History Today Podcast

Medicine Woman

Fri, 18 Dec 2020 15:21:40 GMT

'Doc' Susan Anderson set out to prove that 'a woman could be a good doctor'. She did so in the most difficult surroundings: America's Wild West.

An audio long read of the article published in the December issue of History Today. You can read the article online here, or buy a copy of the issue from our website.

Written by Susan Jonusas. Read by Greig Johnson.

Music: Jan Morgenstern

Image: Susan Anderson, c.1900. Wikimedia/Creative Commons.

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The Crown Lost at Sea

Fri, 27 Nov 2020 15:18:28 GMT

This year marks the 900th anniversary of the worst maritime disaster suffered by the English Crown and, arguably, by England.

The sinking of the White Ship – a vessel carrying the English king Henry I’s sole heir – on 25 November 1120, was a disaster from which anarchy would follow.

Join Charles Spencer, author of The White Ship: Conquest, Anarchy and the Wrecking of Henry I’s Dream (William Collins, 2020) in conversation with History Today Editor Paul Lay.

Charles has also written an article on the White Ship for the December issue of the magazine, on sale at newsstands across the UK, on our website, and as a digital edition on the History Today app.

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The Wars of the Roses: The Queen who Lost Everything

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 14:05:21 GMT

In the Wars of the Roses, Margaret is remembered as a warrior queen, the ‘she-wolf of France’. But the means by which she operated in the period of Lancastrian exile from 1461-71 – her unceasing diplomatic efforts in Europe and campaign of resistance in northern England – have tended to be sidelined in histories of this apparently national conflict.

The story of Margaret’s campaign to regain the crown for the House of Lancaster is one of daring deeds, admirable courage and tragedy wrenched from the jaws of triumph.

Despite her valiant efforts on their behalf, Margaret of Anjou would lose both her husband and her son in the dynastic tragedy of the Wars of the Roses.

This article appeared in the November issue of History Today. Read the article online here, or buy a copy of the issue from our website.

Written by Lauren Johnson. Read by Greig Johnson.

Music: Kai Engel

Image: Margaret of Anjou, seated with Henry VI, is presented with a book of romances by John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury (detail). French, 15th century © British Library Board/Bridgeman Images.

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Foreign Correspondents in the Soviet Union

Fri, 30 Oct 2020 07:02:17 GMT

Over the past hundred years, foreign correspondents have been central to the West’s understanding of Russia’s political and cultural turning points, the revolutions, wars and changes in political power.

In this episode, History Today Editor Paul Lay is joined by James Rodgers, whose latest book, Assignment Moscow, focuses on the stories of those journalists who have forged this understanding.

Assignment Moscow: Reporting on Russia from Lenin to Putin is published by I.B. Tauris. You can read the History Today review from the September 2020 issue on our website.

James also took part in the 'Head to Head' series in the October 2020 issue, which asked four historians to consider the question: Could the Soviet Union Have Survived?

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Nagorno-Karabakh’s Myth of Ancient Hatreds

Fri, 16 Oct 2020 07:10:37 GMT

During the last week of September an Azerbaijani offensive re-ignited a decades-old conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh (‘Mountainous Karabakh’) region.

The Nagorno-Karabakh dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan is sometimes explained as a result of ‘ancient hatreds’. In reality, it is nothing of the sort, despite both sides using history to bolster their claims to the region.

This article was part of our Miscellanies series. Sign up to receive this free weekly long read in your inbox, at https://www.historytoday.com/miscellanies.

Written by Jo Laycock. Read by Paul Lay.

Image: 'We Are Our Mountains' monument north of Stepanakert, 1978. Completed in 1967, it is a symbol of Armenian heritage in the region.

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‘The Terrible Lioness’

Fri, 25 Sep 2020 13:01:23 GMT

The Sikh queen Jind Kaur inherited an empire shaken by unexpected deaths and embroiled in civil war, but her biggest problem was the British.

Who was Jind Kaur and how did she become such a formidable woman?

This article is from the October issue of History Today: buy a copy of the issue from our website, from newsstands across the UK, or read it via the History Today app, available on Google Play and the App Store.

Read by Greig Johnson. Written by Priya Atwal.

