HistoryExtra podcast

What was the Arts and Crafts movement? How far was it associated with radical politics? And is it alive and well today? The Victorian cultural movement was transformative in our understanding of the importance of the maker in the artistic process, and Suzanne Fagence Cooper joins us for this 'Everything you wanted to know' episode to answer your questions on the subject. Speaking to Elinor Evans, she explores the ideas that underpinned this influential movement and the 19th-century artists that formed it. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

To mark LGBT+ history month, we're revisiting a classic episode on a pivotal moment in LGBTQ+ history. Speaking to Matt Elton in 2019, historian Chris Parkes explored the background to the 1969 Stonewall riots, when LGBT protests erupted at New York’s Stonewall Inn. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What led two teenagers from Canton province in China to emigrate to California in the late 19th-century? And what lives awaited them on America's west coast? Speaking to Elinor Evans, Hugo Wong discusses the interlocking stories of two of his ancestors, who left China as young men in the late 19th century for the riches of California. Met by both opportunity and prejudice, they later helped to establish a Chinese settlement in Mexico, with their descendants forging new cultural ties. (Ad) Hugo Wong is the author of America's Lost Chinese: The Rise and Fall of a Migrant Family Dream (C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Americas-Lost-Chinese-Migrant-Family/dp/1805260561/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bob Carlisle was a Victorian influencer and minor celebrity; a global seafarer, circus clown and lion tamer, and Britain’s original long-distance ‘wheelbarrow pedestrian’. This new six-part series sees David Musgrove recover the story of this widely forgotten and larger-than-life character. In this first episode, David talks to historians Valerie Sanders and Bob Nicholson to explore Bob’s early life and investigate what his experiences can tell us about life-writing and the media in 19th-century Britain. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Tiger Tamer who went to sea, from HistoryExtra, is the story of one remarkable Victorian man who lived the life of a dozen men. His adventures as a global seafarer and as a circus clown, showman and yes, tiger tamer would be fascinating enough. However, he was also a celebrated athlete, and Britain’s original long-distance wheelbarrow pedestrian. He pushed a wheelbarrow from Lands End to John O’Groats in 1879 but sadly missed the great wheelbarrow craze of 1887 because he was sailing the high seas. In this six-part series, David Musgrove reveals the untold story of this Victorian influencer, Bob Carlisle, and chats to a range of experts to find out what his life tells us about broader themes in 19th and early 20th century history – we cover the rise of mass media, the Temperance movement, enterainment and celebrity culture, the changing face of global trade and technology, the Edwardian healthy living movement, and yes, the noble sport of wheelbarrow-pushing. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Daniel Cowling talks to Spencer Mizen about the British occupation of Germany from 1945-49, and describes how the young officials tasked with rebuilding a broken nation navigated acute privation, a traumatised population and scepticism among their compatriots back home to help set Germany on the road to democracy. (Ad) Daniel Cowling is the author of Don't Let's Be Beastly to the Germans: The British Occupation of Germany, 1945-49 (Apollo, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dont-Lets-Beastly-Germans-Occupation/dp/1800243502/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the list of famous explorers, the name of Christopher Columbus stands out. Seen for many years as the man who supposedly 'discovered' the Americas, his heroic legacy is now being challenged and critiqued. Speaking to Paul Bloomfield, historian Julia McClure considers the exploits, achievements and failings of the explorer and navigator – from paving the way for the European exploration of the 'New World' to the poor treatment of the Americas' indigenous inhabitants. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Slavic diaspora is one of the biggest in the world – so why aren't their myths better known? Speaking to Kev Lochun, Noah Charney and Svetlana Slapšak introduce the Slavic gods, explaining how their myths continue to hold sway over daily life – and how these stories have been used to shape nations. You'll never look at a cabbage the same way again. (Ad) Noah Charney and Svetlana Slapšak are the authors of The Slavic Myths (Thames & Hudson Ltd, 2023). 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%2Fthe-slavic-myths%2Fnoah-charney%2Fsvetlana-slap-ak%2F9780500025017 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What did the average Roman soldier eat and drink while on campaign? Were the legions seen as a oppressive force in the regions they conquered? And why was one Roman centurion nicknamed 'bring me another'? Speaking with Emily Briffett, ancient historian Adrian Goldsworthy answers listener questions on life in the Roman army – from training and punishment to whether legionaries really hated being sent to Britain. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As AppleTV+ new drama The New Look hits our screens, we revisit this classic episode surrounding one of the series' central characters – fashion icon Coco Chanel. Speaking to Elinor Evans in 2020, writer and journalist Anne de Courcy discussed Chanel's experiences – alongside those of some other famous faces – on the French Riviera during the interwar years and the era of Nazi occupation. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Death was an everyday part of life in 19th-century Britain – and the Victorians were fascinated by it, developing a wealth of customs and rules about how people should bury their dead and how they should grieve. Many of these – from hair jewellery to deathbed photography – seem strange to modern eyes, but they sprang from a deep desire to pay respect to the deceased. Speaking to Rebecca Franks, Judith Flanders takes us on a moving journey from the sickbed to the cemetery. (Ad) Judith Flanders is the author of Rites of Passage: Death and Mourning in Victorian Britain (Picador, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rites-Passage-Mourning-Victorian-Britain/dp/1509816976/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the early 14th century, the Knights Templar were suppressed and the 200-year history of this military religious order came to an abrupt end. Or did it? What if some of the Templars escaped persecution to operate secretly until the present day, holding on to precious religious relics and maybe even discovering America? In this new episode of Conspiracy, Rob Attar is joined by medieval historian Steve Tibble to explore why myths have surrounded the Templars from the Middle Ages until the present day – and to explain how Rosslyn Chapel and the Holy Grail fit into the story. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From unwanted proposals and lingering looks across ballrooms to a wet-shirted Mr Darcy emerging from a lake, the romantic stories of Jane Austen – and their countless adaptations – have captured the hearts of many of us. But, if we turn to the real historical record of the Regency era, how much truth is there to these tales of happily ever after? As a nod to Valentine's Day, Lauren Good speaks to Rory Muir about the reality of love and marriage in the age of Jane Austen, from engagements and elopements to going on honeymoon with your mother-in-law. (Ad) Rory Muir is the author of Love and Marriage in the Age of Jane Austen (Yale University Press, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Love-Marriage-Age-Jane-Austen/dp/0300269609/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The latest instalment of our monthly series sees Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter explore the long history behind the Post Office Scandal, the historical precedents behind recent developments in US politics and more Our new monthly series explores the history hitting the headlines – and the way the past informs today’s world. The latest instalment of our monthly series sees Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter explore the long history behind the Post Office Scandal, the historical precedents behind recent developments in US politics and more. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Drag is an art form that's seen a great deal of success – and a little controversy – in recent years. Yet, as Jacob Bloomfield argues in his recent book, Drag: A British History, it's also entertained British audiences for decades, stretching back to the music halls of the Victorian era and revue shows of the Second World War. Matt Elton caught up with Jacob to find out more. (Ad) Jacob Bloomfield is the author of Drag: A British History (University of California Press, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Drag-British-History-Berkeley-Studies/dp/0520393325/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How did medieval Ireland come to have 150 kings at the same time? Who were the gallowglass? What is Brehon law, and why is it so influential in our understanding of the country in the Middle Ages? Speaking to Emily Briffett in this 'Everything you wanted to know' episode, Professor Seán Duffy answers your top questions on Ireland during the Middle Ages. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In June 1907, five plucky teams departed the Chinese capital and embarked on a 9,317-mile automobile race to Paris. Traversing scorching deserts and perilous mountain passes in ill-equipped vehicles, the participants regularly risked their lives – but their tenacity would transform attitudes towards the car forever. Kassia St Clair spoke to Jon Bauckham about the story behind the race, and what it can tell us about the wider history of transport, communication and globalisation. (Ad) Kassia St Clair is the author of The Race to the Future: The Adventure that Accelerated the Twentieth Century (John Murray Press, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Race-Future-Adventure-Accelerated-Twentieth/dp/1529386055/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

First published in Russia in 1903, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion purported to demonstrate evidence of a global Jewish conspiracy. Though it has repeatedly been proven to be a forgery, the text has helped fuel antisemitism across the world, from Henry Ford in America, to Nazi Germany, to Jew-hate today. In this new episode of Conspiracy, Rob Attar speaks to Professor Pamela S Nadell about why the infamous tract has proven so popular and how it connects to other antisemitic conspiracy theories. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From prehistoric carvings and medieval spell books to grand romantic gestures and tokens of affection, throughout history there has been no shortage of ways to say those three little words. Speaking to Charlotte Hodgman, Edward Brooke-Hitching shares some incredible, and curious, stories of love through time – from ancient Mesopotamia to the modern day. (Ad) Edward Brooke-Hitching is the author of Love: A Curious History (Simon & Schuster, 2023). 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%2Flove-a-curious-history%2Fedward-brooke-hitching%2F9781398522718 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington has gone down in history as one of Britain's most formidable military commanders. But how did he earn such an impressive reputation? In today's Life of the Week episode, Dr Zack White guides Ellie Cawthorne through Wellington's successes on the battlefield, as well as his controversial tenure as a politician and salacious personal life. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Did you know that the seemingly bucolic Ploughman's lunch actually came about because of a marketing ploy? Or that turnips were once thought to be an aphrodisiac? Pen Vogler takes Lauren Good on a culinary journey through Britain's history, exploring moments when food was at the centre of social change and upheaval. (Ad) Pen Vogler is the author of Stuffed: A History of Good Food and Hard Times in Britain (Atlantic Books, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stuffed-History-Good-Times-Britain/dp/1838955747/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Where does the word "chivalry" come from? How should an honourable knight treat his vanquished foes? And do chivalric ideals underlie modern-day misogyny? In our latest Everything you wanted to know episode, medievalist Lydia Zeldenrust answers listener questions on the idealised code of knightly conduct that arose during the medieval era, in conversation with Rebecca Franks. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

According to legend, when Alexander the Great rocked up on the island of Pharos in northern Egypt, he had a vision of a spectacular city – a vision that later became reality in the form of Alexandria. On the mainland nearby, connected by a new causeway to Pharos, the metropolis grew and thrived, drawing people in from far and wide. Its power was symbolised by the remarkable Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the Great Library, which aspired to be home to all the world's knowledge. Speaking to Rebecca Franks, Islam Issa explores the origin story of this remarkable city. (Ad) Islam Issa is the author of Alexandria: The City that Changed the World (Sceptre, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Alexandria-City-that-Changed-World/dp/1529377587/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the 22 November 1963, President John F Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested and charged with the murder, but over the past 60 years millions of people have come to believe that Oswald was just a small cog in a wider plot to murder the president, orchestrated by a powerful group such as the CIA, the Mafia or the Cuban regime. In this new episode of Conspiracy, Rob Attar speaks to the journalist Gerald Posner whose landmark 1993 book Case Closed famously concluded that Oswald had indeed acted alone. Together they dissect the evidence from the assassination and consider why conspiracy theories about it have become so widespread. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Donald L Miller shares how US 'bomber boys' made D-Day possible, a story now dramatised in the Apple TV+ series Masters of the Air Masters of the Air is the big-budget Apple TV+ follow-up to Band of Brothers and The Pacific. Exec produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, it follows the exploits of the 100th Bomb Group, charting the vital role played by American airmen in the run-up to D-Day. The series draws its inspiration from a book of the same name by Donald L Miller, and in today's episode Kev Lochun speaks to Donald about the terrifying realities of flying a B-17 Flying Fortress during WW2 bombing missions. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"I am Spartacus" is one of the most iconic lines in cinema history: from the 1960 film starring Kirk Douglas in the titular role, it has come to define how we see the Roman rebel. However, according to Roman historian Alison Futrell, the real man behind the legend has an equally fascinating story to tell. Speaking to Emily Briffett, Alison explains how Spartacus's life has been told through a variety of skewed lenses, explores the context surrounding his extraordinary uprising – and reveals how he has come to be seen as a revolutionary hero. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Asia has long enthralled people in the west, with voyages of discovery and military expeditions setting out in search of wealth, wisdom and the chance to explore a "strange new world". Historian and author Christopher Harding speaks to Matt Elton about westeners' enduring fascination with India, China and Japan, and the ways in which it has shaped the relationship between East and West from the ancient world to the 21st century. (Ad) Christopher Harding is the author of The Light of Asia: A History of Western Fascination with the East (Allen Lane, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Light-Asia-History-Western-Fascination-ebook/dp/B0C68SSV9D/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Did the hanging gardens of Babylon really exist? How was Egypt's Great Pyramid built? And could any one person have seen all seven ancient wonders? In our latest Everything you wanted to know episode Rachel Dinning puts listener questions on the seven wonders of the ancient world to public historian Bettany Hughes, who gives us the lowdown on these spectacular monuments and explores why humanity has had such an enduring fascination with them. (Ad) Bettany Hughes is the author of The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Seven-Wonders-Ancient-World-ebook/dp/B0BXP3NDVQ/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War, a British stockbroker worked tirelessly to rescue hundreds of Jewish children from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia by transporting them to new lives in Britain. Nicholas Winton's life and achievements are the subject of a new film One Life, and ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day, Edward Abel Smith joins Spencer Mizen to discuss his story. (Ad) Edward Abel Smith is the author of The British Oskar Schindler: The Life and Work of Nicholas Winton (Pen & Sword, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/British-Oskar-Schindler-Nicholas-Winton/dp/1399011480/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On 7 December 1941, Japan attacked the US naval base at Pearl Harbor. It's one of the most notorious surprise attacks in history, but how much of a surprise was it? Did US President Franklin Roosevelt in fact know that the attack was coming and even encourage it as a means of propelling the US into World War Two? In this new episode of Conspiracy, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Steve Twomey joins Rob Attar to tackle the "back door to war" conspiracy theory, explaining why many Americans have been willing to believe in a president's treachery. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Often described as England's first colony, Ireland has a long – and deeply complicated – relationship with empire. Rhiannon Davies speaks to historian Jane Ohlmeyer to learn more about this complex picture, from how Ireland was a 'laboratory of empire' to how imperialism influenced the clothing people wore. (Ad) Jane Ohlmeyer is the author of Making Empire: Ireland, Imperialism, and the Early Modern World (Oxford University Press, 2023). 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%2Fmaking-empire%2Fprof-jane-ohlmeyer%2F9780192867681%23%3A~%3Atext%3DMaking%20Empire%20re%2Dexamines%20empire%2C1770s). The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

King Harold II is famous for getting an arrow to the eye at the battle of Hastings. But is that story even true? And what else should we know about this man whose main claim to fame is being defeated by William the Conqueror? In this Life of the Week episode, David Musgrove explores the life of the king commonly known as Harold Godwinson, with Caitlin Ellis, associate professor in medieval nordic history at Oslo University. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Britons may not always be the best at playing sports. But, as David Horspool tells Spencer Mizen, when it comes to inventing, codifying and becoming utterly obsessed by them, they are bona fide world beaters. From the brutality of medieval jousts to the mega-bucks of the Premier League, David reveals how sport has embedded itself in the fabric of British life over the centuries. (Ad) David Horspool is the author of // More Than a Game: A History of How Sport Made Britain // (John Murray Press, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/More-Than-Game-History-Britain/dp/1529363276/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Silk Road is one of the most famous trade routes in history, a vast interconnected network along which not only goods but ideas, knowledge and culture flowed. Sam Willis joins Rebecca Franks to discuss its remarkable history and answer listener questions on the subject, spotlighting unforgettable ancient cities, Marco Polo’s colourful tales of travel and asking whether the Silk Road ever entirely disappeared. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From the nightmarish creations of Hieronymus Bosch to the intricate flying machines of Leonardo da Vinci, the Renaissance was a time of experimentation and cultural exploration. Speaking to Charlotte Hodgman, art critic and writer Jonathan Jones takes a closer look at this period of seismic change and explores its enduring significance in European history. (Ad) Jonathan Jones is the author of Earthly Delights: A History of the Renaissance (Thames & Hudson, 2023). 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%2Fearthly-delights%2Fjonathan-jones%2F9780500023136 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In her most famous speech, delivered on 9 August 1588, Queen Elizabeth I declared that she had the "heart and stomach of a king". Was that just rhetoric? Or could England’s iconic Tudor queen actually have been a man masquerading as a woman? In this new episode of Conspiracy, Tudor historian Tracy Borman speaks to Rob Attar about the bizarre 'Bisley Boy' conspiracy theory that was popularised by none other than Dracula author Bram Stoker. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Who shot JFK? Have the Knights Templar been hiding the Holy Grail? And what really landed at Roswell in 1947? In the second series of Conspiracy from HistoryExtra, Rob Attar investigates some of history’s most popular and persistent conspiracy theories in the company of expert historians who are battling to set the record straight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From the Huns, Mongols and Magyars to the Turks, Xiongnu, Scythians and Goths, these nomadic people of the Eurasian steppes built long-lasting empires, facilitated global trade via the Silk Road and widely disseminated religion, technology, knowledge and goods. Speaking to Emily Briffett, Kenneth Harl details how these nomads profoundly shaped the course of history. (Ad) Kenneth Harl is the author of Empires of the Steppes: The Nomadic Tribes Who Shaped Civilisation (Bloomsbury, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Empires-Steppes-Nomadic-Tribes-Civilization/dp/1526630400/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1699632260&sr=1-1&tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Having run away from a life of slavery as a young man, Frederick Douglass went on to forge his own path as an abolitionist, orator, writer and statesman. In this 'Life of the Week' episode, Clare Elliott guides Paul Bloomfield through Douglass's life story, explaining how he came to play such a significant role in the fight for rights in the 19th-century US and beyond. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From women who worked in vital wartime intelligence centres like Bletchley Park to those who parachuted behind enemy lines as part of SOE operations, Helen Fry introduces the women who dealt in intelligence during the world wars. In conversation with Elinor Evans, she reveals some of their fascinating stories, including knitting coded messages to aid the Belgian intelligence network ‘La Dame Blanche’ and interrogating German 'ace' pilots. (Ad) Helen Fry is the author of Women in Intelligence: The Hidden History of Two World Wars (Yale University Press, 2023). 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%2Fwomen-in-intelligence%2Fhelen-fry%2F9780300260779 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From the groundbreaking novels of Virginia Woolf to the economic theories of John Maynard Keynes, the Bloomsbury Group shook up British culture in the early 20th century. In conversation with Rebecca Franks, Frances Spalding answers listener questions on this daring set of intellectuals, artists and writers, revealing what united their varied talents, and exploring how their personal lives (and tangled love affairs) were often just as fascinating as their work. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The birth of psychiatry in the early-19th century changed the way that 'madness' was understood, with beliefs in the supernatural becoming evidence of insanity. Charlotte Hodgman spoke to Professor Owen Davies about the men and women who found themselves placed in asylums as a result of their supernatural beliefs, and investigates how old beliefs clashed with new ideas in a rapidly changing world. (Ad) Owen Davies is the author of Troubled by Faith: Insanity and the Supernatural in the Age of the Asylum (Oxford University Press, 2023). 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%2Ftroubled-by-faith%2Fowen-davies%2F9780198873006 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why does the Boston Tea Party still loom so large in the popular story of American independence today? Is it right that it holds so much significance? And what has been the impact of the protest in global history? In the final episode of our series, experts Benjamin Carp, Sarah Churchwell and Sarah Purcell weigh up the complicated legacy and discuss how we should regard the protest in the 21st century. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Romantics were obsessed with Mount Vesuvius, climbing up to peer into its bubbling depths, and even using it as a metaphor to describe some of the tumultuous changes revolution was wreaking in Europe at the time. Rhiannon Davies spoke to John Brewer to learn more about this fascinating historical episode. (Ad) John Brewer is the author of Volcanic: Vesuvius in the Age of Revolutions (Yale University Press, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Volcanic-Vesuvius-Revolutions-John-Brewer/dp/0300272669/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Josef Stalin is a titan of modern history – and one of its most infamous leaders, responsible for the deaths of millions. Danny Bird spoke to Robert Service to chart the Soviet tyrant's life, from his childhood in Georgia to his rise to become the dictator of the Soviet Union and an architect of the post-war world. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Longstreet spent the American Civil War as one of the leading generals in the Confederate Army. But after 1865 he became a supporter of reconstruction and black voting, even leading an interracial force in battle against former Confederates in New Orleans. In this episode, Longstreet's latest biographer, Elizabeth R Varon, talks to Rob Attar about his remarkable life and extraordinary change of heart. (Ad) Elizabeth R Varon is the author of Longstreet: The Confederate General Who Defied the South (Simon & Schuster, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Longstreet-Confederate-General-Defied-South/dp/1982148276/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Who were some of the most influential popes of the Middle Ages? What did you have to do to earn the title of 'anti-pope'? And which pope was believed to keep a pet demon? Kev Lochun spoke to historian Brett Whalen to find out more about the fascinating role of the papacy in this period. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Songs can trigger a range of emotions in their listeners: intense joy, sadness or even disgust. But how did this type of musical composition develop and become what it is today? The acclaimed singer and author John Potter takes Jon Bauckham on a tour through the history of song in Europe, covering everything from the works of Schumann and Sting to the musical troubadours of medieval Provence. (Ad) John Potter is the author of Song: A History in 12 Parts (Yale University Press, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Song-History-Parts-John-Potter/dp/0300263538/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The consequences of the protest are vital in understanding the role of the Boston Tea Party in the revolution that was to come. In episode four, we hear more about the immediate fallout from the destruction of the tea, and the brutal crackdown by Britain’s government that proved to be a turning point in uniting the 13 American colonies, and a crucial staging post on the road to war. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why did warfare play such a pivotal role in Aztec society? How could claiming captives benefit a warrior in life and death? And what was 'Flower War'? Speaking to Emily Briffett, Caroline Dodds Pennock takes a look at the warriors and weaponry of the Aztecs to consider how warfare played a prominent part in everyday life, from the cradle to the grave – and beyond. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices