As the planet overheats, competition for resources rise and populations migrate, even without natural disasters, it’s enough to raise the tensions between nations. Gwynne Dyer is an historian, independent journalist and the author of 2011’s ‘Climate Wars: The Fight for Survival as the World Overh...
In 1791 the slaves of the French colony of Sant-Domingue rose up against their colonial masters and after a long and bloody struggle, defeated them to found the state of Haiti. Led by charismatic leaders such as Toussaint Louverture it was the only example of a successful slave revolution and the...
A theatre, a gymnasium and houses with colonnaded courtyards: these are the hallmarks of an Ancient Greek city. So what are they doing in the city of Ai-Khanoum, far east of their origins in present day Afghanistan? In this first part of Tristan’s chat with Milinda Hoo, she takes us through the s...
On 14 October 1066 the armies of William, the Duke of Normandy, and the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson clashed near Hastings in one of the most famous battles in history and one that would decide the fate of the English throne. We all know the outcome but how and why did the battle take place?...
Dr Maurice Hilleman was a leading American microbiologist who specialised in vaccinology and immunology. He discovered nine vaccines that are routinely recommended for children today, rendering formerly devastating diseases practically forgotten. Considered by many to be the father of modern vacc...
In September 2014, a metal detectorist discovered the rarest collection of Viking-age objects ever found to date in Britain. The Galloway hoard displays a remarkable variety of material and treasures, not only from the United Kingdom but as far as central Asia. In this episode, Dr. Martin Goldber...
In October 331 BC, one of the most important battles of ancient Mediterranean and near eastern history occurred on the plain of Gaugamela. Alexander III of Macedon, better known as Alexander the Great, had been campaigning east of the Aegean Sea against the Persian Empire for 3 ½ years. Already h...
In September 1981 a small group of 36 Welsh women marched 120 miles from Cardiff to RAF Greenham Common and chained themselves to the gates. They were protesting against the storage of not only British, but possibly American nuclear weapons being stored on the supposedly public land at Greenham C...
In 1888 a series of brutal killings took place in Whitechapel, London which might be the most famous unsolved murders of all time. The case and the killer attracted a worldwide media frenzy like never before and the perpetrator nicknamed Jack the Ripper has gone down in infamy. But an obsession t...
London's West End attracts people from across the world to its many theatres, restaurants and famous nightlife but how did this centre of pleasure come to be? Originally on the fringe of London from its very inception, it was the playground of the rich seeking to let their hair down. Many of thes...
October 7th, 2001 marks the beginning of the bombing campaign against Taliban forces. Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) caused havoc in Afghanistan, adding a new form of warfare to conflict. As we reach the 20th anniversary of the start of the war in Afghanistan, James is joined by Patrick Bury...
Between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries, Britain was a key player in the transportation of millions of enslaved Africans to the colonies. Their labour in often brutal conditions was a vital component in enriching Britain and turning it into a global superpower. The business of slavery did ...
How we bury the dead has changed drastically throughout history, from grave goods to bed burials. But just how drastic are the changes in burial practices? In this episode, Cat is joined by archaeologist Dr. Emma Brownlee. Emma has studied an astonishing 33,000 graves across England and Europe an...
In the bitter winter of 1978-1979 petrol ran short, panic buying was rife, rubbish piled up in the streets and bodies went unburied as a wave of industrial action swept the UK; but what lessons might be learned as we face our own shortages of food and fuel? The disruption was in fact relatively s...
In his lifetime King Alexander III of Macedon, better known as Alexander the Great, forged one of the largest empires in ancient history. But it was what happened to Alexander following his demise – his ‘life after death’ - which resulted in one of the great archaeological mysteries of the ancien...
William Wallace is a legendary figure in Scottish history as one of the leaders of the First War of Scottish Independence. He led the Scots to a famous victory at the Battle of Stirling Bridge before being defeated at the Battle of Falkirk and was eventually betrayed meeting a gruesome end in Lon...
Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry was one of the best tank regiments of the Second World War and was at the speartip of the British Army from the North Africa campaign to Northern Europe right up to the fall of the Third Reich in 1945. They saw an incredible amount of action as one of the first British u...
The Spanish infanta Catalina of Aragon was raised to be a Queen, betrothed at the age of three to the heir apparent of the English throne, Arthur Prince of Wales. Eight years after Arthur's death, she became the first of Henry VIII's six wives. Catalina's mother - Queen Isabella I of Castile - wa...
Though they were excluded from decisions on their occupation in the Munich Agreement before the war began, the citizens of the new country of Czechoslovakia were by no means passive for the rest of the war. The story of Czechoslovakian espionage and resistance is one which spans Europe and the le...
The Second World War was the first time that many on the home front in the United States were able to see and hear war in action. In this episode, Professor Steven Casey from LSE introduces the correspondents who covered America's war against Japan in the Pacific theatre. He takes us through thei...
This week our understanding of when humans first inhabited the American continent has been turned on its head … by a set of footprints. In this episode, hear how footprints can form crucial evidence for populations of people and animals, and what a set of adolescent and child prints have shown ab...
In 1549, the Tudor establishment was rocked by a series of popular rebellions, born of deep discontent over the enclosure by wealthy landowners of common land, which were essential to ordinary people's livelihoods. In Norfolk, yeoman Robert Kett agreed to the rebels' demands and offered to lead t...
James Bond is a character that has come to define a certain kind of Britishness but what, if any, role does 007 play in the real world of intelligence? Professor Christopher Andrew, the official historian of MI5, joins the podcast today and in his opinion, James Bond has been a surprisingly valua...
Medieval manuscripts can shed light on some of the most important events of the past. But what about the physical manuscripts themselves? And what can it tell us about the people who made them? In this episode of Gone Medieval, Matt is joined by author Mary Wellesley as they examine the extraordi...
