Ancient Egypt was a land of temples, tombs, gods, priests and powerful pharaohs. For thousands of years, Egyptians worshipped many gods — from Ra and Osiris to Isis, Horus and Amun. But then one pharaoh made a shocking decision.

He closed temples. Pushed aside powerful priests. Changed his own name. Built a brand-new city in the desert. And told Egypt to worship one god above all others: the Aten, the sun disc.

But why would a pharaoh try to ban the old gods? Was Akhenaten a true believer, convinced he had discovered a new way to worship? Was he trying to weaken the powerful priests of Amun? Or was it a mixture of faith, power and control?

This story takes us from the temples of Thebes to the desert city of Amarna, from Akhenaten and Queen Nefertiti to Tutankhamun, the return of the old gods, and the strange attempt to erase one pharaoh from history.

Along the way, there are listener questions in the History Hotline, strange and surprising tales from history in Mr Dilly’s World of Silly, Matt’s Hats… and the Wheel of When decides where we might jump next.

Jump Through History. Real history. Big stories. Unexpected adventures.

▶️ Watch the full video version of this episode on YouTube: Coming Soon

👉 Follow Mr Dilly: https://www.instagram.com/mrdillypresents

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A king storms into Parliament with soldiers. The men he wants to arrest are gone. Tension spreads. Armies form. The country divides. And before long… England is at war with itself.

But how did King Charles I, a monarch who believed he had been chosen by God to rule, end up losing almost everything?

Why did he clash so badly with Parliament? How did arguments over power, money and religion turn into war? What happened when the king left London, raised his standard, and faced Parliament’s forces on the battlefield? And how did the New Model Army, Oliver Cromwell and the Battle of Naseby help change the course of history?

This story takes us from Charles I and Parliament to the outbreak of civil war, Royalists and Parliamentarians, Marston Moor, the New Model Army, Naseby, Cromwell, and the shocking moment when a king was put on trial by his own people.

Along the way, there are listener questions in the History Hotline, strange and surprising tales from history in Mr Dilly’s World of Silly, Matt’s Hats… and the Wheel of When decides where we jump next.

Jump Through History. Real history. Big stories. Unexpected adventures.

▶️ Watch the full video version of this episode on YouTube: Coming Soon

👉 Follow Mr Dilly: https://www.instagram.com/mrdillypresents

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It is 1943. The Allies are planning to invade Sicily, but there is a problem: the Germans know Sicily is the obvious target. If Hitler sends enough troops there, thousands of Allied soldiers could be in danger.

So British intelligence comes up with an extraordinary plan.

They create a fake officer, give him a false identity, place secret-looking papers on him… and use him to trick the Germans into believing the Allies are going to attack somewhere else.

But how did the plan work? Why did Spain matter? What did the fake documents say? And how did one of the strangest deceptions in military history help change what happened next in the war?

This story takes us from British intelligence and a submarine mission to the coast of Spain, to the invasion of Sicily, the fall of Mussolini, and the real person at the centre of this extraordinary wartime deception.

Along the way, there are listener questions in the History Hotline, strange and surprising tales from history in Mr Dilly’s World of Silly, Matt’s Hats… and the Wheel of When decides where we jump next.

Jump Through History. Real history. Big stories. Unexpected adventures.

▶️ Watch the full video version of this episode on YouTube: In this episode of Jump Through History, Mr Dilly and Matt jump into one of the strangest and most surprising true stories of the Second World War: Operation Mincemeat.

It is 1943. The Allies are planning to invade Sicily, but there is a problem: the Germans know Sicily is the obvious target. If Hitler sends enough troops there, thousands of Allied soldiers could be in danger.

So British intelligence comes up with an extraordinary plan.

They create a fake officer, give him a false identity, place secret-looking papers on him… and use him to trick the Germans into believing the Allies are going to attack somewhere else.