Music: Kai Engel.

Image: Maharani Jind Kaur, by George Richmond, 19th century © Christie’s/Bridgeman Images.

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Terror on Wall Street

Fri, 28 Aug 2020 11:38:37 GMT

A terrorist attack on Wall Street on 16 September 1920 aroused suspicion of anarchists, socialists and foreigners, as America saw danger around every corner.

This article is from the September issue of History Today: buy a copy of the issue from our website, from newsstands across the UK, or read it via the History Today app, available on Google Play and the App Store.

Read by Greig Johnson. Written by James Crossland.

Music: Kai Engel.

Image: Aftermath, Wall Street bomb, 16 September 1920 © Bettmann/Getty Images.

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The Power of the Royal Mistress

Fri, 14 Aug 2020 12:21:51 GMT

In 1660, the Royalist exiles were returning with European languages, manners and culture in tow. Yet, of all the European imports that Charles and his Royalist entourage ferried back to their homeland, it was the courtly position of the maîtresse-en-titre that would prove most significant.

Despite the scandalous overtones of adultery inherent in the job title, it was a much sought-after role, offering financial and social opportunities not only to the mistress herself but also to her relatives, carving out a space for female agency in a patriarchal institution.

Join Annalisa Nicholson in conversation with History Today Editor, Paul Lay, as she discusses her article from the August issue.

Buy a copy of the August 2020 issue of History Today from our website, or read it via the History Today app, available on Google Play and the App Store.

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The Rise of the Valkyries

Fri, 31 Jul 2020 14:33:14 GMT

Life and death in a Viking battle depended not on military prowess, but on the favour of the valkyries. Why were these mythical figures, who decided a warrior’s fate, female?

This article was part of our Miscellanies series. Sign up to receive this free weekly long read in your inbox, at https://www.historytoday.com/miscellanies.

Written by Jóhanna Katrín Friðriksdóttir. Read by Greig Johnson.

Music: Kai Engel.

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Henry VIII Meets his Match

Fri, 10 Jul 2020 15:06:52 GMT

Shortly after 5pm on 7 June 1520, Henry VIII of England and Francis I of France met for the first time. That first meeting, and their time together over the following fortnight, became known to history as the Field of Cloth of Gold.

In a spirit of rivalry and cooperation, the two young Renaissance monarchs asserted their power and authority at one of the last great demonstrations of the chivalric age.

This article is from the July issue of History Today: buy a copy of the issue from our website, or read it via the History Today app, available on Google Play and the App Store.

Introduced by History Today editor, Paul Lay. Read by Greig Johnson. Written by Glenn Richardson.

Image: The Field of the Cloth of Gold, English, c.1545 © Getty Images.

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A History of the Oceans

Fri, 26 Jun 2020 17:12:56 GMT

In this podcast, History Today Editor Paul Lay is joined by David Abulafia, winner of the 2020 Wolfson History Prize, for his book The Boundless Sea.

The Boundless Sea traces the history of human movement and interaction around and across the world's greatest bodies of water, charting our relationship with the oceans from the time of the first voyagers.

David also wrote an article for the November 2019 issue of History Today, which you can read on our website: https://www.historytoday.com/archive/feature/virgin-islands-atlantic

Image: Caravel from 'Atlas of Lázaro Luis (detail), 1563. Bridgeman Images.

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The Wrongful Death of Toussaint Louverture

Fri, 12 Jun 2020 14:27:12 GMT

The hero of the Haitian Revolution’s lonely death in a French prison cell was not an unfortunate tragedy but a cruel story of deliberate destruction.

This article is from the June issue of History Today: buy a copy of the issue from our website, or read it via the History Today app, available on Google Play and the App Store.

Introduced by History Today editor, Paul Lay. Read by Greig Johnson. Written by Marlene L. Daut.

Music: Kai Engel.

Image: Portrait of Toussaint Louverture, chromolithograph by George DeBaptiste, c.1870 © Getty Images.

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Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian Revolution

Fri, 12 Jun 2020 14:05:14 GMT

Join Marlene Daut in conversation with History Today Editor, Paul Lay, as they discuss the background of the Haitian Revolution, Toussaint Louverture, and the revolution's legacies.

Marlene has written an article for the June issue of History Today on 'The Wrongful Death of Toussaint Louverture', which is also available to listen to as an audio long read on our podcast.

Buy a copy of the June issue from our website, or read it via the History Today app, available on Google Play and the App Store.

Marlene L. Daut is Professor of African Diaspora Studies at the University of Virginia and author of Tropics of Haiti: Race and the Literary History of the Haitian Revolution in the Atlantic World (Liverpool University Press, 2015).

Image: Toussaint Louverture fighting the French in Saint-Domingue, 19th-century engraving © Getty Images.

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Thebes: The Forgotten City

Fri, 29 May 2020 12:49:57 GMT

The city of Thebes was central to the ancient Greeks’ achievements in politics and culture. For many centuries it has been largely – and often deliberately – forgotten.

Join Paul Cartledge in conversation with History Today Editor, Paul Lay, as they discuss Paul Cartledge's article on 'Thebes: The Forgotten City', which is in the June issue of History Today.

Buy a copy of the June issue from our website, or read it via the History Today app, available on Google Play and the App Store.

Paul's latest book, Thebes: The Forgotten City of Ancient Greece is published by Picador.

Image: Illustration for Seven Chiefs Against Thebes, c. 1794, John Flaxman. Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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The Great Migration Mystery

Fri, 15 May 2020 14:40:23 GMT

In the 17th century, fanciful solutions to the mystery of the swallow’s whereabouts were the result of an intense battle over the nature of scientific reasoning, which had been raging for centuries – and which is still raging today.

This article is from the May issue of History Today. Buy a copy of this issue from our website, or read it via the History Today app, available on Google Play and the App Store.

Written by Alexander Lee. Read by History Today Editor, Paul Lay.

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The State of Myanmar

Fri, 01 May 2020 13:20:54 GMT

Myanmar’s colonial legacy includes racial hierarchies and authoritarian government. In the new nation state, not everyone is welcome.

To understand why Rakhine State is in such turmoil we need to follow the threads of ethnic nationalism back to before Myanmar existed.

This article is from the May issue of History Today. Buy a copy of this issue from our website, or read it via the History Today app, available on Google Play and the App Store.

Introduced by History Today editor, Paul Lay. Read by Greig Johnson. Written by Ewan Cameron.

Music: Kai Engel. Illustration: Ben Jones.

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What can History tell us about Epidemics?

Fri, 10 Apr 2020 14:36:27 GMT

Four historians discuss what we learn from history about how diseases spread, and how we respond to them.

Buy a copy of the April issue of History Today from our website: www.historytoday.com

John Henderson: ‘Strategies to cope with plague have formed the basis for later policies’. Read by Paul Lay.

Patricia Fara: ‘Fear and suspicion multiply more rapidly than any virus’. Read by Katie Holyoak.

Samuel Cohn: ‘Epidemics strike from the outside and are carried in’. Read by Paul Lay.

Sandra Hempel: ‘Smallpox remains the only human disease to be eradicated’. Read by Katie Holyoak.

Introductions read by James Gribben. Music by Kai Engel.

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The Rights of France

Fri, 27 Mar 2020 11:46:06 GMT

France’s attraction to right-wing populism has been a constant, if shape-shifting, presence in its politics since the end of the 19th century.

This article appeared in the April 2020 edition of History Today. Read the article online or buy a copy of this issue from our website.

Written by Martin Evans

Read by Greig Johnson

Produced by History Today

Music by Kai Engel

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Soviet Super Sniper

Fri, 13 Mar 2020 12:16:29 GMT

In 1942, Lieutenant Lyudmila Pavlichenko, a Soviet frontline sniper, was sent on a mission to convince US and British allies to open up a Second Front against Hitler’s forces.

Her arrival in Washington DC coincided with a historic moment of American-Soviet friendship, even while the press found the female sniper, with her claimed tally of 309 German kills, rather shocking.

Historian Dr Julie Wheelwright in conversation with History Today Editor, Paul Lay.

Julie's Article 'A Woman's Place', on Lyudmila Pavlichenko will be the April cover story of History Today, on sale from Thursday 19 March. Pre-order your copy now on the History Today website.

