A quizzical look at some of history’s quirkiest moments and unpredictable people. Mikey Robins, celebrated Australian comedian, and Paul Wilson, Oxford Historian and author, take you on a raucous tour across many of the strangest turning points in history.
This series celebrates the unsung heroes of history and puts the boot into the howlers. It revels in the characters, the cock ups, and the bizarre twists of fate that have changed the course of mankind – sometimes tragic, sometimes comical, sometimes just plain stupid.
“I asked: ‘Do you speaka my language?’ He just smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich.” Men at Work Do armies really march on their stomachs? Paul and Mikey tuck into how conflict has transformed food production over the centuries and given us some of our best-loved staples. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“Young men make wars…, old men make the peace. And the vices of peace are the vices of old men. Mistrust and caution. It must be so.” Prince Faisal (Lawrence Of Arabia) The Arabian Peninsula has been pivotal since ancient times, and for good reason. Home to legendary figures such as the Queen of Sheba, and thriving trading hubs linking India to Africa to the Mediterranean, its territories have been fought over for centuries. Time for Paul and Mikey to get some sand between their toes. See omnyst...
“They say openly that Christ and his saints slept.” The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle Paul and Mikey look at how one howler of a booze cruise plunged twelfth century England and France into chaos. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“I wish for adventure. I wish to matter.” Sins of a Wicked Duke Good Dukes, Wicked Dukes and Wicked Uncles - Tudor England had them all. Or was that just Shakespearean propaganda? Paul and Mikey dig deep to find out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“If nobody else is going to invent a dishwashing machine, I’ll do it myself.” Josephine Cochrane Paul and Mikey look at the life of this groundbreaking entrepreneur and inventor, and the rise of the women’s rights movement in late 19th century America. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“Superficial goals lead to superficial results” Attila The Hun History has cast him as the Biggest, Baddest Barbarian of all time. But Paul’s ready to convince Mikey he should go down as a Hero. Wil this challenge to Gibbon’s masterpiece succeed? Or is it Paul’s Decline and Fall? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“No, not quite naked. I shall have my uniform on.” Curious last words of King Frederick William I of Prussia (1713-40) Paul and Mikey kick off Season 3 by going Prussian! Join them as they cast a quizzical eye over the man they called the ‘Soldier King’. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“History always has a few tricks up its frayed sleeve. It's been around a long time.” Terry Pratchett It’s the end of Season 2 and the last of our Extra Helpings . Join the boys as they call time on Episodes 6-10. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“Geography is the eye of history” Abraham Ortelius (1527 – 1598: cartographer and producer of first ‘World Atlas’) Paul and Mikey get the chance to answer all your questions from Season Two, and squeeze in a few of their own for good measure. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“ Peccavi - I have sinned (Sindh)” Charles Napier (Major-General British Army in India) The arrogance of the British in India knew few bounds. Paul and Mikey pick through probably the worst howler of them all - The First Afghan War. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“A merry life and a short one” Pirate motto of Bartholomew Roberts (aka ‘Black Bart’) Black Bart captured over 400 ships and was the complete opposite from this episode’s Howler: Stede Bonnet. Paul and Mikey shiver their timbers and have a look down the spy-glass at the man known as ‘The Gentleman Pirate’. Beware the Black Spot! Facebook Twitter Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
“I am the son of the road, my country is the caravan, my life the most unexpected of journeys.” Leo Africanus Paul and Mikey follow in the footsteps of one of History’s greatest historians. Their journey takes them along West Africa’s Gold Coast, up the Niger and into the heart of the Sahara Desert - all in search of …? Facebook Twitter Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
“My wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. One of us has to go.” -Oscar Wilde In this episode Paul and Mikey look at the bizarre connection between the death of Napoleon and one of Britain’s greatest interior designers. Facebook Twitter Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
‘Steal a loaf of bread and they will cut your hands off, steal an entire country and they will proclaim you their king.’ Norse Sagas Don’t be fooled by chilly tales of beards and battle-axes. Head east with Paul and Mikey, and discover a whole new (warm!) viking world. Facebook Twitter Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
“Assassination has never changed the history of the world” Benjamin Disraeli Sorry to disagree with you, Ben, but the killing of Lincoln had repercussions that we still feel today. Paul and Mikey look at that fateful April night and one participant that history has tried to forget. Facebook Twitter Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
