

HistoryExtra podcast
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The HistoryExtra podcast brings you gripping stories from the past and fascinating historical conversations with the world's leading historical experts.
HistoryExtra is a free history podcast, with episodes released six times a week. Subscribe now for the real stories behind your favourite films, TV shows and period dramas, as well as compelling insights into lesser-known aspects of the past.
We delve into global history stories spanning the ancient world right up to the modern day. You’ll hear deep dives into the lives of famous historical figures like Cleopatra, Anne Boleyn and Winston Churchill, and explorations of intriguing events from the past, such as the Salem witch trials, the battle of Waterloo and D-Day.
Expect fresh takes on history, helping you get to grips with the latest research, as we explore everything from ancient Roman archaeology and Viking mythology to Renaissance royals and Tudor kings and queens.
Our episodes touch on a wide range of historical eras – from the Normans and Saxons to the Stuarts, Victorians and the Regency period. We cover the most popular historical subjects, from the medieval world to the Second World War, but you’ll also hear conversations on lesser-known parts of our past, including black history and women’s history.
Looking at the history behind today’s headlines, we consider the forces that have shaped today’s world, from the imposing empires that dominated continents, to the revolutions that brought them crashing down. We also examine the impact of conflict across the centuries, from the crusades of the Middle Ages and the battles of the ancient Egyptians to World War One, World War Two and the Cold War.
Plus, we uncover the real history behind myths, legends and conspiracy theories, from the medieval murder mystery of the Princes in the Tower, to the assassination of JFK.
Featuring interviews with notable historians including Mary Beard, Tracy Borman, James Holland and Dan Jones, we cover a range of social, political and military history, with the aim to start conversations about some of the most fascinating areas of the past.
Unlock full access to HistoryExtra.com for 6 months for just 99p https://www.historyextra.com/join/
The HistoryExtra podcast brings you gripping stories from the past and fascinating historical conversations with the world's leading historical experts.
HistoryExtra is a free history podcast, with episodes released six times a week. Subscribe now for the real stories behind your favourite films, TV shows and period dramas, as well as compelling insights into lesser-known aspects of the past.
We delve into global history stories spanning the ancient world right up to the modern day. You’ll hear deep dives into the lives of famous historical figures like Cleopatra, Anne Boleyn and Winston Churchill, and explorations of intriguing events from the past, such as the Salem witch trials, the battle of Waterloo and D-Day.
Expect fresh takes on history, helping you get to grips with the latest research, as we explore everything from ancient Roman archaeology and Viking mythology to Renaissance royals and Tudor kings and queens.
Our episodes touch on a wide range of historical eras – from the Normans and Saxons to the Stuarts, Victorians and the Regency period. We cover the most popular historical subjects, from the medieval world to the Second World War, but you’ll also hear conversations on lesser-known parts of our past, including black history and women’s history.
Looking at the history behind today’s headlines, we consider the forces that have shaped today’s world, from the imposing empires that dominated continents, to the revolutions that brought them crashing down. We also examine the impact of conflict across the centuries, from the crusades of the Middle Ages and the battles of the ancient Egyptians to World War One, World War Two and the Cold War.
Plus, we uncover the real history behind myths, legends and conspiracy theories, from the medieval murder mystery of the Princes in the Tower, to the assassination of JFK.
Featuring interviews with notable historians including Mary Beard, Tracy Borman, James Holland and Dan Jones, we cover a range of social, political and military history, with the aim to start conversations about some of the most fascinating areas of the past.
