mrs-Anne-Sykes/dp/178474381X/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1616, when the first English embassy was installed in Mughal India, England was a minor player on the global stage rather than a leading actor. Nandini Das explores what the challenges of this embassy can tell us about England’s unequal relationship with India at the time – and reveals how the future dominance of the British empire was far from a foregone conclusion. (Ad) Nandini Das is the author of Courting India: England, Mughal India and the Origins of Empire (Bloomsbury, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fcourting-india%2Fnandini-das%2F9781526615640 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What chores did medieval women have to get through each day? How could plucking your eyebrows in the Middle Ages land you in hell? And why did people believe that older women’s looks could kill? In our latest “Everything you wanted to know” episode, medievalist Dr Eleanor Janega answers listener questions about the lives and livelihoods of women in the Middle Ages. Speaking to Emily Briffett, she touches on everything from the trials of childbirth to the best places for women to party in the medieval period. (Ad) Eleanor Janega is the author of The Once and Future Sex: Going Medieval on Women’s Roles in Society (WW Norton & Co, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Once-Future-Sex-Medieval-Society/dp/0393867811/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’ve just launched a brand-new podcast series, History’s greatest cities, offering the chance to roam the streets and sights of some of Europe’s most fascinating metropolises. Join travel writer Paul Bloomfield and a host of expert historians as they chart the history of vibrant cities, sharing some top travel tips along the way. Here’s a taste of what you can expect, as Dr Eleanor Janega delves into the story of the City of a Hundred Spires – Prague. To listen to the full episode, and subscribe to the series as a whole, search for “History’s greatest cities” wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the mid 19th century, a team of explorers set off in search of an elusive goal – the source of the River Nile. Set against a backdrop of imperial expansion into Africa, the expedition was led by Richard Francis Burton and John Hanning Speke – two men who should have been great partners, but became bitter rivals. Candice Millard tells Ellie Cawthorne about Burton and Speke’s gruelling, dangerous journey, and the guide who made it possible – Sidi Mubarak Bombay. (Ad) Candice Millard is the author of River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile (Swift Press, 2022). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/River-Gods-Genius-Courage-Betrayal-ebook/dp/B0B6MXG1CZ/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The name David Ingram isn’t well known, but his story is extraordinary. This Tudor explorer embarked on a remarkable 3,600-mile trek across North America in the 1560s, encountering sights and sounds that no other English people had ever experienced before. Speaking with Spencer Mizen, Dean Snow explores how Ingram’s incredible journey across North America in the early years of Elizabeth I’s reign changed the course of the continent’s history. (Ad) Dean Snow is the author of The Extraordinary Journey of David Ingram: An Elizabethan Sailor in Native North America (Oxford University Press, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fthe-extraordinary-journey-of-david-ingram%2Fdean-snow%2F9780197648001 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you grew up watching pantomimes, then you’ll likely be familiar with the story of Richard “Dick” Whittington – the poor country boy who ends up becoming three-times Lord Mayor of London. But did you know that Whittington was a real person? Michael McCarthy tells Jon Bauckham about the wealthy merchant who inspired the tale, and explains why – on the 600th anniversary of his death – he deserves to be remembered today. (Ad) Michael McCarthy is the author of Citizen of London: Richard Whittington – The Boy Who Would Be Mayor (Hurst, 2022). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fcitizen-of-london%2Fmichael-mccarthy%2F9781787387911 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 2016, fashion historian Kate Strasdin was given an extraordinary object – an album of richly coloured and brightly patterned fabric scraps, all collected by one woman across the Victorian age. Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne, Kate reveals what Anne Sykes’ dress diary can tell us about style, culture and the experiences of ordinary women in the era – and how it led her to poisonous stockings and pirates in Borneo. (Ad) Kate Strasdin is the author of The Dress Diary of Mrs Anne Sykes: Secrets from a Victorian Woman’s Wardrobe (Chatto & Windus, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dress-Diary-Mrs-Anne-Sykes/dp/178474381X/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At a time when male homosexuality was illegal in Britain, celebrated playwright Oscar Wilde became embroiled in a scandal that ultimately saw him put on trial for “gross indecency”. As Professor Joseph Bristow tells Lauren Good, it’s a story of danger and betrayal, which not only tells us about the writer’s life, but also about the prejudices of society at the time.    (Ad) Joseph Bristow is the author of Oscar Wilde on Trial: The Criminal Proceedings, from Arrest to Imprisonment (Yale University Press, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Foscar-wilde-on-trial%2Fjoseph-bristow%2F9780300222722 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What was it like to be a peasant in the Middle Ages? Did they live well, with access to sufficient food, water and shelter, or were their lives characterised by poverty, pain and hard labour? Did they wash regularly, what did they do for fun, and could they better themselves in society? Speaking to David Musgrove, Professor Christopher Dyer answers listener questions about medieval peasants, from diets and dentistry to leisure and life expectancy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we are featuring episode one from our brand new series, History's greatest cities. If you enjoy this episode and want to listen to the rest of the series make sure you follow the feed where ever you get your podcasts. Search 'History's greatest cities' or click the link below. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/historys-greatest-cities/id1660929072 In this series exploring the sights and stories of Europe’s most historic cities, Rory MacLean traces the German capital from medieval origins to the modern day In episode one of this new series exploring the sights and stories of Europe’s most beautiful, intriguing and historic cities, travel journalist Paul Bloomfield is joined by historian and author Rory MacLean for a trip around Berlin. They delve into the city’s origins as a medieval settlement before fast-forwarding through the centuries, exploring theatres, churches and nightclubs, and tracing the infamous wall that divided the city for nearly 30 years. Plus, Rory offers up some top advice for history-loving globetrotters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It was an enterprise that helped transform a marginalised language into a global powerhouse. Lydia Zeldenrust tells Spencer Mizen how, some 550 years ago, a middle-aged merchant called William Caxton did something that would change the course of literary history: he produced the first book ever printed in the English language. She also explores the challenges Caxton faced – from defying the hegemony of Latin and French to deciding which of England’s many regional dialects to plump for – in order to go where no printer had gone before. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Middle Ages have often been shrouded in myth and mystery, but was it actually as unchanging, uncivilised and muddy as we might think? Historian and author Ian Mortimer challenges these popular perceptions, arguing how the period has often been overlooked in favour of later centuries. Speaking to Emily Briffett, Ian highlights how the medieval period was an age of transformation, from society’s understanding of power to their views on war and exploration. (Ad) Ian Mortimer is the author of Medieval Horizons: Why the Middle Ages Matter (Vintage Publishing, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fmedieval-horizons%2Fian-mortimer%2F%2F9781847927446%3Fawc%3D3787_1676460802_b9418547f7d8d6875187a36ad8f30923%26utm_source%3D259955%26utm_medium%3Daffiliate%26utm_campaign%3DGenie%2BShopping%2BCSS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From the Oedipus complex to the Freudian slip, the theories of Sigmund Freud are still familiar to us today. But how much do we know about his life? Seamus O’Mahony tells the story of the founder of psychoanalysis, and unravels how it was intertwined with those of two other doctors, Ernest Jones and Wilfred Trotter. In conversation with Rachel Dinning, he reveals the impact the three made on science and medicine against the intellectual and bohemian backdrop of early 20th-century London. (Ad) Seamus O’Mahony is the author of The Guru, the Bagman and the Sceptic: A story of science, sex and psychoanalysis (Apollo, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Guru-Bagman-Sceptic-science-psychoanalysis/dp/1803285656/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Breastfeeding may seem like an innate human experience that transcends history. But, according to art and cultural historian Joanna Wolfarth, experiences of feeding babies have always been embedded in social and cultural customs. Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne about her new book Milk, Joanna examines how attitudes to breastfeeding have changed over time, touching on ancient baby bottles, the moral dangers of wetnursing, and why the Virgin Mary was sometimes depicted with a breast on her shoulder. (Ad) Joanna Wolfarth is the author of Milk: An Intimate History of Breastfeeding (Orion Publishing Co, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: http://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=4746&awinaffid=489797&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fmilk%2Fjoanna-wolfarth%2F9781474623216&clickref=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The story of the Roman emperor Heliogabalus is filled with sex, death, decadence and religious extremism, but it also touches on some key questions about imperial Rome. What were the limits of political power? How far should a ruler intervene in the life of his subjects? And what was a Roman emperor actually expected to do? Harry Sidebottom talks to Rachel Dinning about the emperor’s short but extraordinary reign. (Ad) Harry Sidebottom is the author of The Mad Emperor: Heliogabalus and the Decadence of Rome (Oneworld Publications, 2022). Buy it now from Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mad-Emperor-Heliogabalus-Decadence-Rome/dp/0861542533/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How ‘roaring’ were the roaring twenties for ordinary britons? Did views of the British empire change after the first world war?And what caused the economic woes of the 1930s? Speaking to Elinor Evans, Matt Houlbrook answers your top questions about British life in the period that lay between the two devastating world wars of the early 20th century. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Uncovering and telling the stories of LGBTQ+ people in history can be rewarding, important work, but it’s also often challenging and complex. How far is it possible to understand the sexualities of people in the past from our 21st-century vantage point? And which stories do we forget about? To mark LGBT+ History Month in the UK, Matt Elton hosts a panel of experts – Florence Scott, Fleur MacInnes, Tim Wingard, Channing Joseph and Anthony Delaney – to discuss issues of representation in the past. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Wife of Bath is a stand-out figure in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. The only ordinary woman in the procession of pilgrims heading to Thomas Becket’s shrine, Alison is a sexually active, outspoken and funny working woman whose voice leaps from the page. Speaking with Emily Briffett, Marion Turner explores the Wife of Bath’s tale, revealing what it can tell us about the reality of women’s lives in the fourteenth century, and how its themes still resonate today. (Ad) Marion Turner is the author of The Wife of Bath: A Biography (Princeton University Press, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fthe-wife-of-bath%2Fmarion-turner%2F9780691206011 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anglo-Saxon king Æthelstan was the first West Saxon leader to effectively rule over all of England. And with Alfred the Great as a grandfather, he had quite the family legacy to live up to. Speaking with Rachel Dinning, historian and broadcaster Michael Wood gives us the lowdown on the 10th-century ruler. Watch a video version of this interview, along with other video content, at historyextra.com/video Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When Cleopatra took her own life in 30 BC it marked the conclusion of Egypt’s ruling dynasty, but not the end of her family line. Classicist Jane Draycott tells the little-known story of Cleopatra Selene, daughter of Cleopatra and Mark Antony, who overcame her parents’ tragic deaths to become a powerful ruler in her own right. Speaking to Rob Attar, Jane explains how Cleopatra Selene trod a fine line between appeasing Rome and honouring her mother’s legacy. (Ad) Jane Draycott is the author of Cleopatra's Daughter: Egyptian Princess, Roman Prisoner, African Queen (Bloomsbury, 2022). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fcleopatras-daughter%2Fjane-draycott%2F9781800244801 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Marie Antoinette is a historical figure who has been much mythologised – as callous, superficial, extravagant and out of touch with reality. But if we go back to the original sources and examine her own letters, what kind of woman emerges? Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne, Catriona Seth reveals what the Queen of France’s correspondence can tell us about her life and character – from her early years as a teenaged royal bride, to her eventual downfall in the French Revolution.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Who were the Romantics? And how did they shake up society and culture at the turn of the 19th century? Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne, Daisy Hay answers your top questions on the rebellious literary movement whose members’ lives were as unconventional as their art, touching on the intense but difficult collaboration between Wordsworth and Coleridge, the outrageous reputation of Lord Byron, and the literary significance of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. (Ad) Daisy Hay is the author of Young Romantics: The Shelleys, Byron and Other Tangled Lives (Bloomsbury, 2011). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Young-Romantics-Shelleys-Byron-Tangled/dp/1408809729/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the summer of 1936, Spain descended into a brutal civil war between its democratically elected government and a nationalist insurgency led by General Francisco Franco. Sarah Watling tells Jon Bauckham about the fearless female writers and activists who joined the fight against Franco and sought to alert the world to Spain’s plight – from famed journalist Martha Gellhorn to nursing pioneer Salaria Kea. (Ad) Sarah Watling is the author of Tomorrow Perhaps the Future: Following Writers and Rebels in the Spanish Civil War (Vintage, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tomorrow-Perhaps-Future-Following-Writers/dp/1787332403/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Defeat in the First World War dealt the Ottoman empire a terrible blow, but it wasn’t terminal. Ryan Gingeras tells Spencer Mizen that it was what happened next – between 1918 and 1922 – that condemned the empire to its fate. (Ad) Ryan Gingeras is the author of The Last Days of the Ottoman Empire (Allen Lane, 2022). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Last-Days-Ottoman-Empire/dp/0241444322/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shakespeare’s plays are peppered with characters from across the social spectrum, from kings and nobility down to servants, soldiers and shepherds. Speaking to Rhiannon Davies, theatre director and author Stephen Unwin explores the bard’s portrayal of working people, and investigates how far his characters reflected the reality of living and working in Elizabethan England. (Ad) Stephen Unwin is the author of Poor Naked Wretches: Shakespeare's Working People (Reaktion Books, 2022). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fpoor-naked-wretches%2Fstephen-unwin%2F9781789146615 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Western Rising of 1549 was the most catastrophic event to occur in Devon and Cornwall between the Black Death and the Civil War. What started as an argument between two men and their local vicar grew into a determined attempt by ordinary English people to halt the Reformation. Speaking with Emily Briffett, Mark Stoyle reveals how thousands of 16th-century men and women rebelled to defend their faith. (Ad) Mark Stoyle is the author of A Murderous Midsummer: The Western Rising of 1549 (Yale University Press, 2022). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Murderous-Midsummer-Western-Rising-1549/dp/0300266324/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Many of the agents who played a crucial role in establishing the organisation now known as the Central Intelligence Agency – or CIA – were women. And yet, in the early days of the agency in post-WW2 America, they had to fight hard for career progression, status and recognition. Speaking with Elinor Evans, Nathalia Holt shares the lives of four women who undertook life-threatening missions and harnessed crucial intelligence in the early days of the agency. (Ad) Nathalia Holt is the author of Wise Gals: The Spies Who Built the CIA and Changed the Future of Espionage (Icon Books, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wise-Gals-Changed-Future-Espionage/dp/1785789589/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3C67LDSXDE5DV&keywords=nathalia+holt&qid=1674218071&s=books&sprefix=nathalia+holt%2Cstripbooks%2C72&sr=1-1&tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The palaeolithic period stretches across a vast period of space and time, but if there’s one thing that really brings the prehistoric era to life for us today, it’s cave art. Professor Paul Pettitt answers your top questions on what we can learn from the extraordinary prehistoric paintings and engravings found at places like Lascaux and Altamira. Speaking to David Musgrove, he delves into when and why this art was made, who made it, and how. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What would have happened if Josef Stalin, Winston Churchill and Franklin D Roosevelt had all been assassinated at the height of World War Two? Speaking with Elinor Evans, Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch discuss the complex tale of a little-known Nazi plot to kill the ‘Big Three’ during the 1943 summit in Tehran – regarded by some as a close call that could have changed world history, and others as a murky Soviet scam to garner secret intelligence. (Ad) Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch are the authors of The Nazi Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill (Flatiron Books, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FNazi-Conspiracy-Secret-Roosevelt-Churchill%2Fdp%2F1250777267" Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Common land – land which wasn’t settled or farmed – used to exist right across Britain, and provided a vital shared resource for local communities. However, it was also seen by some as a wild place for wild people, and over the centuries, was gradually ‘improved’ or enclosed. Speaking with David Musgrove, Professor Angus Winchester highlights common land’s rich and complex history, arguing that it provided a key resource for fuel, building materials, foraging and hunting, as well as being a place where communities gathered, games were played, fairs were held, and political dissent occurred. (Ad) Angus Winchester is the author of Common Land in Britain: A History from the Middle Ages to the Present Day (Boydell & Brewer, 2022). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fcommon-land-in-britain%2Fangus-j-l-winchester%2F9781783277438 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In Welsh history, the period that lies between the medieval era of resistance to English occupation, and the rapid industrialisation of the 18th and 19th centuries, is often forgotten. Yet, there was much more going on in Wales in the early modern period than might initially meet the eye. Speaking with Elinor Evans, Lloyd Bowen describes the ambiguities in Welsh identity and nationhood that arose in the decades following the Acts of Union in the early 16th century, including the impact of the Reformation on the Welsh language, and Wales’s changing relationship with the monarchy. (Ad) Lloyd Bowen is the author of Early Modern Wales c.1536–c.1689: Ambiguous Nationhood (University of Wales Press, 2022). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Early-Modern-Wales-c-1536-1689-Nationhood/dp/178683958X/ref=sr_1_1?qid=1669716512&refinements=p_27%3ALloyd+Bowen&s=books&sr=1-1&tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices