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.
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A Short History of Ancient Rome - the debut book from the Noiser Network is out now! Discover the epic rise and fall of Rome like never before. Pick up your copy now at your local bookstore or visit noiser.com/books to learn more.
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In August 2005, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in the Gulf of Mexico barrelled toward the United States. When Hurricane Katrina finally struck land, it devastated hundreds of miles of shoreline, but the disaster that captured the world’s attention unfolded in one place above all: the city of New Orleans. Within hours of the storm passing, the flood defence levees meant to protect the city broke, and it began to fill with water. What followed the natural disaster was a crisis that ...
Ronnie and Reggie Kray were a vicious pair of gangsters who somehow cultivated an air of charm and 60s cool. They were criminals who attracted celebrities like Jackie Collins and Judy Garland to the clubs they ran; murderers who became folk heroes in London's East End. But how did two boys from poverty-stricken post-war London come to rule the capital's underworld? Who were Reggie and Ronnie to the people who knew them, and to each other? And what caused their carefully constructed criminal empi...
This is a preview of a brand-new show from the Noiser Podcast Network. Hosted by Clarke Peters (The Wire, The Boroughs), 'Founding Fathers: An American Dream' tells the epic story of the birth of the United States of America, 250 years ago. Follow George Washington into bloody battles, sit alongside Thomas Jefferson as he crafts the Declaration of Independence, hear Alexander Hamilton debate the future of the new nation. And discover things you may never have known about this world-changing figh...
By the mid-1970s, many young British people felt locked out of life. The country was struggling, the future uncertain, and for a generation coming of age, there was a growing sense that no one was listening. In cities across the nation, and in parallel scenes in America and beyond, young people decided to make themselves heard. Picking up instruments with little training and forming bands with no expectation of success, they created something raw, fast and confrontational. Punk was a movement th...
Co-inventor of the Aqua-Lung, Captain Jacques Cousteau opened the ocean to the public like no one before. An explorer, filmmaker and environmentalist, he led groundbreaking underwater expeditions, and pioneered techniques for filming beneath the waves. Through his documentaries and television series, he brought the mysteries of the sea into millions of homes, becoming known the world over for his trademark red knitted hat and his beloved ship, the Calypso. But why did the ocean mean so much to h...
Charlemagne remains one of the towering figures of European history. He created for himself a vast territory that covered most of modern-day France and Germany, encompassing the Low Countries, areas in northern Spain, and parts of Italy. His imperial coronation on Christmas Day 800AD was the culmination of his life’s work. But alongside his sometimes brutal military campaigning, Charlemagne was a devout and cultured leader. He sponsored educational reforms, brought leading scholars from across E...
This episode delves into the Golden Age of Railways, tracing their evolution from experimental machines to the backbone of modern life. It details how steam power and iron rails transformed societies by standardizing time, reshaping cities, enabling mass tourism, and impacting global economies and warfare. The podcast also examines the human cost of railway construction during imperial expansion and the enduring legacy of rail transport despite the rise of new rivals.
The first and only successful uprising of enslaved people to establish a nation-state, the Haitian Revolution began in the French colony of Saint-Domingue in 1791. Inspired, in part, by the ideals of liberty and equality of the French Revolution, what began as scattered uprisings among the plantations quickly grew into a full-scale insurrection. But how did the Haitian Revolution begin? Who were the brave men and women who risked everything for freedom? And why has the world never stopped punish...
In the early years of the twentieth century, long before James Bond stepped onto the page, one man was at work as a new kind of spy. He crossed borders as easily as he changed names, slipped between governments and criminal networks, and dealt in secrets that could mobilise armies and shake empires. To some, he was a genius. To others, a liability waiting to be exposed. That man’s name, or so we’re told, was Sidney Reilly. He is often described as the real James Bond – the man whose nerve, charm...
Explore the complex history of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), a conflict that laid bare Europe's ideological divisions and served as a testing ground for WWII tactics. The episode details Franco's rise, the fierce resistance from Republican forces and international volunteers, and the devastating impact of foreign intervention. It also examines the war's lasting legacy on Spain, culminating in the recent exhumation of Franco's remains and ongoing efforts to confront its painful past.
