Since the World's been Turning

 In this episode, we’re returning to communist China after the death of Chairman Mao, and learning about one of the grimmest moments of the 1980s: Tiananmen Square.

Footage and photographs of the Chinese army cracking down on protesters travel around the world - but due to state censorship, much about the massacre there is still unknown.

 We’re joined by special guest Jeff Wasserstrom, who is a professor of history at the University ...

In this episode, we’re heading to America’s Atlantic Coast, circa 1987. People are fleeing the beaches, and it’s not because of sharks. To the horror of both tourists and residents alike, the coasts of New York City, Long Island, and the Jersey Shore have been covered in medical waste. Hypodermic syringes, to be specific. 

To help us with this episode is our guest, Jeremy Greene. Jeremy is a historian of medicine, and the ...

 In this episode we’re back in New York in the 1980s and looking at a controversial figure who’s little-known today: Bernie Goetz. Goetz, who shot four teenagers on the New York subway, has been variously portrayed as a racist villain, a victim, and a hero.

 We’re very lucky to be joined in this episode by a guest who was almost as close to the case as you can get. He’s civil rights and criminal defence lawyer Ron Kuby, who represen...

Following on from our previous episode on the AIDS epidemic, this time we’re focussing on another large scale social issue that swept the world - but more specifically the United States - in the late 1980s and early 90s. This is an epidemic of a different kind - drug use, in the form of Crack Cocaine.

  The so-called “War on Drugs” will reach a fever pitch over this period, irrevocably changing the United States’ relationship with i...

In this episode we delve into one of modern histories deadliest diseases AIDS.   The AIDS epidemic swept through the United States and the world at large in the 1980’s and 90’s, devastating the communities of queer people and drug users.

Here to help us understand the history of AIDS is Professor Jonathon Engel from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health in Manhattan. Professor Engel is the author of T...

Throughout modern history, there have been few things in popular culture as stigmatised as heavy metal music.  Coated in all forms of macabre imagery and dealing with dark and provocative themes - metal has always sought to test the limits of what is socially acceptable. 

 In this episode, we’ll be telling many tragic stories about people who’ve suffered the ultimate loss and wound up putting their grief into the wrong places. 

We’ll...

 In this episode we’re looking at foreign debts in the 1980s, as we explore the economic system introduced by American President (and former B movie actor) Ronald Reagan.

 The 80s also saw a massive debt crisis in Latin America, where it’s known as La Decada Perdida or the Lost Decade. Money might seem like a dry topic compared to some of the many colorful events and personalities we’ve profiled on this podcast: but in the increasin...

In the early 1980s, more than a decade after the Moon Landing, America saw the stratospheric rise of Sally Ride, the third female astronaut and the first woman from the United States to go into space. Overnight, she became a national hero: but she never felt comfortable with her celebrity status. She also became a pioneer when it came to promoting science education, particularly for girls.

 Here with us to discuss Sally Ride is a ve...

This time we’re focussing on one of the more seemingly innocuous inclusions in Billy Joel’s lyrics, the TV game show Wheel of Fortune.

 Thriving off a deceptive simplicity, and a healthy amount of audiences yelling at their TV screens, this spruced up version of Hangman was at one point the highest rated television show in all of syndication.

 However, the story of Wheel and its creator is far more complex than you might expect. 

In this episode, we return to the Middle East and explore the country known as the Graveyard of Empires: Afghanistan. 
More than 30 years before America’s War on Terror began, Russian troops invaded the mountainous region and plunged the country into conflict.

 Joining us to talk about the Russian presence in Afghanistan is special guest, British military historian and author of over 60 books Anthony Tucker-Jones. He takes us th...

 In this episode we’re back in the Middle East and one of the world’s most hotly-discussed countries – the Islamic Republic of Iran. 

Today, it’s often depicted in Western media as a closed and repressive society. But prior to the Revolution of 1979, Iran looked very different.

  We’re joined by a very special guest, Ervand Abrahamian, to discuss the downfall of the Shah, Iran’s last monarch, and the rise of the Islamic leader Ayatol...

In this episode, we’re returning to a time before restrictive airline security, where - if you had a ticket - you could stroll onto a plane carrying anything you wanted. The 1960s - 70s are known now as the golden age of airline hijacking. It was a time of political crime, of massive, subversive, system challenging actions. It was also a time of personal crime, borderline petty grievances elevated to extreme lengths.  Perhaps the m...

In this episode  we’re returning to the Middle East and taking on a contentious and sad topic: the history of Palestine. 

We’re joined by a very special guest, the Israeli-born historian Ilan Pappe [Eelahn Pah-pay] who is a Professor of History and the director of the European Centre for Palestine Studies at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom. Prof Pappe shares his time between the UK and Israel. 

He’s also the author of ...

This episode we’re tossing on our cowboy hats and riding horseback all the way from Sunset Boulevard to the White House. The first celebrity U S president, Ronald Wilson Reagan, marked a turning point in world history.  From the aggressive deregulation of Reaganomics, to the massive consequences of his aggressive foreign policy, Reagan’s influence on the world is undeniable.  Working as a  Military Filmmaker, Movie Star, Labour Org...

 In this episode, we’re traveling back to the Middle East, and the birth of modern Israel. Key to the founding of the state of Israel in the 1940s was Menachem Begin – a soldier, a right-wing zealot and a Zionist.

Joining us to discuss the controversial figure who was Menachem Begin is special guest Avi Shilon. Avi is a historian who specializes in Israel studies. His published works include Menachem Begin: A Life, published by Yale...

While it struggled for radio play, Punk managed to take over the world anyway. Digging its teeth into the pillars holding up “respectable society”, it leaked its way out of the world’s cultural centres to disenfranchised, embittered youth and gave them the tools to fight back. This is music as war, music as identity, music as freedom.  So, Cheers to our hundredth episode - let’s talk about Punk.

We have special guest Legs...

This time we’re doing something a little unconventional for us. 

The Watergate Scandal, even all these years on, is still a controversial issue; in the historical community, potentially more controversial than ever. 

So, we’re making two separate episodes hearing from guests with two different perspectives on the issue. We are joined by very special guest Geoff Shepard who was the youngest lawyer for Nixons White house staff . He has...

 In this episode, we’re heading to the world’s most famous music festival, Woodstock. 

This pivotal moment in cultural history was held in the summer of 1969, and more than 50 years later it still has a mesmeric hold over our imaginations. At the time though, it was an unlikely success. 

With the help of special guest Joel Makower, we go behind the scenes. Joel is a journalist by training and the author of Woodstock: The Oral History...