History Extra podcast: The librarian who stole KGB secrets
When an elderly man with a battered suitcase walked into the British embassy in Vilnius in 1992, few could have guessed what he was about to hand over. Gordon Corera…
History Extra podcast: The problem with poo: a millennium of manure
When did poo become a problem? Why was manure so important in the medieval economy? And why don't we have vacuum-powered sewers? All these questions – and more – are…
‘Morning Edition’ Returns: A Bubbly Girl Named Diot Coke
George Redmonds, a researcher with the British National Archives studying 14th-century names, finds a girl's moniker that pops with recognition: Diot Coke. Redmonds believes Coke was a corruption of "Cook,"…
Our Opinions Are Correct: We’re Still Traumatized By This Writing Debate
Not long ago, everybody was arguing about whether characters need to be "relatable". We get to the bottom of a debate that still makes us intensely grouchy. Plus we talk…
Our Opinions Are Correct: The Future of Science Fiction Conventions
We love science fiction and fantasy conventions — especially the ones that are run by fans, for fans. But they haven't changed much since the 1970s in many ways, and…
Twenty Thousand Hertz: The Secret Soundtracks of Movies & TV
In the ‘60s and ‘70s, world-class musicians gathered in smoky studios to record tracks that you couldn’t buy in a store… but ended up everywhere. In this episode, Dallas and…
The Devil You Know with Sarah Marshall: Moral (Panic) Entrepreneurship
Mary deYoung had always been interested in deviants and deviance. As a social-psychologist, she studied “behavior that broke the rules,” and whether the worst parts of a person’s behavior were…
History Extra podcast: Bodies, bones & overflowing churchyards: a history of graveyards
Burying the dead has never been a simple matter. Whether due to elaborate grave goods, unique burial rituals, or public health concerns, burial places through history have taken on a…
Imaginary Worlds: Creature Double Feature
In honor of the spooky season, we present two monstrous origin stories -- Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Bram Stoker’s Dracula. We know when these books were written in the 19th…