Short History Of...
History is full of the extraordinary. Each week, we'll transport you back in time to witness history's most incredible moments and remarkable people. New episodes Mondays, or a week early for Noiser+ subscribers. With Noiser+ you'll also get ad-free listening and exclusive content. For more information, head to noiser.com/subscriptions For advertising enquiries, email info@adelicious.fm Hosted by John Hopkins. Production: Katrina Hughes, Kate Simants, Nicole Edmunds, Jacob Booth, Dorry Macaulay, Rob Plummer, Cody Reynolds-Shaw. Compositions by Oliver Baines, Dorry Macaulay, Tom Pink.
Episodes
May 11, 2025 • 66 mins
The Anglo-Saxon period, also known as the ‘Dark Ages’ stretched from the withdrawal of Roman forces in 410 AD to the conquest of England by William of Normandy in 1066. The period is remembered by the legends that emerged from it, such as the tales of Beowulf and King Arthur, but it was also a time populated by very real historical figures: Alfred the Great, King Cnut, and Harold Godwinson.
So who were these people who came to th...
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May 4, 2025 • 58 mins
Victory in Europe Day brought the curtain down on a horrific conflict that decimated a continent and upended the world. But the price of victory over fascism was impossibly high. Many millions had been killed, and vast areas of Europe had been all but destroyed. VE Day signalled the end of Nazi Germany, and yet the war on the Pacific Front was still raging, and Stalin was already tightening his grip on what would become the Eastern...
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April 27, 2025 • 61 mins
For more than two centuries, between the late 1400s and early 1700s, a terror of witches gripped Europe. From Scotland to Spain, thousands of people were accused, tortured and executed. But as the hysteria faded in Europe, it crossed the Atlantic. In 1692, in New England, it took hold of a small Puritan settlement in Massachusetts - Salem. The events that followed resulted in the most infamous witch hunt in history.
But how did th...
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April 20, 2025 • 59 mins
Measuring 240 feet long from paw to tail, and around the height of a six-story building, the Great Sphinx is one of Egypt’s most spectacular, and mysterious, monuments. Believed to have been built over four millennia ago, much of its story has been lost to history, and the rest is shrouded in myth.
So what do we know about who built it? What caused such an impressive structure to be forgotten for centuries? And how is it being pro...
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April 13, 2025 • 64 mins
PT Barnum may be better known as the loose subject of the movie The Greatest Showman, but his life was so much more than that work of fiction. A master of entertainment, an entrepreneur, and a genius of publicity, he built a career on feeding public curiosity with his grand illusions.
But his legacy is complicated, as many of his attractions reflect a world where sensationalism outweighed morality. His methods, viewed through a m...
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April 8, 2025 • 51 mins
This is a taster episode of a brand-new podcast from the Noiser podcast network. Join host Paul McGann as he explores life and death on the most famous ship in history.
You’ll be right there on board - setting sail from Southampton, chugging across the Atlantic, striking the iceberg and sinking into the icy depths. We’ll hear the harrowing tales of the victims and the testimonies of the lucky survivors. And Paul explores his own f...
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April 6, 2025 • 63 mins
The later Tudor years were a time of turmoil, political intrigue, and national transformation. Initially defined by crises of succession, and shifts in the religious landscape, the period went on to see the reign of some of the most famous royal women in history. And, under the 44-year reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Britain experienced a golden age of culture and exploration.
But what made Elizabeth excel as a sovereign in a way tha...
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March 30, 2025 • 65 mins
The Tudors are the most famous royal family in English history, ruling from 1485 to 1603. The dynasty began with the reign of King Henry VII, and ended with his granddaughter, Elizabeth I. Marked by political, religious, and cultural change, the Tudor era shaped the course of English history, and paved the way for modern Britain.
But how did the first Tudor king fight his way to power? What drove his son, Henry VIII, to break awa...
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March 23, 2025 • 54 mins
The explorer, Christopher Columbus, is famous for reaching the Americas and opening up a new world to European pioneers. But though his determination and skills were second to none, he eventually fell out of favour at home and abroad, and was unwelcome even in the very colonies he’d founded. Contrary to popular misconception, Columbus never set foot in what is now the continental United States, and nor did he seek to prove that the...
