Podcasts
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39:00
The Dark History of Bearded Ladies & the Victorian Freak Show
30 July 2024What would it have really been like to visit a Victorian freak show? Were "freak performers" exploited, or empowered in a world that would likely...
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43:38
Rollo: The First Norman
30 July 2024Rollo was a Viking leader who became the first ruler of Normandy in the early 10th century. His descendants, the Normans, later conquered England...
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38:21
A History of Cheating at the Olympics
29 July 2024Dan is joined by the QI Elves James Harkin and Anna Ptaszynski to talk about cheating in sports as the 2024 Olympics get underway. Why do we do it...
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39:23
The Third Presidential Assassination: McKinley
29 July 2024On 6th September, 1901, President William McKinley attended a public reception at the Pan American Exposition, a 6-month-long World’s Fair, in...
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41:41
Hippocrates: The Father Of Medicine
29 July 2024Around 460 BCE, a man was born in Ancient Greece who would change medicine forever. He invented a new scientific approach to medicine that...
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43:17
The Final Days of Marie Antoinette
29 July 2024How did Marie Antoinette, last Queen of France, spend her final days before the guillotine took her head? Did she ever really stand a chance?...
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32:45
Vivaldi’s Greatest Protegé
29 July 2024In early 18th century Venice, the Ospedale della Pietà took in abandoned baby girls through a tiny gap in the wall. In addition to ensuring...
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26:11
Harris vs Trump: How We Got Here
28 July 2024With the news that Kamala Harris is the assumed Democratic nominee for the November election, the presidential race looks very different than it...
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43:16
The Maya Collapse
28 July 2024Just over 1,000 years ago, the ancient Maya world in Mesoamerica was turned upside down. Prominent cities like Tikal, Palenque, Copan and...
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45:46
The Cult of Becket
26 July 2024Almost immediately after Thomas Becket’s murder, reports of miraculous healings and divine interventions spread like wildfire. Canterbury...
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43:23
History of Grief: Sky Burials & Victorian Death Photos
26 July 2024Why did the Victorians dress up their dead relatives for photo shoots?
What are the origins of embalming? And why do most of us have such a...
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46:03
President William McKinley: The Secret Service & the Spanish-American War
25 July 2024Why does the Secret Service protect the President of the United States? And what can we learn from McKinley's life and presidency, not just his...
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