James Beckwourth was a pioneering frontiersman and fur-trapper who conquered the American West by embedding himself in the Native American tribes who called it home. Although Beckwourth wasn’t a runaway slave, he'd been born into slavery in the deep south at the turn of the 19th century. As a you...

Many of them pre-date modern religions and defy what science tells us about the world - from saluting magpies, to wearing lucky pants. Yet why do superstitions still have such a strong hold on our lives?

Today we’re joined by Sally Coulthard, author of Superstition - the History of Common Folk B...

If one object stands out as synonymous with the Medieval period, it's probably the sword.

In this episode of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis talks to Dr. Robert W. Jones, author of A Cultural History of the Medieval Sword: Power, Piety and Play, in which he takes the sword beyond its functional role ...

Sequels are always hit and miss. So what must it have been like to be the second President of the United States, following the man who originated the role?

This was John Adams' position, stepping into the shoes of fellow founding father George Washington. To find out about how Adams navigated hi...

Returning to one of the most infamous names in history, what happened to Attila the Hun after the devastation he caused in the Balkans - and where did he turn his attention to next? One of the most powerful, and feared, leaders of history, Attila turned his sights on the West - but what happened ...

Did King James VI of Scotland plot to assassinate Elizabeth I? Did she name him as her successor? For centuries, dozens of pasted-over passages in the original manuscript of William Camden’s Annals have been inaccessible. But now, technology has made them visible for the first time, offering new ...

Is it possible that the Taliban of today are more fanatical than before? American and Coalition troops recently fought a bitter, 20-year war against them following the seismic events of 9/11. On August the 15th we mark the end of that conflict, two years after the last Western troops left Kabul. ...

It is believed clans started to emerge in Scotland around 1100AD and were originally the descendants of kings – if not of demigods from Irish mythology. As well as kinship and a sense of identity and belonging, being part of a clan was an important part of survival throughout the centuries that w...

This episode contains some references to graphic violence.

Gladiators are one the most enduring symbols of Ancient Rome, and Pompeii is no exception.

In the second episode of our special series on Pompeii, we're separating fact from fiction with the help of Pompeii's leading experts. We'll be ...

The polyamory movement has a long and interesting history. It takes in Pilgrims meeting Native American Indians, Mormons having their take on it, and a modern version born from 60s counterculture and the civil rights movement.

But what beliefs underpin this lifestyle choice? And who are the figu...

Sex. It’s everyone’s favourite subject. But has it been that way since the Middle Ages? The repressive instincts of some medieval churchmen meant that the way that ordinary people experienced and enjoyed sex in medieval Europe was very different to how it is today. But despite the rules imposed b...

Dan tells the story of Archimedes, the ancient Greek inventor whose weapons of war protected the town of Syracuse from a Roman army. The Romans laid siege to Syracuse between 213 and 212 BC, attacking by sea and land, but were repelled by the city's defences. The story goes that these included fa...

When it closed in 1973, the Texas Chicken Ranch was the oldest continually operating brothel in the United States. Why was this brothel able to survive for so long? Who were the women at work there? And where did it get its name?

In this episode, Don explores the brothel behind the Dolly Parton ...

Best known for St. Paul’s Cathedral, Christopher Wren was the greatest architect Britain has ever known. But he was so much more: he applied his mind to astronomy, meteorology and anatomy. How did he achieve so much while running the nation's biggest architectural office with all its petty jealou...

She pioneered investigative journalism when she took on a dangerous assignment to go undercover at what was then the 'New York Women's Lunatic Asylum' in 1887. She stayed up late to give herself the appearance of a 'disturbed woman' in order to be committed and once inside, she documented and lat...

A good old smooch. It’s something that we do on a daily basis in one form or another (if we’re lucky), and yet have you ever stopped and wondered why we do it? 

Wonder no more. 

On today’s Betwixt the Sheets we’re joined by Emmy award-winning scientist and author of The Science of Kissing, Sher...

The grandson of Alfred the Great, Æthelstan the Glorious was the first King of England, reigning from 924 to 939. Æthelstan inherited the title King of Mercia from his father Edward the Elder, but was not immediately accepted as King of England. Shortly after his crowning he married one of his si...

One of the most powerful, and feared, leaders of history - Attila the Hun's legacy has persevered over centuries. His consolidation of the Hunnic tribes helped play a significant role in shaping the ancient geopolitical landscape of 5th century Europe and Asia - ultimately helping him to invade t...

Lord Daniel Finkelstein recounts stories from his parents' remarkable lives. His mother Mirjam Wiener survived the Nazi concentration camps, and his father Ludwik Finkelstein lived through a Soviet gulag. Daniel tells us how they survived the horrors of both regimes, and imparts some of the lesso...

On August 10 1680, the Pueblo people began the most successful uprising against colonial power in North America.

For 11 days, Spanish colonisers were driven out, taken prisoner or killed, their horses were stolen and Christian churches were burnt to the ground. They did not manage to return for ...

Books belonging to Henry VIII, Richard III, Mary I and Edward VI are among the treasures in the historic library of the Archbishops of Canterbury, one of the oldest public libraries in England. 

In this episode of Not Just the Tudors, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb takes a tour of just a few items ...

Genghis Khan roughly translates to 'Universal Ruler', a fitting name for the most famous nomadic conqueror to have ever lived. He was born as Temüjin, outcast by his tribe as a young child and left to fend for his family in the wild. But the determined young man would go on to unite the Mongolian...

The ancient city of Pompeii is one of the greatest archaeological discoveries on earth. Frozen in time since 79 AD when Mount Vesuvius erupted, its story is one that continues today.

In episode one of this special series, Tristan Hughes takes you into its bustling streets: from markets to homes,...

Did the "heist of the century" really happen the way the robbers say it did? In the summer of 1963, a gang of masked robbers executed a daring plan to intercept a Royal Mail train carrying millions of pounds in cash. Operating in the quiet countryside of Buckinghamshire, England, the gang stopped...