But how did the plan work? Why did Spain matter? What did the fake documents say? And how did one of the strangest deceptions in military history help change what happened next in the war?

This story takes us from British intelligence and a submarine mission to the coast of Spain, to the invasion of Sicily, the fall of Mussolini, and the real person at the centre of this extraordinary wartime deception.

Along the way, there are listener questions in the History Hotline, strange and surprising tales from history in Mr Dilly’s World of Silly, Matt’s Hats… and the Wheel of When decides where we jump next.

Jump Through History. Real history. Big stories. Unexpected adventures.

▶️ Watch the full video version of this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/FE55_GfH9N8

👉 Follow Mr Dilly: https://www.instagram.com/mrdillypresents

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1914, Shackleton and his crew set out aboard the Endurance, hoping to cross Antarctica. But before they could even begin the crossing, their ship became trapped in the ice. The crew were stranded in one of the coldest, harshest places on Earth — with no rescue team coming, no way to call for help, and survival becoming more difficult every day.

How did Shackleton keep his men alive? What happened when the Endurance was crushed by the ice? How did the crew escape to Elephant Island? And how did one of history’s most dangerous rescue missions across the Southern Ocean help turn disaster into legend?

This story takes us from the frozen Weddell Sea to the sinking of the Endurance, the journey to Elephant Island, Shackleton’s terrifying open-boat voyage to South Georgia, and one of the most extraordinary rescues in history.

Along the way, there are listener questions in the History Hotline, strange and surprising tales from history in Mr Dilly’s World of Silly, Matt’s Hats… and the Wheel of When decides where we jump next.

Jump Through History. Real history. Big stories. Unexpected adventures.

▶️ Watch the full video version of this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/d7pIVOHroD4

👉 Follow Mr Dilly: https://www.instagram.com/mrdillypresents

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

France is starving. Bread is so expensive that ordinary families can barely afford it. Yet King Louis XVI and his court still live in luxury at the palace of Versailles. Anger grows. Crowds gather. The Bastille is stormed. And within a few years… the king himself will lose his head.

But revolutions don’t always end the way people expect.

How did a revolution that began with hopes of liberty and equality turn into a time of fear, suspicion and execution? Why did the people rise up? What happened at the Bastille? And how did the Reign of Terror change France forever?

This story takes us from the palace of Versailles to the streets of Paris, the Storming of the Bastille, the trial of King Louis XVI, Robespierre and the guillotine — where ideas, anger and power collide.

Along the way, there are listener questions in the History Hotline, strange and surprising tales from history in Mr Dilly’s World of Silly, Matt’s Hats… and the Wheel of When decides where we jump next.

Jump Through History. Real history. Big stories. Unexpected adventures.

▶️ Watch the full video version of this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/FtZV-40wGt4

👉 Follow Mr Dilly: https://www.instagram.com/mrdillypresents

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It is 1483. King Edward IV is dead, and his young son, Edward V, is supposed to become king. But before he can be crowned, he and his younger brother are taken to the Tower of London. Their uncle, Richard, becomes King Richard III… and the two boys are never seen in public again.

For more than 500 years, people have asked the same question: what really happened to the Princes in the Tower?

Was Richard III the villain Shakespeare made famous? Was he blamed unfairly by his enemies? Could someone else have been responsible? And why is this mystery still argued about today? This mystery takes us from the Tower of London to the Battle of Bosworth, Henry VII and the rise of the Tudors — where power, propaganda and history collide.

Along the way, there are listener questions in the History Hotline, strange and surprising tales from history in Mr Dilly’s World of Silly, Matt’s Hats… and the Wheel of When decides where we jump next.

Jump Through History. Real history. Big stories. Unexpected adventures.

▶️ Watch the full video version of this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/N_K_fd-VJ3o

👉 Follow Mr Dilly: https://www.instagram.com/mrdillypresents

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jump Through History begins on Monday 1st June. Follow the show now for real history, big stories and unexpected adventures through the past.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.