Sex Lives of Presidents

It’s that time of year again, Halloween. A word which conjures up images of pumpkins, ghosts, and of course…witches.But have you ever wondered what the ancient origins of witchcraft is? How did the black-hat-broomstick stereotype emerge? And what causes the waves of witch trials throughout history, right up to the present day?Kate is Betwixt the Sheets with Ronald Hutton to discuss the history of the witch.This podcast was mixed and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long. Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Dan Snow, James Holland, Mary Beard and more.Get 50% off your first 3 months with code AFTERDARK Download the app on your smart TV or in the app store or sign up at historyhit.com/subscribeYou can take part in our listener survey here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

31 Okt 202332min

Josephine Baker was one of the most extraordinary people of the 20th century - and the first black woman honoured in the French Panthéon in 2021.From an early life of poverty in St. Louis, America, to being a superstar singer, actress and dancer, to being a spy as part of the resistance against the Nazis. For today’s episode, we’re sharing an episode from our sister podcast Dan Snow’s History Hit, where Dan is in conversation with Monique Y. Wells to discuss the life of Josephine Baker. Monique is the co-founder of Entrée to Black Paris and a contributor on Paris’ Black history and culture. This podcast was edited by Stuart Beckwith and Dougal Patmore. The senior producer was Charlotte Long. Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Kate Lister, Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Mary Beard and more.Get 50% off your first 3 months with code BETWIXT. Download the app on your smart TV or in the app store or sign up at historyhit.com/subscribe.You can take part in our listener survey here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

27 Okt 202323min

We live in a hyper-sexualised world. But what if you don't take a sexual interest in anyone?Asexuality makes up roughly 1% of the population, and even though it will have been around as an identity since humans have been around, the language for it has a relatively recent history.Joining Kate today is Tony Bogaert, author of Understanding Asexuality. Do people who are asexual enjoy romance still? Do they masturbate? And what role did the internet have in establishing it?Let's go Betwixt the Sheets to find out.This podcast was edited by Tom Delargy and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long. Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Kate Lister, Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Mary Beard and more.Get 50% off your first 3 months with code BETWIXT. Download the app on your smart TV or in the app store or sign up at historyhit.com/subscribe.You can take part in our listener survey here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

24 Okt 202338min

We all know how the song goes, the one about Hitler having one testicle.And whilst it's disarming to poke fun at someone so evil, there's an interesting and serious conversation to be had about how Hitler's relationships and sexuality could have shaped him.Today Kate is joined by Norman Ohler, author of Blitzed: Drugs in Nazi Germany, to find out more about Adolf Hitler's personal life, his views on sex, and whether there's any truth to the rumours.Did Hitler have a testicle bitten off by a goat? Was his interest in coprophilia true, or anti-Nazi propaganda? And who was the love of his life?Let's go Betwixt the Sheets to find out.This podcast was edited and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long. Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Kate Lister, Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Mary Beard and more.Get 50% off your first 3 months with code BETWIXT. Download the app on your smart TV or in the app store or sign up at historyhit.com/subscribe.You can take part in our listener survey here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

20 Okt 202335min

If you happen to be a Spectrophiliac, then October must be a particularly exciting time for you.What is a spectrophiliac? Well, it's a fetish for ghosts (as well as mirrors), so being turned on by anything lurking in the non-physical realm. After all, as the old adage goes, the most important sex organ is the brain.What are the historic origins of this fetish and phenomenon? And what real life stories can be told of it?Today features an interview Kate did with Maddy Pelling and Anthony Delaney on our sister podcast, After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal.Head to their feed here to find brand new episodes already out on such mysterious and unsettling topics such as HMS Terror, the origins of Halloween and Murder in Ancient Rome.This podcast was edited by Siobhan Dale and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long. Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Kate Lister, Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Mary Beard and more.Get 50% off your first 3 months with code BETWIXT. Download the app on your smart TV or in the app store or sign up at historyhit.com/subscribe.You can take part in our listener survey here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

17 Okt 202328min

There’s not much good to come out of a plague, especially a bubonic plague in the 14th century. A pandemic which definitely didn't involve zoom quizzes and a video montage of celebrities singing 'Imagine' by John Lennon (actually, maybe they were better off in the 1300s).But something extraordinary happened after The Black Death, which killed around half of the population in England. Because of a shortage of men, women had more autonomy and opportunities; from work and apprenticeships, to being able to rent land in their own name.Kate is Betwixt the Sheets with Philippa Gregory to talk about how women's lives were impacted by the plague.Philippa's new book: Normal Women: 900 Years of Making History, is out on the 26th October.This podcast was edited by Tomos Delargy and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Kate Lister, Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Mary Beard and more.Get 50% off your first 3 months with code BETWIXT. Download the app on your smart TV or in the app store or sign up at historyhit.com/subscribe.You can take part in our listener survey here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

13 Okt 202340min

What made a working class woman from Edinburgh become such a threat to British intelligence services during the Second World War, that they tried her as a witch?In today's episode, we're telling you the story of Helen Duncan, aka Hellish Brown, a medium who lays claim to being the last woman in England to be tried as a witch, culminating in her trial in 1944 under the 1735 Witchcraft Act.Joining us is Jess Marlton, manager of Bodmin Jail where all sorts of paranormal events take place.What made Duncan's performances so memorable? Why did her trial capture the public's imagination? And how does the 1735 Witchcraft Act live on today?Let's go Betwixt the Sheets to find out.This podcast was edited by Tom Delargy and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Kate Lister, Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Mary Beard and more.Get 50% off your first 3 months with code BETWIXT. Download the app on your smart TV or in the app store or sign up at historyhit.com/subscribe.You can take part in our listener survey here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10 Okt 202337min

While the age of consent has fluctuated over time, it reveals some fascinating and enlightening things about how we view sexuality in society.Today's guest, Laura Lammasniemi, professor at Warwick School of Law, takes us back in time to explore the many ways these laws have changed, and why they have just as much relevance now as they ever have done.How did Medieval England interpret ideas of consent? Which Victorian scandal led to consent laws we keep in place today? And why have girls consent laws historically differed from boys?Let's go Betwixt the Sheets to find out.This episode was edited by Siobhan Dale and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Kate Lister, Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Mary Beard and more.Get 50% off your first 3 months with code BETWIXT. Download the app on your smart TV or in the app store or sign up at historyhit.com/subscribe.You can take part in our listener survey here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

6 Okt 202341min