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On 6th February this year, Queen Elizabeth II will become the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years on the throne. In this episode, Ellie talks about how the UK will be celebrating this summer, and some other monarchs from around the world that have reigned just a little bit longer! --- Where to Find Us:  Head to our website, learnaboutpod.com , to read the full e...

We're so excited to launch our new series, Let's Learn About D&D! We'll be sharing all sorts of tips and discussions about D&D for beginners, by beginners. In this first episode, we cover: What D&D is, how to play, and how we started playing it ourselves How we learned to play by watching things like Dimension 20 and Critical Roll How playing on a virtual tabletop like Roll20 is perfect for beginn...

Eep, we're so excited to announce that we're starting a new monthly series on this podcast all about the tabletop roleplaying game D&D! We'll be bringing you all sorts of tips and discussions for beginners, by beginners. In this short announcement episode, we talk about the series, why we're doing it, and what it'll involve. Look out for our first episode of Let's Learn About D&D on 31st January!...

We love awesome women of history on this podcast, so in this episode, we're covering not just one, but six! This is the in-depth story of Henry VIII and his six wives: Katherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard, and Katherine Parr, and how their marriages to Henry changed Britain forever. --- Where to Find Us:  Head to our website, learnaboutpod.com , to read...

Ellie ventures into Norse mythology for this episode: she tells the story called The Lay of Thrym, otherwise known as Thor's Wedding Day. How far will Thor go when his precious hammer goes missing? It might somehow end up with him in a wedding dress... --- Where to Find Us:  Head to our website, learnaboutpod.com , to read the full episode notes, see a list of links and resources, and watch the un...

It's exactly halfway between Charlotte and Ellie's birthdays at the time of this episode going live, so to celebrate that, Charlotte talks about the history of celebrating birthdays in the first place, and shares some fun birthday traditions from around the world. --- Where to Find Us:  Head to our website, learnaboutpod.com , to read the full episode notes, see a list of links and resources, and...

We've done it!! We've reached 100 episodes of our podcast and we're so excited about it. To celebrate, we thought we'd share 100 fun facts - there are 80 from us, and 20 that were sent to us from friends and listeners! Thank you so much to everyone who has supported the podcast so far - it means the whole world. If you want to support us by joining our small community and get fun bonus stuff in re...

In our final episode of 2021, Ellie goes into the true stories behind the musical Chicago, which began as a 1926 play written by Maurine Dallas Watkins inspired by two real-life murder cases. --- Where to Find Us:  Head to our website, learnaboutpod.com , to read the full episode notes, see a list of links and resources, and watch the uncut video version of this episode! You can also follow us on...

Charlotte talks about the evolution of Santa Claus, from St Nicholas himself way back in the 4th century, to the modern, red-cloaked, white-bearded man we know today. (In true LLA fashion, even this holly jolly episode contains stories of imprisonment, grave robbing, and strange mysteries...) --- Where to Find Us:  Head to our website, learnaboutpod.com , to read the full episode notes, see a list...

This episode takes you on a Santa-style trip around Europe, including France, Germany, Italy and Spain, as we learn about various European festive traditions! --- Where to Find Us:  Head to our website, learnaboutpod.com , to read the full episode notes, see a list of links and resources, and watch the uncut video version of this episode! You can also follow us on Instagram  and  Twitter  at @lear...

We're joined by Llinos, one of our previous guests and one of our Patreon supporters, for our first Christmas episode of the year! This one is slightly darker than some of the ones we've done in the past - Llinos tells us about the mysterious disappearance of Glenn Miller, an American trombonist, composer, and bandleader who went missing at sea in December 1944. But what really happened to Glenn M...

Charlotte goes further back in time than we've ever gone before... we're going prehistoric! Learn about dinosaurs, what the Earth was like before it had separate continents, and about the K-T mass extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs and 85% of other life on Earth. Want to watch this episode in video form? You can find the full, uncut video version of this episode on our website, learnabo...