Unlock full access to HistoryExtra.com for 6 months for just 99p https://www.historyextra.com/join/
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 17, 2023 • 25min
Parachuting monkeys & volcanic eruptions: an extraordinary Victorian zoo
With parachuting monkeys, volcanic eruptions and performances of Beethoven’s symphonies, Surrey Zoo was no ordinary Victorian attraction. Dr Joanne Cormac joins Rob Attar to discuss the story of this eye-opening pleasure park, and reveals what the rise of zoos can tell us about science, leisure and empire in the Victorian age. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jan 16, 2023 • 46min
Curious cures for medieval maladies
If you feel unwell today you can pick up a prescription or head to a medical centre, but how did ill people treat their ailments in the Middle Ages? A major new project at Cambridge University Library aims to find out, by digitising, cataloguing and conserving over 180 medieval manuscripts, containing well over 8,000 medical recipes. Dr James Freeman speaks to Emily Briffett about what these weird and wonderful recipes – using ingredients like puppy stomachs and eel grease – can tell us. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jan 15, 2023 • 38min
Jane Austen’s England: everything you wanted to know
What was society’s attitude towards female writers in Regency England? How far did class affect the hopes of young couples looking to be wed? And did people really spend all day gossiping about grand fortunes, illustrious estates and ruinous affairs? Speaking with Lauren Good, Dr Lizzie Rogers answers listener questions on Jane Austen’s England – from the delights of a Regency ball to the flourishing ideal of marrying for love. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jan 13, 2023 • 44min
Veggie Victorians
In the 19th century, Britain imagined itself as a bastion of beef-eating carnivores. But at a time when meat consumption was taken as a signifier of personal heartiness and national prosperity, a rebel alliance formed – a ragtag group of religious devotees, health enthusiasts, temperance campaigners, animal rights activists, political reformers and eccentrics. They were all united by one cause: vegetarianism. Dr James Gregory tells Ellie Cawthorne about how going meat-free became an organised movement in Victorian Britain. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jan 12, 2023 • 33min
An environmental history of big business
As part of our series of conversations with winners of the 2022 Dan David Prize, Dr Bart Elmore discusses his research into the environmental impacts of global capitalism through history with Helen Carr, from Coca-Cola and plastic use, to pesticides.The Dan David Prize is the world's largest history prize, which recognizes outstanding historical scholarship. Find out more at dandavidprize.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jan 11, 2023 • 42min
Tools, temples & tower blocks: how wood has shaped human history
For millennia, humans have cut down trees to create buildings, ships, tools, weapons and everyday objects we still use around the home. Author and archaeologist Max Adams tells Jon Bauckham what studying this most resilient of materials can teach us about the history of our species. (Ad) Max Adams is the author of The Museum of the Wood Age (Head of Zeus, 2022). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Museum-Wood-Age-Max-Adams/dp/1788543505/ref=sr_1_10?crid=2N45LY77LGPE0&keywords=max+adams&qid=1665386697&qu=eyJxc2MiOiI0LjA2IiwicXNhIjoiMy44MyIsInFzcCI6IjMuNDQifQ%3D%3D&s=books&sprefix=max+ada%2Cstripbooks%2C649&sr=1-10&tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-Histboty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jan 10, 2023 • 35min
Weaponising food in the Third Reich
In Hitler’s Germany, what you ate was not a personal matter – sacrificing luxury was a way for German citizens to demonstrate their patriotism, while hunger was weaponised as a tool of war and oppression in occupied territories. Historian Lisa Pine explains to Ellie Cawthorne why the Nazis were so eager to control the nation’s diet, and explores the devastating impact of their food policies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jan 9, 2023 • 33min
“A serial killer of civilisations”: a history of climate change
From the Justinian plague to the fall of the Maya, climate change has been connected to many of history’s great catastrophes. Environmental journalist Eugene Linden speaks to Rhiannon Davies about the longer history of our relationship with the environment, and how the situation has snowballed since 1979. (Ad) Eugene Linden is the author of Fire and Flood: A People's History of Climate Change, from 1979 to the Present (Penguin, 2022). Buy it now from Waterstones:https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Ffire-and-flood%2Feugene-linden%2F9780241565551 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

12 snips
Jan 8, 2023 • 47min
Life under Cromwell: everything you wanted to know
The 11 years between the execution of King Charles I in 1649 and the restoration of his son, Charles II, in 1660 are among the most turbulent in all of British history – and it was a period dominated by one man: Oliver Cromwell. But was it always Cromwell’s intention to execute Charles I? Why did he decide to readmit Jewish people to England? And did he really ban Christmas? Professor Ronald Hutton responds to your top questions on the rise and rule of the contentious Lord Protector. (Ad) Ronald Hutton is the author of The Making of Oliver Cromwell (Yale, 2021). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Making-Oliver-Cromwell-Ronald-Hutton/dp/0300257457/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-Jan23iPad Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jan 6, 2023 • 38min
Oddball art: cannibals, hellscapes & flying monks
From kaleidoscopic hellscapes to portraits of cannibals and flying monks, Edward Brooke-Hitching introduces some of the strangest creations in art history. Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne, he takes us on a tour around this ‘madman’s gallery’ of scandalous and eccentric works, including a painting created with pigment made from mummified remains, artworks inspired by contacting the dead, and family portraits created by an algorithm. (Ad) Edward Brooke-Hitching is the author of The Madman's Gallery: The Strangest Paintings, Sculptures and Other Curiosities From the History of Art (Simon & Schuster, 2022). Buy it now from Amazon:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Madmans-Gallery-Strangest-Sculptures-Curiosities/dp/1398503576/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=&tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


