HistoryExtra podcast: A history of Christian sacrifice
What's the role that sacrifice has played in the history of Christianity? It's a history that might be more complex, and more surprising, than we think. Jonathan Sheehan's latest book…
HistoryExtra podcast: Redefining historical mothers
Motherhood has long been considered as something expected, rather than extraordinary. Yet from midwives questioning the status quo to pregnant women predicting their futures, there are plenty of historical stories…
HistoryExtra podcast: History’s most mysterious manuscripts
What do exploding bats and amphibious galleons have in common? They're both fascinating features of some of the world's most mysterious manuscripts, as revealed by journalist and author Garry J…
History Extra podcast Zoot suits, mashers & New Romantics: the evolution of the dandy
From zoot suiters and mods, to mashers and Congolese sapeurs, since the early 19th century, fashionable male subcultures have popped up across the globe. Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne, Peter Andersson…
History Extra podcast: Queen Victoria’s secret love affair
Ever since the 1870s, rumours have swirled around Queen Victoria and her Highland servant John Brown. Were the pair in love? Could they have got married? And might they even have…
How to choose a pope
All eyes have been on the Vatican in recent days, as the conclave have decided who will be the next pope. But how does the process today compare to that…
The unification of Italy: everything you wanted to know
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…
Public vs private: history behind closed doors
What's the difference between private and public life – and where should we draw the line between the two? Over the centuries, these boundaries have often been blurred, as Tiffany…
Why Africa’s history is more than just the slave trade
Has our focus on the impact of the transatlantic slave trade blinded us to the diversity and complexity of Africa's past? That's one of the arguments at the heart of…
The Great Stink: everything you wanted to know
Why, in the 1850s, was the excrement of thousands of people being deposited straight into the Thames? How lethal were Victorian London's cholera outbreaks? And why is Joseph Bazalgette one…