The Cloak and Dagger Podcast

Over course of 350 years, from the dawn of the 16th century till the second half of the 18th century, over 5 million men, women and children were kidnapped, bound and shipped from the continent of Africa to the other side of the world. To work and to die, to feed ever expanding European imperial ambitions. These empires plundered the world, off the backs of the people they deemed lesser. But there...

From across the vast seas they came. First a trickle, then a torrent of pale men with fire in their hands and hunger in their eyes. While they spoke a strange tongue, the desire of these cross wearing foreigners was plain for anyone with eyes to see. They sought to plunder the gold in the rivers, and the silver in the earth. And when these riches ripped from this sacred land began to spread back a...

Empires rise, and empires fall. The never ending march of time will eventually grind all civilisations into the dust, preparing the ground for new nations to rise. Often it is the stories told of these empires that lives on through the ages. Tales of conquest or of social upheaval. Tales that provide an ideal to live up to or a warning to heed. However the mightiest of empires can leave more than...

In the streets of 1770 colonial Boston, working men and woman are a flame with ideas of revolution. Straining under the ever growing economic oppression of the British parliament, the city was rapidly becoming a powder keg about to explode. So when a shot from a red coat musket turned a riot into a massacre, why didn't the city erupt into chaos? The answer lies in the subsequent court case, where...

Since the dawn of time, humanity has looked out across wide lands that we inhabit, captivated by the wonder and the beauty they see before them. But I’m willing to bet that some of those humans taking in the view may has also thought “wouldn’t it be nice if it didn’t take so bloody long to walk everywhere?”. Alas until the invention wheel and the domestication of the horse, a brisk march was the f...

It takes a truly remarkable spirit to pack up all your worldly possessions, load your loved ones into a wagon, and brave the wilds on unknown lands in search for paradise. But it takes even more spirit, to pick yourself up and create a new life when that dream of a paradise, becomes a nightmare... In this episode of the Cloak and Dagger Podcast, we hear the unbelievable tale of Olive Oatman, a pio...

We’ve all been astonished by the thieves who stole 88 million euros worth of jewellery from the Louvre earlier this year. But this was hardly the first heist that the most visited museum in the world has weathered. On a warm autumn day in 1911, one man strolled into the Louvre and walked out the next day with a priceless treasure under his arm. This event would send shockwaves around the world. No...

For many a nation throughout history, a grand overseas empire was their path to wealth, power and glory. It worked for the Romans, it worked for the English, and in 1698, the Scottish believed it would work for them too. A colony in the new world, with all its exotic riches and boundless potential, could be just the ticket to reverse the fortunes for the Kingdom of Scotland. Such an endeavour howe...

A monastic life, is a simple life. Daily prayer. Quiet contemplation. A pursuit of inner peace over worldly excitements. A pirate’s life on the other hand, is the exact opposite. Daily turmoil upon the high seas. Fiercely plotting deadly revenge. A pursuit of fame, fortune and all the pleasures of the world. This is the tale of a man who traded one life for another, with a bit of black magic throw...

Life on this planet must endure a lot to survive. Earthquakes and tsunamis rock entire regions. While floods and wildfires destroy complex ecosystems in a matter of hours. And yet life always finds a way to flourish despite everything the world can throw at it. However these acts of god are no longer the only cataclysms life must face. Mankind’s development over the last 10,000 years came from our...

In the elite world of 11th-century Japan, matters of the heart unfold alongside matters of state. Where the ability to compose poetry and display quick wit counted for more than brute strength and male dominance. At the heart of the imperial court, two women (Sei Shonagon and Murasaki Shikibu) from rival factions kept diaries and penned extraordinary works of fiction making them the Japanese count...

In 1885, a Pittsburgh journalist wrote an article about women and their role in society - it argued that their only purpose was to get pregnant and keep up with the laundry. One reader was so angry with this that she wrote a retort to the editor arguing that women should be given more employment opportunities. The editor agreed and offered a young Nellie Bly her first job as a journalist. From the...

