Podcasts

Inventing Fire: the First Spark of Humanity

Fire is the unsung hero of human evolution. We could not have turned into the big-brained, deep-thinking animals we are on raw food alone. The...

President Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, so how did it work out when he became the leader of this nation that...

Sex In Old Age: Myths, Toys & Desire

As taboos go, sex between two consenting adults should not be up there as one of them.

And yet! When we talk about sex in old age many...

My Great-Grandfather's War: Lt-Gen Thomas Snow & The Somme

Dan explores his great-grandfather's part in the First World War. Lieutenant-General Thomas Snow was a senior officer in the British Army who...

Three Mile Island: Nuclear Accident in Pennsylvania

It's the worst accident in US commercial nuclear power history. In March 1979, the Unit 2 reactor at Three Mile Island nuclear generating station...

Henry VIII’s Fool, Will Somer

In some portraits of Henry VIII there appears another, striking figure. This is Will Somer, the king’s fool, a celebrated wit who could raise...

Holy Roman Empire

Voltaire famously wrote that the "The Holy Roman Empire was in no way holy, nor Roman, nor an empire.” But Dr. Eleanor...

The Origins of the Popes

The popes of Rome emerged from the humblest of beginnings. The first was a fisherman, charged with spreading the word of God under the watchful...

The Great Mosque

The Great Mosque was positioned in the center of Baghdad, with numerous smaller mosques dotted around the various neighborhoods. A place of daily...

Rise and Fall of High Heels

For most of their history, High Heels were resolutely masculine. The most manly of manly footwear. How did they turn into burning icons of...

Harappan Civilisation

The Harappan civilisation, also known as the Indus Valley civilisation, was an ancient urban civilisation that thrived in the Indus River valley...

The Middle Ages in Five Facts

Where is the grave of King Arthur? What was the worst year in human history? Who were the most fractious royal siblings? What were the origins of...