Podcast Episodes

Dog history: everything you wanted to know

Episode 1719

When were dogs first domesticated? Why was adopting from London’s “Temporary Home for Lost and Starving Dogs” such a radical move? And how did a dognapping case change the life of 19th-century poet E…

Published on 2 years, 5 months ago

History's greatest cities | Season 2 Trailer

Why do some settlements become great centres of international influence, while others languish and ebb away? And how have Europe’s most important urban centres been shaped by geography, climate, reso…

Published on 2 years, 5 months ago

Oppenheimer: “destroyer of worlds”

Episode 1718

When the atom bomb was dropped in 1945, how did its inventor, J Robert Oppenheimer, feel? To mark the release of Christopher Nolan’s new blockbuster Oppenheimer, biographer Kai Bird joins Elinor Evan…

Published on 2 years, 5 months ago

How Barbie changed the world

Episode 1717

Barbie has been catapulted back into the cultural spotlight this week, thanks to a new movie. But, why is the iconic doll historically significant? Since her creation in 1959, Barbie has been about m…

Published on 2 years, 5 months ago

Britain’s love affair with Edward VII

Episode 1716

The death of King Edward VII in 1910 pitched Britain into a frenzy of mourning, as the nation marked the passing of a symbol of continuity and stability in an ever more unpredictable world. Speaking …

Published on 2 years, 5 months ago

The WAAF: the many behind the few

Episode 1715

In his famous speech of summer 1940, Winston Churchill hailed the RAF as the “few” who protected the skies during the Battle of Britain. But the success of Britain’s air force was also dependent on t…

Published on 2 years, 5 months ago

Eastern Europe: a personal journey through the region’s past

Episode 1714

Eastern Europe has been the setting for some of history’s most climactic events. Yet barely 30 years since the collapse of Communism heralded the so-called “end of history”, are we now witnessing the…

Published on 2 years, 5 months ago

Roman gods & goddesses: everything you wanted to know

Episode 1713

How were Roman deities different to Greek deities? Why did the Romans sacrifice animals? What did religious cults get up to in ancient Rome? And just how many gods and goddesses did they worship? In …

Published on 2 years, 5 months ago

Blindness: a cultural history

Episode 1712

As far back as the archaeological record takes us, we can find evidence of blind people. But the experiences of those people – and the ways they were seen by others – have always been hugely shaped b…

Published on 2 years, 5 months ago

Big questions of the Crimean War: aftermath and legacy

Episode 1711

From advances in weaponry and warships to the use of telegraphs and photography, the Crimean War produced a whole host of innovations. In the final episode of our three-part series exploring the conf…

Published on 2 years, 5 months ago