Renaissance Italy's firearm revolution
Long before the modern debates over gun control, Renaissance Italy was grappling with many of the same questions. As firearms became smaller and easier to conceal, guns spread rapidly through society:...
30 Jul 40min
How blood banks saved Britain in WW2
How did the sign of the Red Vampire help British surgeons during the Second World War? Roderick Bailey, author of 'The Life Savers', explains to David Musgrove how Britain led the way in blood banks d...
28 Jul 35min
Pericles: life of the week
Ancient Athenian statesman Pericles was a remarkable figure, renowned for promoting democracy, championing the arts, and shaping the fate of the Athenian empire. Yet his legacy of military mistakes an...
27 Jul 49min
Did Churchill save the monarchy?
Winston Churchill was a passionate defender of Britain’s monarchy – but that didn’t mean he always saw eye to eye with the royals themselves. Jon Bauckham talks to Ted Powell about Churchill’s complex...
26 Jul 37min
Gods and monsters: the hidden stories of the Odyssey
Twenty years away from home: 10 of them spent fighting a war, and 10 more spent battling monsters, gods and his own worst instincts. In the second episode of HistoryExtra's four-part series on the Ody...
25 Jul 46min
Preview: Was Elizabeth I one of history’s greatest leaders?
From her defeat of the Spanish Armada to her iconic portraiture and status as the ‘Virgin Queen’, Elizabeth I is one of the past’s most famous figures – but what made her such an effective leader? Tod...
24 Jul 12min
The Bayeux Tapestry's secret code of tyranny and injustice
The Bayeux Tapestry is coming home to England for an exhibition at the British Museum. In discussion with Dave Musgrove, Gale Owen-Crocker explains how the Tapestry was made, and why she thinks it con...
23 Jul 36min
How to survive a day in the 14th century
What threats might you have faced on a daily basis in England in the 1300s? In this episode, Ian Mortimer guides Charlotte Vosper through a day in the 14th century and argues that it would have been s...
21 Jul 37min
