Histories of the Unexpected

Our stalwart Histories of the Unexpected duo, James and Sam, return for another instalment on the history of RUNNING AWAY! Which of course is all about the Glorious Revolution and James II, slavery and the underground railroad, the kinder transport, and the child’s game ‘Knock, Knock, Ginger!’.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mustering all their bravery and courage, the Histories of the Unexpected duo, James and Sam, stand their historical ground and investigate the frankly fascinating and deeply moving history of RUNNING AWAY! Which of course is all about the Glorious Revolution and James II, slavery and the underground railroad, the kinder transport, and the child’s game ‘Knock, Knock, Ginger!’.  Hosted on...

In this bonus episode, the Histories of the Unexpected duo, James and Sam, take a FURTHER MEATY bite out of the UTTERLY BIZARRE history of SHARKS! Which is all about power and status in ancient China, Pompeii, education, irrational fear, the Spanish Americas in the sixteenth century, and much much more…. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, the Histories of the Unexpected duo, James and Sam, take a bite out of the frankly fascinating history of SHARKS! Which is all about power and status in ancient China, Pompeii, education, irrational fear, the Spanish Americas in the sixteenth century, and much much more…. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

James and Sam come to grips with the shameful history of HUMILIATION! It's all to do with families, schools, Charles Dickens, the British Empire, medieval punishment, the Arab Spring, head shaving, WWII, the Irish War of Independence, corporal punishment and much, much more.... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

James and Sam come to grips with the terrifying history of FEAR! And it's fascinating; it's all to do with childhood, death and disasters, war and warfare (via shrapnel, civilian bombardment and the nuclear threat), the Great Wall of China, bodies, highwaymen and pirates, terrorism and of course the fear of heights, and the lure of the void! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informat...

We REFUSE to tell you what this episode is about. Shan't. Won't. Ok Ok. We will. It's about putting your foot down, saying NO, saying NEVER AGAIN. It's the history of mutiny, sedition, forcing change, adult disobedience, childhood disobedience - it's a theme we can all relate to, and James and Sam talk about it in relation to the Russian Revolution up to the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II in 1917....

Recorded in the aftermath of George Floyd's tragic death, with the Black Lives Matter movement in full flight, James and Sam turn their attention to the fascinating history of...STATUES! Currently the site of social conflict, who knew that statues had such an unexpected past. The history of clouds is all about Ancient Rome and the erasure of the past, ninth and tenth century Byzantium, relics in C...

An episode we can all identify with! It's about the history of being able to control your temper - it's about feet kicking, shouting, waving, stamping, WILD anger. James and Sam explore the various ways you can think about the history of anger before looking in particular at the rage of Henry II and how it impacted on his relationship with Thomas Beckett - once his close friend but who came to be...

In this glorious summer of endless blue skies Sam and James turn their attention to the sky, and the fascinating history of...CLOUDS! Who knew they were so interesting? The history of clouds is all about Captain Cook and cannibalism, the devil, urine, nuclear war, invisible gases and cholera. Oh, and beetles and spiders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

James and Sam get to grips with the history of BIG HEADS...it's all about a touch of arrogance, wanting to be seen to be in charge, securing your place in history...it allows us to think about all sorts of fascinating characters...Caesar, Napoleon, Robespierre, Cromwell and, of course, the Biggest Biggy McBighead of them all, Henry VIII. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

James and Sam come to grips with the elusive history of SHADOWS! And it's fascinating; It's all to do with the very structure of history itself, telling the time, Chinese Emperors, entertainment, advertising in 1950s America, messages from God, the soul, oh...and Aborigines. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

James and Sam tackle the history of things being SO NOT FAIR! From the French Revolution to the massacres of Aborigines and the theft of land from Native Americans to the Suffragettes Sam and James rampage around historical unfairness before settling on the Great Reform Act of 1832 and the subsequent People's Charter of 1838. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sam and James continue their fascinating history of BEARDS! They're all about the reformation, horror stories, health, surrealism, preachers and their stentorian tones....Who Knew? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Inspired by the beard-growing that was taken up by so many of us all in Coronavirus lockdown, Sam and James tackle the unexpected history of BEARDS...which is all about the Crimean War, Ottoman pirates and 'Turning Turk, Peter the Great, gas masks, and modernity in the seventeenth century! WHO KNEW!!!! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's a packed lunch of fun! James and Sam explore the extraordinary history of lunchboxes, which are all about the industrial revolution and nomads and Elizabeth I, before moving on to looking at lunchboxes in relation to WW1 and life in the trenches. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This special HOMESCHOOLING episode is about PLAYING CHICKEN! James and Sam explore the Unexpected history of PLAYING CHICKEN, which is all Henry VIII's Great Matter, Appeasement prior to WWII, and the Crusades! Most of all though it's about THE CUBAN MISSLE CRISIS OF 1962 which saw a standoff between Khrushchev and Kennedy over stationing of nuclear weapons on the island of Cuba - just 160 kilomet...

This special HOMESCHOOLING episode is about SHARING! James and Sam explore the Unexpected history of SHARING, which is all the Great Depression, the EU, the League of Nations, early modern marriage and working-class communities in Victorian London. Most of all though it's about KARL MARX and the COMMUNIST MANIFESTO and the abolition of private property and the redistribution of political power! "F...

In this episode of Histories of the Unexpected, James and Sam explore the unexpected history of VE Day, which is all about children, parties, memory, pens, disagreement, balconies and much, much more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Histories of the Unexpected, James and Sam explore the unexpected history of RAINBOWS (inspired by this symbol of hope during lockdown) which is all about Elizabeth I, the German Peasants' War, the Bible, Norse mythology, political alliances, Gilbert Baker, Harvey Milk and the Pride flag, and LGBTQ History and Heritage and much, much more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pri...

This episode is about DRESSING UP! James and Sam explore the Unexpected history of DRESSING UP, which is all Count Leo Tolstoy, Carnival in Venice, the Maldon Grain Riots of 1629, and the Lord of Misrule. Most of all though it's about THE REBECCA RIOTS and TURNPIKE ROADS during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, which greatly improved the quality of roads in Britain, but with social conseque...

In this episode of Histories of the Unexpected, James and Sam explore the unexpected history of INSULTS, which is all about duelling, 3500 BCE Babylonia, poison pen letters, and of course gloves! It's also all about Shakespeare, slander and name-calling in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Devon, and much, much more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is about HIDING, but with some serious consequences! James and Sam explore the Unexpected history of HIDING, which is all about Oak Trees (and the future King of England, Charles II), it's about keeping secrets, MARY QUEEN of SCOTS, but most of all it's about how CATHOLICS were treated in Elizabethan England, via PRIEST HOLES, which were used to hide priests sent to England from Europ...

The Unexpected History of PRESENTS is all about power and politics at the TUDOR COURT, diplomacy and showing off, and getting people to do exactly what you want. It's especially about FEUDALISM in Norman England, and the transfer of land to Barons and Knights in return for military service! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who kew that BULLIES have a history! Well they do and it's FASCINATING. James and Sam explore the history of bullies across time and then focus on the Nazi Brownshirts and how they used their muscle to propel Hitler to power in the 1930s. The story is followed up to the Night of the Long Knives in 1934 when Hitler used his ultra-loyal personal bodyguard, the SS, to turn against the Brownshirts, en...