Julie's book 'Sisters in Arms: Female Warriors from Antiquity to the New Millennium' is published by Osprey.

Music: Kai Engel.

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Sexual Eeling

Fri, 28 Feb 2020 10:38:57 GMT

In March 1876, the young Sigmund Freud arrived in Trieste, looking for the testicles of an eel. For centuries past, these troublesome organs had proved elusive. Despite the most intensive – not to say intimate – research, no one had managed to track them down.

This article appeared in the March 2020 edition of History Today. Read the article online or buy a copy of this issue from our website.

Written by Alexander Lee

Read by Greig Johnson

Produced by History Today

Music by Kai Engel

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Before the Mayflower

Fri, 14 Feb 2020 14:53:42 GMT

This year, the US looks back four centuries to an intrepid band of refugees making a perilous home in New England. The Mayflower pilgrims had been outlaws in England, members of an underground church known as the Brownists or Separatists. They believed church should be a voluntary community rather than a compulsory state religion. For their refusal to submit to the Church of England they had faced raids, prison, exile and death for the previous 60 years.

This podcast explores a previous expedition to North America. The Separatists had attempted to become the pilgrim fathers in Newfoundland as early as 1597.

Join Paul Lay, editor of History Today, in conversation with Stephen Tomkins, author of The Journey to the Mayflower: God’s Outlaws & the Invention of Freedom (Hodder & Stoughton, 2020).

You can read Stephen's article in the February issue of the magazine on our website, or buy a copy here.

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The FGM Scandal that Shocked Victorian London

Fri, 14 Feb 2020 14:45:33 GMT

In 1867, a notorious divorce case revealed the horrific methods with which one London surgeon was treating his patients.

This article appeared in the February 2020 edition of History Today. Read the article online or buy a copy of this issue from our website.

Written by Sarah Wise

Read by Greig Johnson

Produced by History Today

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Trailer: A New Podcast Series from History Today

Tue, 11 Feb 2020 08:57:46 GMT

In this new podcast series, we speak with historians who are leading in their field. Each episode will be on a different subject and era; and a chance to hear the stories, to ask questions and to indulge our curiosity, with the experts in the area.

These conversations will be interspersed with audio articles from the magazine. We’ve specially selected pieces that are eclectic, intriguing, and of course, informative. Our first piece is on the female genital mutilation scandal that shocked Victorian London.

Explore all areas of the past, guided by those who know the subjects best. And enjoy more from the leading authoritative history magazine.

The first two episodes will be available from 14 February.

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A History of Now

Wed, 01 Nov 2017 12:18:30 GMT

Historian Michael Burleigh discusses his new book The Best of Times, the Worst of Times: A History of Now. Is the United States in permanent decline? Will China replace it as the global superpower? Are we entering a post-democratic world? And how do we prepare for the Fourth Industrial Revolution?

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A discussion about Mein Kampf

Tue, 23 Feb 2016 09:13:55 GMT

Maiken Umbach and Neil Gregor join History Today editor Paul Lay to discuss the new critical edition of Hitler's notorious book.

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Tibet's Secret Temple

Wed, 25 Nov 2015 09:23:31 GMT

We discuss Tantric Buddhism with Ruth Garde, curator of a new show at the Wellcome Collection. Also: Marc Morris on King John and the siege of Rochester.

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Day of the Dead

Wed, 21 Oct 2015 10:33:31 GMT

In this episode, Amy Fuller discusses the myths surrounding Mexico's Day of the Dead, and Andrew Lownie talks about the obstacles facing historians trying to use the Freedom of Information Act to access government files.

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Silk Roads Past and Present

Wed, 16 Sep 2015 09:05:48 GMT

Peter Frankopan joins us to discuss the importance of viewing history not from a western or eastern perspective, but one that links the two together. Plus, Mathew Lyons and Catherine Fletcher on the plight of young academics.

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The Profits of Slavery

Tue, 18 Aug 2015 14:34:18 GMT

We speak to Katie Donington about the legacies of Britain's involvement in the slave trade. Also: Cambodia's lost rock and roll scene, and a report from the International Medieval Congress.

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The Root of Language

Mon, 27 Jul 2015 09:34:16 GMT

This month we discuss Proto-Indo-European, the ancestor of almost every language now spoken from the Hebrides to the Himalayas.

