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What drives people to commit atrocities? Few periods in history confront this question as starkly as the rise of the Nazis, whose crimes stand as a chilling testament to humanity’s capacity for darkness. By investigating the psychological and social forces that enabled such evil, can we uncover vital warnings about how prejudice, conformity and obedience can escalate into unimaginable cruelty? Historian and film-maker Laurence Rees explores these ideas in his latest book The Nazi Mind and in today's episode, he discusses the topic further with Danny Bird.
(Ad) Laurence Rees is the author of The Nazi Mind: Twelve Warnings from History (Viking, 2025). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inside-Nazi-Mind-Laurence-Rees/dp/1541702336/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty.
Laurence Rees explains some of the short and long term causes of the Second World War: https://link.chtbl.com/ft3CDdo8.
The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.
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Sacagawea is remembered in US history as the Shoshone Native American woman who acted as interpreter to the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the early 19th-century mission to chart territory in the American West after the Louisiana Purchase. But what impact did her contributions have on the success of this eventful journey? How did her presence influence interactions with the various Native American tribes the expedition party encountered? And how has her legacy been interpreted and commemorated in the years since? Speaking to Rebecca Franks, Stephenie Ambrose Tubbs delves into the life of Sacagawea – from what we know about her early years to what her story can reveal about broader cultural attitudes toward Indigenous people in American history.
The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.
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The history of women's bodies is far from simple. Female anatomy and the ideas surrounding it – from breastfeeding to virginity – still cause contention today. From the surprising original Pandora myth to intact hymens being used as evidence in the court of law, Professor Helen King takes Lauren Good on a journey through the ever-changing cultural history of women's bodies.
(Ad) Helen King is the author of Immaculate Forms: Uncovering the History of Women's Bodies (Profile Books, 2024). 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%2Fimmaculate-forms%2Fhelen-king%2F9781788163873.
The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.
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Do you know your Sumerians from your Babylonians and your Akkadians? All these civilisations formed part of the story of ancient Mesopotamia, where city states were formed, writing flourished, the wheel was possibly invented, mathematics was practiced, and dogs were gods, pets and warriors. Speaking to David Musgrove for today's 'everything you wanted to know' episode, Dr Moudhy Al-Rashid answers listener questions on the ancient region.
(Ad) Moudhy Al-Rashid is the author of Between Two Rivers: Ancient Mesopotamia and the Birth of History (Hodder & Stoughton, 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%2Fbetween-two-rivers%2Fmoudhy-al-rashid%2F9781529392128.
The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.
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Later this week marks 60 years since the death of Winston Churchill, on 24 January 1965. So we thought it would be interesting to bring back this episode with Professor David Reynolds from 2023. In it, he explores how Winston Churchill’s remarkable career saw him interact with other great figures of the age, many of whom had a profound impact on Britain’s wartime leader. Speaking to Rob Attar, David examines Churchill’s relationships with the likes of Stalin, Mussolini, Gandhi and Clement Attlee – and considers how these figures left their mark on the statesman.
The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.
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London today is a bustling, multicultural city. But what about in the past? Emily Briffett spoke to Dr John Gallagher to find out more about the vibrant and exciting melting pot of languages and cultures that was Elizabethan London, exploring what life looked like for the migrant population and those who lived alongside them.
The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.
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What can Saint Augustine tell us about attitudes to grief in the Middle Ages? What made women steer clear of the shrine of Saint Cuthbert? And why did pilgrims bring gifts of wax to the dead saint William of Norwich? In his new book Medieval Saints and their Sins, Luke Daly examines the lives and afterlives of venerated holy people. Speaking to Emily Briffett for today's episode, he reveals what saints can tell us about the thoughts and fears of the Middle Ages.
(Ad) Luke Daly is the author of Medieval Saints and their Sins: A New History of the Middle Ages through Saints and their Stories (Pen & Sword, 2024). 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%2Fmedieval-saints-and-their-sins%2Fluke-daly%2F9781399050623.
Listen to Johanna Dale explore how the seventh-century Northumbrian king Oswald became an important medieval saint: https://link.chtbl.com/Io_79S1C.
The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.
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What makes a great historical movie? An accurate portrayal of a period, a nostalgic look back at the past, or simply a ripping yarn? Well, on our website HistoryExtra.com, we've been running a poll to crown the greatest historical movies of all time – nominated by historians and then voted for by you. The results are in, and in this episode, Kev Lochun speaks to historians and cinephiles Roger Luckhurst and Alex Von Tunzelmann to get their take on it all – from why Bill & Ted is a historical movie but Sense & Sensibility isn't, to whether the winning movie deserves the top spot.
The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.
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Nell Gwyn epitomised the wild spirit of the Restoration era. An orange-seller turned actress, turned royal mistress of King Charles II, she hustled her way to the very top with charm, wisecracks and withering putdowns. Sophie Shorland tells Ellie Cawthorne more about Gwyn's rags-to-riches story in this 'life of the week' episode.
The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.
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They attacked children. They exhumed dead bodies. They were even thought to be in league with the devil. And yet, despite this long list of misdemeanours, pigs were an indispensable part of urban life in the Middle Ages. Speaking to Spencer Mizen, Dolly Jørgensen reveals why medieval city-dwellers were so dependent on swine – and explains what city authorities did to prevent rogue pigs from running riot.
(Ad) Dolly Jørgensen is the author of The Medieval Pig (Boydell Press, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Medieval-Pig-Nature-Environment-Middle/dp/183765168X/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty.
Listen to an audio version of Dolly's BBC History Magazine article on medieval pigs here: https://link.chtbl.com/OUgQYYSL.
The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.
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The Hanseatic League was often compared to a crocodile, because it was a shadowy, somewhat sinister entity that kept its true intentions concealed. Here, in conversation with Spencer Mizen, Professor Sheilagh Ogilvie answers listener questions on this medieval trading federation. She considers whether it was a precursor to the European Union, what tactics it employed to intimidate nation states and how it helped King Edward III secure the English throne.
The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.
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What was it like to undergo an operation in a world with no anaesthetic? How was the stethoscope invented? And when did surgeons first operate on a human heart? Talking to Lauren Good, Dr Carol Cooper explores the history of medicine through 12 pivotal objects – from the bone saw to the heart-lung machine.
(Ad) Carol Cooper is the author of The History of Medicine in Twelve Objects (Quarto Publishing PLC, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/History-Medicine-Twelve-Objects/dp/0711294623#:~:text=An%20award%2Dwinning%20non%2Dfiction,Carol%20is%20also%20a%20novelist./?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty.
The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.
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They spanned a continent, offered a conduit for soldiers and pilgrims alike – and may not have been as straight as legend suggests. Roman roads played a formative role in Europe's development for centuries, and have inspired its leaders right up to the present day. Catherine Fletcher, author of The Roads to Rome tells Matt Elton more about the long-lasting influence of these ancient highways.
(Ad) Catherine Fletcher is the author of The Roads To Rome: A History (The Bodley Head, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Roads-Rome-History-Catherine-Fletcher/dp/184792803X/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty.
Hear Catherine Fletcher discuss the history of Florence, and offer her tips on Renaissance sites to visit in the city here: https://link.chtbl.com/I4AXl_kl.
The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.
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History is often told through the epic struggles of famous personalities or grand movements. Yet sometimes the voices of ordinary people break through. In this episode, Maurice J Casey speaks to Danny Bird about his new book, Hotel Lux, which follows three connected families through the upheavals of the 20th century. Bound by idealism, friendship and love, their journey begins in 1920s Moscow, inside a hotel that was once a sanctuary for international revolutionaries drawn to the Soviet Union’s bold vision for a better world.
(Ad) Maurice J Casey is the author of Hotel Lux: An Intimate History of Communism's Forgotten Radicals (Footnote Press, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hotel-Lux-Intimate-Communisms-Forgotten/dp/180444099X/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty.
The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.
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Poisoned sweets. Criminal misdeeds. And a sex scandal involving… the prime-minister.
Listen to HistoryExtra's new podcast History’s Greatest Scandals, delving into the murky underworld of The Victorians. Ellie Cawthorne and historian Professor Rosalind Crone take a journey through the backstreets of 19th-century Britain to explore the darker side of Victorian life. Sneaking into private parlours, descending into candlelit mines, frequenting grim workhouses and paying a visit to an unscrupulous confectioner, uncovering some of the biggest scandals of the day – and explore what they can reveal about Victorian age.
Series 1 launches today, 7 Jan 2025.
Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/40kQYTz
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/33plhOIkO9rtli5btfziHE
Listen everywhere else by searching: History's Greatest Conspiracy Theories
You can listen ad-free, access episodes early and more by subscribing to HistoryExtra Plus here: https://apple.co/4fgRA1d.
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The name Susan B Anthony is inextricable from any history of the American movement for women's suffrage. Yet the life of the woman herself can be obscured by her status as a campaigner and figurehead. Speaking Elinor Evans, Susan Ware answers questions on the American social reformer and women's rights activist.
The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.
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Why did early Islamic cartographers place south at the top of their maps? Who invented the magnetic compass? And why has 'the west' become an intensely political term, as well as a geographical one? Here, in conversation with Spencer Mizen, Jerry Brotton answers the most intriguing questions on the history of the four cardinal points: north, east, south and west.
(Ad) Jerry Brotton is the author of The Four Points of the Compass: The Unexpected History of Direction (Allen Lane, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Four-Points-Compass-Unexpected-Direction/dp/0241556872/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty.
Hear more from Jerry Brotton on the life and legacy of extraordinary cartographer Marie Tharp: https://link.chtbl.com/ZbHzAbh8.
The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.
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What was it like to live in a British town or city in the Middle Ages? Were they filthy hotbeds of crime and violence? How often did fires break out? And where could you get a good slap-up meal if you were hungry? In this 'everything you wanted to know' episode, historian Professor Carole Rawcliffe speaks to David Musgrove to answer listener questions about medieval urban life – from filth and fire, to fast food, foreigners and fighting on the streets.
Professor Carole Rawcliffe explores the keep-fit trends of the Middle Ages: https://link.chtbl.com/vIShX27F.
The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.
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Harold Wilson is as central to the story of sixties Britain as the Beatles, Profumo and miniskirts. Admirers applauded the social reforms he introduced while in office; his critics accused the prime minister of being Machiavellian. Here, in conversation with Spencer Mizen, former home secretary Alan Johnson – who has just written a biography of Wilson – reveals how he rode the wave of the cult of youth sweeping the nation.(Ad) Alan Johnson is the author of Wilson: Twentieth Century Man/ (Swift Press, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Harold-Wilson-Ministers-Alan-Johnson/dp/1800753322/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty.Check out our series in which historians nominate who they think was Britain's greatest prime minister here: https://www.historyextra.com/membership/britains-greatest-prime-minister-historyextra-podcast-series/The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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The Sutton Hoo ship burial is one of the most famous discoveries in British archaeological history. But who is actually buried there? Or perhaps a better question is: why was the man buried with such a wealth of exotic goods? Dr Helen Gittos has a fascinating new theory that may alter our understanding of this major archaeological discovery. David Musgrove spoke to her to find out more.
The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.
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