The Untitled History Podcast

In January 1917, as war raged across the globe, only one major power remained neutral: the United States. Having swayed between pro- and anti-German sentiment since 1914, it was recognised by most that American involvement could decide the outcome of the war. It was with that knowledge that the German government sent a telegram that would, just perhaps, seal its fate. The Zimmermann Telegram was a...

In post-war Britain, the drive to build new housing and a better world led to a number of plans focused on creating modern towns. The boldest and most visionary of these was to be Milton Keynes, a city from nothing. Today, Milton Keynes is either famous, or infamous, depending on your perspective on its design. But what’s not in doubt was that the process that led to its creation was unique. A sto...

The Roman Army was powered by cheese. It fuelled its soldiers through war and occupation and, as Rome’s armies swept through western Europe, altered how an entire continent produced and consumed cheese. “It is a remarkable circumstance that the barbarous nations, which subsist on milk for so long, have been for so many ages either ignorant of the merits of cheese, or else have completely disregard...

In September 1926, art expert Paul Arndt was shown a newly-unearthed Ancient Greek statue by an Italian dealer. It was an extraordinary piece. Its sale for a vast sum of money to an American museum, along with other pieces unearthed, would create excitement across America. The statues were fake. Throughout the 1920s, American interest in ancient art and sculpture exploded. As a result, American co...

On the 8th of 1940, a lone British destroyer encountered part of the German invasion force bound for Norway. The heroic last stand of HMS Glowworm against overwhelming odds earned her captain the first Victoria Cross of the war. Incredibly, this award was granted based on the recommendation of the German Admiral he had fought. Both the Allies and Axis were eyeing up Norway for invasion. The events...

In 1940, Charles de Gaulle saved France. He called for resistance to the Nazi occupation from London. In 1958, with the French republic crumbling, he stepped forward to save France again. In English language history, it is de Gaulle’s defiance in WW2 and his role in the rise of the Free French that dominates discussion. In post war study, he is sometimes portrayed as an aloof figure and a man out...

In 1458, the Kingdom of Cyprus was the last of the Crusader States. Over the next 30 years, two remarkable women would fight to rule it as queen. Their rivalry would see each experience periods of power and exile. Although mostly forgotten today, this political battle would draw in all of the great powers of the region, from Egypt to the papacy. The lives of Charlotte of Lusignan and Caterina Corn...

Celebrity feels like a modern idea. Something that owes its origins to the rise of Hollywood, television and reality TV. But its cultural origins run far deeper. People who could be - and were - treated as celebrities can be seen right back to the world of 17th century theatre and beyond. The relationship between celebrity, fame and renown has also always been fluid, shifting in the eyes - and pap...

In this Extra Bit episode, Gareth and Matt Bone shine a light on the pilots of the Typhoon and Spitfire raids on D-Day's radar stations: the air-sea rescue crews. They cover the amphibious Walrus flying boats and the Spitfires that circled overhead to guide them in, the remarkable five-day ordeal of Canadian pilot Al Watkins after he ditched off Le Havre, and the raid on Guernsey's radar station t...

By 1944, the German’s had a highly-advanced radar system covering the entirety of the Channel coast. That radar would, if left intact, provide considerable warning of any unfolding allied invasion. The task of dealing with those radar stations ahead of D-Day fell almost entirely on the fighter-bombers of the allies, and the RAF in particular. In a remarkable, and often bloody, series of operations...

In September 1983, the Soviet missile launch detection system falsely reported an inbound US missile strike. The actions of Stanislav Petrov that day, who refused to report the launch as true, have often been described as having saved the world. This is the story of 1983. The year the world almost ended. Petrov’s actions in the Soviet missile control centre at Serpukhov-15 near Moscow, arguably pr...

Agatha Christie is the world’s best selling author and rightly regarded as the queen of crime. But less well known is her medical service in both world wars, and its influence on her writing. Without WW1, there would be no Poirot. Agatha Christie trained as nurse and served as a red cross volunteer in WW1, encountering many Belgian refugees. She later trained to become a dispenser. In the second w...

