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History Podcast

Historical themes, events and key individuals from Akhenaten to Xenophon.

Updated: occasionally
Episodes available: indefinitely

Episodes to download

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    Frederick the Great

    Thu 2 Jul 2015

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Frederick II, king of Prussia from 1740 to 1786.

  • Prester John

    Thu 4 Jun 2015

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the legend of Prester John.

  • Josephus

    Thu 21 May 2015

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Flavius Josephus, author of The Jewish War.

  • The Lancashire Cotton Famine

    Thu 14 May 2015

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Lancashire cotton famine during the American Civil War

  • Tagore

    Thu 7 May 2015

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Rabindranath Tagore.

  • Matteo Ricci and the Ming Dynasty

    Thu 16 Apr 2015

    Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss Matteo Ricci's 16th-century travels in Ming China.

  • The California Gold Rush

    Thu 2 Apr 2015

    Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the California Gold Rush of the 1850s.

  • The Curies

    Thu 26 Mar 2015

    Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the scientific achievements of the Curie family.

  • The Eunuch

    Thu 26 Feb 2015

    Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the history and significance of eunuchs.

  • The Wealth of Nations

    Thu 19 Feb 2015

    Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss Adam Smith's economic treatise The Wealth of Nations.

  • Ashoka the Great

    Thu 5 Feb 2015

    Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Indian ruler Ashoka the Great.

  • Thucydides

    Thu 29 Jan 2015

    Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the ancient Greek historian Thucydides.

  • Brunel

    Thu 13 Nov 2014

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

  • Hatshepsut

    Thu 6 Nov 2014

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the female Egyptian pharaoh Hatshepsut.

  • The Haitian Revolution

    Thu 23 Oct 2014

    Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Haitian Revolution of 1791-1804.

  • The Battle of Talas

    Thu 9 Oct 2014

    Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Battle of Talas in AD751.

  • Julius Caesar

    Thu 2 Oct 2014

    Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the life and reputation of Julius Caesar.

  • Hildegard of Bingen

    Thu 26 Jun 2014

    Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the medieval writer and mystic Hildegard of Bingen.

  • The Bluestockings

    Thu 5 Jun 2014

    Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the 18th-century Bluestocking Society.

  • The Sino-Japanese War

    Thu 8 May 2014

    Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Second Sino-Japanese War.

  • The Domesday Book

    Thu 17 Apr 2014

    Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Domesday Book.

  • Strabo's Geographica

    Thu 10 Apr 2014

    Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss Strabo's Geographica, an early work of geography.

  • Weber's The Protestant Ethic

    Thu 27 Mar 2014

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Weber's The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.

  • Spartacus

    Thu 6 Mar 2014

    Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Roman gladiator and rebel leader Spartacus.

  • Chivalry

    Thu 13 Feb 2014

    Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss medieval chivalry.

  • The Phoenicians

    Thu 6 Feb 2014

    Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Phoenicians of the ancient Mediterranean.

  • Sources of Early Chinese History

    Thu 23 Jan 2014

    Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the sources for early Chinese history.

  • The Battle of Tours

    Thu 16 Jan 2014

    Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Battle of Tours of 732.

  • Plato's Symposium

    Thu 2 Jan 2014

    Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss Plato's Symposium.

  • The Medici

    Boxing Day 2013

    Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Medici family, rulers of Renaissance Florence.

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