Blind History

Born on the steppes and raised on horseback, young Attila was to lead a small tribe of barbarians to prominence, but not before he had been to Rome, threatened Constantinople, and fought and won many battles. His name is synonymous with raping, pillaging and destruction, but in reality Europe east of the Rhine had never seen a man more gifted in forging a single kingdom out of so many disparate tr...

The image of a brilliant scientist is one inextricably linked to the picture of Albert Einstein. His unkempt hair, shabby jackets and the twinkle of genius in his eye - but the story of Einstein isn’t so one-dimensional. His relationships, his politics and the story of what happened to his brain after he died are as intriguing as the great ideas he presented to science and the world. Taylor Blinds...

Stovepipe hats, four score-and-twenty speeches, and a bullet in the back of his head is what some people know about Abraham Lincoln. In fact this was the President who modernised the American economy, preserved the union and abolished slavery. Not bad for a life cut short by an assassin’s bullet. Taylor Blinds & Shutters

Anthony Mederer from Taylor Blinds & Shutters is in studio on The Gareth Cliff Show – find out how the podcast Blind History came about, where his love of history began, and the process he and Gareth go through to come up with such riveting episodes. Taylor Blinds & Shutters

Criminals can be great criminals. They can influence history, change cities and become the story themselves. Robin Hood, Al Capone, Bonnie & Clyde... they all ended up the stuff of legend. So would it be with the Krays, two London brothers who ended up owning the city and bending it to their will. Brought to you by Taylor Blinds & Shutters. Taylor Blinds & Shutters

From artillery officer in the revolutionary army to Emperor of the French, Napoleon’s life is one of the great success stories of humanity. But it all ended in lonely exile on an island in the Atlantic, ignominy and possibly poison. The tremendous life of Napoleon’s rise and fall in Blind History… brought to you by Taylor Blinds & Shutters. Taylor Blinds & Shutters

The man who encouraged black farmers to buy land in the early 1900s, became one of the first black lawyers in South Africa, and attended Columbia and Oxford Universities before founding the ANC, has almost been forgotten to history, but part of the reason Blind History is here is to open our eyes to some of the history we have forgotten. Find out about Pixley ka Isaka Seme in this episode - brough...

A tiny little Queen with enormous power - reputed to have had no sense of humour. That’s how most people know Queen Victoria, but in fact she was a progressive, sensitive and quite strident woman in an age where those things were mostly frowned upon. Let’s see if you’re amused in this episode of Blind History... Taylor Blinds & Shutters

Saladin was the greatest Muslim warrior of the Middle Ages, and a man who recaptured Jerusalem from the Christians. He was also full of contradictions - honourable, yet cruel; warrior, yet peacemaker. Find out about this mysterious and powerful character in our latest episode of Blind History... proudly brought to you by Taylor Blinds & Shutters. Taylor Blinds & Shutters

Dracula is a fictional character... a satanic creature that drinks the blood of its victims. Bram Stoker made that creature up, but the real-life inspiration of Vlad Dracul is much more sinister - a cruel, sadistic monster that put thousands of people to death in the most unimaginably vicious ways. Find out about Vlad the Impaler - how he got his name, what he did and why you should be glad he’s i...

The great leader of the US Civil Rights Movement. An iconic figure who was both deeply spiritual and practical. A pacifist, orator, family man and preacher. There are few who would say he lived long enough to achieve all his bold ambitions, but he lived long enough to make an enormous impact. Join Anthony Mederer and Gareth Cliff as they start the next season of Blind History with Martin Luther Ki...

In this bonus teaser for season two, Gareth Cliff and Anthony Mederer talk about why they love history, and how they choose their subjects for the podcast. Season two of Blind History is coming soon! Taylor Blinds & Shutters

The Chinese claim him, but all the world still refers to him - all the time. Confucius, the great philosopher and teacher continues to inspire and inform so many conversations and ideas in modern society. The Golden Rule, a criticism of crass materialism and so many wise sayings were the work of one man, thousands of years ago in ancient Han China. Find out more in this episode of Blind History -...

His name is synonymous with gangsters, the mob, drugs, organised crime and flashy suits. John Gotti was the godfather and his life unfolded like a tragic movie script. His story starts with petty theft and ends with death in prison, but that’s just scratching the surface. Blind History brought to you by Taylor Blinds & Shutters. Taylor Blinds & Shutters

She was variously called the 'Maid of Orleans', Saint Joan, and the heroine of France. Ultimately she was burnt at the stake and condemned by her enemies as a heretic and lunatic. Joan died before her 20th birthday, but in that short life she succeeded in bringing France together, beating back the English, and securing her young king on his throne. Taylor Blinds & Shutters

Most people think of Caesar when they think of Rome - whether that’s because of Asterix, the famous bust with the laurel wreath, or the story of Brutus’ ultimate betrayal. He has become more myth than man, and his actual story is as fascinating as the stories told in fiction. Anthony Mederer thinks he’s a reincarnation of Julius Caesar, and judging by how much he knows about him, it might be true....

Stretch your understanding of time back 2000 years - to the time of Jesus and Augustus. Now go back another 1300 years. If you can even imagine such a vast expanse of history, then you might be able to see more than ruins, stones and statues in the reign of the great Pharaoh Ramesses II of Ancient Egypt. At that time, he was more ego than Trump, stronger than Arnold, more god than man - and yet, y...

His reputation has been downplayed by both the Nationalist Afrikaner regime that succeeded him, and the free South Africa that succeeded that, but for those prepared to dig a little deeper, Jan Smuts may well have been one of the greatest people to emerge from our continent. A brilliant mind, a close friend of Churchill, and an internationally respected politician and military strategist; we also...

Marcus Aurelius was the archetypal philosopher-king, a man of extraordinary talent and ability. He also had those rare qualities of introspection and self-awareness. He ruled when the Roman Empire was at its most powerful and after him, the world fell to pieces. Next time you see some profound thing on a fridge magnet, it might well have been something Marcus Aurelius first said - and his legacy i...

Edward III was England’s greatest medieval king. When you think of King Arthur’s round table, jousting, feasts, battles, armour and castles - Edward had all of that, but he also had a dark side, and a reign filled with tragedy... including the Black Death which killed millions of his people. Gareth and Anthony look into some of the more private troubles of this great man, and his long reign. Taylo...

John F Kennedy is one of the most well-known and best loved Presidents of the United States. Most people know more about his assassination than anything else, but he had a really incredible (and unlucky) family, many affairs and a crisis or two of global proportions to deal with during his short term in the Oval Office. Find out from Anthony and Gareth about some of the less obvious things JFK got...

Shaka kaSezangakhona was Africa’s first imperialist. Before Shaka, there were tribes... after Shaka there was a kingdom. In this episode we trace the story of Shaka the warrior, the madman and the leader - because he was all three and more. The soil of our country is stained with the blood of his conquests, and the province of KwaZulu-Natal decorated with the glories of his achievements. You might...

If you feel like an underachiever, compared to Alexander, you are. Before he had even turned 30, he had conquered all of the known world. A military genius, divinity, tyrant, poet and alcoholic, his story is full of surprising twists. Find out about his horse, his lovers, and his death on this episode of Blind History, where Alexander III of Macedon became known to history as Alexander the Great....

Blind History is a crash course in getting to know history’s greatest men and women - and by great we don’t always mean good. Hosted by Gareth Cliff and Anthony Mederer from Taylor Blinds, this series will tell you what the history books sometimes leave out - the sordid stories, the less well-known details, some of the stuff they didn’t teach you at school. Each person will help you put a piece of...