Short History Of...

Introducing: Fidel Castro - Real Dictators

This is a taster episode of the Fidel Castro story. To hear episodes 2-10, head over to Real Dictators and hit follow. Fidel Castro - a revolutionary turned strongman dictator, beloved by his supporters and loathed by his enemies. The bête noire of the United States who pushed the world to the brink of annihilation. The ultimate political survivor who evaded hundreds of barely believable assassination attempts. We scroll back to the early years of the one they would call El Loco. It all begins on a farm in the east of Cuba - an island paradise with dark undercurrents swirling beneath the surface… Real Dictators is a Noiser podcast production, narrated by Paul McGann. Find the rest of the Fidel Castro story on the Real Dictators feed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Spanish Flu

The influenza pandemic of 1918-20 infected about one-third of the world’s population at the time, killing at least 50 million people. Occurring during the First World War, what became known as the Spanish Flu spread rapidly as soldiers moved across continents. It overwhelmed hospitals, led to mass graves, and disrupted societies worldwide. But what made the disease so deadly? Was it really Spanish? And what lessons had been learned by the time Covid-19 emerged, a century later? This is a Short History Of The Spanish Flu. A Noiser Production. Written by Nicola Rayner. With thanks to Mark Honigsbaum, a medical historian, and author of The Pandemic Century: One Hundred Years of Panic, Hysteria, and Hubris.  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 podcast network. Click the subscription banner at the top of the feed to get started. Or go to ⁠noiser.com/subscriptions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Manhattan Project

The Manhattan Project was the codename for the US government’s top secret programme to develop the first atomic bomb. At the height of World War Two, America’s top scientists - such as Dr Robert Oppenheimer - raced against Nazi Germany to harness the power of nuclear fission, and ultimately end the war. But what is the story of the other scientists, soldiers and civilians who brought about the birth of the A-bomb? What role did Albert Einstein play in the project? And what were the consequences when the bomb was finally used? This is a Short History Of The Manhattan Project. A Noiser Production, written by Jo Furniss. With thanks to Dr Cameron Reed, a physicist, and the author of ‘Manhattan Project, The Story Of The Century.’ 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 podcast network. Click the subscription banner at the top of the feed to get started. Or go to ⁠noiser.com/subscriptions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The First Emperor of China

In the third century BC, China was a land fractured by war - a patchwork of rival kingdoms struggling for dominance. Out of this chaos rose a single, extraordinary figure who would reshape the course of history: Chin Shrr Hwong, the First Emperor of China. His achievements were monumental, but his reign was marked by ruthlessness, so how did this teenage king rise to power? What drove him to undertake colossal projects like the Great Wall and the Terracotta Army? And how might his obsession with immortality have led to his mysterious death? This is a Short History Of The First Emperor of China. A Noiser Production, written by Sean Coleman. With thanks to John Man, author of The Terracotta Army: China’s First Emperor and the Birth of a Nation.  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 podcast network. Click the subscription banner at the top of the feed to get started. Or go to ⁠noiser.com/subscriptions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anne Frank

Anne Frank is one of the world’s most famous writers, yet she didn’t live long enough to see her work published. At the age of thirteen, Anne was a normal teenager, who poured her heart into a diary. But what made her diary different, was that she created within its pages a snapshot of the darkest events of World War Two, detailing the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands that forced her family to hide in a secret annex. But what do we know about the real life of this bubbly young girl? How did her precious diary survive the war? And what about the people who protected - and betrayed her? This is a Short History Of Anne Frank.  A Noiser Production, written by Jo Furniss. With thanks to Karen Bartlett, a journalist and author of The Diary That Changed the World. 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 podcast network. Click the subscription banner at the top of the feed to get started. Or go to noiser.com/subscriptions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alfred Hitchcock

Alfred Hitchcock was one of the most celebrated film directors of all time. In a career that spanned six decades, he produced more than 50 films, including Britain’s first successful talking picture. His countless awards and accolades earned him a reputation as the ‘Master of Suspense’, but how did an introverted working class boy come to dominate Hollywood? What was the truth behind the rumours of obsessive ruthless behaviour? And what makes his films so revered still to this day? This is a Short History Of Alfred Hitchcock.  A Noiser Production. Written by Olivia Jordan. With thanks to Tony Lee Moral, author of numerous books on Hitchcock, including ‘Alfred Hitchcock: Storyboards’.  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

