Phobias & Manias

What did Salvador Dali, Elizabeth I and Sigmund Freud have in common? They all had phobias, and it's possible you do too.


As ‘normal’ as you might consider yourself to be, it is highly likely that you have an irrational streak. Phobias and manias are very common, and we have a lot of names for them.


In this episode of Betwixt the Sheets, Kate is joined by Kate Summerscale. Find out when we started naming our fears and compulsions, why kleptomania is mainly associated with affluent women, and what Founding Father of the United States of America, Benjamin Rush, has to do with all this.


Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Anisha Deva.


Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.


For more History Hit content, subscribe to our newsletters here.


If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts, and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Avsnitt(402)

How Filthy Were the Egyptians?

How Filthy Were the Egyptians?

Lead in eyes, scented animal fat melting over wigs, teen circumcision - the Ancient Egyptians went to great lengths for beauty and hygiene. So how clean were they, and how has the colonial perspective...

9 Jan 44min

How to Survive as a Medieval Single Woman

How to Survive as a Medieval Single Woman

Being single in 2026 is a major disadvantage, so what was it like as a single woman in the Medieval period?!Joining Kate today is the always-fantastic Eleanor Janega, author and co-host of our sister ...

6 Jan 41min

How Filthy Were The Romans?

How Filthy Were The Romans?

Some of the key remnants of the Roman Empire are their public baths - huge complexes, multiple different rooms, the basis of many of our modern spas. But were the Romans clean?How regularly did they w...

2 Jan 36min

How Sexy Was Shakespeare?

How Sexy Was Shakespeare?

There's a bit of interest around Shakespeare at the minute - can we call this the Paul Mescal effect?The Bard’s work featured many references to sex and sexuality - some more obvious than others. But ...

30 Dec 202547min

How Hot Was Lord Byron?

How Hot Was Lord Byron?

How 'mad, bad and dangerous to know' was Lord Byron really?We know the Romantic poet had a bit of a reputation, but how true was it? And how unusual would his behaviour have been?In this episode from ...

26 Dec 202542min

How Has Porn Changed Through History?

How Has Porn Changed Through History?

With Christmas around the corner and everything being oh-so wholesome, we thought we would offer an episode from the archives of something not-so wholesome: a history of porn.What did porn look like b...

23 Dec 202546min

Who Was The Virgin Mary?

Who Was The Virgin Mary?

Despite virginity being a myth, why has Mary’s virginity been considered so important?What does this tell us about the relationship between Christianity and sex? And what else do we know about this wo...

19 Dec 202541min

The Truth About Sigmund Freud

The Truth About Sigmund Freud

It's the one we've all been waiting for!The Oedipus Complex; the oral, anal and phallic stages; penis envy; psychoanalysis - we've all heard of Sigmund Freud's work. But who was he?What did Freud real...

16 Dec 202553min

Populärt inom Historia

motiv
kod-katastrof
massmordarpodden
historiska-brott
p3-historia
historiepodden-se
rss-historien-om
olosta-mord
historianu-med-urban-lindstedt
rss-brottsligt
rss-seriemordarpodden
krigshistoriepodden
rss-massmordarpodden
palmemordet
rss-arkiv-stieg
militarhistoriepodden
nu-blir-det-historia
rss-borgvattnets-hemligheter
rss-folkets-historia
harrisons-dramatiska-historia