The Linotype machine changed the world. Once called the "Eighth Wonder of the World" by Thomas Edison, it revolutionized printing, making newspapers, books, and mass communication possible on a scale…
parts 1 and 2
In the 1870s the Midwest experienced a devastating natural disaster in the form of… an enormous cloud of extremely hungry locusts. Dylan and producer Amanda discuss what happens when a…
Free For All: The Public Library tells the story of the quiet revolutionaries who made a simple idea happen. From the pioneering women behind the “Free Library Movement” to today's…
As the 'last of the McKellens', Sir Ian admits to a degree of melancholy as he delves into his family history. But the results pay off richly for one of…
In 1858, a Jewish child was taken from his family. They said that because the boy had been secretly baptized, he was now a ward of the Papal States. And…
Actor Charles Dance has made his name playing aristocrats, including Tywin Lannister in HBO's Game of Thrones. But the upstairs world Charles inhabits on screen is nothing like his own…
In 1861, the kingdom of Italy was proclaimed, unifying the various Italian states under one national banner. But what did it mean to be 'Italian' in the mid-19th century? How…
In the 19th century, a magic new drug took the medical community by storm, riding a wave of scientific endeavour. But, as this Long Read written by historian Douglas Small…
The Sicilian writer Maria Messina's captivating and brutal stories of the women of her home island are presented in an English translation by Elise Magistro. Messina, who died in 1944,…