Gaudi (Bonus Episode)

In a long life, spanning the late 19th and early 20th century, Antoni Gaudi created some of history’s best-loved architecture. From his early lamppost designs, through to his great unfinished masterpiece, his unmistakable works are world renowned, inimitable, and iconic to this day. But how did a man who began life as a sickly child become one of history’s best loved architects? What drove him to reject marriage and dedicate his life to serving God through art? And why does his most famous building remain unfinished? This is a Short History Of... Antoni Gaudi. A Noiser Production, written by Angus Gavan McHarg.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Romanovs

Throughout their centuries-long dynasty, the Romanovs oversaw the transformation of Russia from a fragmented medieval state, into a vast empire. Despite their power though, the period of the Romanovs was plagued by violence, assassinations, and the heavy hand of autocratic rule. Then, in 1917, the course of Russian history took an irreversible turn, and the fate of the Romanovs was changed forever.  So what do we know of the lives of the Romanov family? Was it possible for monarchs such as Catherine the Great to balance Enlightenment ideals with absolute power? And did any of the family survive the infamous assassination of 1918?  This is a Short History Of The Romanovs. A Noiser production, written by Nicola Rayner. With thanks to Russell E. Martin, Distinguished Professor of History at Westminster College, Pennsylvania, and author of The Tsar’s Happy Occasion: Ritual and Dynasty in the Weddings of Russia’s Rulers. 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

The Anglo Saxons

The Anglo-Saxon period, also known as the ‘Dark Ages’ stretched from the withdrawal of Roman forces in 410 AD to the conquest of England by William of Normandy in 1066. The period is remembered by the legends that emerged from it, such as the tales of Beowulf and King Arthur, but it was also a time populated by very real historical figures: Alfred the Great, King Cnut, and Harold Godwinson.  So who were these people who came to the island of Great Britain in the chaotic aftermath of Roman withdrawal? What happened to the native population they displaced? And how did the Anglo-Saxon period shape England as we know it today? This is a Short History Of The Anglo-Saxons. A Noiser production, written by EmmieRose Price-Goodfellow. With thanks to James Clark, Professor of History at the University of Exeter.    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

VE Day

Victory in Europe Day brought the curtain down on a horrific conflict that decimated a continent and upended the world. But the price of victory over fascism was impossibly high. Many millions had been killed, and vast areas of Europe had been all but destroyed. VE Day signalled the end of Nazi Germany, and yet the war on the Pacific Front was still raging, and Stalin was already tightening his grip on what would become the Eastern Bloc. Meanwhile, many of the countries that had joined the fight against Hitler were left broken, bankrupt, and lawless. So, what did it take for the war to finally end? How was news of Germany’s surrender spread and received? And amid the devastation, how do the continent’s citizens celebrate and look forward with optimism?  This is a Short History Of VE Day. A Noiser production, written by Martin McNamara. With thanks to Keith Lowe, a British historian and writer specialising in the Second World War.  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 noisier.com/subscriptions. If you want to know more about how the Allies turned the tide on the war in Europe and began the final push towards victory, check out D-Day: The Tide Turns - another podcast from the Noiser network. Search ‘D-Day: The Tide Turns’ in your podcast app and hit follow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Salem Witch Trials

For more than two centuries, between the late 1400s and early 1700s, a terror of witches gripped Europe. From Scotland to Spain, thousands of people were accused, tortured and executed. But as the hysteria faded in Europe, it crossed the Atlantic. In 1692, in New England, it took hold of a small Puritan settlement in Massachusetts - Salem. The events that followed resulted in the most infamous witch hunt in history. But how did the actions of a group of young girls lead to 22 executions and over 200 accusations of witchcraft? Why did Salem believe the Devil had arrived on its doorstep? And how did a family grudge, a minister’s intransigence, and a rising tide of fear lead to the self-destruction of the small town? This is a Short History Of The Salem Witch Trials. A Noiser production, written by Sean Coleman. With thanks to Katherine Howe, an award-winning historian and novelist, and author of The Penguin Book of Witches. 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 noisier.com/subscriptions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Egyptian Sphinx

