History Extra Podcast

What do your hands reveal about you? Historian Alison Bashford joins Elinor Evans to explore the extraordinary history of how people have interpreted the human hand. From ancient divination to cutting-edge medical diagnostics, her book Decoding the Hand reveals how palm reading once sat at the centre, not the fringes, of science. In this episode, she explains how hands were used to predict character, diagnose disease, and even identify criminals – and why they still hold such symbolic power today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thomas More is best remembered as a martyr and a saint, but the circumstances of his death were just one facet of his controversial life. Historian and biographer Dr Joanne Paul speaks to Kev Lochun about More's many faces: the Lord Chancellor who refused to yield to Henry VIII; the writer who gave us Utopia, and the zealot who believed heretics deserved to be burned. Yet, she argues, he was none of these things of in isolation, but instead a complicated man whose life has lessons for us today. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST Thomas More's Utopia is considered one of the most influential pieces of political philosophy today, but how did his contemporaries see it? Joanne Paul considers that thorny question for HistoryExtra: https://bit.ly/49IOYt6. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Strikes and unions may seem like modern inventions, but they’ve existed for much longer than many of us realise. Historian Sarah E Bond talks to Jon Bauckham about how people in ancient Rome challenged authority and withheld their labour – from disgruntled mint workers to rebellious charioteers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the early 13th century, England was a kingdom under pressure, as the challenges posed by King John’s reign had left the realm restless. By 1215, tensions had reached boiling point. What began as isolated grumblings among nobles soon evolved into an organised challenge to royal authority – all building up to a showdown at Runnymede in 1215. In this first episode of HistoryExtra's Sunday Series on Magna Carta, Emily Briffett is joined by Nicholas Vincent to explore how John's disastrous reign set the stage for the charter. ––––– GO BEYOND THE PODCAST Want to learn more about Magna Carta and the world in which it originated? Emily Briffett has put together some essential reading, listening and viewing from the HistoryExtra archive to help deepen your understanding: https://bit.ly/3ZMTReR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1895, when the National Trust was founded, homosexual acts of ‘gross indecency’ were still illegal in Britain. And yet, as Michael Hall reveals in his new book, A Queer Inheritance: Alternative Histories in the National Trust, the organisation had queer connections from its very earliest days. Charlotte Vosper caught up with Michael to learn more about how those connections developed throughout the 20th century. Take back your personal data with Incogni! Use code hepod at the link below and get 60% off annual plans: https://incogni.com/hepod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why is a small observatory in south east London so important to the story of how we tell the time? Speaking to Elinor Evans, Emily Akkermans, Curator of Time at the Royal Museums Greenwich, shares the history behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). From 17th-century efforts to solve the 'longitude problem' at sea, to the red 'time ball' that still drops at 1pm each day, this episode uncovers how Britain’s maritime ambitions, royal patronage and scientific ingenuity turned Greenwich into the beating heart of global timekeeping. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gillray was one of Georgian Britain’s most ruthless satirists, using his prints to mock kings, politicians and generals, turning politics into popular entertainment. From the print shops of London, he reduced figures such as Napoleon to objects of ridicule while capturing the humour and anxieties of an age shaped by revolution and war. Historian Alice Loxton speaks to Rachel Dinning about Gillray’s world, the crucial role of his publisher Hannah Humphrey, and why his imagery still underpins modern political cartoons. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCASTAlice hosts HistoryExtra Academy’s The World of the Georgians, which explores Gillray’s art and what it reveals about Georgian society. Find out more here: https://bit.ly/46b8YSTAnd don't miss our live Q&A with Alice Loxton and HistoryExtra's Lauren Good at 7pm on Wednesday 4 February on Instagram. Follow us at @historyextra for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After France fell in 1940, it was Charles de Gaulle who led the Free French forces against Nazi Germany and Vichy France. From the moment he assumed that position, de Gaulle was locked into a relationship with British prime minister Winston Churchill. The two men are the subject of the latest book by Professor Richard Vinen, The Last Titans, and here, in conversation with James Osborne, he shares his insights into the two men, their relationship, and their lasting impact. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum were buried by ash spewed out of Vesuvius in AD 79, so too were their inhabitants, frozen in the moment of their deaths. In the final episode of our four-part series, Kev Lochun is joined by historian Dr Jess Venner to discuss the myriad legacies of Pompeii. They explore the dangers of imprinting stories on mortal remains, the Pompeiian propensity for erotic art – and why, centuries on, Pompeii still echoes through the ages. ––––– GO BEYOND THE PODCAST Want to know more about the story of Pompeii? HistoryExtra's Kev Lochun has curated a selection of essential reading from the HistoryExtra and BBC History Magazine archive to help you explore the story of the cataclysm, the Roman way of life and the nature of the Roman empire: https://bit.ly/4bjYKmE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Has the United States always seen Latin America as its ‘backyard’? And when did influence tip into intervention? In this episode, Danny Bird is joined by Yale University's Greg Grandin to explore the long, turbulent history of US–Latin American relations, from westward expansion and early regime change to gunboat diplomacy, corporate empires and the Cold War ---- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST Don't miss our new podcast series History Behind the Headlines: Briefing, in which we task expert historians with bringing you the history you need to make sense of the headlines – in five minutes or less: https://play.megaphone.fm/p6xgtqh2tfwkyptbmlp4vw Take back your personal data with Incogni! Use code hepod at