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March 16, 2025 • 60 mins
Before Johannes Gutenberg’s revolutionary invention, knowledge was a privilege accessible only to the wealthy, the powerful, or the devout. In this world, ideas travelled slowly, and were constrained by the limits of human hand.
So when, in the mid-15th century, Gutenberg invented the printing press, it became so much more than a machine. Ideas could be replicated by the thousands, making it the first great equaliser of informati...
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March 9, 2025 • 58 mins
One of the world’s most influential composers, Ludwig van Beethoven changed the course of Western music. Despite losing his hearing, he created some of history’s most celebrated works, and his compositions are renowned for their emotional depth, innovation, and freshness to this day.
But how did an unpolished youth from the German Rhineland rise to become one of the most famous names in classical music? Why was his private life be...
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March 2, 2025 • 65 mins
Nestled deep in the heart of Beijing, the Forbidden City stands as one of the world’s greatest architectural marvels. Built in the early 15th century as the secretive seat of imperial rule, it’s the largest palace complex anywhere in the world, and the biggest wooden structure on earth.
But how did an audacious coup lead to the construction of this mysterious compound? What was life like inside the gated city? And how did it survi...
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February 23, 2025 • 62 mins
During World War Two, the Battle of Stalingrad was one of the most brutal engagements of the entire conflict, and would go on to be one of the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare. Over a course of six months, Soviet forces fought to defend their city against the German Army, where an estimated 1 million Soviet soldiers, and 800,000 Axis troops were killed, wounded or captured.
But why was a modest little city in southern ...
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February 16, 2025 • 61 mins
Pablo Picasso was one of the most celebrated and radical artists of the 20th century. His styles shocked and outraged contemporaries, and are still instantly recognisable today. But while the artist was publicly fêted, behind closed doors there was a darker side, and many of his female companions protested at his behaviour.
So what drove Picasso to master the rules of art, and then break them? How did a man who claimed he didn’t ‘...
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February 9, 2025 • 58 mins
Leader of the Wild Bunch gang, Butch Cassidy was a legendary American criminal who engineered infamous bank and train robberies across the West in the late 19th century. His charisma and careful planning ensured he eluded capture for years. And when, in 1901, he fled the law to South America with his partner, the Sundance Kid, reports differ as to what exactly became of him….
Could Cassidy have survived, quietly living out the res...
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February 2, 2025 • 60 mins
Nelson Mandela came to be considered one of the great global figures of his age, but for decades he was a prisoner in his own country. Branded a terrorist by South Africa’s white authorities, as well as many foreign governments, he survived years in the wilderness, only to return in one of the most dramatic character rehabilitations in history.
So what drove this son of a high-ranking family to become an activist against South Afr...
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January 26, 2025 • 60 mins
When a man called Edward Hargraves first discovered gold in Australia, in 1851, the impact on the country was immeasurable. Word of Hargraves’ good fortune caused thousands of individuals to flood New South Wales and join the rush. Men left their families, professionals quit their jobs, ships were abandoned in the ports, as gold-fever spread through the country. Within two decades, Australia’s population had quadrupled.
But what f...
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January 19, 2025 • 60 mins
From impoverished roots on an island struggling to leave behind its colonial past, Bob Marley emerged; creating music that spoke with a universality, and which was beloved by people all over the world. His love of music was the backbone of his life, and his commitment to the Rastafari faith shone a spotlight on its ideals.
But how did Bob Marley go from Kingston’s most impoverished area, to becoming a global star? Why was his life...
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January 12, 2025 • 57 mins
Emperor Nero was one of the most reviled and controversial leaders of Ancient Rome. To some, his reign was a breath of fresh air after his unpopular predecessor, and his failings had no more to do with him, than with the unstable infrastructure of Roman government. And yet to others, Nero is inseparable from rumours about his sexual predilections, debauched behaviours, and apparent appetite for murder.
But how did Nero seize the ...
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January 5, 2025 • 61 mins
The second of nine children from a well-to-do family in New England, John F Kennedy fought his way up to become the most powerful man on the planet. After claiming a narrow victory in the 1960 election, Kennedy and his glamorous wife, Jacqueline, led the country on a wave of optimism and energy. For many, he represented a vision of America at its brightest.
But what challenges did he have to overcome to reach office? What were the...
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