Measuring 240 feet long from paw to tail, and around the height of a six-story building, the Great Sphinx is one of Egypt’s most spectacular, and mysterious, monuments. Believed to have been built over four millennia ago, much of its story has been lost to history, and the rest is shrouded in myth. So what do we know about who built it? What caused such an impressive structure to be forgotten for centuries? And how is it being protected today? This is a Short History Of The Egyptian Sphinx. A Noiser Production. Written by Nicole Edmunds. With thanks to Salima Ikram, a professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo. 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

The Real Greatest Showman

PT Barnum may be better known as the loose subject of the movie The Greatest Showman, but his life was so much more than that work of fiction. A master of entertainment, an entrepreneur, and a genius of publicity, he built a career on feeding public curiosity with his grand illusions.  But his legacy is complicated, as many of his attractions reflect a world where sensationalism outweighed morality. His methods, viewed through a modern lens, raise troubling questions about the exploitation of show business. So how did PT Barnum beat the odds, time and again, to turn a spectacle into an empire? How did a fake mermaid, a tiny general, and giant elephant help make his name? And behind all the smoke and mirrors, was he really the Greatest Showman on Earth?  This is a Short History Of The Real Greatest Showman. A Noiser Production, written by Sean Coleman. With thanks to Kathleen Maher, Executive Director of the Barnum Museum in Bridgeport, Connecticut.  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

Introducing: Titanic: Ship of Dreams - Episode 1

This is a taster episode of a brand-new podcast from the Noiser podcast network. Join host Paul McGann as he explores life and death on the most famous ship in history. You’ll be right there on board - setting sail from Southampton, chugging across the Atlantic, striking the iceberg and sinking into the icy depths. We’ll hear the harrowing tales of the victims and the testimonies of the lucky survivors. And Paul explores his own family story, following his great uncle Jimmy McGann - a trimmer down in Titanic’s engine room. Search ‘Titanic: Ship of Dreams’ in your podcast app and hit follow to get new episodes each Tuesday. Or listen at noiser.com Episode 2 is live now on Titanic: Ship of Dreams. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Tudors, Part 2 of 2

The later Tudor years were a time of turmoil, political intrigue, and national transformation. Initially defined by crises of succession, and shifts in the religious landscape, the period went on to see the reign of some of the most famous royal women in history. And, under the 44-year reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Britain experienced a golden age of culture and exploration.  But what made Elizabeth excel as a sovereign in a way that outshone her predecessors? Did ordinary Tudors care who was on the throne? And how did such a powerful dynasty come to an end after only three generations?  This is a Short History Of The Tudors - part two of two. A Noiser production. Written by Nicola Rayner. With thanks to Tracy Borman OBE, Chief Historian at Historic Royal Palaces and the author of several historical biographies, including The Private Lives of the Tudors.   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

The Tudors, Part 1 of 2

The Tudors are the most famous royal family in English history, ruling from 1485 to 1603. The dynasty began with the reign of King Henry VII, and ended with his granddaughter, Elizabeth I. Marked by political, religious, and cultural change, the Tudor era shaped the course of English history, and paved the way for modern Britain.  But how did the first Tudor king fight his way to power? What drove his son, Henry VIII, to break away from Rome and establish his own church? And who were the astonishing women who defined the reign of the Tudors? This is a Short History Of The Tudors, part one of two. A Noiser production. Written by Nicola Rayner. With thanks to Tracy Borman OBE, Chief Historian at Historic Royal Palaces and the author of several historical biographies, including The Private Lives of the Tudors.   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

Christopher Columbus

The explorer, Christopher Columbus, is famous for reaching the Americas and opening up a new world to European pioneers. But though his determination and skills were second to none, he eventually fell out of favour at home and abroad, and was unwelcome even in the very colonies he’d founded. Contrary to popular misconception, Columbus never set foot in what is now the continental United States, and nor did he seek to prove that the Earth was round. So, how did Columbus’ voyages change the world? What motivated a young man from Italy to endanger his life on behalf of the Spanish government? And how much responsibility can we put at the feet of one man for the suffering that colonialism brought to America’s indigenous people?  This is a Short History Of Christopher Columbus. A Noiser Production. Written by Jo Furniss. With thanks to Douglas Hunter, author of several books about the history of exploration, including The Race to the New World.   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