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Magna Carta

Wed, 17 Jun 2015 14:08:11 GMT

This episode is a Magna Carta special. We talk to Alexander Lock about the Charter's importance in America, and Lauren Johnson about the role of women in Magna Carta. Plus, a look at the British Museum's new display the medals of the Sun King.

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Piers Plowman

Tue, 28 Apr 2015 08:35:25 GMT

Kate Wiles talks to Lawrence Warner about the origins of the Middle English narrative poem Piers Plowman.

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In Conversation With Greg Jenner

Wed, 04 Feb 2015 10:20:08 GMT

Fern Riddell talks to the historian Greg Jenner about his new book, 'A Million Years In A Day'.

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Murder in the Cathedral

Fri, 05 Dec 2014 09:47:24 GMT

Paul Lay and Richard Dale discuss the mysterious death of a liveryman at St Paul's Cathedral in 1514.

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The Disappearing Religions of the Middle East

Fri, 28 Nov 2014 10:20:26 GMT

Gerard Russell and Tom Holland discuss the plight of religious minorities in Iraq and Syria.

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General Sherman's Total War

Wed, 12 Nov 2014 10:08:45 GMT

Matt Carr discusses Sherman's March to the Sea, a key turning point in the American Civil War.

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The Origins of the Shroud of Turin

Wed, 29 Oct 2014 10:39:47 GMT

Charles Freeman discusses his research into one of history's greatest mysteries.

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The Nazi-Soviet Pact

Thu, 04 Sep 2014 09:01:25 GMT

Roger Moorhouse discusses the pact between Hitler and Stalin, which lasted from 1939 to 1941.

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The Roosevelts

Fri, 01 Aug 2014 12:29:20 GMT

The American filmmaker Ken Burns talks about his latest documentary, The Roosevelts: An Intimate History.

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Africans in Georgian England

Fri, 27 Jun 2014 08:43:42 GMT

Onyeka joins us to introduce a number of aspiring Africans who made an impact on Georgian society during the 18th century.

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The Romans in Africa

Thu, 05 Jun 2014 08:25:33 GMT

Raoul McLoughlin talks about Rome’s desire for an African empire, a fierce struggle for trade, land and the search for the source of the Nile.

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How the Scots Invented Britain

Fri, 02 May 2014 09:06:44 GMT

Paul Lay talks to Ian Bradley about how the Scots were the most vocal advocates of a vibrant, imperial, Protestant Great Britain.

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The Last Days of India's First Prime Minister

Thu, 24 Apr 2014 09:53:27 GMT

We speak to Gyanesh Kudaisya about the final years of Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first prime minister, who died in May 1964.

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An Exorcism in Hackney

Fri, 28 Mar 2014 09:44:14 GMT

In this episode Charlotte Crow talks to Jessie Childs about her article in the April issue of History Today, Beware the Foul Fiends, which concerns a graphic account of an exorcism in 16th-century London and the plight of Catholics in Elizabethan England.

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British Intelligence and the Cold War

Tue, 25 Feb 2014 15:39:04 GMT

We speak to Calder Walton, the author of Empire of Secrets: British Intelligence, the Cold War and the Twilight of Empire, which won the Longman-History Today Book of the Year prize.

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Don't Mention the Civil Wars

Tue, 21 Jan 2014 10:08:30 GMT

Richard Weight joins us to discuss Britain's reluctant regicides, and why the country is embarrassed by its revolutionary past.

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The Inspiration for Tolkien's Ring

Wed, 18 Dec 2013 10:15:54 GMT

Mark Horton tells the story of an archaeological dig that may have fuelled the fantasies of J.R.R. Tolkien.

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Bethlehem: The global history of a little town

Wed, 11 Dec 2013 10:33:22 GMT

In this episode, Jacob Norris discusses the real history of Bethlehem.

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Churchill's plan to win the First World War

Mon, 25 Nov 2013 09:29:09 GMT

Allan Mallinson joins us to discuss a 'lost' memo penned by Winston Churchill in 1911 concerning the prospect of a European war, a missive that, had its recommendations been implemented, may have brought the conflict to an early end.

