Podcast Episodes
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Let's Triangulate Britain
Episode 872
Rerun: The Ordnance Survey - a government-funded agency created to aid the military in the event of invasion from France - took receipt of a theodoli…
2 years, 1 month ago
The Famous Painting Ape
Rerun: Congo, pet chimp of science writer and TV personality Desmond Morris, was considered a novelty in the art world when his paintings were displa…
2 years, 1 month ago
Making The Metropolitan Police
Episode 870
Sir Robert Peel received royal assent for the Metropolis Police Improvement Bill on 19th June, 1829 - leading to the creation of London's first profe…
2 years, 1 month ago
Insuring Your Life
Episode 869
The world’s first life insurance policy was signed on June 18th, 1583.
The person insured was one William Gybbons, who worked as a meat and fish salte…
2 years, 1 month ago
Build Me The Taj Mahal
Episode 868
India’s most famous building, Agra’s Taj Mahal, was commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan - following the death in childbirth of his beloved …
2 years, 1 month ago
The Vatican's Naughty Library
Episode 866
Rerun: Circulated in some form since the 16th century, the ‘Index of Forbidden Books’ was quietly discontinued by Pope Paul VI on 14th June, 1966.
In …
2 years, 1 month ago
Let's Censor Hollywood
Episode 865
Rerun: he Production Code Administration - which policed standards of decency on all US cinema releases for twenty years - was established on 13th Ju…
2 years, 1 month ago
Meet Me At The Automat
Episode 864
Before McDonalds, there was the Horn & Hardart Automat - a chain restaurant featuring coin-operated glass windows, which opened its first branch in …
2 years, 1 month ago
King Tries Hotdog!
Episode 863
King George VI first tasted a hot dog on June 11th, 1939.
The moment occurred during a picnic at the Hyde Park residence of US President Franklin Dela…
2 years, 1 month ago
Tolstoy's Monastic Adventures
Episode 862
The renowned author of "War and Peace," Count Leo Tolstoy, set off on a pilgrimage to Optina Monastery on 10th June, 1881, disguised as a peasant.
Acc…
2 years, 1 month ago