This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! It’s time to return to one of our favourite subjects: inventions! This week we’ve got the history of portable music, the various attempts at portable television, plus the emergence of air conditioning starting with - and get this - Ancient Rome! Elsewhere, we’re still struggling to believe we live in the age of hair product innovation and no longer need to iron our hair. Is there anything else about modern hair styling that you can scarcely believe? Do...
May 26, 2025•34 min•Ep. 145
It’s time to return to one of our favourite subjects: inventions! This week we’ve got the history of portable music, the various attempts at portable television, plus the emergence of air conditioning starting with - and get this - Ancient Rome! Elsewhere, we’re still struggling to believe we live in the age of hair product innovation and no longer need to iron our hair. Is there anything else about modern hair styling that you can scarcely believe? Do let us know: [email protected] I...
May 25, 2025•36 min•Ep. 144
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! This week we’re examining the most unlikely sport stars that history has to offer! We’ve got Pope John Paul II, the goalie. Che Guevara: the rugby years. Plus, Albert Camus, the football obsessive. And Mr Brightside would be a far better national anthem for the United Kingdom, we know that now. But do you have a better suggestion? If yes: [email protected] If you fancy a bunch of OWAT content you’ve never heard before, why not treat yourself and be...
May 19, 2025•30 min•Ep. 143
This week we’re examining the most unlikely sport stars that history has to offer! We’ve got Pope John Paul II, the goalie. Che Guevara: the rugby years. Plus, Albert Camus, the football obsessive. And Mr Brightside would be a far better national anthem for the United Kingdom, we know that now. But do you have a better suggestion? If yes: [email protected] If you fancy a bunch of OWAT content you’ve never heard before, why not treat yourself and become an Oh What A Time: FULL TIMER? Up for g...
May 18, 2025•28 min•Ep. 142
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! Liquids, ay?! Where would we be without them!? This week we’re discussing coffee, drinks in Ancient Rome and.. drum roll please… custard. YES, CUSTARD. Get ready for the best custard facts you’ll ever hear. And what did we do before industrial production of clothing? Nothing at all? Is this why the loincloth was such a hit in the past? Well, if you know, do let us know: [email protected] If you fancy a bunch of OWAT content you’ve never heard befor...
May 12, 2025•37 min•Ep. 141
Liquids, ay?! Where would we be without them!? This week we’re discussing coffee, drinks in Ancient Rome and.. drum roll please… custard. YES, CUSTARD. Get ready for the best custard facts you’ll ever hear. And what did we do before industrial production of clothing? Nothing at all? Is this why the loincloth was such a hit in the past? Well, if you know, do let us know: [email protected] If you fancy a bunch of OWAT content you’ve never heard before, why not treat yourself and become an Oh W...
May 11, 2025•39 min•Ep. 140
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! It’s time to take a look at the most secure places history has to offer, from Scrooge McDuck to Colonel Sanders - let’s look at Vaults! We’ll be off to Ancient Rome, we’ll examine where secret recipes are kept and, naturally, we’re off to Fort Knox. If Tom were a medieval King, he would almost certainly have been Tom the Unready. Not sure the rest of us have nicknames, but feel free to suggest them: [email protected] If you fancy a bunch of O...
May 05, 2025•29 min•Ep. 138
It’s time to take a look at the most secure places history has to offer, from Scrooge McDuck to Colonel Sanders - let’s look at Vaults! We’ll be off to Ancient Rome, we’ll examine where secret recipes are kept and, naturally, we’re off to Fort Knox. If Tom were a medieval King, he would almost certainly have been Tom the Unready. Not sure the rest of us have nicknames, but feel free to suggest them: [email protected] If you fancy a bunch of OWAT content you’ve never heard before, why n...
May 04, 2025•41 min•Ep. 137
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! This week we’re taking a look at the moments in history when things went to pot. Come with us to see Louis Napoleon’s self-coup in mid-19th century France, the frequent dynastic collapses in China, plus: how the Ottoman Empire bit the dust. And why exactly did people look so old and knackered in the past; was everyone on a tough old paper round? Or something else? We don’t have the answers, but if you have theory, do send it on: [email protected] I...
Apr 28, 2025•25 min•Ep. 136
This week we’re taking a look at the moments in history when things went to pot. Come with us to see Louis Napoleon’s self-coup in mid-19th century France, the frequent dynastic collapses in China, plus: how the Ottoman Empire bit the dust. And why exactly did people look so old and knackered in the past; was everyone on a tough old paper round? Or something else? We don’t have the answers, but if you have theory, do send it on: [email protected] If you fancy a bunch of OWAT content you’ve n...
