History

1
The Polish Ladies’ Poison Plot 1:03:30

1h ago1:03:30

1:03:30

The Many True Crimes of Tillie Klimek and Nellie Koulik Episode 100, a man goes to a doctor because he’s not feeling well and the doctor says, “Sounds like arsenic poisoning,” and suddenly there are four women in jail who discovered that arsenic is more effective in getting rid of a husband than divorce. The ringleader of them all, however, not onl…

1
Episode #211- Who Killed King Tut? (Part II) 1:25:48

27m ago1:25:48

1:25:48

When King Tutankhamun became King of Egypt at the tender age of eight he inherited a kingdom in chaos. His father's religious revolution had upended the traditional social structure and enraged the old priesthood. In those early years of his reign Tutankhamun was clearly guided by his advisors to lead a restoration of the old ways. But did hose adv…

1
Ekow Eshun on the first openly gay footballer, Justin Fashanu 27:47

21h ago27:47

27:47

In 1981 Brian Clough paid £1 million pounds to bring Justin Fashanu to Nottingham Forest. It was the climax of a meteoric career, but within months the goals had dried up, he'd been going to gay nightclubs, and Fashanu had also become become a born again Christian. Four decades later Justin Fashanu remains top flight English football's only openly …

1
Slavery? Rent control? California Propositions 2024 (Ep. 147) 2:12:05

3h ago2:12:05

2:12:05

It’s that time again! Silly season is here — has it ever left? This election cycle, Californians have been asked to vote on 10 individual ballot propositions. As David and Eugene note in the show, anyone who walks into a ballot booth and encounters all 10 propositions for the very first time might feel like they’ve been hit by a truck. To help out,…

1
Pretty Hostess Slain In Cemetery 1:07:05

1h ago1:07:05

1:07:05

The Peoria Hallmark Sex Murder Episode 182 tells the story of a young sex fiend, whose aggressive pursuit of his nefarious goals ends up with a body in a ditch. Police find a diary he kept of his exploits, used in court as evidence... FOR THE DEFENSE! Ad-Free Edition Purchase for $3 or Listen Ad-Free With Subscription Included in the collection Cap…

1
[RERUN] EPISODE 71: John Brown (Part 2): A Reckoning in Blood 2:02:23

3h ago2:02:23

2:02:23

By Daniele Bolelli

1
The Case Of The Tell-Tale Love Letters 1:11:42

1h ago1:11:42

1:11:42

The Murder Of Percy Thompson By His Wife’s Young Lover For Episode 149 we make a journey to England in the 1920s and hear about the torrid affair between a successful milliner, but unhappy wife, and a young sailor eight years her junior. She writes saucy letters to his ports of call while he’s away that seem to indicate a plan for murdering her hus…

1
Too crowded – what's behind the backlash against tourism? 29:07

44m ago29:07

29:07

The world's most popular tourist destinations have been having a bumper 2024.But many places are again struggling with over tourism.We look back on the relentless rise of global travel.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

1
New Zealand’s first dinosaur and India’s plague outbreak 51:00

37m ago51:00

51:00

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week’s Witness History episodes. We start our programme looking at the discovery of New Zealand’s first dinosaur by Joan Wiffen. Our expert guest is Professor Eugenia Gold, a paleontologist at Suffolk University, in Boston, United States, and the author of children’s book She Found Fossils. Then, we hear how…

1
Elizabeth Anscombe (Summer Repeat) 55:08

1h ago55:08

55:08

In 1956 Oxford University awarded an honorary degree to the former US president Harry S. Truman for his role in ending the Second World War. One philosopher, Elizabeth Anscombe (1919 – 2001), objected strongly. She argued that although dropping nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki may have ended the fighting, it amounted to the murder of tens of…

1
A Sophisticated Scoundrel 1:04:47

2h ago1:04:47

1:04:47

The End Of Gordon Fawcett Hamby Episode 277 is a fascinating portrait of a cold-blooded psychopath and sociopath, an erudite Canadian seaman who allegedly traveled the world committing the most dastardly robberies. But when he goes too far and murders a friend, his conscience finally gets to him and his eight year career comes to a crashing halt an…

1
The Miser's Poke Of Gold 1:47:18

18m ago1:47:18

1:47:18

The Travels of Clara Elizabeth Skarin Episode 204 tells the interesting tale of a young woman who shoots her aged benefactor and loots his trunk for a poke full of gold, then goes on a spending spree to update her wardrobe. Was it self-defense (as she would claim eight months later when police finally catch up with her)? Or premeditated? That's the…

