Blind History

History credits a man with inventing the motorcar. This episode tells the story of the woman who made it work. In 1888, Bertha Benz took an untested invention on the world’s first long-distance drive, inventing brake linings, solving breakdowns with a hat pin, and creating the first fuel stop along the way. Blind History reveals how one quiet rebel forced the future to move.

This episode dives into the extraordinary life of Grace O’Malley, the legendary 16th-century Irish pirate queen who defied every rule of her time. From commanding ships as a teenager and raiding along the Atlantic coast, to ruling castles, outwitting enemies and even negotiating directly with Queen Elizabeth I, Grace lived as a fearless warlord, strategist and mother who never bowed to authority....

He ruled for just two years, but his reputation has lasted five centuries. Richard III is remembered as a villain — but was he a brutal usurper or the victim of Tudor propaganda amplified by William Shakespeare? In this episode of Blind History, we revisit the Wars of the Roses, the mystery of the Princes in the Tower, Bosworth Field, and the shocking discovery of Richard’s remains — uncovering wh...

In this episode of Blind History, Gareth and Anthony dive into the extraordinary life of Charles XII of Sweden — a teenage warrior king who turned an entire empire into a battlefield. From hunting bears as a child to humiliating Peter the Great, sleeping on the ground with his soldiers, and leading charges into blizzards and cannon fire, Charles lived like a man possessed. Fearless, devout, stubbo...

A warplane falls from the sky over Libya. A badly injured man crawls from the wreckage, one eye, one hand, and a will made of iron. What follows is the unbelievable true story of Adrian Carton de Wiart, the soldier who refused to die. Shot in the face, stomach, leg, ear… surviving plane crashes, warzones, and even biting off his own fingers — he broke out of POW camps five times and still asked to...

A toddler crowned the “Son of Heaven.” An emperor who never ruled. A puppet of Japan, a prisoner of the Soviets, and finally a humble gardener sweeping leaves in Beijing. In this haunting episode of Blind History, Gareth and Anthony trace the extraordinary rise and devastating fall of Pu Yi — the last emperor of China. From the golden throne of the Forbidden City to communist re-education camps, t...

In this gripping Blind History episode, Gareth Cliff and Anthony Mederer unpack the rise and fall of Haile Selassie. The “King of Kings” who became a god to some, a symbol of resistance to others, and a deeply flawed ruler to those closest to his throne. From ancient bloodlines and global coronations to exile, famine, and a secretive death, this is the extraordinary and tragic story behind one of...

Gareth Cliff and Anthony Mederer uncover the extraordinary rise of Theodora — the seductive stage performer who became one of the most powerful women in Byzantine history. From scandalous beginnings in Constantinople’s seedy theatres to ruling side-by-side with Emperor Justinian, Theodora’s journey is a tale of grit, ambition, and sheer brilliance. Discover how this former “circus act” became an u...

Gareth Cliff and Anthony Mederer dive into the wild, gruesome, and utterly fascinating life of England’s most infamous monarch, Henry VIII. From Renaissance poster boy to paranoid tyrant, Henry’s story is one of brilliance, blood, and betrayal. The man who split from the Church of Rome for love, kept a polar bear as a pet, and had servants wipe his royal behind. This episode unpacks how one king r...

The most famous South African, the first democratically elected president of the Rainbow Nation, the anti-apartheid icon, and the man who spent 27 years in prison for his conviction and devotion to the cause. There are many ways to describe Nelson Mandela, but we had to end this season with a big one. Here’s the story of a man most of us wouldn’t even think of as a part of history - mostly because...

Long before Elon Musk and Steve Jobs, there was a billionaire playboy who set the standard - a genius with a passion for flying and designing planes, a womaniser who bedded the sexiest women in Hollywood, and a man who was eccentric enough to be declared mentally ill by today’s standards. Howard Hughes was many things... but he certainly wasn’t boring!

The fiery, furious relationship between the medieval era’s most famous power couple led to glory and terrible failure. The empire they presided over was the greatest empire in the West since the time of Charlemagne. He was 9 years younger than her, but she matched his energy. When they weren’t making love and producing one of many children, they were plotting against each other or fighting like ca...

