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Happy St David's Day! In this episode, Welsh native Charlotte talks about how people all around Wales celebrate on 1st March every year, a bit about who St David was (way back in the year 520), and the origins of some common Welsh symbols or emblems: leeks, daffodils, and love spoons. --- Where to Find Us:  Head to our website, learnaboutpod.com , to read the full episode notes and see a list of l...

We love a feel-good episode, and this is another one about amazing animals! Ellie tells the stories of 3 incredible cats who held high-ranking human jobs: Mayor Stubbs, the mayor of a small Alaskan town; Catmando, a political party leader; and Tama the Stationmaster, who gained notoriety as more than just the mascot of a Japanese railway station. --- Where to Find Us:  Head to our website, learnab...

Just a quick announcement to explain why we're changing our episode schedule to biweekly (every 2 weeks) instead of weekly! --- Where to Find Us:  Head to our website, learnaboutpod.com , to read the full episode notes and see a list of links and resources used to research this episode. You can also follow us on Instagram  and  Twitter  at @learnaboutpod.  Support us on Patreon:  Want to help supp...

February is LGBT+ History Month in the UK, and in this episode, you'll learn all about it! Find out how this annual awareness month started, why it's so important, and some of the ways you could celebrate it yourself, whether you're an LGBTQ+ person or a wonderful ally. --- Where to Find Us:  Head to our website, learnaboutpod.com , to read the full episode notes and see a list of links and resour...

Saint Brigid of Kildare, or Brigid of Ireland, is the patroness saint of Ireland, and one of its three national or patron saints along with St Patrick and St Columba. There is debate over whether Brigid was a real person or not, or whether she is a Christianisation of the Celtic goddess of the same name. But whatever the truth, this woman did some great things, and we're learning about her in this...

We're starting off the new year with an inspirational story of another awesome woman of history, and this is one of Charlotte's new favourites! She talks about Betty Robinson, an Olympic track athlete who competed in the 1920s and '30s, who had an absolute rollercoaster of a life. From winning her first gold medal at just 16 years old to almost dying in a plane accident and then rising from the as...

Happy New Year, one and all! In our first episode of 2023, Ellie takes us on a whistle-stop tour of the world and tells us a bit about how different countries might celebrate the new year, from huge feasts and blowout street parties to cleaning, saying hello to ancestors' spirits, and throwing things out of windows. --- Where to Find Us:  Head to our website, learnaboutpod.com , to read the full e...

There are certain periods of history that shape traditions for the rest of time, and for Christmas in Britain, the Tudor period was one of these times. Some of our favourite traditions of the Christmas season date back to Tudor times, including singing carols, giving gifts, eating turkey, and kissing under the mistletoe. In this episode, Charlotte transports us back to the 16th century and talks a...

Returning guest Linde joins us to tell us about the festive Dutch legend of Sinterklaas: who he is and how he's based on Saint Nicholas (similar to Santa Claus), how Sinterklaas is celebrated, and how this year, it has all been a bit chaotic. --- Where to Find Us:  Head to our website, learnaboutpod.com , to read the full episode notes and see a list of links and resources used to research this ep...

It's our first Christmas episode of 2022, and we're going all the way to Sweden (not literally) for this one! Ellie tells us about the Yule Goat, a Scandinavian and Northern European Yule and Christmas symbol whose origins go back to ancient Pagan festivals. Learn about the history and legend of the Yule Goat, how people in Scandinavia honour him, and the GIANT Yule Goat statue that sits in Castle...

Charlotte was very recently in a local production of The Huncback of Notre Dame (the Off-Broadway musical adaptation), so in honour of that, she shares a comparison between the Disney movie and the original Victor Hugo novel. It's about to get dark! (Content warnings: mentions of rape/assault, death, suicide.) --- Where to Find Us:  Head to our website, learnaboutpod.com , to read the full episode...

After chatting to Omar Najam a little while ago, today we have our second Dimension 20 guest – but this time, it's someone from behind the camera rather than in front of it! Rick Perry, D20's Production Designer and Creative Producer, joins us to discuss his career and his role in the creative side of the College Humor actual-play D&D series, including the whole process of creating maps, minis and...

We're joined by Ellie's cousin Lydia, a classically trained musician. She tells us all about how classical music and folklore combine in the Lemminkainen suite by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, widely regarded as Finland's greatest composer, and whose music is often credited with having helped Finland develop a national identity during its struggle for independence from Russia. We also chat about...

There have been many famous sibling rivalries throughout history. But have you ever heard of the one that went on to form two of the most recognisable sporting goods brands in the world? A vicious family feud that not only pitted two brothers against one another, but also divided the inhabitants of their hometown into warring factions that lasted for 60 years... this is the story of Adi and Rudi D...

Want to know where some of the strange phrases and idioms we have in English originated? We've got another etymology episode today! Charlotte covers the origins of 14 strange English idioms, including bob's your uncle, wild goose chase, caught red handed, walking on eggshells, and more. --- Where to Find Us:  Head to our website, learnaboutpod.com , to read the full episode notes and see a list of...

Happy Halloween! We're fusing Halloween and D&D in this episode. If you're planning on running a horror-themed Dungeons & Dragons one-shot or campaign for your adventuring party and you're not sure where to start, then this might help! To round off the Spooky season, Ellie has curated a list of some of the scariest monsters you could include in your Dungeons & Dragons games that are guaranteed to...

Need some last-minute inspiration for a Halloween costume this year? Then this might be the episode for you! Ever since the late 19th century, Americans have been dressing up to celebrate Halloween. The costumes people choose to wear are always changing, influenced by popular culture and current events. In this episode, Ellie takes us on a journey through pop culture history since the 1950s, and h...

In pop culture, Transylvania is commonly associated with vampires because of the influence of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula. And apparently, a big part of Transylvanian culture is the collection of spooky legends, myths and haunting creatures that haunt the country. So, in this episode, Charlottes shares a few of the legends, myths, and creatures that may or may not haunt the Romanian region of...

In this gigantic bonus episode, we're joined again by the lovely Omar Najam to talk about the whole season of A Court of Fey and Flowers; a new D&D series called DesiQuest starring an entirely South Asian cast; the ethics of our decisions in both D&D and in real life; 13 Days 13 Shorts; Halloween; the Muppets; and why we love the Dimension 20 community so much. Phew! Go to our website to find a fu...

In 2020, we did an episode all about the infamous Salem Witch Trials, but did you know that witch trials were just as prolific in the UK, too? In the first episode of this year's Spooky Month series, Ellie talks about the bloody history of witch trials in England and Scotland. --- Where to Find Us:  Head to our website, learnaboutpod.com , to read the full episode notes and see a list of links and...

This is Let's Learn About D&D, our Dungeons & Dragons spin-off series by beginners, for beginners! In this episode, we share with you some helpful tips and tricks for getting inside the head of your D&D character and getting better at roleplaying. It can feel daunting or scary to start with, but these tips should show you that it doesn't have to be! --- Where to Find Us:  Head to our website, lear...

In a random but fun (and kind of wholesome) episode, Charlotte talks about three animals that have broken records for their incredibly old age: Jonathan the tortoise (currently around 190 years old), Wisdom the albatross (currently at least 70 years old), and Ming the clam (who was sadly killed by researchers at the grand old age of 507). --- Where to Find Us:  Head to our website, learnaboutpod.c...

When you try to name the father of motion pictures, you might think of Thomas Edison, or maybe the Lumiere Brothers. But how many of you would name Louis Le Prince? This episode is about him, his inventions, and how the course of film history could have been completely different if he hadn't boarded a train and disappeared off the face of the earth, never to be seen again... There's one question t...

In this episode, Charlotte explores when fan fiction actually began, its origins, and how it became such a cultural phenomenon that it is today, with millions of pieces of work published online for every conceivable fandom. Fandom and fan fiction fiction may seem like a relatively new phenomenon, but we were very surprised to learn that its origins go back as far as the 18th century! --- Where to...

We're so excited to be joined by Omar Najam: a writer, director, and currently playing Andhera in Dimension 20's A Court of Fey and Flowers . In this episode, Omar talks about his experience playing D&D with Dimension 20, how improv has helped him become a better player, and his favourite moments from the series. We also discuss asexuality and the growing representation in media, the great communi...