Covering thousands of miles in the Andes, the Inca Trail was the backbone of the ancient empire, connecting the millions of people who lived under its rule. The jewel in its crown, Machu Picchu, was recently named one of the seven wonders of the modern world. But who were the Incas? What was the purpose of their complex road system? And why did they build a stone citadel on a mountain ridge, only to abandon it a century later? This is a Short History of Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail. Written b...
Jul 17, 2022•58 min•Ep 43•Transcript available on Metacast In September 1666, the Great Fire of London consumed hundreds of acres of houses, shops, churches, and government buildings. But what effect did politics and memories of a recent civil war have on the spread of the fire, and the hunt for someone to blame? And once the flames had died down, how did the people of the city rebuild what they’d lost? This a Short History of the Great Fire of London. Written by Danny Marshall. With thanks to Rebecca Rideal, historian and author of 1666: Plague, War, a...
Jul 10, 2022•58 min•Ep 42•Transcript available on Metacast As the Queen’s family life becomes more complex, the relationship between palace and press intensifies. But balancing the need for security and privacy against her very public responsibilities is never simple. So who is the real woman beneath the crown? How does she respond to the dark years of her reign, or the grief of losing her beloved husband? And as she approaches her Platinum Jubilee, how will history remember her reign? This is the second in a special two-part Short History of Queen Eliz...
Jun 05, 2022•56 min•Ep 41•Transcript available on Metacast Spanning seventy years, Queen Elizabeth II’s reign has seen the world change beyond recognition. And from her earliest public appearances representing the King to her roles as sister, wife, mother, and mother-in-law, she is never far from the headlines. But what was life like for the young princess, who dreamed of a baby brother to take the throne instead? How did she modernize an ancient role to fit a changing world, while managing a family so often overshadowed by scandal? This is the first in...
May 29, 2022•59 min•Ep 40•Transcript available on Metacast After its initial discovery in 1974, the Terracotta Army became the unofficial eighth wonder of the world. Comprising an estimated 8,000 statue warriors buried as part of the First Emperor of China’s tomb complex, experts are still unearthing its secrets. But what was the purpose of so many clay soldiers? How were they made, and by whom? And what do we know about the Emperor considered so important that his death demanded a project on this scale? This is a Short History of the Terracotta Army. W...
May 22, 2022•41 min•Ep 39•Transcript available on Metacast In 1986, the Chernobyl power plant became the site of the worst nuclear disaster in history. Poisonous radiation caused over 100,000 casualties, and cost billions of dollars to clean up. Even now, the exclusion zone is one of the most polluted and heavily-patrolled regions in the world. But what caused the catastrophe in the first place? Why did the Soviet Union try to keep it a secret? And what is its lasting impact on the region, and the wider world? This is A Short History of Chernobyl. Writt...
May 15, 2022•1 hr•Ep 38•Transcript available on Metacast In 1509, at just seventeen years old, Henry VIII was crowned King of England. Over the next four decades, he would burn through six marriages, bankrupt his nation, and vandalise his country’s cultural heritage in his quest for supreme power. But how did England’s most eligible bachelor degenerate into a bloated despot, and one of the worst husbands in history? Was the king a psychopath, or a complex character who dragged Britain from the Dark Ages into the modern era? This is a Short History of ...
May 08, 2022•59 min•Ep 37•Transcript available on Metacast As the smoke clears after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the blame game begins. President Roosevelt knows that military and intelligence heads must roll, but questions remain about who should be held to account. So what were the longer term consequences of the attack? How did life change for Japanese-Americans, and what fates awaited the Japanese servicemen on their return? And as the memory of Pearl Harbor fades, what lessons were learned? This is the last episode in this special 3-part S...
May 01, 2022•1 hr•Ep 36•Transcript available on Metacast Chaos reigns in the immediate aftermath of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. While the true extent of the damage to personnel and fleet is still uncertain, those on the ground work tirelessly to help the wounded. But what is the response of those in charge? What are the stories of servicemen who face incredible odds to save their vessels, retaliate, or flee? And who were the people who risked their lives to save others? This is episode 2 of a special 3-part Short History of Pearl Harbor. Writ...
Apr 27, 2022•54 min•Ep 35•Transcript available on Metacast On December 7th 1941, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, changed the course of the Second World War. Forcing the United States into a conflict they were reluctant to enter, the attack killed over 2,500 people. But was it an act of aggression, or desperation? How did the Japanese pull off such an audacious stealth attack? And how were the Americans so unprepared? This is episode 1 of a special 3-part Short History of Pearl Harbor. Written by Jo Furniss. With thanks to Professor Phillips...
