Podcast Episodes

Congo, Cold War & CIA plotting: the 1961 assassination that shook Africa

Episode 2090

Soon after gaining independence from Belgium in 1960, the new Republic of the Congo was rocked by the assassination of its young firebrand leader, Patrice Lumumba. Stuart A Reid unpicks this story in…

Published on 1 year, 3 months ago

Viking trade, Titanic and Olympic rings: history behind the headlines

Episode 2089

Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter discuss the historical news stories that have made headlines this month

In the latest episode of our monthly series charting the past behind the present, Hannah Skoda and …

Published on 1 year, 3 months ago

How ancient India transformed the world

Episode 2088

From the Roman economy and Angkor Wat to the spread of Buddhism and the numerical system we use today, ancient India was one of the great seedbeds of human civilisation. Indian art, religion, technol…

Published on 1 year, 3 months ago

The Hittites: everything you wanted to know

Episode 2087

The Hittites were one of the most powerful civilisations in the Near East, building a vast empire that encompassed much of modern-day Turkey. But aside from a few vague references in ancient texts, p…

Published on 1 year, 3 months ago

The Iranian embassy siege: an SAS hostage drama in London

Episode 2086

In May 1980, TV coverage of the world snooker final was interrupted by live footage of men in black balaclavas abseiling down the walls of the Iranian Embassy in London. This was Operation Nimrod, a …

Published on 1 year, 3 months ago

Ancient Egypt | 4. religion and death

Episode 2085

Nothing is more synonymous with ancient Egypt than mummification. But why was this postmortem practice actually performed? And what other rituals and beliefs surrounded death in the ancient civilisat…

Published on 1 year, 3 months ago

Native Americans: a history of power and survival

Episode 2084

The story of Native American societies decimated by European arrival is a familiar one. But, while undoubtedly important, that’s only one part of the story. In her new book Native Nations, Kathleen D…

Published on 1 year, 3 months ago

Isambard Kingdom Brunel: life of the week

Episode 2083

From pioneering railways and awe-inspiring bridges to ocean-spanning passenger ships and flatpack hospitals, there was no engineering challenge too ambitious for Isambard Kingdom Brunel. The impressi…

Published on 1 year, 3 months ago

The 1943 battle of Kursk – and its present-day echoes

Episode 2082

Recent developments in the Russia-Ukraine war have seen Kursk make headlines – provoking parallels with the Second World War battle that took place in the region. But are such links helpful? And how …

Published on 1 year, 3 months ago

Medieval torture: everything you wanted to know

Episode 2081

Why were people tortured in the Middle Ages? Was it ever legal? Did the infliction of physical pain play as large a role in medieval prosecutions as we might think? And did anyone actually experience…

Published on 1 year, 3 months ago