'Whenever I can find the time, I read history books and the classics so as to avoid idle living.’ Yongle (Ming Dynasty Emperor) Big China or Little China? Why did Ming Dynasty China turn its back on the world? Could modern-day China be about to do the same? Paul and Mikey go in search of the answers. Facebook Twitter Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
“I am a man more sinned against than sinning.” King Lear, Act 3 Scene 2 Paul and Mikey look at one of theatre’s greatest sins - the century and half when King Lear was performed with (of all things) a happy ending! Facebook Twitter Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
“I shall be a good politician. Even if it kills me. Or if it kills anyone else, for that matter.” Mark Antony Mikey and Paul ask you to lend them your ears as they recount one of the epic showdowns in history: Mark Antony vs Octavian (Augustus). But who’s the hero? Facebook Twitter Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
“The same intelligence is required to marshal an army in battle and to order a good dinner.” Lucius Aemillius Paullus (Roman Consul and General, conqueror of Macedon 168 BC) A secret but often overlooked weapon the United States brought to the battlefields of WWI. Mikey has a theory but Paul’s going to need some convincing. Facebook Twitter Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
“History repeats itself - Has to; no one listens.” Steve Turner It’s the end of Season 1 and the last of our Extra Helpings . Join the boys as they call time on one chapter and look forward to the next.. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“We learn from history that we do not learn from history.” George Hegel Paul and Mikey get the chance to answer all your questions from Season One, and squeeze in a few of their own for good measure. Facebook Twitter Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
“Here’s an equivocator that could swear in both the scales against either scale, who committed treason enough for God’s sake, yet could not equivocate to heaven.. ” Macbeth Was Guy Fawkes a Catholic terrorist or the ‘equivocator’ alluded to by Shakespeare? Mikey and Paul scour the records and find out more about Bonfire Night than they bargained for. Facebook Twitter Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
“I have often marvelled at the thin line which separates success from failure.” Ernest Shackleton But sometimes failure is hard-wired in from the start. Paul and Mikey uncover why the Burke and Wills expedition was already in deep trouble long before the tragic events of the Dig Tree. Facebook Twitter Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
“I have not told half of what I saw. ” Marco Polo (1254–1 324 ) There’s a reason why Marco didn’t tell the other half - because that would have lifted the lid on Niccolo Polo, Marco’s dad. Niccolo was the true hero and it’s his name that should have gone down in the history books - Paul and Mikey tell you why. Facebook Twitter Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
“I could sooner reconcile all Europe than two women.” Louis XIV (1643-1715) Well he would say that, wouldn’t he? In this episode Mikey and Paul look at power, progeny, Louis’ love life, and how a certain one-eyed sex tutor saved the House of Bourbon. Facebook Twitter Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
“There is nothing impossible to him who will try. ” Alexander of Macedon ( 356 – 323 BC ) Alexander successfully conquered the known world but without his trusty steed, Bucephalus, many say he would have been only half the man. Just how much have famous horses changed the course of history? Mikey and Paul saddle up to find out. Facebook Twitter Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
“For the execution of the voyage to the Indies, I did not make use of intelligence, mathematics or maps.” Christopher Columbus Well no wonder he got lost!! Throw in some phantom islands plus a manatee fetish, and it's a surprise his ships ever left port. Paul and Mikey go exploring the high seas for answers. NB Columbus did NOT discover America! Facebook Twitter Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
"Dulce et decorum est, pro patria mori" - Wilfred Owen (via Horace) ' The Black Hand Gang - a name to strike fear into the heart of any Archduke. Throw in one hell of a wrong turn and… where’s Sat-Nav when you need it? Join Mikey and Paul as they take The Great War for a spin (Part I) Facebook Twitter Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
"The Wall will be standing in 50 and even in 100 years" - GDR head of state Erich Honecker, January 1989 The Berlin Wall, The Iron Curtain, The Warsaw Pact, The Eastern Bloc – could they all have been brought tumbling down by one lousy press conference? Join the boys as they sift through the rubble. Warning: contains German! Facebook Twitter Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
“Be temperate in wine, eating, girls, and sloth; or the gout will have you both.” - Benjamin Franklin Everyone knows America was born on the Fourth of July, but what brought about the Declaration of Independence? Paul and Mikey dissect the politics, the economics, and the often overlooked role of gout… Yes that’s right, we said ‘gout’. Facebook Twitter Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
