Podcast Episodes

Leaving Devil's Island

Episode 1227

Established in 1852, Devil’s Island, one of six penal colonies in French Guiana, was finally closed on 22nd August, 1953. Nicknamed the ‘Green Hell’ and the ‘Dry Guillotine’, it earned a reputation a…

Published on 2 weeks, 2 days ago

Cat Bin Lady, Internet Villain

Episode 1226

CCTV footage captured middle-aged bank worker Mary Bale dropping friendly tabby cat Lola into a Coventry wheelie bin on 21st August, 2010. The video went viral, and Bale was disgraced on the front pa…

Published on 2 weeks, 3 days ago

The Rolling Stones' Biggest Hit

Episode 1225

I Can’t Get No Satisfaction was released in Britain on 20th August, 1965 - having already reached No. 1 for four weeks Stateside. 

With its distorted guitar riff, raw energy, and thinly veiled sexual…

Published on 2 weeks, 4 days ago

The Surprising Start of Vietnemese Nail Bars

Episode 1224

Tippi Hedren, star of Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’ and ‘Marnie’, was already known for her activism - primarily rescuing big cats - when, on 19th August, 1975 she visited a Vietnamese refugee camp in Sacr…

Published on 2 weeks, 5 days ago

Apartheid and the Olympics

Episode 1223

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) banned South Africa from competing in the upcoming Tokyo Games on 18th August, 1964, after the nation had signalled its intention to send only white athlete…

Published on 2 weeks, 6 days ago

The Real Macbeth

Episode 1221

Immortalised by Shakespeare, Scottish king Macbeth was killed in battle near Lumphanan, Aberdeenshire on 15th August 1057; a demise that brought significant changes to Scotland's monarchy.

But the re…

Published on 3 weeks, 2 days ago

Capturing Carlos The Jackal

Episode 1220

A decades-long manhunt closed in on international terrorist Illich Ramirez Sanchez, aka Carlos the Jackal, on 14th August, 1994 - when he was sedated and kidnapped by French intelligence agents in K…

Published on 3 weeks, 3 days ago

Building The Berlin Wall

Episode 1219

Berliners awoke on 13th August, 1961 to find their city divided in half. East German troops had worked overnight to roll out barbed wire and barricades, turning neighbourhoods into no-go zones. It be…

Published on 3 weeks, 4 days ago

Ponzi Gets Busted

Episode 1218

The ‘Get Rich Quick’ scheme pioneered by scamster Charles Ponzi came to an end with his arrest on 12th August, 1920 - but ‘Ponzi schemes’ remain a popular form of swindling to this day. 

After promis…

Published on 3 weeks, 5 days ago

Who Invented Hip Hop?

Episode 1217

Clive Campbell, better known as DJ Kool Herc, soundtracked his sister Cindy Campbell’s back-to-school party in the Bronx on 11th August, 1973 - and in doing so, laid down the musical tropes that woul…

Published on 3 weeks, 6 days ago