Vice Admiral Viscount Horatio Nelson was the greatest British sailor of all time, possibly the greatest sailor in all the world’s history. His adventures, tactical genius and courage inspired Britain to become the naval superpower that it was in the 1700s and 1800s, and helped bring about the fall of Napoleon and a change in the balance of power throughout the world. Though he had only one eye and...

In 1742 a Russian aristocrat and military engineer, fluent in Turkish and French, rose to prominence in the Imperial court of Peter the Great. He had all the trappings of nobility, and was held in such high regard that the Tsar adopted him. This great figure of Russian history's name is Gannibal - charming, intelligent and a man of extraordinary achievement. Oh, and also a black African.

If there were a prize for genocide, one man would have unbeatable odds at claiming it. He began life as a bright young revolutionary with enormous enthusiasm for change and fairness - but he devolved into a fat, dirty, old tyrant who filled everyone with fear and loathing. He was at China’s helm when up to 55 million people died in just four devastating years. He was known as Chairman Mao, and he...

Long before Mario Puzo wrote 'The Godfather', and before Brando and Pacino brought the book’s characters to life on the big screen, the real Godfather - Lucky Luciano - ruled over the world of organised crime. Gambling, prostitution, guns and shallow graves were his stock-in-trade. He was public enemy number one... and he remains the original gangster.

Unlike most great people from history, you can actually still look into the faces of some of the Pharaohs. At the Egyptian Museum of Civilisation, 22 mummies occupy a sanctified space, and represent over 3,000 years of recorded history. One of the most memorable is Tuthmosis III - while he was alive, his eyes looked out over the apex of Ancient Egyptian culture and power... and under his rule, the...

Once upon a time, there lived a king... a king who had so much wealth that he could fill great halls to their roofs with it. When he visited the biggest Islamic city of his age, he brought so much money with him that he almost destroyed its economy. But this is no mythical fairytale, and he wasn’t just a big spender. His name was Mansa Musa, and he used his phenomenal wealth to build universities,...

Chivalry, jousting, coat-armour, knights on horseback and the great glory of the Middle Ages are mostly made up. The real Middle Ages were a dirty, bloody, brutal and uncivilised time. Women were mere possessions, land was wealth, might made right, and peasants ate rocks and soil to stay alive. Only the high-born could live a life anything like Sir Walter Scott imagined in his novels. But once upo...

Within living memory of Alexander the Great, a vast, powerful and extraordinary empire rose up in Northern India - forged by the strength, intelligence, and philosophy of one man. In one lifetime, he went from warlord to monk, from outcast to emperor... and his ideas brought a new religion, Buddhism, to full bloom in faraway places. Ashoka the Great is still commemorated on the flag of India, and...

Everyone knows the story of Joan of Arc - the patron saint of France, the heroine who was burnt at the stake for her valour and her faith. History has been less kind to Gilles de Rais, a man whose story is less heroic and more macabre. In the dungeons of his castle, the sounds of chains, the heat of fires, and the screams of children became his legacy. But did any of it really happen? Was he a mas...

The creaking ship rose and fell in massive swells, the waves as high as 10 men stacked on top of each other. Blistering Antarctic winds seemed determined to prevent anyone from rounding the cursed Cape Horn. It had been months since any of the crew had seen their families, eaten anything fresh, or tasted anything but sea water every time they opened their mouths... and yet they were exploring plac...

Dr Emma Southon specialises in Roman history, and has written some incredibly interesting - and very funny - books. As a bonus episode of Blind History, we managed to have a chat with her about Rome, Roman society, the role of women in Roman families, and many more salacious and unbelievable stories about what really happened outside of politics and war. Taylor Blinds & Shutters

Some believe he was the greatest man who ever lived, the son of God. Some historians mentioned him in passing as a Jewish rebel and philosopher. Either of those groups may be right, but we’ll never know exactly how to separate the reality from the myth of Jesus of Nazareth. Taylor Blinds & Shutters

We’ve been avoiding this one, but eventually we had to do it ... the arch-villain of modern, if not all history - Adolf Hitler. The Fuhrer of Germany and the man who almost brought the whole Western world to its knees. More has been written about Hitler than anyone else in the 20th century, and yet, his evil deeds, megalomania and sheer force of will continue to elude us. It is not too much to say...