Apr 27, 2025•30 min•Ep. 135
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! This week we’re trawling through history to figure out how the international rules based order took shape. We’ve got The Treaty of Westphalia in 1648, the huge success that was The Concert of Europe plus the flurry of treaties, conferences, and international agreements, aimed at building a new, peaceful global order in the aftermath of WW2. And this week we’re trying to figure out whether Macha or Mate is the health innovation we’ve all been waiting fo...
Apr 21, 2025•33 min•Ep. 134
This week we’re trawling through history to figure out how the international rules based order took shape. We’ve got The Treaty of Westphalia in 1648, the huge success that was The Concert of Europe plus the flurry of treaties, conferences, and international agreements, aimed at building a new, peaceful global order in the aftermath of WW2. And this week we’re trying to figure out whether Macha or Mate is the health innovation we’ve all been waiting for to achieve our fitness dreams. If you’ve g...
Apr 20, 2025•37 min•Ep. 133
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! Come with us, as we roll the dice and shoot a podcasting bullseye as today we’re discussing: games. We’ve got a brief history of chess, the game of life (as in, the board game) and.. the word gams dvlopd by a collction of Frnch xperimental writrs in tha 60s. And why on earth did we as a civilisation take so long to get round to inventing the bicycle? And why were the bicycle prototypes so bad? And has anyone else ever been to the Segway Olympics? Quest...
Apr 14, 2025•32 min•Ep. 131
Come with us, as we roll the dice and shoot a podcasting bullseye as today we’re discussing: games. We’ve got a brief history of chess, the game of life (as in, the board game) and.. the word gams dvlopd by a collction of Frnch xperimental writrs in tha 60s. And why on earth did we as a civilisation take so long to get round to inventing the bicycle? And why were the bicycle prototypes so bad? And has anyone else ever been to the Segway Olympics? Questions we’re desperate for you to answer, whic...
Apr 13, 2025•42 min•Ep. 130
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! It’s time to trawl the historical archives for some of humanity’s great forgeries. We’ve got the infamous Dutch painter Han van Meegeren and the story of how he fooled Herman Goring. An incredible ruse concocted by ‘Iolo Morganwg’. Plus, we’ll be looking into the stories of those found guilty of ‘coin clipping’ in the 1600s. And birthday cards… Do we need them? And are fake IDs still a thing? So many questions and we need your answers, so do email in: ...
Apr 07, 2025•32 min•Ep. 129
It’s time to trawl the historical archives for some of humanity’s great forgeries. We’ve got the infamous Dutch painter Han van Meegeren and the story of how he fooled Herman Goring. An incredible ruse concocted by ‘Iolo Morganwg’. Plus, we’ll be looking into the stories of those found guilty of ‘coin clipping’ in the 1600s. And birthday cards… Do we need them? And are fake IDs still a thing? So many questions and we need your answers, so do email in: [email protected] If you fancy a bunch o...
Apr 06, 2025•32 min•Ep. 128
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! This week we’re trawling through history’s lost property bin to examine a bunch of famous things that went missing. We’ve got a load of Academy Awards, Lawrence of Arabia’s lost manuscript and Queen Victoria’s lost statue. Plus - did human happiness significantly degrade once jogging was invented? Although it does seem to have done wonders for a certain namesake in San Quentin prison. If you’ve got anything to add on this or anything else, do email: he...
Mar 31, 2025•33 min•Ep. 127
This week we’re trawling through history’s lost property bin to examine a bunch of famous things that went missing. We’ve got a load of Academy Awards, Lawrence of Arabia’s lost manuscript and Queen Victoria’s lost statue. Plus - did human happiness significantly degrade once jogging was invented? Although it does seem to have done wonders for a certain namesake in San Quentin prison. If you’ve got anything to add on this or anything else, do email: [email protected] If you fancy a bunch of ...
Mar 30, 2025•44 min•Ep. 126
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! Ever wondered how cities were planned? Then wonder no more with this week’s subject! We’re heading back to 100BC to check out the pre-Aztec city of Teotihuacan. We’ll see what kind of American city Robert Owen had planned in the early 1800s. PLUS let’s see what our old moustache’d mucker Josef Stalin planned to do with Moscow. And how did we ever survive before the age of the instagram fitness influencer? How could caveman possibly have persisted witho...
Mar 25, 2025•34 min•Ep. 124
Ever wondered how cities were planned? Then wonder no more with this week’s subject! We’re heading back to 100BC to check out the pre-Aztec city of Teotihuacan. We’ll see what kind of American city Robert Owen had planned in the early 1800s. PLUS let’s see what our old moustache’d mucker Josef Stalin planned to do with Moscow. And how did we ever survive before the age of the instagram fitness influencer? How could caveman possibly have persisted without dietary advice handed out in 60 second so...