The Printing Press

Before Johannes Gutenberg’s revolutionary invention, knowledge was a privilege accessible only to the wealthy, the powerful, or the devout. In this world, ideas travelled slowly, and were constrained by the limits of human hand.  So when, in the mid-15th century, Gutenberg invented the printing press, it became so much more than a machine. Ideas could be replicated by the thousands, making it the first great equaliser of information. But how did this seemingly humble invention fuel the fires of the Renaissance? How did it change Europe’s relationship with the church, and give rise to the Reformation? And how did it help to shape the reputations of historical figures, from Vlad the Impaler, to Joan of Arc? This is a Short History Of The Printing Press. A Noiser Production. Written by Sean Coleman. With thanks to John Man, historian, travel writer, and author of The Gutenberg Revolution, The Story of a Genius and an Invention that Changed the World.   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

Ludwig van Beethoven

One of the world’s most influential composers, Ludwig van Beethoven changed the course of Western music. Despite losing his hearing, he created some of history’s most celebrated works, and his compositions are renowned for their emotional depth, innovation, and freshness to this day. But how did an unpolished youth from the German Rhineland rise to become one of the most famous names in classical music? Why was his private life beset by disappointment? And how did he continue to produce such extraordinary works, even as deafness overtook him? This is a Short History Of Ludwig van Beethoven. A Noiser production, written by Nicola Rayner. With thanks to John Suchet, broadcaster and author of eight books about Beethoven, including In Search of Beethoven: A Personal Journey.   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 noisier.com/subscriptions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Forbidden City

Nestled deep in the heart of Beijing, the Forbidden City stands as one of the world’s greatest architectural marvels. Built in the early 15th century as the secretive seat of imperial rule, it’s the largest palace complex anywhere in the world, and the biggest wooden structure on earth. But how did an audacious coup lead to the construction of this mysterious compound? What was life like inside the gated city? And how did it survive revolution, civil war, invasion, and natural disasters, to remain relevant even today?   This is a Short History Of The Forbidden City. A Noiser Production, written by Sean Coleman. With thanks to Dr Stephen Whiteman, a Reader in the Art and Architecture of China at The Courtauld Institute of Art.  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 https://www.noiser.com/noiser-plus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Battle of Stalingrad

During World War Two, the Battle of Stalingrad was one of the most brutal engagements of the entire conflict, and would go on to be one of the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare. Over a course of six months, Soviet forces fought to defend their city against the German Army, where an estimated 1 million Soviet soldiers, and 800,000 Axis troops were killed, wounded or captured.  But why was a modest little city in southern Russia so important to Stalin and Hitler? Who were the soldiers who fought in the battle, and the civilians caught in the crossfire? And what impact did the fighting have on the outcome of the war, and the future shape of the world? This is a Short History of The Battle of Stalingrad. A Noiser production, written by Martin McNamara. With thanks to Sir Antony Beevor, a world-renowned expert on the Second World War, and author of the award-winning book, Stalingrad. 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

Pablo Picasso

Pablo Picasso was one of the most celebrated and radical artists of the 20th century. His styles shocked and outraged contemporaries, and are still instantly recognisable today. But while the artist was publicly fêted, behind closed doors there was a darker side, and many of his female companions protested at his behaviour. So what drove Picasso to master the rules of art, and then break them? How did a man who claimed he didn’t ‘do politics’ become a poster boy for revolution? And what makes him one of the most valuable artists of all time?  This is a short history of Pablo Picasso. A Noiser Production. Written by Jo Furniss. With thanks to Suzanne Preston Blier, a professor of Fine Art and African Studies at Harvard University, and the author of Picasso’s Demoiselles, The True Origins of a Modern Masterpiece.  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 https://www.noiser.com/noiser-plus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Butch Cassidy

Leader of the Wild Bunch gang, Butch Cassidy was a legendary American criminal who engineered infamous bank and train robberies across the West in the late 19th century. His charisma and careful planning ensured he eluded capture for years. And when, in 1901, he fled the law to South America with his partner, the Sundance Kid, reports differ as to what exactly became of him…. Could Cassidy have survived, quietly living out the rest of his days back in the United States? What is the real truth about his life? And was Butch Cassidy the kindly gentleman rogue some would have us believe? This is a Short History Of Butch Cassidy. A Noiser Production. Written by Nicola Rayner. With thanks to Amy Harmon, author of The Outlaw Noble Salt.  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

Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela came to be considered one of the great global figures of his age, but for decades he was a prisoner in his own country. Branded a terrorist by South Africa’s white authorities, as well as many foreign governments, he survived years in the wilderness, only to return in one of the most dramatic character rehabilitations in history. So what drove this son of a high-ranking family to become an activist against South Africa’s apartheid regime? What strategies did he adopt, and at what personal cost? And what were the circumstances that brought about his release? This is a Short History of Nelson Mandela. A Noiser Production. Written by Dan Smith. With thanks to Jonny Steinberg, award-winning author of numerous books on South African history and politics, including Winnie & Nelson: Portrait of a Marriage.  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

The Australian Gold Rush

When a man called Edward Hargraves first discovered gold in Australia, in 1851, the impact on the country was immeasurable. Word of Hargraves’ good fortune caused thousands of individuals to flood New South Wales and join the rush. Men left their families, professionals quit their jobs, ships were abandoned in the ports, as gold-fever spread through the country. Within two decades, Australia’s population had quadrupled. But what fortunes awaited those hopeful individuals who chased the allure of gold? What were conditions like on the gold-farms and fields? How did the rush impact Australia’s First Nations People? And in what ways did it shape the country? This is a Short History Of The Australian Gold Rush. Written by Nicole Edmunds. With thanks to Mikhala Harkins-Foster, a curator for the National Museum of Australia. 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

Bob Marley

From impoverished roots on an island struggling to leave behind its colonial past, Bob Marley emerged; creating music that spoke with a universality, and which was beloved by people all over the world. His love of music was the backbone of his life, and his commitment to the Rastafari faith shone a spotlight on its ideals. But how did Bob Marley go from Kingston’s most impoverished area, to becoming a global star? Why was his life so tragically cut short? And why does his music still inspire young musicians and activists today? This is a short history of Bob Marley. Written by Kate Harrison. With thanks to Richie Unterberger, a music journalist and author of Bob Marley and the Wailers, the Ultimate Illustrated History.  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 noisier.com/subscriptions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Emperor Nero

Emperor Nero was one of the most reviled and controversial leaders of Ancient Rome. To some, his reign was a breath of fresh air after his unpopular predecessor, and his failings had no more to do with him, than with the unstable infrastructure of Roman government. And yet to others, Nero is inseparable from rumours about his sexual predilections, debauched behaviours, and apparent appetite for murder.  But how did Nero seize the imperial crown while still in his teens? What really happened to ensure his downfall and the ruin of his reputation? And was Nero really as bad as history has painted him? This is a Short History Of Emperor Nero.  A Noiser Production. Written by Dan Smith. With thanks to Greg Woolf, Ronald J. Law Professor of Ancient History at the University of California, Los Angeles.  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

John F Kennedy

The second of nine children from a well-to-do family in New England, John F Kennedy fought his way up to become the most powerful man on the planet. After claiming a narrow victory in the 1960 election, Kennedy and his glamorous wife, Jacqueline, led the country on a wave of optimism and energy. For many, he represented a vision of America at its brightest. But what challenges did he have to overcome to reach office? What were the personal qualities that powered his rise? And just how golden was his presidency for America and the rest of the world?  This is a Short History Of John F Kennedy. A Noiser Production, written by Dan Smith. With thanks to Fredrik Logevall, Professor of History at Harvard University, and author of a multi volume biography of John F Kennedy. 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

The Spartans (Repeat)

In 480BC, the Spartans secured their place in history when 300 of their soldiers fought to the death against the mighty Persian army at Thermopylae. Their reputation for brutal decisiveness and simple living have been admired for thousands of years. But what about the darker side of Spartan ideology, a society that culled weak babies, forced children to fight, and enslaved its neighbours? Was Sparta really a utopia? Or was Aristotle right when he said that Spartans simply made men into machines? This is a Short History of the Spartans. Written by Jo Furniss. With thanks to Dr Andrew Bayliss, Associate Professor of Greek History at the University of Birmingham, UK, and author of The Spartans: A Very Short Introduction. 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Stonehenge (Repeat)

Older than the pyramids and just as cryptic, the prehistoric British site of Stonehenge has dominated its landscape for thousands of years. But what is Stonehenge? A celestial clock? An ancient computer to predict eclipses? Was it a temple, a cemetery, or a site of execution? And who were the people who lived and died to create this Stone Age masterpiece? This is a Short History of Stonehenge. Written by Jo Furniss. With thanks to Julian Richards, archaeologist, broadcaster and author of the official Stonehenge guidebook. 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices