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Mongols vs Mamluks
Episode 1534
The Mongols were an unstoppable force through the 12th and 13th centuries, with an empire that stretched across huge swathes of land, from China to Europe. But its territory also included much of the…
Published on 3 years ago
The history of alcohol: everything you wanted to know
Episode 1533
What’s the world’s oldest alcoholic beverage? Why was wine believed to be medicinal? And did medieval people actually get drunk from sipping beer all day? In our latest everything you wanted to know …
Published on 3 years ago
How ballroom dancing gripped Britain
Episode 1532
From the Turkey trot to the scandalously intimate moves of the Parisian tango, the 20th century saw Britain gripped by dance craze after dance craze. Performed in public halls up and down the country…
Published on 3 years ago
The Cuban Missile Crisis: Dangerous days
Episode 1531
In the third episode of our series on the Cuban Missile Crisis, we chart the first phase of the Cold War standoff. Elinor Evans speaks to expert historians Alex von Tunzelmann, Mark White and William…
Published on 3 years ago
The hell of the Pacific War
Episode 1530
The Pacific campaign featured some of the most brutal battles of the Second World War – Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima and Okinawa among them. Here, in conversation with Spencer Mizen, Saul David explores the…
Published on 3 years ago
Inside Germany’s postwar prisons
Episode 1529
In the wake of the Second World War, Germany was a country on the brink of collapse. Despite the war’s end, the years to follow were turbulent, as Germans lived through the division of East and West,…
Published on 3 years ago
Pilgrimage, past and present
Episode 1528
Peter Stanford reflects on the meaning of pilgrimage across world history, considering whether we share anything in common with pilgrims of the past. Speaking with Emily Briffett, he traces different…
Published on 3 years ago
British spies in WW2: everything you wanted to know
Episode 1527
From ingenious gadgets to audacious plots, historian Helen Fry answers listener questions on British espionage in the Second World War. Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne, she explores how agents were recru…
Published on 3 years ago
Black Victorians: radicals, muses, inmates & aristocrats
Episode 1526
From political agitators and artist’s muses to composers, sailors, asylum inmates and the goddaughter of the queen herself, black people led a variety of fascinating lives in Victorian Britain. Dr Jo…
Published on 3 years ago
The Cuban Missile Crisis: broken ties & a secret pact
Episode 1525
The 1961 Bay of Pigs operation was a debacle for the United States that inflamed Cold War tensions to a new height. In the second episode of our series on the Cuban Missile Crisis, Elinor Evans speak…
Published on 3 years ago