Hey guys, welcome to another special episode! The Film in our sights this time? Exodus: Gods & Kings. The 2014 biblical epic directed by Ridley Scott, with Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton in the leading roles. Join Will, Jamie, and both Patricks, as they discuss their likes, dislikes, and general shit talking...With plenty of rage quits from Patrick (ALH).

Someone once said, that if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. Sage words such as these should always be followed, and woe betide those who fail to heed this lesson. For there a those in this world, who will promise you the world, while taking everything you hold dear... In this episode of the Cloak & Dagger podcast we tell the tale of a queen, a cardinal and a confidence trick...

As the New Zealand government militia treks through the jungle pass, they have no idea what might await them in the shadows. Tales of the man they are hunting are blended with myths of his supernatural powers; like an ability to melt into thin air. Despite hundreds of attempts, no amount of force has been able to vanquish the Maori guerrilla prophet called Te Kooti. Fear gripped the white settlers...

Humanity has spent an alarmingly large amount of it's existence at war with itself. Wars full of pain and loss and terror. But for most of our existence, we could take solace in the knowledge that while one army may be attacking another, or one city had been set alfame, the rest of the world could go about their day unperturbed. That was, until 1945. Until the first atomic bomb. From that day on,...

As the US Civil War entered its second bloody year, a young man recently arrived from Ireland enlists in the 95th Illinois Volunteer Regiment and marches to war. He joined thousands of other young men but unlike them, he has a secret which if revealed, could lead to great hardship and potential physical harm if discovered. This does not deter him from his choice to fight and makes him one of the b...

Pope Stephen was furious. So angry, in fact, that he was going to make his predecessor feel his wrath - no matter the consequences. His cardinals were too scared or too shocked to intervene and soon the pope had his wish - he dragged his predecessor into a trial that would echo through the centuries and mark one of the lowest points in the history of the papacy. Welcome to the Cadaver Synod. If yo...

Everyone thinks they know about Katharine of Aragon but beyond a few nursery rhymes and inaccurate tv shows, the true story of Katharine is far more compelling and rich than you can imagine. Jackson Van Uden is hosting the Katharine of Aragon Festival in Peterborough from 22nd to the 29th January and he came on the show to tell us about this extraordinary queen.

Happy festive season listeners! Whether you're celebrating Christmas or just enjoying the day off work, we've got a tale for you. A spectacular story of a man's journey across a world turned upside down by revolutions, culminating in an engineering feat to rival the pyramids and panama canal! If you want to see this episode’s accompanying images and a sneak peek of upcoming episodes, follow us on...

Vengeance is a fire that burns white hot. A life once filled with joy, can become shadowed with the dark specter if revenge. But sometimes in a time of horror, brutality and misery, the only thing one can hold onto, is he hope of vengeance. And when all things crumble into to dust, that fire will keep you going. To the bitter end. If you want to see this episode’s accompanying images and a sneak p...

As an old Irish proverb says “What whisky will not cure, there is no cure for”. And while I’m no doctor, I am Irish so I do believe there is something in that. Even in a land so divided it’s close to breaking, where a man may be countered as only three fifths of a person, this elixir could form the most unbreakable bonds that would last through generations until this very day. Don’t believe us? We...

Well this has gotten out of hand. The new and improved England seemed to be going so well, but a sunken ship, a flurry of royal bastard, and few too many sexist principles and now the whole kingdom’s falling apart. I’m sure it’ll all work itself out… Welcome back to Part 2 of out tale of the Anarchy! For this episode of the podcast we are very excited to have our friend Jess (an actual real histor...

Ever have a family spat go a bit too far? Well 12th Century two cousins did just that, and their little argument over who got to sit in their grandfathers chair, tore the entire English Kingdom in half. And only 72 years after Aegon William the Conqueror had taken the throne. For this episode of the podcast we are very excited to have our friend Jess (an actual real historian) join us and tell us...

Can a great mind cut deeper than a sword? If the history of humanity’s endless wars with itself is anything to go on, the answer is undoubtably yes. Again and again, great scientists, engineers, and mathematicians have been pulled from their pursuit of unravelling the mysteries of our world and put to work creating terrible machines of war. And at a time where a big bridge stuck to the front of a...