Episodes

  • The Scramble For Africa

    The Scramble For Africa
    Aug 25 2024
    The late 19th century was a period of imperialism for Europe, which resulted in a landgrab of epic proportions. The entire continent of Africa was sliced up, to be swallowed by five rival nations. In the blink of an eye, everything changed for the people of Africa, and within a decade, Europe controlled virtually the whole continent. But what prompted this undignified rush by foreign leaders to expand into Africa? What did colonialism do for the millions of subjugated New Europeans? And what legacy did this frenzy for territory leave behind? This is a Short History Of….The Scramble for Africa. A Noiser Production, written by Sean Coleman. With thanks to Anthony Bogues, Asa Messer Professor of Humanities and Africana Studies at Brown University. Get every episode of Short History Of a week early with Noiser+. You’ll also get ad-free listening, bonus material, and early access to shows across the Noiser network. Click the Noiser+ banner to get started. Or, if you’re on Spotify or Android, go to noiser.com/subscriptions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • The Northwest Passage

    The Northwest Passage
    Aug 18 2024
    For seafarers, merchants, travellers, and monarchs, the idea of the Northwest Passage from Europe to Asia was pursued as the holy grail of maritime exploration. Some of Europe’s finest explorers dedicated their lives to its discovery - braving uncharted waters, and freezing temperatures. But who were the men who gave up everything to find the passage? Why did its discovery remain so vital for so long? And who was the explorer to finally claim the discovery after centuries of futile searching? This is a Short History Of….The Northwest Passage. A Noiser Production, written by Sean Coleman. With thanks to Dr Russell Potter, Professor of English at Rhode Island College, and author of Arctic Spectacles: The Frozen North in Visual Culture. Get every episode of Short History Of a week early with Noiser+. You’ll also get ad-free listening, bonus material, and early access to shows across the Noiser network. Click the Noiser+ banner to get started. Or, if you’re on Spotify or Android, go to noiser.com/subscriptions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr
  • Constantinople

    Constantinople
    Aug 11 2024
    From humble beginnings as a modest Greek colony, through its later grandeur as part of the Roman and Ottoman Empire, the city of Constantinople has witnessed centuries of transformation. A melting pot of cultures and religions, it was the bridge between the East and West, where ideas, trade, and people converged. How then, did Mehmed II succeed where so many others had failed? What did the fall of the city in 1453 mean for the next stage of its history? And what other highs, lows, and ruthless ambition did it witness for more than a millennium? This is a Short History Of….Constantinople. A Noiser production, written by Nicola Rayner. With thanks to Bryan Ward-Perkins, Emeritus Professor of Late Antique History at the University of Oxford, and the author of The Fall of Rome and the End of Civilization. And, Geoffrey Greatrex, professor of Classics at the University of Ottawa. Get every episode of Short History Of a week early with Noiser+. You’ll also get ad-free listening, bonus material, and early access to shows across the Noiser network. Click the Noiser+ banner to get started. Or, if you’re on Spotify or Android, go to noiser.com/subscriptions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr
  • The Modern Olympics

    The Modern Olympics
    Aug 4 2024
    Every four years, the Modern Olympic Games is a celebration of athletic excellence. From modest roots in 19th Century Athens, to a worldwide phenomenon which will feature almost 15,000 athletes in Paris 2024, the Modern Olympics has developed into the largest sporting festival in the world. It unites the international community in the world’s greatest exhibition of human strength and agility. But how was the Olympics revived, and by whom? Why does this sporting event hold such universal fascination? And how do events at the Games reflect cultural and political changes throughout the 20th century and beyond? This is a Short History Of….The Modern Olympics. A Noiser Production. Written by Lindsay Galvin. With thanks to David Goldblatt, sports writer, and author of The Games: A Global History Of The Olympics. Get every episode of Short History Of a week early with Noiser+. You’ll also get ad-free listening, bonus material, and early access to shows across the Noiser network. Click the Noiser+ banner to get started. Or, if you’re on Spotify or Android, go to noiser.com/subscriptions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr
  • BONUS: Harry Houdini

    BONUS: Harry Houdini
    Jul 30 2024
    Harry Houdini is undoubtedly the best-known escape artist of all time. Even today, almost 100 years after his death, his celebrity lives on, and his incredible tricks, illusions and escapes have become the stuff of legend. But how did Houdini, a Hungarian immigrant, lift himself out of abject poverty to become a vastly wealthy celebrity? And why did he risk his life again and again, for over 30 years? This is a Short History Of…Harry Houdini. A Noiser production, written by Sean Coleman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    50 mins
  • The Ancient Olympics

    The Ancient Olympics
    Jul 28 2024
    For nearly 12 centuries, the Ancient Greeks honoured their gods with one of the most famous sporting contests in the world: The Olympic Games. Athletes represented their city states to compete for the glory of the gods, knowing that winning or losing could change the course of their lives. From dangerous martial arts and the perilous chariot race, to sprints and the pentathlon, the Games showcased strength, skill, and stamina. But why did the Olympic Games first begin? What did the earliest competitions look like? What was it like to take part in a competition with no second place and, in some cases, no rules. And why did the Ancient Games die out for over a thousand years? This is a Short History Of….The Ancient Olympics. A Noiser production, written by Lindsay Galvin. With thanks to Dr Nigel Spivey, a senior lecturer in Classics, at the University of Cambridge. Get every episode of Short History Of a week early with Noiser+. You’ll also get ad-free listening, bonus material, and early access to shows across the Noiser network. Click the Noiser+ banner to get started. Or, if you’re on Spotify or Android, go to noiser.com/subscriptions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    58 mins
  • The Beatles

    The Beatles
    Jul 21 2024
    The Beatles - made up of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison - were the biggest band the world has ever seen. Recording together for just over seven years, setting unprecedented sales, and revolutionising songwriting, theirs was a stardom that burned brightly, but quickly. So who were the four ordinary Liverpudlian teenagers before they created a band that would change the music industry forever? How did their music, and fame, affect them? And what caused ‘Beatlemania’ to all come crumbling down so soon, and in such dramatic fashion? This is a Short History Of…The Beatles. A Noiser production, written by Olivia Jordan. With thanks to Kenneth Womack, Professor of English and Popular Music at Monmouth University, and author of The Cambridge Companion to The Beatles. Get every episode of Short History Of a week early with Noiser+. You’ll also get ad-free listening, bonus material, and early access to shows across the Noiser network. Click the Noiser+ banner to get started. Or, if you’re on Spotify or Android, go to noiser.com/subscriptions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr
  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
    Jul 14 2024
    Mozart occupies a unique place in the history of culture, as his output of over 600 works defined the course of classical music, and remade the face of opera. Mozart’s compositions are staples of our cultural landscape, and his is a name which still, centuries later, sells out concert halls around the world. But how did the tear-away son of a middling family make it to the top? What impact did his commitment to his art have on his health? And what is the truth about his final days? This is a Short History Of….Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. A Noiser production, written by Dan Smith. With thanks to John Suchet, Classic FM radio presenter and author of Mozart: The Man Revealed. Get every episode of Short History Of a week early with Noiser+. You’ll also get ad-free listening, bonus material, and early access to shows across the Noiser network. Click the Noiser+ banner to get started. Or, if you’re on Spotify or Android, go to noiser.com/subscriptions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 1 min