Sir Francis Drake is most famous for his role in defeating the Armada of 1588 and saving England from a Spanish invasion. By that point in his life, he was already a wealthy and famous seafarer: the first Englishman to sail around the world, knighted by Queen Elizabeth I in recognition of this astounding feat. But though he is remembered in England as a naval hero, Drake spent most of his maritime career as a pirate, feared by the Spanish whose colonies and ships he terrorised. To them, he was ‘...
The American singer-songwriter and musician Bob Dylan is one of the most important recording artists on the planet. A cultural icon, his work has had a profound influence on popular music since the 1960s. First gaining fame as a folk singer with songs that addressed the subjects of the Cold War and the civil rights movement, he later revolutionised rock music. But Dylan is an artist of contradictions. A magnetic performer who remains fiercely private. One of the wealthiest musicians of his gener...
In the decades since the United States declared their independence from Britain, the question of slavery had become increasingly divisive. As the nation expanded, fragile political agreements over the issue failed, and the frontier became a battleground. When Abraham Lincoln was elected in 1860, seven Southern states chose secession from the Union over accepting limits on slavery. War followed. Eventually, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation and transformed the war from a fight to prese...
Delving into the origins of the American Civil War, this episode traces the escalating tensions over slavery, from early constitutional compromises and westward expansion conflicts like "Bleeding Kansas" to the pivotal Dred Scott decision and John Brown's radical acts. It covers Lincoln's election, the secession of Southern states forming the Confederacy, and the dramatic start of the war at Fort Sumter. The narrative highlights the challenges of early mobilization, the strategic dilemma of "contraband" enslaved people, and the shift in Union war aims following the brutal Battle of Antietam, culminating in the transformative Emancipation Proclamation.
In 1914, Europe was dominated by four great empires — the British, the French, the Russian, and the vast, uneasy realm of Austria-Hungary, stretching from the Alps to the Balkans. While international treaties bound the continent together under a veneer of peace, beneath the surface, the balance was increasingly fragile. As this tension bubbled, the visit of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his beloved wife Sophie to Sarajevo was meant to assert imperial authority. But waiting in the shadows, a group...
One of the most famous writers of the 20th century, C. S. Lewis was a scholar of medieval literature, an influential Christian thinker and a supremely gifted storyteller. A professor at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, Lewis is perhaps best known for his Chronicles of Narnia – stories which captured the imagination of millions with their blend of spiritual depth and swashbuckling adventure. But how were the seeds of the magical world of Narnia first planted? How did Lewis’ unconventiona...
Real Vikings delves into the true history of the Viking Age, beginning with a shocking murder on an English beach in 789 AD that reveals the complex nature of these Norsemen. The episode explores the popular image of Vikings versus their reality as skilled navigators, traders, and warriors, and examines the political, social, and economic drivers of their expansion, including their advanced shipbuilding. It culminates with the infamous 793 AD Lindisfarne raid, an event that sent shockwaves across Europe and definitively ushered in the terrifying Viking Age.
At the dawn of the twentieth century, a writer emerged who learned his craft not in a classroom, but in battlefields, bullrings, and bars. To some, Ernest Hemingway was the greatest writer of his generation. A Nobel laureate whose sparse, muscular prose changed literature forever. But to others, he was a swaggering egotist, a man addicted to danger and performance, obsessed with his own legend. His own life fuelled his work, just as his work in turn fed his own myth. But behind the mask he forge...
Part two of this series delves into the High and Late Middle Ages, revealing a complex era of philosophical inquiry, economic advancement, and cultural flourishing, challenging perceptions of barbarism. It examines the rise of centralized states, the feudal system, urbanization, and intellectual renaissances fueled by figures like Peter Abelard and Hildegard of Bingen, alongside the devastating impact of the Black Death and major conflicts like the Hundred Years' War and Reconquista. Ultimately, the episode argues that this period, despite its challenges, laid the fundamental groundwork for modern European society and its institutions.
The period known as the Middle Ages was defined by more than knights and warfare. It began centuries before the First Crusade was called, in the confusion that followed the end of Roman rule in western Europe. And it persisted for a thousand years, until the Renaissance, the Protestant Reformation, and the discovery of the so-called New World ushered in the beginnings of modernity. But just how important was the fall of Rome for people across the continent? What political and religious instituti...
