Podcast Episodes

The Nazi Occupation of Jersey

Episode 1634

The only British territory ever occupied by the Nazis was the Channel Islands. From 1940 to the end of the war, the Germans turned Jersey, and some of the islands around it, into an impenetrable fort…

Published on 7 months, 2 weeks ago

Why is Timbuktu Famous?

Episode 1633

Today we explore the famed city of Timbuktu. How did it grow from a trading post on the edge of the Sahara to a major centre of trade, learning and culture at the height of the Islamic Golden Age?

Joi…

Published on 7 months, 2 weeks ago

The Glorious Revolution

Episode 1632

In this episode we hear all about the Glorious Revolution, a pivotal moment in British history that saw the overthrow of King James II and the accession to the throne of William III and Mary II.

For t…

Published on 7 months, 2 weeks ago

The Siege of Vienna

Episode 1631

In the summer of 1683, Vienna was under siege. A vast Ottoman army surrounded the city, poised to breach the walls and clear the way for Ottoman expansion into Central Europe. Inside the city, famine…

Published on 7 months, 3 weeks ago

The History of Alcatraz

Episode 1629

Home to the likes of Al Capone and George 'Machine Gun' Kelly, Alcatraz was once the jewel in the American prison system. The wind-swept island fortress was the final stop for the nation's most dange…

Published on 7 months, 3 weeks ago

VE Day

Episode 1628

When the Second World War finally ended 80 years ago, there was a mixed reaction in Britain. Today, we hear about these varying responses, from elation and celebration to reticence and restraint.

For …

Published on 7 months, 3 weeks ago

How did Andrew Jackson Change the U.S. Presidency?

Episode 1627

A hero to some, and a villain to others, the seventh president of the United States was a populist firebrand who reshaped America and left a legacy that still echoes today. In this episode, Dan dives…

Published on 7 months, 4 weeks ago

Germany After Hitler

Episode 1626

80 years ago, as the war in Europe drew to a close, the world began to come to terms with the horrors of the Third Reich. This is the story of the Nuremberg Trials, the first of their kind, that woul…

Published on 8 months ago

The Death of Hitler

Episode 1625

Warning: this episode contains discussion of suicide.

Berlin, April 1945: After nearly 12 years, the "Thousand-Year Reich" is crumbling. Isolated in a bunker beneath the city, as Soviet forces close i…

Published on 8 months ago

The Dreyfus Affair: The Spy Scandal that Shook France

Episode 1621

It started with an inconsequential piece of military intelligence, scrawled on a piece of paper and left in a waste paper basket. But over the next decade, the infamous Dreyfus affair would mutate in…

Published on 8 months ago