The best selling comic series in the world is One Piece. But the second best selling, with almost 400 million copies sold, is neither British nor American. It is, in fact, the story of a small French village holding out against the Roman Empire. In this episode we’re going to look at the history, and cultural impact, of Asterix the Gaul. The year is 50 BC. Gaul is entirely occupied by the Romans....

In the aftermath of the First Crusade, four Christian kingdoms were established in the near east. In this episode we explore the history of the Crusader States, and the many myths that surround them. Edessa, Antioch, Tripoli and Jerusalem. Four Christian kingdoms were all established after 1098. The popular image of these kingdoms is as fortified outposts, ruling over poor and often barren lands....

In 1740, Samuel Richardson published Pamela, a novel purporting to be the letters of a young woman. In 1748, he followed this up with Clarissa, written on the same principle. Richardson’s subjects were fake. But the activity he showed them engaging in was very real. The creation of reliable and regular postal services after the English Civil War led to an explosion in letter writing, especially fo...

In 1975, three young men sat in a grotty flat in West London decided to launch a games company. Over the next few years, they would find themselves at the centre of the growing revolution in roleplay, and then miniature gaming. Today, we’re going to talk about the history of Games Workshop and the universe it launched: Warhammer Today, Games Workshop, with its line of Warhammer games, books and mo...

Lythe and listin Gentilmen, That be of freebore blode I shall tell you of a gode Yeman His name was Robyn Hode These are the opening words to The Gest of Robin Hood, first published by Wynkin de Worde in written form in 1506. They represent the first literary mention of a man who was almost certainly never real, but who has existed in the British consciousness since the middle ages. In this episod...

Ask most people to describe a pirate and their ship, and they’ll likely conjure up an image of an eye-patch-wearing man commanding a huge ship. An image that, in most cases, could not be farther from the truth. From the middle of the 17th century onwards, European nations expanded their influence and trade into the Americas and the Indian Ocean. In doing so, they created an environment in which pi...

The 16th Century saw a two way exchange of objects, ideas and people between Europe and the Americas to a far greater extent than is often understood. Much of that exchange is visible in the everyday objects and trade that took place between these two different worlds. Exchange that can get lost when we frame history through the eyes and acts of individuals of recognition, renown or infamy. Today...

The discovery of Radium in 1898 opened up new frontiers of science and medicine. But the sheer difference between the behaviour of radium and every element that had been discovered before, led to wild claims about its properties. These claims, and the mystery surrounding the new element, led to a period sometimes known as the ‘Radium Craze’. For decades, this potentially dangerous element would be...

The period of the Second Temple was a time of cultural change for Jewish communities, including in how they regarded concepts such as magic and demons. But evidence for what that meant on the ground was limited until the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1946, and the wealth of scholarship that followed. The picture painted is of a society looking to understand how the world, and the beliefs of...

Jesus in flowing robes. Mary, his mother, in a veil. Mary Magdalene in red with loose flowing hair. Even the disciples in short tunics bare-headed. All these, and more, are part of the standard iconography of Christianity. Yet both here, and with Roman or Greco-Roman people in this period in general, many of our ideas about daily dress and styling are wrong. Today, we’re going to dig into what eve...

The withdrawal of Rome from Britain in the 4th Century wasn’t quick. The slow decline created an environment in which small kingdoms and communities emerged as independent, or semi-independent states. Today, we’re going to explore those lost kingdoms of Great Britain. Do you like our podcast? Then please leave us a review, it helps us a lot! Host: Gareth Edwards More about Gareth Edwards: https://...

Between 1936 and 1939, Nazi Germany operated the thirds largest whaling fleet in the world. Its giant processing ships roamed the Antarctic, almost driving the Blue Whale to extinction. All to make one vital product: margarine. Nazi Germany was not the only nation to take up whaling on an industrial scale. In the 1930s, Great Britain and Germany bought almost 85% of all whale oil in the world. The...

In the 15th century, guns were often seen as the devil’s weapon. Unchivalrous and “unmanly”, they were viewed with suspicion by the European elite. Within a hundred years, this had changed. Guns were now luxury items among the rich, sometimes in odd, novelty combination with axes, polearms or with multiple barrels. Today, we’ll be exploring why and when this changed. Today's Guest: Catherine Fletc...