1
Anneka Rice picks the largely forgotten Jane Morris, muse to Rossetti and wife of William Morris 27:46

3d ago27:46

27:46

The biography show where famous guests picks someone they admire or love. Jane Morris was the wife of William Morris and muse of Gabriel Dante Rossetti. Anneka Rice believes her contribution to 19th-Century art and culture has been largely overlooked. "I'm not a big fan of needle point," she says, "but we cannot ignore what she brings to art histor…

1
Water Privatisation in England and why it’s failed 29:06

4d ago29:06

29:06

Raw sewage is being pumped into rivers and waterways across England and it’s increasing becoming a political and health issues. What’s going wrong and does it have anything to do with the privatisation of the English water industry 30 years ago. The unexpected consequences of the free market.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

1
Ethiopian history 50:52

10d ago50:52

50:52

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week’s Witness History episodes. We’re looking at key moments in Ethiopian history, as it’s 50 years since Emperor Haile Selassie was overthrown in a military coup. We start our programme looking at the moment a military junta called the Derg who ousted the monarchy in September 1974. Then, we hear how, befo…

1
Alligator Alibi 59:55

3h ago59:55

59:55

Pulp Nonfiction A celebration of the pioneers of true crime In a remote part of Florida in the 1920s, a brother and sister in business together running a curio shop and gas station are found brutally murdered. Was it a robbery gone awry? Or were there more sinister forces at work? Detectives on the case soon dig up some telling secrets. Adapted fro…

1
The Fish-Tetrapod Transition (Summer Repeat) 55:33

1d ago55:33

55:33

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss one of the greatest changes in the history of life on Earth. Around 400 million years ago some of our ancestors, the fish, started to become a little more like humans. At the swampy margins between land and water, some fish were turning their fins into limbs, their swim bladders into lungs and developed necks and eve…

1
The Baldwin Hills Babes In The Woods Murders 1:34:18

2d ago1:34:18

1:34:18

A Crossing Guard Confesses Episode 150 is the brutal tale of one of the most fiendish murders on record in California (or anywhere else for that matter) that a dogged prosecutor pins on the town’s simple-crossing guard. The man confesses four times, then retracts it at the trial. I think maybe they got the wrong maniac. What do you think? Ad-Free E…

1
Episode #210- Who Killed King Tut? (Part I) 1:16:46

2d ago1:16:46

1:16:46

King Tutankhamun may be the best known Egyptian Pharaoh. The discovery of his tomb in 1922 created a wave of "Tut-mania" that has made him a fixture of pop-culture ever since. But even though his treasures are among the most visited museum objects in history, the details of his life remain obscure. This may be because King Tut's successors actively…

1
[RERUN] EPISODE 70: John Brown (Part 1): Heartbreak & Slavery 1:22:21

3d ago1:22:21

1:22:21

In this first episode of a three-part series, we’ll introduce the early part of John Brown’s life and his crusade against slavery. Among today’s topics, we’ll have the ethics of punching a Nazi, how the beating of an enslaved child set Brown on his path, how both pro and anti- slavery forces used Christianity to justify their stances, racism masque…

1
The Space Shuttle to Space X – why NASA turned to the private sector 29:06

6d ago29:06

29:06

We examine the evolution of NASA's human space flight programAnd how past disasters influenced their cautious approach with the two astronauts stuck in space.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

1
Marriage bars and a Moon mission 49:55

6d ago49:55

49:55

Myra Anubi presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes. We hear about the Irish law that banned married women from working in state jobs until 1973 and Apollo 13's attempted trip to the Moon in 1970. Plus the Umbrella protest in Hong Kong, the ancient Egyptian mummy who flew to France for a makeover and the Argentine basketball pla…

1
Rawls' Theory of Justice (Summer Repeat) 1:01:04

8d ago1:01:04

1:01:04

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss A Theory of Justice by John Rawls (1921 - 2002) which has been called the most influential book in twentieth century political philosophy. It was first published in 1971. Rawls drew on his own experience in WW2 and saw the chance in its aftermath to build a new society, one founded on personal liberty and fair equali…

1
Within Reach: You Deserve to Feel Good with Reena Ruparelia 34:01

20d ago34:01

34:01

Reena Ruparelia has lived with psoriasis since she was in high school. But she didn’t start sharing about her experience until 20 years later. Stigma played a role in her hesitancy to speak out, but a major factor was the difficulty in finding a doctor who really listened, and a treatment that worked. Until patients find treatment, it can feel like…

1
OFH Throwback- Episode #172- Who Was the African Samurai? (Part II) 1:43:57

14d ago1:43:57

1:43:57

In this throwback episode Sebastian takes you back to the conclusion of the African Samurai series. In the 1580’s Japan was a on the precipice of a massive transformation. For over a century the country had been embroiled in war, but by 1581 the end seemed to be in sight. The powerful Lord Oda Nobunaga was on the path to unifying the fractured nati…

1
The surgeon Henry Marsh picks 'the saviour of mothers' Dr Semmelweis 27:44

11d ago27:44

27:44

The biography show where famous guests pick someone from history they admire or they love. Our only rule is they must be dead. Today neurosurgeon Dr Henry Marsh chooses “the saviour of mothers” Dr Ignaz Semmelweis The Hungarian doctor discovered the link between childbirth and puerperal fever in 19th century Vienna but he was ridiculed, ignored and…

1
Bangladesh—Politics and the Business of Remembering 28:58

23d ago28:58

28:58

The protests that engulfed Bangladesh last month, that resulted in the removal of the Sheikh Hasina Government, were led by students and sparked by the reintroduction of a quota system for the civil service. But what were they really about and how were the connected to the Bangladeshi War of Independence from 1971. The second part of our deep dive …

1
Space travel and Mary Poppins 51:13

24d ago51:13

51:13

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes. Our guest is European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, who completed the longest uninterrupted space flight of any European. First, we go to Australia in the 1990s when amateur radio enthusiast Maggie Iaquinto befriended Soviet cosmonauts on the Mir space statio…

1
A.D.D. / A.D.H.D. (Ep. 146) 2:03:00

24d ago2:03:00

2:03:00

Today’s episode was meant to be the second half of our discussion of the book Who Moved My Cheese? But as sometimes (often?) happens on this podcast, David and Eugene veered instead toward a different conversation -- this time about ADD/ADHD and neurodivergence. As always, thank you for listening! Threads @davidchang99 X @davidgchang whatjustpodcas…

1
Walter Benjamin (Summer Repeat) 49:52

15d ago49:52

49:52

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss one of the most celebrated thinkers of the twentieth century. Walter Benjamin (1892-1940) was a German Jewish philosopher, critic, historian, an investigator of culture, a maker of radio programmes and more. Notably, in his Arcades Project, he looked into the past of Paris to understand the modern age and, in The Wor…

1
Justice or retribution: the story of Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal 30:29

16d ago30:29

30:29

In 1971 a conflict marred by atrocities and war crimes led to the creation of the state of Bangladesh. After 40 years of inaction the government of Bangladesh established the International Crimes Tribunal to bring those who committed war crimes to justice. This month the war crimes court sentenced a senior Islamic party politician, Mohammad Kamaruz…

1
OFH Throwback- Episode #171- Who Was the African Samurai? (Part I) 1:24:54

16d ago1:24:54

1:24:54

In this throwback episode Sebastian was inspired by a recent controversy around the Assassin's Creed videogame series to revisit his series on Yasuke, the African Samurai. Near the end of Japan’s “Warring States” period a remarkable visitor arrived in the country with a group of European Jesuit missionaries. He was a soldier originally from East Af…

1
The Roman Emperor Nero 27:36

18d ago27:36

27:36

An unexpected choice for Great Lives, the Roman Emperor Nero has a reputation for debauchery and murder. He was also surprisingly popular, at least during the early years of his reign, and the writer Conn Iggulden argues he may be a victim of bad press. The Christians decided he was the anti-christ some three centuries after he died, and the three …

1
EPISODE 107: The Forge of the Samurai: The Genpei War Part 2 1:31:53

19d ago1:31:53

1:31:53

It's the finale of this series on the Genpei War (1180-1185); the showdown between the two most powerful clans of the age. This episode is one of the most drama & action packed that I have ever covered in History on Fire. We'll discuss Minamoto Yoritomo's Godzilla-sized ego, the Minamoto killing each other when they are not busy warring against the…

1
A mini casino in your pocket – how sport became a gambling product 29:06

20d ago29:06

29:06

Australians have always loved to gamble but sports betting apps are making it more accessible to more of us.We look at the history of online sports gambling in Australia and its social impact.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

1
Nazis in Egypt and Spain's La Tomatina 51:09

26d ago51:09

51:09

A warning, this programme includes an account of antisemitic views and descriptions of violence. Egypt recruited thousands of Nazis after World War Two to bolster its security. We hear from Frank Gelli, who in 1964 met Hitler's former propagandist, Johann von Leers, in Cairo. Author, Vyvyan Kinross is our guest and talks about Nazis in Egypt. Also,…

1
OFH Throwback- Episode #90- How Bad Was Blackbeard? (Part II) 1:16:19

23d ago1:16:19

1:16:19

In this throwback episode Sebastian takes you back to Season 4 to finish up the series on Blackbeard. Thanks to the mysterious pirate historian Captain Charles Johnson, Blackbeard became a truly legendary villain. According to the Captain, Blackbeard indulged in practically demonic behavior. The devil himself was rumored to be a crew member aboard …

1
Film director Julien Temple on Elizabethan bad boy Christopher Marlowe 27:47

1M ago27:47

27:47

Julien Temple, director of The Great Rock n Roll Swindle, Glastonbury and Absolute Beginners, chooses Christopher Marlowe, writer of brilliant plays including Doctor Faustus and Tamburlaine the Great. "I'm excited to talk about him," he says, "because I've known him for more than 50 years." The link? An attempt as a student to summon up Marlowe in …

1
The Kamala Harris Story 29:07

1M ago29:07

29:07

This week at the Democratic Convention in Chicago - Kamala Harris will become the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. But what do you know about her family, her sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha or her time as a prosecutor and the Attorney general of California.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

1
Indonesian’s independence and the last Olympic art competition 51:11

27d ago51:11

51:11

We hear about the founding father of Indonesian independence. Then, we look at how 'spray on skin' was used after the 2002 Bali bombings. Next, we hear about the last ever Olympic art competition. Plus, the most decorated Paralympian in history. And, the Brazilian singer who earned the title Queen of Samba. Max Pearson presents a collection of this…

1
OFH Throwback - Episode #89 - How Bad Was Blackbeard? (Part I) 1:11:08

1M ago1:11:08

1:11:08

In this throwback episode Sebastian takes you back to season four and a fan favorite about one of history's most notorious pirates. Blackbeard may be the most iconic pirate to ever roam the seas. His fearsome reputation and distinctive sense of personal style have made him the template upon which countless fictional pirates have been based. But how…

1
Who Moved My Cheese? (Ep. 145) 1:39:19

1M ago1:39:19

1:39:19

David and Eugene have been on a 90’s kick recently, and are sticking with the trend with a review of the business self-help best seller “Who Moved My Cheese?” by Spencer Johnson. We discuss the fable of the two mice and two “Littlepeople” named Hem and Haw, and how remarkably relevant the story remains today. We also apply the mindset from the book…

1
Zing Tsjeng on Swedish painter Hilma af Klint 27:52

1M ago27:52

27:52

Hilma af Klint (1862-1944) was barely known during her lifetime but an exhibition of her work at the Guggenheim Museum in 2018 shattered attendance records. it was called Paintings for the Future, and the giant abstract work astounded visitors who had not heard of her before.Joining journalist Zing Tsjeng in the studio to discuss her life is Jennif…

1
When the US Secret Service fails 29:06

1M ago29:06

29:06

The assassination attempt on Trump was a shocking mission failure for the Secret Service. From JFK to Reagan, we examine what the agency’s history and response to past failures.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

1
American presidents 51:00

2M ago51:00

51:00

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes. It's 50 years since Richard Nixon became the first US president in history to resign, following the Watergate scandal. To mark this anniversary, we're featuring first hand accounts from major moments in US presidential history. We start with the first ever presidential televi…

1
A Trial Without Music 1:14:45

1M ago1:14:45

1:14:45

The Scarsdale Apple Orchard Torch Murder Scandal Episode 156 is the scandalous tale that begins with the charred body of a young woman, identified only by a mole on an unburned leg. Turns out she was married. And had a boyfriend. Police solve the case quickly, but the decision of the jury is to be whether it was a crime of passion, manslaughter, or…

251
Episode #209- What Are the Olympic Myths? (Part III) 1:21:16

2M ago1:21:16

1:21:16

The man credited with reviving the Olympics in the late 1800's was a French aristocrat named Baron Pierre De Coubertin. In his memoir he claimed that idea to revive the Olympic games had been his and his alone. However, historians have pointed out that the "Olympic Idea" had been floating around Europe for many decades before De Coubertin started h…

1
Miriam Margolyes on Charles Dickens 27:54

1M ago27:54

27:54

The great Miriam Margolyes chooses Charles Dickens, author of Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol. "He's the man in my life. He's tugged me into his world and never let me go. He writes better prose than anyone who's ever lived. He's told the most interesting stories, invented 2000 of the best characters, and because he was a wicked man." Miriam Mar…

1
Tensions in the South China Sea 28:52

2M ago28:52

28:52

The Philippines is refusing to concede a small reef inside their territorial waters.What does it reveal about China's ambitions and the broader security dilemma in the South China?By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

1
Ice Bucket Challenge and Bulgaria's dancing bears 51:07

2M ago51:07

51:07

A warning for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners - this programme contains the names and voices of people who have died. Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes. We take a look at the Ice Bucket Challenge, the viral fundraising sensation that took over the internet in 2014. Our guest Professor Sander va…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

History

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Quick Reference Guide