the link below and get 60% off annual plans: hhttps://incogni.com/hepod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What do exploding bats and amphibious galleons have in common? They're both fascinating features of some of the world's most mysterious manuscripts, as revealed by journalist and author Garry J Shaw in his book, Cryptic. From Hildegard of Bingen’s secret language to the hoaxes of Renaissance Spain, and from John Dee’s angelic communications to the peculiar Voynich Manuscript, Shaw unravels the allure and enigma of texts shrouded in secrecy. Take back your personal data with Incogni! Use code hepod at the link below and get 60% off annual plans: https://incogni.com/hepod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Emerging in the early 20th century as Europe's youngest general since Napoleon Bonaparte, Francisco Franco was destined to make waves. But how did this uncharismatic reactionary become Spain’s dictator, dominating the country for nearly four decades? Danny Bird speaks to journalist Giles Tremlett about the life of the man who continues to haunt Spain more than 50 years after his death in 1975. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"Statistically, they were on a suicide mission." That's Roger Moorhouse's assessment of the odds facing Hitler's U-boat crews in the final years of the Second World War. Speaking with Spencer Mizen, Roger relates the story of these missions from the German perspective – a tale encompassing scurvy, sleep deprivation, terror and acts of astonishing kindness. (Ad) Roger Moorhouse is the author of Wolfpack: Inside Hitler's U-boat War (William Collins, 2025). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fwolfpack%2Froger-moorhouse%2F9780008644895. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The buried Roman city of Pompeii was ‘discovered’ in the 16th century, but was it ever lost? In this penultimate episode of our four-part series, Kev Lochun speaks with historian Dr Jess Venner about the years between destruction and excavation. How did the beleaguered Roman emperor Titus react to the disaster and the refugee crisis that followed? Why was no attempt made to resettle and rebuild? And how did the city become the archeological marvel we know it as today? ––––– GO BEYOND THE PODCAST Want to know more about the story of Pompeii? HistoryExtra's Kev Lochun has curated a selection of essential reading from the HistoryExtra and BBC History Magazine archive to help you explore the story of the cataclysm, the Roman way of life and the nature of the Roman empire: https://bit.ly/4bjYKmE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the chaotic opening months of the First World War, Britain's intelligence services were desperate to learn where the Germans would attack next. Enter the White Lady. As historian Helen Fry lays out in her new book, this courageous network of Belgian civilians began spying on German troops from behind enemy lines – and, in the process, changed the course of the war. Here, in conversation with Spencer Mizen, Helen tells an extraordinary story of massacres, drug dealing, double-crossing and secret messages encased in potatoes. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST For more on spycraft in the Second World War, don't miss our interview with Helen Fry on the ingenious British intelligence operation to bug German prisoners during the conflict: https://bit.ly/459WzOG Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From the mud-churned battlefields of the First World War to the high-stakes clashes of the Cold War, the tank has shaped the course of conflict like no other machine. In this episode, Emily Briffett is joined by Mark Urban, as he reveals the dramatic evolution of armoured warfare through its iconic vehicles – and the engineers, commanders and crews who drove them into the history books. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Robert McNamara is best remembered as a key architect of the Vietnam War, a man who pushed for military escalation as thousands died on all sides of the conflict. In this episode of the HistoryExtra podcast, historians William and Philip Taubman speak with Elinor Evans about their landmark biography of one of the most powerful and controversial men in American history. Drawing on newly uncovered material, including Jackie Kennedy’s personal letters and a secret Pentagon aide’s diary, they reveal the inner world of a man who was often blamed for escalating the Vietnam War – while privately longing to end it. ––––– GO BEYOND THE PODCAST Don't miss our podcast series on the Cuban Missile Crisis, in which Bill Taubman joined a panel of experts to tell Elinor Evans about a pivotal 13 days that saw diplomatic tensions escalate in a world on the brink of nuclear disaster. All four episodes are available now: https://bit.ly/45TLykN. ––––– (Ad) William and Philip Taubman are the authors of McNamara at War

In his latest book, The Hitler Years: Holocaust 1933–1945, Frank McDonough offers a heart-rending year-by-year narrative of the Nazis' escalating persecution of the Jews – from Hitler's rise to power to the death camps. Here, in conversation with Spencer Mizen, Frank describes how a campaign of intimidation on the streets of Germany evolved into genocide. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Roman towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum were wiped off the map within 24 hours of Vesuvius erupting, buried under volcanic debris that would entomb them for centuries. In this second episode of our four-part series, Kev Lochun is joined by historian Dr Jess Venner to explore the cataclysm with the help of the experiences of two men: Roman statesman Pliny the Elder, who sailed into danger never to return, and his nephew Pliny the Younger, whose letters provide the only known eyewitness account of the disaster.   ––––– GO BEYOND THE PODCAST Want to know more about the story of Pompeii? HistoryExtra's Kev Lochun has curated a selection of essential reading from the HistoryExtra and BBC History Magazine archive to help you explore the story of the cataclysm, the Roman way of life and the nature of the Roman empire: https://bit.ly/4bjYKmE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the eyes of a German fighter pilot in the skies over English Channel in 1940, the Battle of Britain was as much a struggle of human endurance as it was of strategy and skill. Speaking to Emily Briffett, aviation historian Dr Victoria Taylor takes us inside the mind of the Luftwaffe, revealing the experiences of pilots, ground crews and support personnel as they faced the perils of aerial combat, the brutal pressure of Nazi ideology, and the relentless intensity demanded of them by those in command. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices