HistoryExtra podcast

During its heyday in the roaring 20s, Cairo’s nightlife district was the place to go for a world-class night out – from glitzy variety shows in smoky clubs to Arabic operas performed to adoring audiences. Raphael Cormack, the author of Midnight in Cairo: The Female Stars of Egypt’s Roaring ‘20s, discusses this glamourous scene and some of the enterprising women who dominated it.   (Ad) Raphael Cor...

Julian Richards discusses the Viking Great Army, which wreaked havoc on the kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England from 865-878   From 865-878, the Viking Great Army wreaked havoc on the kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England. Julian Richards, author of The Viking Great Army and the Making of England, reveals how new research can shed light on the story of Norse fighting force.   (Ad) Julian Richards and Dawn H...

Poverty and riots racked 19th-century rural England, but one eccentric Victorian cleric was convinced he had the solution – inventing a new language. Siân Rees introduces us to Reverend William Barnes, who developed a new version of English stripped of foreign words, which he was convinced would bind the nation together and return England to a state of harmony.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priv...

Professor Barry Doyle explains what kind of treatment you could expect If you were ill before the National Health Service was founded in 1948    If you were ill before the National Health Service was founded, what kind of treatment could you expect? Professor Barry Doyle discusses what hospitals and healthcare were like in Britain before 1948, revealing a surprisingly extensive and accessible syst...

How did the Medici influence the Renaissance? Just how rich were they? And what dark family secrets were lurking in their past? In the latest episode in our series on history’s biggest topics, historian Catherine Fletcher responds to listener questions and popular online search queries on the Florentine dynasty, covering everything from the family’s exorbitant wealth to their alleged scandalous af...

Elinor Cleghorn discusses her new book Unwell Women, which traces the long history of the misdiagnosis and mistreatment of women’s health issues, and highlights some of the women who fought back against medical sexism.   (Ad) Elinor Cleghorn is the author of Unwell Women: A Journey Through Medicine and Myth in a Man-Made World (Orion, 2021)    Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources....

Jacqueline Riding discusses her new biography of William Hogarth, which charts the life and work of the famed artist and satirist. Hogarth was a larger-than-life figure whose many engravings and portraits highlighted the morals and vices of the 18th century. (Ad) Jacqueline Riding is the author of Hogarth: Life in Progress (Profile, 2021). Buy it now at Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id...

From grizzled gold miners to fresh-faced boys in search of adventure, 100,000 prospectors set out for the remote Yukon in search of gold. Stephen Tuffnell delves into the Klondike gold rush, which saw millions of dollars’ worth of gold pulled from the ground – and ended as abruptly as it began.       Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Vis...

Any illusions that the wartime entente between the western Allies and the Soviet Union would flourish in the new postwar world were shattered when the two sides came face to face on the streets of Berlin in the summer of 1945. Author Giles Milton reveals how spiralling tensions between Josef Stalin and his counterparts in the west over the fate of the German capital fired the starting gun on the C...

Following the release of the Pentagon’s much anticipated report on UFOs, Dr David Clarke explains how the idea of extra-terrestrials in mysterious flying saucers developed from its origins in the Cold War to become an enduring modern myth. (Ad) David Clarke is the author of How UFOs Conquered the World: The History of a Modern Myth (Aurum, 2015). Buy it now at Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-...

In the latest episode in our series tackling big historical topics, historian Donald Wright answers listener questions on the history of Canada, from the country’s indigenous population and its contribution to the two world wars, to the story behind the maple leaf flag and the reasons why Canada didn’t join the American Revolution. (Ad) Donald Wright is the author of Canada: A Very Short Introduct...

Bestselling author Daniel James Brown reveals how a group of young Japanese Americans overcame suspicion and prejudice to become some of the most decorated US soldiers in World War Two. (Ad) Daniel James Brown is the author of Facing The Mountain: The Forgotten Heroes of World War II (Viking, 2021). Buy it now at Bookshop.org: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social...

Historian and author Anne Sebba explores the life of Ethel Rosenberg, an American woman and mother of two who was executed for espionage in 1953 in one of the most sensational and controversial episodes of the Cold War.   (Ad) Anne Sebba is the author of Ethel Rosenberg: A Cold War Tragedy (Orion, 2021). Buy it now at Bookshop.org: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-s...