Long-time listeners might remember the episode we did about Anne Bonny, Pirate Queen of the Caribbean. In this episode, Ellie talks about another female pirate: Sadie "the Goat" Farrell, an American criminal, gang leader and river pirate. Want to watch this episode in video form? For the first time, you can find the full, uncut video version of this episode on our website, learnaboutpod.com ! (Spo...

The Bermuda Triangle is known as the place where several ships and planes have disappeared under inexplicable circumstances, and it's still one of the most well-known mysteries out there. People theorise about it being extraterrestial, a scientific anomaly, or even the location of the Lost City of Atlantis. But is the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle really related to the supernatural, or is it eas...

Ellie tells the original Grimm tale of Snow White and Rose Red, which is considerably lighter than any other Grimm story we've told on this podcast so far! This one contains a warm and friendly bear, and a very ungrateful dwarf. --- Where to Find Us:  Find the full notes for this episode, including where you can learn more about these topics, at  learnaboutpod.com . You can also follow us on  Inst...

During Pride Month we did an episode all about queer icons and their stories, but how about the people who aren't a household name... but really should be? Charlotte tells the story of 6 queer people from the last couple of centuries who have done some incredible things for the emancipation of LGBTQ+ people, and we really should learn about them! --- Where to Find Us:  Find the full notes for this...

A tool of the devil, a harmless family game—or a fascinating glimpse into the non-conscious mind? In our final episode of Spooky Month 2021, Ellie talks about the curious history of the Ouija Board, from a favourite for all the family to the fearful, spirit-enticing game it is today. --- Where to Find Us:  Find the full notes for this episode, including where you can learn more about these topics,...

A lot of things can make you think instantly of Halloween. Ghosts, bats, pumpkins, and black cats show up in seasonal décor everywhere. But where did these symbols come from? Find out in this Spooky Month episode! --- Where to Find Us:  Find the full notes for this episode, including where you can learn more about these topics, at  learnaboutpod.com . You can also follow us on  Instagram  and  Twi...

He's tall and thin with unnaturally long, tentacle-like arms. His face is white and featureless, but may appear differently to anyone who sees it. He wears a dark suit and tie. Yes, that's right... we're talking about Slender Man! In this Spooky Month episode, Ellie discusses the origins of Slender Man, the birth of the online urban legend, and the power of internet culture. --- Where to Find Us: ...

Charlotte kicks off Spooky Month 2021 with a classic Halloween topic: haunted houses! Learn about 3 creepy houses with some horrifying true crime stories behind them: the Villisca Axe Murder House in Iowa, the Skirrid Inn in Abergavenny, and the infamous H. H. Holmes Murder Hotel in Chicago. --- Where to Find Us:  Find the full notes for this episode, including where you can learn more about these...

We're joined by the lovely Pippa Stacey, a chronically ill writer, communications consultant, and blogger. She's here to talk to us all about being a chronically ill/disabled university student, including her tips for getting the most out of your experience and not being scared to ask for what you need. We also chat about what it means to redefine success as a chronically ill or disabled person. -...

Ellie talks about the science and psychology behind déjà vu – that phenomenon when you feel like you've lived through the present situation before. (This episode topic was suggested to us by Llinos, a previous guest and one of our lovely patrons!) --- Where to Find Us:  Find the full notes for this episode, including where you can learn more about these topics, at  learnaboutpod.com . You can also...

There are billions of stars in the universe, but what are they made of and how are they all unique? What actually are black holes and how do they work? And what will happen to the Earth when the Sun dies? Learn all of this and more in this episode! --- Where to Find Us:  Find the full notes for this episode, including where you can learn more about these topics, at  learnaboutpod.com . You can als...

Swear words are commonly used today in everyday language, but where did they originate? Were they always "bad" words? Ellie covers some of the most popular swear words that exist in the English language and goes back through history to find out where they came from! --- Where to Find Us:  Find the full notes for this episode, including where you can learn more about these topics, at  learnaboutpod...

We're flying back to space in this episode: Charlotte talks about galaxies, including the one we live in, the Milky Way. How and when did galaxies form? What do they look like? What the heck actually is dark matter? And why can't we feel the Earth move?! Learn about all of this and more! --- Where to Find Us:  Find the full notes for this episode, including where you can learn more about these top...