Short History Of...

Antarctica, October 1915. 1200 miles from civilisation, Ernest Shackleton watches from the ice as his ship finally crumples. To survive, he and his 27 men must now undertake an epic, death-defying journey, amid impossibly harsh conditions. Shackleton’s expedition is one of history’s greatest tales of human endurance. But what went so badly wrong? And with no hope of rescue, how will they make it h...

It’s Christmas eve, 1914. On the Western Front, a British soldier peers out across No Man’s Land. A sound catches his attention – not artillery fire, but music. The enemy are singing Silent Night. The Christmas Truce of 1914 remains a unique historical anomaly. But how did these sworn enemies set down their weapons and meet as friends? What does the truce reveal about the First World War? This is...

March 15th, 44BC. Despite ill omens, Julius Caesar approaches the Theatre of Pompey. But the men inside have sworn an oath. To save the Republic from the hands of this self-styled ‘perpetual dictator', Caesar must die. But where did the Republic start? How did it transform Rome from a small town into a superpower? And what made its government, so determinedly against autocracy, pass the tipping po...

It’s November 28th, 1809. The Imperial fleet in Tung Chung Bay is aflame. But the crew of Zheng I Sao’s ship watch on and cheer. This is the greatest victory of the Pirate Queen, scourge of the South China Sea. At its peak, her fleet was more than twice the size of the Spanish Armada. But who was Zheng I Sao? How did she become one of the most successful pirates of all time? And why did she go und...

Sakkara, Egypt, 2,630BC. A man stands atop a structure of dizzying height as the final block grinds into place. For Imhotep, it is the culmination of his life’s work: a mountain made by man. He checks the joint while his workers wait in silence. Then, he gives a barely perceptible nod. It is done. Imhotep’s pyramid is the first, but more will come. Bigger pyramids, more beautiful pyramids, tombs f...

Despised by the English, mistrusted by the Scottish nobles, and revered by his countrymen: William Wallace is synonymous with the battle for Scottish freedom. But scratch away at the legend, and even the most basic details are disputed. Where he was born, who he married, and what he did after his famous battle at Stirling Bridge. Thanks to the brutal nature of his death, he doesn’t even have a gra...

After a bloody battle on September 22nd, 1877, Saigo Takamori and his loyal warriors pause on a hillside overlooking Kagoshima. They’ll never surrender, but they’re wounded, exhausted, and massively outnumbered, and Saigo already knows how this will end. Because his noble Samurai army aren’t just fighting the Emperor’s gun-wielding forces. They’re fighting progress itself. And that’s a battle they...

One night in November 1605, a man is discovered underneath England’s Houses of Parliament. And he’s got enough gunpowder with him to reduce it to rubble, with the King, his sons, and the entire government inside it. The Gunpowder plot is an epic tale of adventure and murderous revenge, a detective story complete with secrets, aliases, even an anonymous letter of betrayal. But who was really behind...

By the time she died in 2005, Rosa Parks was known around the world as an icon of activism. Her act of defiance one ordinary Thursday afternoon in Montgomery, Alabama catapulted her to the forefront of the battle for racial equality in America. But what was her story before that fateful moment in 1955? What course did her life take afterward? This is a Short History of Rosa Parks. Written by Kate...

Cloaked in secrecy, discussed by even the most hardened criminals as a place of terror, US Penitentiary Alcatraz is the most feared institution in the American penal system. From 1934 to 1963 more than 1500 prisoners pass through its gates, including Machine-Gun Kelly and Scarface himself, Alphonse Capone. But how did this island rock capture the public imagination? What was life really like insid...

In 1511, a Spanish lifeboat makes land on the Yucatán coast in modern-day Mexico. Thirteen days ago, the crew's caravel was wrecked on a reef. But their adventure is far from over. Now, they are about to become some of the first Europeans to make contact with the Maya. Custodians of an ancient civilisation, at one time tens of millions of Maya people inhabited a swathe of the Americas. But who wer...

After multiple coups by the Soviet Union, astronaut Alan B. Shepard has just become the first American in space. But this is only the beginning. Now, NASA have the moon in their sights, but it's still a long way off. For either the USA or the USSR to succeed, they'll need newer and better technology. The 1960s are about to become the defining decade in space exploration. Who will touch down first...

Humanity has always looked to the heavens, pondering what is really out there. But how did space travel turn from fantasy into reality? In the aftermath of World War Two, a group of scientists from Nazi Germany arrives in the United States. Their task? To kickstart America's space program. Meanwhile, in the Soviet Union a covert team of engineers begins work on a series of rockets and satellites....

In October 1347, a ghostly fleet of trading ships docks at a port in Sicily. The crew members – dead already, or well on their way – bear bubonic plague. The ‘Great Pestilence’ will ravage the populations of three continents over the next decade. What changes to society will result from this, the most devastating pandemic in history? How will people make sense of the terrible scenes before them? A...

In November 1922, in Egypt's Valley of the Kings, a young water boy called Hussein Abdul Rasoul makes a remarkable discovery. A set of stone steps lies concealed beneath the desert sand - a staircase leading to a long-lost tomb. The mummified pharaoh within will capture the imagination of generations to come, becoming the very embodiment of Ancient Egypt. What do we know of this boy king and his p...

What happens when a volcano erupts just six miles from a bustling city? In 79 AD Mount Vesuvius is regarded as a source of bounty by those who live in its shadow. But one of history’s most infamous natural disasters soon unfolds. How did the lucky ones make their escape? And how did this Roman settlement become such an extraordinary archaeological site? This is a Short History of Pompeii and the V...

On January 24th, 1848, a carpenter from Coloma plunges a hand into the American River and pulls out gold. This discovery triggers an explosion of findings, as people flock to the region seeking fortune and reinvention. But what were the chances of striking gold? What obstacles did would-be prospectors encounter along the way? And did the rush to the American West ever really end? This is a Short H...

In the early 18th century, one man makes his name as the most notorious pirate of all time. The legend of Edward Thatch has spawned television shows, novels, and major motion pictures. Stories abound of his wild eyes striking fear into enemy hearts, of the six pistols strapped to his chest, and of his arrival in battle with his jet-black beard set ablaze. But how much is fact and how much fiction?...

On October 16th, 1962, John F. Kennedy discovers that the Soviet Union has successfully planted ballistic missiles on Cuban soil. The United States is now in Moscow's crosshairs. How will the President respond? How far will Khrushchev and Castro push him? This is a Short History of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Part 2. Written by Joel Duddell. With thanks to Philip Brenner, Professor Emeritus at the A...

In October 1962, three men – Kennedy, Khrushchev, and Castro – hold the fate of the planet in their hands. A dispute over Soviet missiles in Cuba spirals out of control. Officials in the USA and the USSR prepare for a war that would end life on Earth as we know it. How exactly did it come to this? And just how close will the world come to nuclear Armageddon? This is a Short History of the Cuban Mi...

In the first-ever episode of Short History Of… we take a trip back in time to Ancient Rome, to discover the bizarre and barbaric world of the gladiators. But who were these mysterious warriors? And how much truth lies behind the legends? Take your seat in the Roman Colosseum, the games are about to begin. This is a Short History of the Gladiators. Written by Addison Nugent. With thanks to Dr. Nevi...

Each week, Short History Of... gives you a front-row seat as history’s most extraordinary moments play out right before you. You’ll be up close with the gladiators and the Mongols, unearthing the Terracotta Army, setting sail in Blackbeard’s pirate ship, watching on as the Cold War hots up. These are the stories beyond the headline names, stories that are amazing because they really did happen. Hi...