This episode explores the history of the Silk Roads, a vast network of routes connecting East and West for over a thousand years. It delves into how these paths facilitated not only the trade of valuable goods like silk and horses, but also the exchange of cultures, religions, technologies, and ideas that reshaped entire civilizations. From early Han Dynasty diplomacy to the Mongol Empire's unification and the eventual shift to maritime trade, the podcast highlights the enduring significance of these ancient connections and their modern-day resurgence.
The sinking of the General Belgrano on May 2nd 1982 by a British submarine was one of the most controversial events of the Falklands War. The strike resulted in the deaths of 323 Argentine sailors, nearly half of Argentina’s total casualties during the conflict. But though the escalation over the preceding months was swift, in some ways, the Falklands War had been simmering for centuries. Argentina, the closest mainland nation to the islands, saw them as a part of its territory and national iden...
For hundreds of years, Rwanda’s Hutu and Tutsi groups had lived in relative harmony. But the arrival of European colonists enforced and exaggerated the differences between them, until, from the mid-twentieth century, resentment began to boil over. By 1994, the two groups were sworn enemies. Over 100 days, violence engulfed the country, as members of the Hutu majority worked systematically to exterminate the Tutsi. Spurred on by government and military officials, neighbour turned against neighbou...
A Short History of Ancient Rome - the debut book from the Noiser Network is out now! Discover the epic rise and fall of Rome like never before. Pick up your copy now at your local bookstore or visit noiser.com/books to learn more. At the dawn of the twentieth century, Russia was a nation on the brink. Strikes, protests, and brutal uprisings were shaking the empire. Public faith in the monarchy was hanging by a thread. It was into this fragile world that Grigori Rasputin stepped. Whether ...
The Māori have had a presence in New Zealand for at least 800 years. For much of that time, they lived in imperfect harmony with the natural environment, developing a social and cultural system distinctly their own. But the age of European exploration from the 17th century changed all that. Over the centuries, their traditional claims to lands were eroded, and their population became dwarfed by that of the settlers, until the voices of activists grew loud enough to challenge the new status quo. ...
This episode explores the fascinating life of Nikola Tesla, a visionary inventor who shaped the modern world with alternating current electricity, induction motors, and remote control. It delves into his early life, struggles with rivals like Thomas Edison in the "War of the Currents," personal tragedies, and ambitious, sometimes misunderstood, quest for wireless global power. Despite financial setbacks and eccentricity, Tesla's enduring legacy as a pioneering genius is celebrated.
A Short History of Ancient Rome - the debut book from the Noiser Network is out now! Discover the epic rise and fall of Rome like never before. Pick up your copy now at your local bookstore or visit noiser.com/books to learn more. During a career spanning half a century, David Bowie constantly reinvented his image and sound, creating the diverse body of work that made him a titan in the history of modern music. From the androgynous alien energy of Ziggy Stardust to the suave, enigmatic Thi...
A Short History of Ancient Rome - the debut book from the Noiser Network is out now! Discover the epic rise and fall of Rome like never before. Pick up your copy now at your local bookstore or visit noiser.com/books to learn more. In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson negotiated the purchase of 820,000 square miles of land from Napoleon, including the modern states of Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri and Colorado, among many others. At the stroke of a pen, the nation almost doubled in size. Bu...
Explore the captivating history of Mount Everest, from its initial measurement and indigenous reverence to its allure for adventurers. The episode details the perilous early British expeditions, including the disappearance of Mallory and Irving, and the meticulous planning and technological innovations behind the successful 1953 ascent led by Colonel John Hunt. Discover the incredible teamwork and individual heroism of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, and the lasting impact of their achievement on global culture and the future of mountaineering.
Short History Of... is taking a short break over the Christmas period. New episodes will continue from the 5th of January. Until then, we hope you enjoy this repeat episode! Happy Christmas from the Short History Of... team. The British Crown Jewels is a priceless collection of items gathered over eight turbulent centuries. Consisting of 100 objects decorated with 23,000 gemstones, it’s held at the Tower of London, protected by guards and high-tech security. But why did one thief put the crown j...
