Episodes

  • Episode 410: John Harrison’s Marine Chronometer
    May 2 2026

    In this week's episode, get to know John Harrison, and understand how his pioneering marine chronometers finally solved the famous longitude problem and ushered in a new age of navigation at sea.


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

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    1 hr
  • Week 18: George Psalmanazar and the Formosa Hoax
    Apr 29 2026

    This week in history we’ve got the union of crowns, the beginning of a revolution, and an aeronautical disaster, we’ve got the birthdays of political philosophers, and we’ve got the tale of one of the weirdest hoaxes you’ll ever hear.


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

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    37 mins
  • Episode 409: The Donner Party
    Apr 26 2026

    In this week's episode, hear the gruesome tale of the Donner Party, when a group of westward migrants became trapped in snow on the Sierra Nevada, forced to horrifying and desperate lengths in order to survive.


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

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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Week 17: The Battle of Clontarf
    Apr 22 2026

    This week in history we’ve got famous mutinies, huge canals, and wartime invasions, we’ve got the birthdays of writers of philosophy and plays and novels, and we’ve got something of a watershed moment in the history of Ireland.


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

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    32 mins
  • Episode 408: The 1973 Oil Crisis
    Apr 19 2026

    In this week's episode, explore the lasting consequences of the 1973 Oil Crisis, and compare it with the current energy crisis the world is experiencing today.


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

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    1 hr
  • Week 16: The Death of the Red Baron
    Apr 15 2026

    This week in history we’ve got several important or at least interesting chapters in Australian history, we’ve got the birthdays of actors and queens and… someone else… and we’ve got the downfall of the famous Red Baron, the German flying ace.


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

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    38 mins
  • Episode 407: The Avignon Papacy
    Apr 12 2026

    In this week's episode, learn all about the Avignon Papacy, to understand why and how the US recently invoked it as a threat against the Vatican.


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

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    54 mins
  • Week 15: The Invention of Cornflakes
    Apr 8 2026

    This week in history we’ve got maritime disasters caused by iceberg and by toilet, we’ve got the death of a president and the birth of a mother of kings, and we’ve got the invention of a bland breakfast cereal alongside a certain rumour that goes with it.


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

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    34 mins