Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchSpiritual showmen: the 1920s occult
Episode 2287
Tahra Bey became a celebrity with his apparent ability to control his pulse, stab himself without pain and even bury himself alive. Dr Dahesh, meanwhile, was a spiritualist who sparked an entire reli…
Published on 7 months ago
Cheese history: everything you wanted to know
Episode 2286
Nothing beats a well-loaded cheeseboard. But while so many of us enjoy a stinky stilton and ripe brie, or chuck a reliable old cheddar into our basket at the supermarket each week, what do we actuall…
Published on 7 months ago
Taking sides: how the Civil War turned friends into enemies
Episode 2285
As 17th-century Britain edged ever closer to civil war, two friends, Bulstrode Whitelock and Ned Hyde, found their relationship under increasing strain. Minoo Dinshaw tells Ellie Cawthorne about how …
Published on 7 months, 1 week ago
Were Roman women done dirty by modern translations?
Episode 2284
The stories of ancient Rome are littered with despicable women, and those of the Julio-Claudian dynasty are especially infamous. But where do these stories come from? And why have they endured for ce…
Published on 7 months, 1 week ago
Otto von Bismarck: life of the week
Episode 2283
Few 19th-century leaders have a CV quite like Otto von Bismarck's. This formidable statesman's cunning, charisma and eye for an opportunity helped him drive the unification of Germany and engineer a …
Published on 7 months, 1 week ago
The Einstein murders
Episode 2282
In the summer of 1944, as the German forces were retreating in northern Italy, a small group of soldiers made a detour to a remote villa in search of Albert Einstein's cousin. Robert Einstein posed n…
Published on 7 months, 1 week ago
The Beaker People: everything you wanted to know
Episode 2281
Who were the Beaker People? What was their contribution to the building of Stonehenge? And did their arrival in Britain really lead to the obliteration of the indigenous population? Here, in conversa…
Published on 7 months, 1 week ago
Gods, demons, witches and exorcists: inside an ancient Assyrian library
Episode 2280
In the seventh century BC, the ancient Assyrian king Ashurbanipal created a gigantic library in his capital city – one that contained centuries of wisdom. And this vast wealth of ancient knowledge ca…
Published on 7 months, 2 weeks ago
Peaks, perils, and pioneers: the deadly history of mountaineering
Episode 2279
What has prompted humans throughout history to risk life and limb to conquer some of the world's highest mountains? Author and climber Daniel Light talks to Rachel Dinning about why humans have alway…
Published on 7 months, 2 weeks ago
Josephine Baker: life of the week
Episode 2278
Showbusiness, spying and civil rights - the extraordinary life of Josephine Baker had it all. From difficult beginnings, Baker transformed herself into the world's first black superstar, before turni…
Published on 7 months, 2 weeks ago