Historychatter Podcast

The game of Badminton reached New York as early as 1878. Four or five adventurous young men and women set up The Badminton Club of New York, but over the next fifty years, it evolved primarily as a so...

12 Des 202113min

Middle-class men in Victorian Britain launched a movement between the 1840s and 1860s against shaving. They believed bearded men enjoyed divine blessing and shaving caused cancer and blindness and mad...

5 Des 202117min

Sports and international politics and diplomacy intersect in many ways. The Ping Pong diplomacy between America and China in 1971 was probably the most high-profile instance of sports helping in the r...

28 Nov 202116min

British secret service files on historian Eric Hobsbawm reveal their anxiety against communists and communism. They offer details on methods of espionage, techniques of information gathering and proce...

21 Nov 202127min

Historian Eric Hobsbawm was longtailed by the British Secret Service MI5. He was a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB), which the secret service saw as a threat to the nation. The MI...

14 Nov 202133min

Diwali often appears to be a common Indian festival. In reality, Indians of various religions observe anniversaries of distinct events on the same day. Kali Puja, which is celebrated most widely in Be...

5 Nov 202122min

Falafel is now considered a typical middle eastern delicacy. Many countries, including Israel, Palestine, and Yemen claim to be their birthplace. Yet, it was probably invented in Egypt and inspired by...

31 Okt 202115min

Did you know that many children were eligible to vote in the early twentieth century England? An anomaly in voting laws in England made it possible. This episode of HistoryChatter takes up why it happ...

24 Okt 20219min