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Housing in London during the First World War

Wed, 13 Nov 2013 11:27:31 GMT

Jerry White discusses the housing crisis that afflicted London during the First World War, one that had a profound affect on living conditions in the capital.

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Building the Ideal City

Fri, 01 Nov 2013 11:39:10 GMT

In this episode, Alexander Lee discusses historical notions of the ideal city. This podcast replaces a previous one in which the audio was too quiet.

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The Future's Bright, the Future's Russian

Fri, 04 Oct 2013 09:04:55 GMT

In this episode, Charles Emmerson discusses Russia on the eve of the First World War and argues that, had it not been for the conflict, the country's fortunes would have taken a different turn.

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Tom Holland on Herodotus

Wed, 25 Sep 2013 08:56:36 GMT

The History Today Podcast is back from a summer hiatus. In this episode, Tom Holland discusses his new translation of The Histories, by Herodotus.

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Syria and the West

Thu, 04 Jul 2013 08:12:44 GMT

John McHugo discusses Syria's troubled relationship with the West, particularly as it was during the Cold War, in light of its current crisis.

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The Politics of Wine

Tue, 25 Jun 2013 09:15:49 GMT

Charles Ludington on how a taste for fine wine became a marker of wealth and power in 18th-century England.

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The Edwardian Postcard

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 07:33:13 GMT

Guy Atkins on the postcard mania of the Edwardian period which, with its brevity and speed of reply, was the social media of its day.

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John Maynard Keynes

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:02:54 GMT

In this podcast, Benn Steil considers John Maynard Keynes' role at Bretton Woods. Pick up our June issue and read Benn's article, The Dunkirk Diplomat.

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The Man Who Predicted The First World War

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 08:01:17 GMT

Paul Reynolds discusses the life of Jan Bloch, a little known Polish-born financier who, in 1901, lectured the British military establishment on the likely carnage that would be the outcome of a war in Europe. You can read Paul Reynolds article about Jan Bloch in the May issue of History Today, which is out now.

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Making Sense of the Maya

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 08:55:25 GMT

Nigel Richardson discusses how European explorers in the 19th century began to solve the mystery of who the Maya were, and how they established their remarkable civilisation.

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Henry Tudor: The Wilderness Years

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 11:46:10 GMT

Derek Wilson discusses the future Henry VII's years in exile, and how this influenced his exercise of power after he seized the English throne.

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The Asia Century

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 09:38:53 GMT

Thomas DuBois discusses how the coming 'Asian century' might not be so different from the global order of the 19th century.

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Normans and Slavery

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 09:19:37 GMT

In this episode, Marc Morris argues that, contrary to received wisdom, the Normans did not enslave England's Anglo-Saxon population, but were in fact their liberators. Read 'Breaking the Bonds', Marc's article on the subject, in the March issue of History Today, which is out now.

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The Uncatchable Lizard

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 09:30:07 GMT

In this episode, Dan Whitaker discusses the life of Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck, considered one of Germany's great war heroes for his guerrilla campaign during the First World War.

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Christians and Muslims: Best of Enemies

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 14:06:43 GMT

Jonathan Harris examines the relationship between the Byzantine Empire and the Muslim Abbasid caliphate, and discovers that, in spite of being at war for nearly three centuries, they shared several common bonds.

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The Real Life of Captain Kidd

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 10:06:55 GMT

In this episode, Tom Wareham discusses the life of the legendary pirate, and reveals that Kidd is a very different character from the one normally portrayed.

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The Puzzle of Proto-Elamite

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 09:51:46 GMT

In this episode, Mark Ronan discusses new efforts to decode the world's oldest undeciphered language.

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The Russian Mrs Beeton

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 09:03:39 GMT

In this episode, Helen Szamuely discusses the life and work of Yelena Molokhovets, a Russian housewife whose household manual, first published in 1861, had a significant impact on culinary and domestic habits in the decades leading up to the Bolshevik Revolution.

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Punishment in the First World War

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 09:19:16 GMT

In this episode, Clive Emsley discusses Field Punishment No.1, a 'Hun-like torture' used by the British army against its own soldiers in the Great War.

