English Learning for Curious Minds | A More Interesting Way To Learn English

  The Olympics are meant to be a politics-free zone.  But is this ever really possible?  In this episode, we'll learn about the history of The Olympics, and analyse five times politics was at the heart of the games. History of The Ancient Olympics When The Olympics were banned by the Romans Revival of Olympics in 19th century Baron Pierre de Coubertin & The first modern Olympics in 1896 1936 O...

  For many, he is the greatest writer in the history of the English language.  Outside the UK, he is known as the author of two of the most important political fiction books in history: Animal Farm & 1984. Learn about the amazing life of this fantastic man and the events that shaped his worldview. Reasons to learn about George Orwell The statue of George Orwell outside the headquarters of the...

  “A man who has not been in Italy, is always conscious of an inferiority, from his not having seen what it is expected a man should see.” It was the trip of a lifetime, where young, aristocratic British men would travel across Europe and open their eyes to new worlds.  Discover why these men would do this, how they travelled, what they got up to, and what it tells us about our relationship with t...

  It's the world's Sin City, where fortunes and made and lost.  In this episode, you'll learn about the history of this unlikely city, from its early days as a desert oasis to its links with the Mafia, from eccentric entrepreneurs right through to atomic bombs. Geographic location of Las Vegas Discovering Las Vegas ("The Meadows") 1905: A sleepy railway town Construction begins on The Hoover Dam P...

  It is the most famous revolution in Europe and saw the continent's most populous country execute its monarch and restructure its society. From guillotines to out of touch queens, the French Revolution is the story of how France became the country of "liberté, égalité, and fraternité". French society before the revolution Louis XVI & Marie Antoinette Raising taxes & The Estates General Th...

  It was the period in the mid-18th century where Britain experienced a radical transformation. The Industrial Revolution saw huge improvements in manufacturing, millions of people move to the cities and the fabric of British society change forever. Evolution or Revolution? Pre-industrial life in Britain The inventions in The Industrial Revolution James Watt's Steam Engine The textile industry The...

  "In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes" Tax might not sound interesting or exciting to most people, but it affects all of us. In this episode, we explore what paying taxes actually means, and how it affects our relationship with the government and society. And we'll do all of this through the story of two pen-pals, Arlette from Paris, France, and John from Austi...

  He is considered by many to have been the greatest footballer to have ever lived, yet off the pitch his life was full of tragedy.  Learn about the fascinating history of this amazing man, and discover why he arrived in Naples as a hero and left as the most hated man in Italy. Diego vs. Maradona Early life in Buenos Aires Being spotted by a talent scout and joining Argentinos Juniors An uneasy li...

  It has been called the "bloodiest business in history", and cost the lives of 3 million whales. In today's episode, we take a look at the amazing history of whaling, from how it really worked to the reasons it went on for so long. History of pre-industrial whaling How pre-industrial whaling worked Whaling during the Renaissance era How whale hunting in 19th Century America worked The men who kil...

  It's one of the four countries that form part of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and has a fantastic history of invention, rivalry with its neighbour, and fierce pride. In this episode, we take a look at the fantastic history of Scotland and ask ourselves how long it will remain part of the UK. “We look to Scotland for all our ideas of civilisation.” - Voltaire “Of all t...

  It's a dialect from a small area of London's that might sound impossible to understand. In this episode, you'll learn what "apple and pears" means, what you should do if a friend asks if you want to go to the "battle", and who your "trouble and strife" might be... Example clip of Cockney Rhyming Slang How Cockney Rhyming Slang is formed Funny connections between Cockney Rhyming Slang and the mea...

  In the last part of our three-part series on Disney, we take a look at the magic of Disney and ask ourselves what ingredients are in its special, magic sauce. Can you really explain the 'magic' of Disney? The Hero's Journey The 5 core themes: narrative, characters, morale, humour, songs Theme #1: Narrative Theme #2: Characters Theme #3: Morale Theme #4: Humour Theme #5: Songs Bonus magic factor...

  In the first part of our three-part series, we take a look at the fascinating history of Disney. From why Mickey Mouse isn't a rabbit through to what Walt Disney was like as a person, the history of Disney is as interesting as it is magical. Early life of Walt Disney Setting off to California The "Alice Comedies" Setting up Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (and why you prob...

  From a small, wet island, English has come to be the world's dominant language. How did this actually happen, where does English actually come from, and how has the language changed over the years? How many people speak English Why English isn't a 'pure' language (English as a mongrel dog, and as a soup) Anglo-Saxons & "Old" English Anglo-Saxon words in English today (and why you should use...

  It's the day of the year where we celebrate love and desire. But where does it actually come from? The origins of Valentine's Day are mysterious, and not even that closely related to love at all. "One of those mysterious historical or antiquarian problems which are doomed never to be solved.” Theory #1: St Valentine of Rome Theory #2: St Valentine of Terni Alternative legends of St Valentine Why...

  Discover the story of what happened when an Italian engineer decided to build an island off the coast of Italy..and then declare it to be an independent country. Giorgio Rosa - the ambitious engineer The law about who owns the sea How he built the island Declaring Rose Island to be an independent country The political situation in the 1960s Why people were worried when he declared independence T...

  It's the world's most famous book on military strategy. Learn about its fascinating history, about the lessons in the book, and discover how you can apply some ideas from this 2,500-year-old book to your English learning.  What we know (and don't know) about the book Sun Tzu: military strategist and general Other authors & editors of The Art of War Being brought by Europe (and used by Napole...

  It's the world's favourite sweet snack, and the chocolate industry is worth over $100 billion. Discover the fantastic history of where it comes from, how it became so popular, and learn about some of the economics of chocolate production.  The Theobroma Cacao tree: where it all starts Aztecs & the early years of drinking chocolate The arrival of the Spanish Conquistadors & a ‘bitter drin...

  It's the most famous cryptocurrency in the world, and went up in value by 269% in 2020. In this episode, we take a look at what it actually is, how it works, why some people think it is the future of money and others think it is a giant bubble. How 'traditional' money works Banks and storing money 1971 and leaving the gold standard Inflation Satoshi Nakamoto & the Bitcoin whitepaper Principl...

  It's the iconic Italian scooter that has conquered the world. Learn about how it started, how it got its name, and why it has become such a huge, global success story. “A completely Italian product, such as we have not seen since the Roman chariot” 1884 and the founding of Piaggio World War I and making aeroplanes World War II and being bombed by the Allies Rebuilding the factory and deciding to...

  You might think that nothing of historical importance ever happens on Christmas Day, but you'd be wrong. Here are 9 weird and wonderful events. The one thing they have in common? They all happened on December 25th. Jesus of Nazareth - born on December 25th? Event #1 - Crowing of Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor Event #2 - Coronation of William the Conqueror as King of England Event #3 - Discove...

  He was the creator of utilitarianism, a philosophical framework for how societies should be structured, based on the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. Learn about the fascinating life of this interesting character, how this theory impacted the law, and how he was true to his beliefs even in death. Bentham's early life as a child prodigy Enlightenment principles Introduction t...

  He is the father of modern biology, and his 1869 book On the Origin of Species presented a revolutionary new idea about how species evolve. Discover the amazing story of Charles Darwin, and the journey of how he developed this groundbreaking theory. Early life of Charles Darwin Being sent to medical school aged 16 Developing an early interest in the natural world Moving to Cambridge and starting...

  The personality industry is worth billions, and promises to help us better understand ourselves. But how did it start? How does it actually work? And most importantly, does it actually work? What are personality tests? Historical ideas of personality & character: The four humours Sigmund Freud & Carl Jung Katharine Cook Briggs & Isabel Briggs-Myers: the mother and daughter pair from...

  It's the biggest shopping day of the year. How did it start, what actually happens, and how much do people really spend? Plus, learn about the history of discounting, and how companies trick you into buying things you don't need. How much people spend on Black Friday How Black Friday has developed over the years The history of Black Friday (it doesn't come from 'going into the black') Coca-Cola...