Apr 24, 2022•49 min•Ep 34•Transcript available on Metacast In 1917, revolution changed Russia forever. Putting an end to 300 years of the Romanov dynasty, it made way for what ordinary Russians believed would be a fairer, more egalitarian system. But what sparked the rebellion? What was it like to witness the collapse of the autocracy? And once the smoke had cleared, what happened to the promise of a new socialist utopia? This is a Short History of the Russian Revolution. Written by Kate Simants. With thanks to Dr Helen Rappaport, historian and author o...
Apr 17, 2022•1 hr•Ep 33•Transcript available on Metacast The Titanic was the largest moveable object in history: almost 900 feet long, and holding over two thousand passengers. But just four days into its maiden voyage, a collision with an iceberg was enough to send her to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. So what made the famously ‘unsinkable’ ship anything but? Who was responsible for so many deaths? And what was it like to witness the disaster first hand? This is a Short History of The Titanic Written by Duncan Barrett. With thanks to Susie Millar,...
Apr 10, 2022•53 min•Ep 32•Transcript available on Metacast Viking exploration changed the course of history in the northern hemisphere. As raiders and pirates, they dominated the seas of northern Europe for centuries. Their fearless and brutal reputations struck fear into hearts from Constantinople to Canada, while their folklore and mythology continues to inspire to this day. But who were the mortal men and women behind the immortal legends of the Norsemen? This is a Short History Of the Vikings. Written by Jo Furniss. With thanks to Lars Brownworth, a...
Apr 03, 2022•56 min•Ep 31•Transcript available on Metacast For almost two hundred years, the Knights Templar were one of the most fearsome military forces in the world. Despite their strict vows of individual poverty, the Order was a global financial powerhouse, with valuable holdings across Europe and the Middle East. Even today, the myth of the Templars endures. But who were the men who devoted themselves to the mysterious order? And how did such a powerful international organisation find itself suddenly brought down? This is a Short History of The Kn...
Mar 27, 2022•56 min•Ep 30•Transcript available on Metacast For thirteen years from 1920, the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic drinks was banned in the USA. The age of prohibition was a rowdy time: enlivened by jazz and wild parties; darkened by violence and lawlessness. But how did it come about? Who were its heroes and villains? And how did it change the face of the country it sought to purify? This is a Short History of Prohibition. Written by Danny Marshall. With thanks to Daniel Okrent, author of Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Pro...
Mar 21, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep 29•Transcript available on Metacast When five men are caught inside a Washington DC office block in June 1972, it’s noted in police records simply as a ‘burglary’. So how does this bungled break-in go on to unravel a web of corruption and conspiracy, shatter America’s trust in its leadership, and topple President Richard Nixon, the most powerful man in the world? This is a Short History of the Watergate Scandal. Written by Jo Furniss. With thanks to Michael Dobbs, author of King Richard: Nixon and Watergate, an American Tragedy. F...
Mar 14, 2022•50 min•Ep 28•Transcript available on Metacast While British women had been requesting the right to vote for decades, in the early 1900s, the Suffragettes refused to take no for an answer. But despite their PR expertise, as their methods became more violent, theirs was a movement that divided the nation. But what radicalized them? Were they revolutionaries? Terrorists? Or simply an oppressed majority with no legitimate way to protest? This is a Short History of the Suffragettes. Written by Jo Furniss. With thanks to Helen Pankhurst, author o...
Mar 07, 2022•55 min•Ep 27•Transcript available on Metacast On the border between the Western world and the Soviet Union, the Berlin Wall was a symbol of the Cold War. Starting out as a simple barbed wire fence, it would grow in scale and complexity to become a 27-mile concrete edifice, incorporating watchtowers, trenches, electric fences, and landmines. But what was its purpose? How did it impact the people whose city it divided? And what did it take, in the end, to bring it down? This is a Short History of the Berlin Wall. Written by Duncan Barrett. Wi...
Feb 28, 2022•51 min•Ep 26•Transcript available on Metacast For over six hundred years the Ottoman Empire ruled swathes of the Middle East, North Africa, and Southern Europe. As an Islamic superpower centred on what is now Turkey, theirs is a story of surprising alliances and enemies, trade, war and progress. But who were its leaders? How did it become so powerful? And after its eventual collapse, what legacy did it leave behind? This is a Short History of the Ottoman Empire. Written by Danny Marshall. With thanks to Professor Marc David Baer, author of ...
Feb 21, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep 25•Transcript available on Metacast The Underground Railroad helped up to 100,000 enslaved people to freedom. It was America’s first civil rights movement, operated by Black and white people united in their abhorrence of slavery. But how was it established? Who were its passengers, and the people risking everything to assist them? And what part did it play in America’s descent into civil war? This is a Short History of the Underground Railroad. Written by Kate Simants. Special thanks to historian Fergus Bordewich, author of Bound ...
Feb 14, 2022•1 hr•Ep 24•Transcript available on Metacast April 13th, 1970. 200,000 miles from Earth, three astronauts are approaching lunar orbit when they hear a noise. Deep in the spacecraft, a tiny wiring fault has caused an entire oxygen tank to explode. Now, it’s a race against time to save the lives of the crew of Apollo 13. It could have been the worst disaster in the history of manned space exploration. So how did things go so wrong? And who truly deserves the credit for the efforts to get the three men home again? This is a Short History of A...
Feb 07, 2022•57 min•Ep 23•Transcript available on Metacast Forged by the Great Depression, Bonnie and Clyde became icons of lawlessness, thrilling and shocking America with their crime sprees and doomed romance. But what drove them to lives of such violence? And with the full might of the police against them, how did it all end? This is a Short History of Bonnie and Clyde. Written by Danny Marshall, with thanks to Paul Schneider, journalist and author of Bonnie and Clyde – The Lives Behind The Legend. For ad-free listening, exclusive content and early a...
Jan 31, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep 22•Transcript available on Metacast Antarctica, October 1915. 1200 miles from civilisation, Ernest Shackleton watches from the ice as his ship finally crumples. To survive, he and his 27 men must now undertake an epic, death-defying journey, amid impossibly harsh conditions. Shackleton’s expedition is one of history’s greatest tales of human endurance. But what went so badly wrong? And with no hope of rescue, how will they make it home to tell the tale? This is a Short History of Ernest Shackleton. Written by James Benmore. With s...
Dec 20, 2021•1 hr•Ep 21•Transcript available on Metacast It’s Christmas eve, 1914. On the Western Front, a British soldier peers out across No Man’s Land. A sound catches his attention – not artillery fire, but music. The enemy are singing Silent Night. The Christmas Truce of 1914 remains a unique historical anomaly. But how did these sworn enemies set down their weapons and meet as friends? What does the truce reveal about the First World War? This is a Short History of the Christmas Truce. Written by Duncan Barrett. With thanks to Anthony Richards, ...
Dec 13, 2021•44 min•Ep 20•Transcript available on Metacast March 15th, 44BC. Despite ill omens, Julius Caesar approaches the Theatre of Pompey. But the men inside have sworn an oath. To save the Republic from the hands of this self-styled ‘perpetual dictator', Caesar must die. But where did the Republic start? How did it transform Rome from a small town into a superpower? And what made its government, so determinedly against autocracy, pass the tipping point into a dictatorship? This is a Short History of the Roman Republic. Written by Kate Simants. Wit...
Dec 06, 2021•1 hr•Ep 19•Transcript available on Metacast It’s November 28th, 1809. The Imperial fleet in Tung Chung Bay is aflame. But the crew of Zheng I Sao’s ship watch on and cheer. This is the greatest victory of the Pirate Queen, scourge of the South China Sea. At its peak, her fleet was more than twice the size of the Spanish Armada. But who was Zheng I Sao? How did she become one of the most successful pirates of all time? And why did she go under the radar for so long? This is a Short History of The Pirate Queen. Written by Joel Duddell. With...
Nov 29, 2021•47 min•Ep 18•Transcript available on Metacast Sakkara, Egypt, 2,630BC. A man stands atop a structure of dizzying height as the final block grinds into place. For Imhotep, it is the culmination of his life’s work: a mountain made by man. He checks the joint while his workers wait in silence. Then, he gives a barely perceptible nod. It is done. Imhotep’s pyramid is the first, but more will come. Bigger pyramids, more beautiful pyramids, tombs filled with treasure, chambers inscribed with complex, sacred writings. But what motivated these anci...
Nov 22, 2021•57 min•Ep 17•Transcript available on Metacast Despised by the English, mistrusted by the Scottish nobles, and revered by his countrymen: William Wallace is synonymous with the battle for Scottish freedom. But scratch away at the legend, and even the most basic details are disputed. Where he was born, who he married, and what he did after his famous battle at Stirling Bridge. Thanks to the brutal nature of his death, he doesn’t even have a grave. What can we really know about the man immortalised by the poets? Was he anything like the warrio...
Nov 15, 2021•46 min•Ep 16•Transcript available on Metacast 