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The American Nuclear Family

Wed, 31 Oct 2012 13:18:26 GMT

In this episode, Tim Stanley discusses how sitcoms have reflected the changing nature of American family values.

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A Mystery in the Bayeux Tapestry

Thu, 04 Oct 2012 09:28:23 GMT

The Bayeux Tapestry is among the most celebrated medieval objects, yet it still retains its mysteries. J.L. Laynesmith discusses one of the most intriguing of them.

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How Big and How Bad was the British Empire?

Tue, 25 Sep 2012 08:53:12 GMT

In this episode, Bernard Porter discusses the British Empire, and finds that Britain's imperial reach was neither as great as once thought nor as pernicious as some historians argue.

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Civil War Turncoats

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 08:26:02 GMT

Andrew Hopper discusses how combatants who switched allegiance during the British Civil Wars played an important part in the outcome of the conflict.

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How Oil Became King

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 08:12:42 GMT

In this edition of the podcast, Richard Rhodes discusses the history of power, and how changing fuel sources has affected human civilisation in different ways.

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The Tower of London

Wed, 04 Jul 2012 20:02:29 GMT

In this episode, Nigel Jones discusses the surprising history of the Tower of London, and Anthony Hornyold recalls his time in revolution-torn Iraq.

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Algeria's Jewish Question

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 09:05:08 GMT

In this episode, Martin Evans discusses the Jews of French Algeria, and the challenges they faced as the struggle for Algerian independence gathered momentum.

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The Opium Wars

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 10:23:33 GMT

Julia Lovell discusses the legacy of the Opium Wars in both China and Britain.

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"I Was Hitler's Neighbour"

Wed, 23 May 2012 03:55:31 GMT

An interview with Edgar Feuchtwanger, who as a boy growing up in Munich witnessed the rise of Adolf Hitler at extraordinarily close range.

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Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens

Tue, 08 May 2012 09:26:18 GMT

In this episode, David Coke describes life at Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, and recounts how the artist William Hogarth helped it survive during a period when its future seemed uncertain.

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The Origins of Islam

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 10:47:33 GMT

In this episode we talk to Tom Holland, author of the cover story in the May issue of History Today, about his research into Islam's beginnings.

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The History Today Podcast: April 2012

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 09:38:12 GMT

In this month's episode:- Who killed Alexander the Great? James Romm discusses new evidence about the mysterious death of the revered Macedonian ruler in 323 BC;- John Guy reappraises the relationship between Thomas Becket and Henry II;- and Patrick Bishop recalls his time with the British Task Force sent to reclaim the Falkland islands in 1982. We welcome your comments and suggestions about any topic discussed in this episode; go to http://historytoday.com/podcast for more.

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The History Today Podcast: March 2012

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 07:39:00 GMT

In this month's episode: - Roger Moorhouse on Germania, Hitler's plan to rebuild Berlin as the capital of a thousand-year Reich;- Patrick Bishop on Winston Churchill's obsession with sinking the Nazi battleship 'Tirpitz';- and Craig Koslofsky on the history of the night.We welcome your comments and suggestions about any topic discussed in this episode; go to http://historytoday.com/podcast for more.

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The History Today Podcast: February 2012

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:54:25 GMT

In this month's episode:- Hugh Purcell talks about the Battle of Jarama in the Spanish Civil War, and the doomed love affair between an English captain and an American journalist;- Keith Howe discusses how Britain treated Germany after the Second World War, and describes how life was for the average German citizen following the fall of the Third Reich;- Sam Moorhead and David Stuttard introduce their new book, 'The Romans Who Shaped Britain'.

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The History Today Podcast: January 2012

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 17:16:09 GMT

In this month's edition:- Antony Lentin, who wrote about the Treaty of Versailles in the cover story of our January issue, talks about the reasons behind the treaty's difficult legacy, and about the enduring legacy of The Economic Consequences of the Peace, JM Keynes' definitive book on the peace conference.- Nicholas Mee discusses Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the medieval poem whose benefactor, and the place in which it was set, remain unknown. He explains how he went about researching the poem's mysterious origins, a subject he expands on at lenght in Patron's Place, also in the January issue.We welcome your comments and suggestions about any topic discussed in this episode; go to http://historytoday.com/podcast for more.