Larry Loftis details the life and work of Aline Griffith, a model-turned-spy who rose to the upper echelons of society in WW2 Spain, mingling with everyone from famous bullfighters to the Spanish aristocracy.   (Ad) Larry Loftis is the author of The Princess Spy: The True Story of World War II Spy Aline Griffith, Countess of Romanones (Atria, 2021). Buy it now at Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/P...

Kate Morgan chronicles the legal history of murder, discussing the cases that shaped UK murder laws   Lawyer and writer Kate Morgan chronicles the legal history of murder, and explores the roles killers, victims, lawyers and judges have played in making UK murder law what it is today. She also discusses crimes that shaped the British legal system, from Richard Parker, the cannibalised cabin boy ea...

Adrian Wooldridge discusses his new book Aristocracy of Talent, which explores meritocracy’s role in forging the modern world, and weighs up the challenges and advantages of a system in which people are advanced solely on the basis of their talents.    (Ad) Adrian Wooldridge is the author of The Aristocracy of Talent: How Meritocracy Made the Modern World (Allen Lane, 2021). Buy it now at Bookshop...

Ritchie Robertson responds to listener questions on the intellectual and philosophical movement that swept Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries   How did the Enlightenment change the course of history? Why were elements of the established church so bitterly opposed to it? And are its ideals still relevant in the 21st century? Ritchie Robertson answers listener questions on the intellectual and ph...

In a conversation recorded as part of our virtual lecture series, Olivette Otele discusses her book African Europeans: An Untold History, which charts the long history of Africans in Europe and explores the role that African individuals – from enslaved people to Roman emperors and medieval saints – have played in European history. (Ad) Olivette Otele is the author of African Europeans: An Untold H...

Kate Vigurs discusses the 39 female agents of the Special Operation Executive’s F-section, a diverse cohort of women recruited to carry out resistance work in occupied France during the Second World War – from wireless operation to crucial planning for D-Day.   (Ad) Kate Vigurs is the author of Mission France: The True History of the Women of SOE (Yale, 2021). Buy it now at Bookshop.org: https://g...

We’re launching a brand-new premium podcast feed, HistoryExtra Plus – a subscription channel where we take you on a deep dive into the past, with even more on history’s most gripping events. Brought to you by the team behind HistoryExtra and BBC History Magazine, HistoryExtra Plus brings you an in-depth look at history’s most exciting stories and compelling mysteries. Find out more and subscribe a...

DH Lawrence’s work – such as The Rainbow, Women in Love and Lady Chatterley’s Lover – broke new ground and appalled censorious literary critics. Biographer Frances Wilson chronicles a pivotal decade in the writer’s turbulent life, characterised by a tempestuous marriage, a constant battle against class prejudice and a bitter backlash against vitriolic criticism.    (Ad) Frances Wilson is the autho...

For the concluding episode of our series on the prime ministers that experts believe accomplished most during their time in 10 Downing Street, Anthony Seldon joins us to discuss the secrets of being a great leader, and some of the challenges facing those in charge over the last 300 years.   (Ad) Anthony Seldon is the author of The Impossible Office?: The History of the British Prime Minister (Camb...

Broadcaster and academic Alice Roberts joins us to discuss her new book Ancestors: A Prehistory of Britain in Seven Burials, which reveals what archaeological discoveries and cutting-edge science can tell us about Britain’s prehistoric past.   (Ad) Alice Roberts is the author of Ancestors: A Prehistory of Britain in Seven Burials (Simon & Schuster, 2021). Buy it now at Bookshop.org: https://go.ski...

Tim Maltin answers listener questions about the sinking of RMS Titanic in 1912   Did the band really play on as the Titanic sank into the icy depths of the Atlantic? And is it true that the liner could have stayed afloat if it had hit the iceberg head on? In the latest in our series tackling the big questions on major historical topics, expert Tim Maltin responds to popular search queries and list...

From the eruption of Vesuvius to Chernobyl and Covid-19, Niall Ferguson charts how disasters have changed the course of history   From the eruption of Vesuvius to Chernobyl and Covid-19, disasters have changed the course of history. Historian Niall Ferguson discusses his new book Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe, which asks what we can learn from historical catastrophes to help us tackle future c...