Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchWhen football became a weapon of the Cold War
Episode 2577
The Cold War cast a shadow over all aspects of life – including the world's favourite sport. All sides of the ideological divide used football to sco…
2 weeks ago
How Britain lost America
Episode 2576
After declaring independence, the United States still had to survive a brutal conflict. In the third episode of HistoryExtra's four-part series on th…
2 weeks, 1 day ago
A history of the US in 100 unexpected objects
Episode 2575
As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Americans are taking a fresh look at their nation's past. But wh…
2 weeks, 3 days ago
An A-Z history of the English alphabet
Episode 2574
Which letter of the English alphabet did Benjamin Franklin think we'd be better off without? Why must the letter U (almost) always follow the letter …
2 weeks, 5 days ago
Abigail Adams: life of the week
Episode 2573
As the wife of a founding figure in early American history, Abigail Adams was able to push beyond the restrictions of many of her sex in the 18th cen…
2 weeks, 6 days ago
The astonishing laws of medieval Wales
Episode 2572
From divorce settlements and cattle disputes to surprisingly modern ideas about gender and compensation, the laws of Hywel Dda shed unique light on h…
3 weeks ago
Inside the Declaration of Independence
Episode 2571
It’s 250 years since the Declaration of Independence brought a new nation into formal existence. But what did it actually say – and who did it leave …
3 weeks, 1 day ago
Cannibalism, heartbreak and Madame Guillotine: George Forster's extraordinary life
Episode 2570
He sailed to Antarctica with Captain Cook, rubbed shoulders with Benjamin Franklin and helped found a revolutionary republic. It’s little wonder, the…
3 weeks, 3 days ago
Charlotte Brontë's life through clothes
Episode 2569
We might picture Charlotte Brontë's life as an isolated one, separated from much of the world and its fashions as she whiled away the hours in her fa…
3 weeks, 5 days ago
Emma Goldman: life of the week
Episode 2568
Anarchist, feminist, revolutionary: 19th-century activist and writer Emma Goldman emigrated from the Russian empire to the United States as a teenage…
3 weeks, 6 days ago