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The History Today Podcast: December 2011

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:10:41 GMT

In this edition:- Former editor Gordon Marsden talks about the Second World War origins of History Today and the adverts that helped to fund its publication in the 1950s and 1960s;- Greg Carleton explains how the US and the Soviet Union transformed their disastrous military defeats at Pearl Harbour and Brest Fortress in 1941 into positive national narratives.- Martin Evans discusses his latest book Algeria: An Undeclared War.We welcome your comments and suggestions about any topic discussed in this episode; go to http://historytoday.com/podcast for more.

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The History Today Podcast: November 2011

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 09:39:37 GMT

In this month's edition:- Colin Jones on previously unpublished caricatures of Madame de Pompadour, Louis XV's favourite mistress;- David Wilson on the photographs taken during Captain Scott's expedition to the Antarctic;- and Tim Grady on the Jewish soldiers who fought for Germany during the First World War.We welcome your comments and suggestions about any topic discussed in this episode; go to http://historytoday.com/podcast for more.

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The History Today Podcast: October 2011

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 09:44:48 GMT

In this month's edition:- Jonathan Fenby on China's 1911 revolution;- Nigel Jones on the Tower of London;- Helen and William Bynum on their new book about the history of medicineWe've re-launched the podcast in a new, longer format, with more interviews and features on each episode. We welcome your comments and suggestions about any topic discussed in this episode; go to http://historytoday.com/podcast for more.

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David Boyle interview

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 12:20:37 GMT

David Boyle discusses his book Voyages of Discovery, which charts key voyages of discovery from the 1490s to James Cook in the 1770s and focuses, for the first time, on the views of those who were 'discovered'. But to what extent was this possible given that the vast majority of historic sources are written by the European explorers?

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Caroline Moorehead Interview

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 16:00:52 GMT

Caroline Moorehead talks about her latest book, A Train in Winter, which tells the story, for the first time, of 230 French women resisters who were deported to Auschwitz from Gestapo detention camps in France. Why has their story been forgotten? Why were they sent to Auschwitz? How do the few survivors who are still alive remember the horror of their experiences?

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Interview: Roger Moorhouse

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 08:16:15 GMT

History Today editor Paul Lay interviews Roger Moorhouse, author of Berlin At War: Life and Death in Hitler's Capital.

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Angie Butler: The Quest for Frank Wild

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 12:08:21 GMT

Angie Butler talks to Kathryn Hadley about her seven year long journey to research the last years of Frank Wild's life in South Africa, her breakthrough discovery of his ashes in Johannesburg, and her expedition to South Georgia to rebury the ashes alongside those of Wild's 'Boss' Sir Ernest Shackleton.

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Helen Castor Interview: Part 3

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 15:22:35 GMT

Helen Castor talks about the challenges of writing narrative history based on inevitably fragmented medieval sources.

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Helen Castor Interview: Part 2

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 10:15:57 GMT

In the second of our History Today Book Club podcasts, Helen Castor, discusses Matilda (1102-67) and the claim made by some historians that she was England’s first true female ruler.

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Helen Castor interview - Part 1

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 15:09:40 GMT

In our first podcast for the History Today Book Club, History Today Editor Paul Lay talks to Helen Castor, author of our recommended book for July, She-Wolves: The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth (Faber). In this podcast she discusses one of history’s most important themes – contingency – how the happenstance of Edward VI’s early death in 1553 meant that there were now only women left on the Tudor family tree.

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Ian Mortimer

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 11:35:24 GMT

Ian Mortimer discusses historical fiction and his latest novel Sacred Treason with Kathryn Hadley.

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Turkey: A Short History with Norman Stone

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 16:54:43 GMT

Kathryn Hadley interviews historian Norman Stone about his book Turkey: A Short History

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Philip Matyszak on the Life of a Gladiator

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 17:31:10 GMT

Philip Matyszak, author of 'Gladiator - the Roman Fighter's Unofficial Manual' talks to Kathryn Hadley, History Today Magazine's Web Editor, about the research and themes of his book.

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The Arab Revolutions of 2011 from a Historical Perspective

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 11:16:30 GMT

Paul Lay launches History Today's new series of regular podcasts in which the world’s leading historians shed light on contemporary concerns.

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