That Time When

A discussion about scrambled eggs led to us having a think about the Luddites, whose name is now synonymous with anti-technology. But the Luddites were more complicated that, and this week we will explore the origins of the Luddites, how the government responded to them, and whether the Luddites maybe had a point that is relevant today. The following music was used in this podcast: "Anachronist" K...

I don't blame you for not knowing what the episode title means. This week Amelia is going to look at bad art at a few points in history, but the sort of things where it's so bad it's good. So we'll be looking at some bad artwork, some bad singing, and some truly awful translations. The following music was used for this podcast: "Anachronist" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative...

We've finally reached the end of our journey with the story of Rasputin and his famous assassination, wherein we learn the truth about how he died and what happened to those who orchestrated his murder The following music was used in this media project: "Anachronist" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4...

We continue with our multi-part series on the death of Rasputin, where Barnaby will tell us all about the three conspirators behind Rasputin's murder, how they came to decide this was what was good for Russia, and what personally motivated each of them. The following was used in creation of this media project: "Anachronist" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attrib...

You may already have heard of Rasputin, or at least you'll have heard something about Rasputin, but in many ways the truth is stranger than fiction. In this episode Barnaby begins his multi-part journey talking about the life, and more importantly the death, of one of Russia's most mysterious figures. The following music was used for this project: "Anachronist" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Lice...

You may have heard of men who used to be deluded that they were Napoleon, but it turns out some women had a similar issue when it came to the Grand Duchess Anastasia of the Romanovs. This week Amelia tells us about Anna, a woman found in Germany covered in scars who may have secretly been the lost grand duchess, or maybe she was just another person who had a psychotic break and invented a whole ne...

Monty Python was nearly right about something sinking into a swamp, but it was a cathedral, not a castle. This week on That Time When we make a surprising number of pop culture references (mostly movies), so we'll be teaching you the previously unknown collection between the Saw franchise and Winchester Cathedral (there isn't one) as we find out why and how a cathedral can sink. The following musi...

Horace De Vere Cole was a pretty ordinary person for a wealthy man in the late 19th century, except for his obsession with pulling pranks. His obsession has meant that no one is really sure if he had a point to them or not: did he want to thumb his nose at authority figures and pretentious art? Or was he just in it for a good, if sometimes obscene, time? The following music was used for this proje...

You've probably heard the name Nicolas Flamel, most likely from the first Harry Potter book, but he was a real man with an... interesting story about his work as an alchemist and creator of the Philosopher's Stone. Of course, there's more to it than that, and also a whole lot less to it.  The following music was used for this media project: Music: Anachronist by Kevin MacLeod Free download: h...

On this Halloween episode we hope that you've got your corpse storage room ready, because we're going to talk about Vlad the Impaler... well, actually we're going to talk about Vlad's handsome brother, but you know Vlad is gonna get talked about too. Plus there's an episodette about an experiment to see if coffee needed to be banned in Sweden.  The following music was used for this media proj...

Gone With the Wind is a... controversial film, but definitely not as heavy on the racism as the book. This week, Amelia talks about the making of the film and how it influenced race relations in America in the 20th Century. The following music was used for this media project: Music: Anachronist by Kevin MacLeod Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/3363-anachronist License (CC BY 4.0): https://...

We're back and delving into the murky world of espionage and crime with a story from Cold War era South Korea. Also listen out for what I believe is the first appearance of our rabbit Pearl on the podcast.  The following music was used for this media project: Music: Anachronist by Kevin MacLeod Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/3363-anachronist Music: Shades of Spring by Kevin MacLeod...

Possibly my favourite title I've ever come up with for one of these episodes. This week, Barnaby talks about the mysterious case of the Zaragoza Goblin, as well as the mysterious case of space fireflies... which might have been urine.  The following music was used for this media project: Music: Anachronist by Kevin MacLeod Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/3363-anachronist Music: Come...

You know how it is, you spend your teenage years in the army, decide you don't like it, go on holiday instead, and develop a fascination with English parks and also Vesuvius. Tale as old as time, or at least it is for Prince Leopold III who was probably the ultimate gap year student, at least, one who was able to build a volcano.  The following music was used for this media project: Music: An...

You'd think that before drowning you might struggle a bit, or give some indication that you're not exactly happy with your present situation. Turns out if you don't it might be that you've just defected to China or been assassinated by the CIA. Probably not, but these were some theories around the strange disappearance of an Australian Prime Minister and his mysterious peanuts. Also featuring the...

What's this? A mysterious new voice on the podcast? Yes, this is our first ever guest episode of the podcast! This week Fiona Milway will tell us all about Australia's failed attempt to fight a war against Emus. Yes, Emus. You'd be surprised how tactical those birds can be and how much they learned about the art of war. Sun Tzu would be proud.  The following music was used for this media proj...

Detective fiction would be very different if more people came back from the dead to testify in the case of their own murder. Unfortunately we can't always rely on the supernatural to put away murderers, but that is what happened in the case of the Greenbrier Ghost. The following music was used for this media project: Music: Anachronist by Kevin Macleod Netherworld Shanty by Kevin MacLeod Free down...

What could be more English than going into a rural marketplace and seeing someone shouting "Wife for sale!" Surprisingly, wife-selling is a tradition in England that doesn't really get talked about that much. I wonder why... The following music was used for this media project: Music: Anachronist by Kevin MacLeod Music: Village Consort by Kevin MacLeod Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/3363-...

I mean, the title isn't exactly accurate, but it's how this story is often portrayed. This is the story of the case of Gill and Coote v El Vino's, a landmark case which stopped pubs and bars from preventing women from drinking at the bar, because, yes, the law needed to specify that. The following music was used for this media project: Music: Anachronist by Kevin MacLeod Thinking Music by Kevin Ma...

Welcome the Great Imposter! Not a superhero, nor a stage magician, but a man who really REALLY wanted to be a monk and ended up being a doctor, a psychologist, a lawyer, and an actor (and only one of those was legitimate). The following music was used for this media project: Music: Anachronist by Kevin MacLeod Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/3363-anachronist License (CC BY 4.0): https://f...

We're back! Let's blow the dust off the microphones with a story about criminal gangs in London's past. This particular gang is made up of... elephants? Well, no, women actually, but still interesting either way, right? The following music was used for this media project: Music: Anachronist by Kevin MacLeod Waltz of Treachery by Kevin MacLeod Breaktime by Kevin MacLeod Free download: https://filmm...

In the late 19th to early 20th centuries, women suddenly faced more street harassment than before. Of course, they weren't going to take that lying down and so came up with new ways to defend themselves thanks... to fashion. This week on That Time When we talk about the hatpin panic, and once again see that nothing ever really changes in history. By the way, if you do want to listen to the song we...

After Barnaby talked last week about a mad king, Amelia has been champing at the bit to talk about one of her favourite subjects: Richard II of England. Was he mad? Did he have scores of gay lovers? Probably not, but there has been a lot of confusion over the life of Richard II and why he was so unpopular in the eyes of history. Also featuring John of Gaunt wanging on about This Scepter'd Isle Hos...

Charles VI of France was, for a while, known as Charles the Beloved. He surrounded himself with competent advisors and managed to reverse some unpopular decisions. Things were looking good. Unfortunately the king had his own personal problems, and led to a party that effectively ended his reign and a regency council appointed instead. What happened at that party? Why should you be wary of a wild m...

It's Halloween! Or, a couple of days afterwards anyway, but hey ho, we're going to do a Halloween episode anyway. This week, Amelia dives into the world of body snatching in 19th century Edinburgh with the tale of Burke and Hare, who were definitely not the sort of suave gentlemen killers you might imagine, but opportunists who were pretty lazy all things considered. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com...