Mar 24, 2025•47 min•Ep. 123
It’s another bonus episode! Featuring a couple of excerpts from our legendary 4th part megasode for OWAT: Full Timers - that famous episode which contains multiple never-heard-before on the main feed 4th parts to some of our earlier episodes. Today we’re delighted to present two 4th parts from: #34 Health and Fitness #36 Presidents And if you fancy hearing the full 4th part megasode PLUS a bunch of OWAT content you’ve never heard before, why not become an Oh What A Time: FULL TIMER? Up for grabs...
Mar 20, 2025•25 min•Ep. 122
Just when you thought it was safe to relax, we surprise you with a bonus episode featuring a couple of excerpts from our legendary 4th part megasode for OWAT: Full Timers - that famous episode which contains multiple never-heard-before on the main feed 4th parts to some of our earlier episodes. Today we’re delighted to present two 4th parts from: #32 Escapes #33 Conflict And if you fancy hearing the full 4th part megasode PLUS a bunch of OWAT content you’ve never heard before, why not become an ...
Mar 19, 2025•39 min•Ep. 121
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! Grab your quill, a notebook and some candlelight, as this week we’re looking at some of the finest diarists history has to offer. We’ve got Einstein! We’ve got Anna Dostoevskaya along with Sofia Tolstaya and the diaries they wrote on their husbands. And no episode on diarists would be complete without the man himself, Samuel Pepys. And this week we’re consumed with: when did shame begin? Was it over a failure to get some decent berries for dinner? Did ...
Mar 18, 2025•37 min•Ep. 120
Grab your quill, a notebook and some candlelight, as this week we’re looking at some of the finest diarists history has to offer. We’ve got Einstein! We’ve got Anna Dostoevskaya along with Sofia Tolstaya and the diaries they wrote on their husbands. And no episode on diarists would be complete without the man himself, Samuel Pepys. And this week we’re consumed with: when did shame begin? Was it over a failure to get some decent berries for dinner? Did ancient man once forget to wipe his bum? Ple...
Mar 17, 2025•32 min•Ep. 119
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! This week we’re not building walls or tearing them down, in fact, we’re simply talking about them. But what a collection of walls we have: the Great Wall of China, Hadrian’s Wall and the Berlin Wall. And elsewhere, isn’t schooling far more complicated these days?! No one being educated in a Victorian Workhouse ever had to worry about an outfit for world book day - so did that make it easier? (Possibly not). But if you have anything unusual about the ar...
Mar 11, 2025•33 min•Ep. 116
This week we’re not building walls or tearing them down, in fact, we’re simply talking about them. But what a collection of walls we have: the Great Wall of China, Hadrian’s Wall and the Berlin Wall. And elsewhere, isn’t schooling far more complicated these days?! No one being educated in a Victorian Workhouse ever had to worry about an outfit for world book day - so did that make it easier? (Possibly not). But if you have anything unusual about the area you grew up in then please email: hello@o...
Mar 10, 2025•41 min•Ep. 115
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! This week on the show we’re discussing regents who were, let’s say, a bit different. We’ll be meeting the 11th century Norwegian King Magnus Barefoot, we’ve got the avid collector that was George III and let’s find out how terrible Russia’s Ivan the Terrible actually is. And this week we’re bemoaning expiry dates and the roulette of consuming slightly off food. Elis is happy to consume nuts that are 8 years out of date, but as Tom points out.. “you nev...
Mar 04, 2025•28 min•Ep. 114
This week on the show we’re discussing regents who were, let’s say, a bit different. We’ll be meeting the 11th century Norwegian King Magnus Barefoot, we’ve got the avid collector that was George III and let’s find out how terrible Russia’s Ivan the Terrible actually is. And this week we’re bemoaning expiry dates and the roulette of consuming slightly off food. Elis is happy to consume nuts that are 8 years out of date, but as Tom points out.. “you never see a squirrel with a Tommy ache”. If you...
Mar 03, 2025•35 min•Ep. 113
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! Who doesn’t love a good tree? This week we’ll discuss the awesome spectacle of the American sequoia, the slightly less massive Bonsai tree and the use of trees in political imagery. Elsewhere, the debate is raging: what’s the most ‘off’ thing you’ve ever eaten? And what is the most universal sign of danger? If you’ve got anything on these topics or anything else, do get in touch with the show: [email protected] If you fancy a bunch of OWAT content ...
Feb 25, 2025•31 min•Ep. 112
Who doesn’t love a good tree? This week we’ll discuss the awesome spectacle of the American sequoia, the slightly less massive Bonsai tree and the use of trees in political imagery. Elsewhere, the debate is raging: what’s the most ‘off’ thing you’ve ever eaten? And what is the most universal sign of danger? If you’ve got anything on these topics or anything else, do get in touch with the show: [email protected] If you fancy a bunch of OWAT content you’ve never heard before, why not treat you...
Feb 24, 2025•37 min•Ep. 111
