We Are History

Angela Barnes and John O'Farrell dust off more delightful and unbelievable details from the pages of history. This time: How most of London was destroyed after a baker ignored his wife’s advice to check if the fire had gone out, saying ‘Oh, what’s the worst that could happen?’ Get all episodes a week early – when you support We Are History on Patreon: https://patreon.com/WeAreHistory “Does one tip...

Angela Barnes and John O’Farrell present the not-so-serious podcast unravelling fascinating and down-right bizarre historical events. This week; our history enthusiasts discuss how the US military used an indigenous American language to outfox the Nazis. By taking a gamble that there weren’t many natural Navajo speakers in Berlin, the Americans kept their secret messages unbreakable by the enemy....

Angela Barnes and John O’Farrell bring us more ridiculous history facts and a less-than serious romp through an event from the past. This time: How one small country in Europe lurched suddenly from hardline Stalinism to Disaster Capitalism, and then gave everyone guns and said ‘Oh sort it out yourselves’. Albania has suffered a stormy history of dictatorships, a king called Zog and being economica...

Angela Barnes and John O’Farrell present the not-so-serious podcast unravelling fascinating and down-right bizarre historical events. This time: They dive deep into the year American politics took a dark turn towards lies, divisiveness and criminality. As is said so often on this podcast; 'it could never happen now'. This is the bitterly fought American Election that set the modern tone with its c...

NEW SERIES! The not-so-serious podcast unravelling fascinating and down-right bizarre historical events. Angela Barnes and John O’Farrell celebrate the return of We Are History by plunging into the luminous but lethal history of Radium. They reveal how its discovery led to a craze for radio-active health and beauty treatments, which had the slight drawback of eventually killing you.  Angela and Jo...

Never mind world wars or revolutions, it's time to do the really important history - how did Christmas singles become a thing in the UK, and when was the golden age of of the festive hit. Warning; includes John doing dad singing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It is compulsory or a man of John's age to do one episode on the Second World War. But fascists being useless is always worth revisiting - and the farcical and disastrous leadership of Benito Mussolini between 1940-45 is that rare thing in modern history - a bit of World War 2 that hasn't been done to death. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choi...

How a few hungry wolves hanging around outside the caves led to Paris Hilton's embarrassed chihuahua wearing a tiara and sitting in a chintzy handbag. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With the BBC celebrating it's centenary, we explore how the corporation came into existence, out of a chaotic broadcasting free-for-all. (This podcast was originally submitted as a programme idea to the Home Service in 1927, but we gave up waiting for a response) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Angela has read yet another book about East Germany (this one by Philip Oltermann) and explains how it was believed that loyalty to the Communist regime could be secured, not just by suppressing dissent and spying on your neighbours, but also with encouraging pro-government poetry . (Includes a hastily-penned socialist limerick written by John.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more info...

The incredible story of Ray Hill who in the 1970s underwent a massive change of heart and switched from fascist rabble-rouser to secret informant undermining the British Far Right and preventing a racist terrorist attack. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How are group of clever young graduates working in a shed in Cambridge discovered a powerful new weapon that became known as 'satire'. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How self-inflicted economic disasters and endless sleazy scandals made a Conservative government massively unpopular. Imagine it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The women-only peace camp that became the focus of the anti-nuclear movement of the 1980s and inspired a whole new generation of feminists. (Contains walk on parts for both of John's parents.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In a life that began in the Weimar Republic and outlived the Berlin Wall, Ursula Kuczynski spied for Communism all around the world, and not even her own children suspect anything.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Who murdered the young Princes in the Tower in 1483? We apply modern analysis and scientific rigour to question whether it really was Richard III (and conclude that he's obviously guilty - just look at the hump). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Maud West was a master of disguise and legendary private detective in 1930s London and many of her adventures sound unbelievable today. (Although that might be because she made a lot of them up). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How Victorian governments made the cow-pox vaccination compulsory, and faced a huge backlash from people who didn't trust the authorities or worried they might grow horns and udders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How the confident Victorians organised massive showcase of their greatest achievements, tactfully leaving out all the rampant exploitation, the new urban poverty and the brutal wars of conquest. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why was the persecution of witches in the 17th century so much more severe than in other parts of the British Isles? How did the accusations and trials play out? How was it used to suppress so-called 'difficult' or 'argumentative' women. And would Angela have been burned as a witch? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices....

How an American President was impeached for perjury but remained in office, while his young intern was publicly shamed for telling the truth. A complex political and moral narrative (with blow jobs).  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How a group of American Indian activists occupied the former prison island in San Francisco Bay, and then sarcastically offered to buy it from the American government for a handful of beads. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the Second World War, one branch of the security services was established to help British Prisoners escape from German camps and make their way back home. Inventing secret hidden gadgets, they were the inspiration for 'Q' in the James Bond stories. (This podcast comes with a hidden map and compass.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. V...

The world-changing voyage of Columbus that opened up a whole new continent, even though he could never accept that. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The incredible life story of Robert Maxwell - megalomaniac bully, fraudster and sociopath (but apart from that he was a lovely chap). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices