Historycal: Words that Shaped the World

What was, unbelievably, even more exciting than the first Glenfiddich single malt Scotch, or a man circumnavigating the world on a Penny Farthing? In this episode, we're talking about deerstalkers, magnifying glasses, and the one thing that really got the Victorians to talk about their feelings.

What do you do when there's more rice than sauce, nobody remembers your birthday, and you're fed up with the governance of a nation? If you aren't naming yourself King, you're doing it wrong. In this episode we're spending time with Norton I, the first Emperor of the United States. 

What came before K-Pop, Squid Game, and politicians dancing to Gangnam style? If you aren't picturing a tiger in a smoking jacket, listen up. Today, we've got cobblers, Emperors, and Korean Boy Bands - although, thankfully, not all in the same place. 

What do the Ancient Egyptians, JFK, and Chapter One of the Lord of the Rings all have in common? If you aren't thinking of high drama birthday celebrations, this one is for you. Today, we're asking who had the first birthday party, how many candles should really top your cake, and why Rameses II got an extra celebration. 

What's the secret to castles on the shore, beautifully sleeping children and automated girlfriends? In this episode, we're talking the Sandman, the Sad Man and one or two men that are just, frankly, mad. 

What happens when you pay for a wife and lose the husband? This time, we're talking about what Prince Arthur did (or didn't do) in Spain, where Henry VII found his crown, and who really won The King's Great Matter. 

What do you get if you combine four lovers, two sea captains, and one brilliant disguise? If you aren't thinking of every tacky motivational poster you've ever seen, this one is for you. In this episode, we're tackling Twelfth Night, Taylor Swift, and some not-so-rousing speeches. 

What gruesome sport is favored amongst Princes, and can a glass slipper really carry the weight of a running girl? Today, we're tackling the tough stuff behind one of Disney's shiniest fairytales.    

What do a lawyer, a poet and the King of Prussia have in common? In this episode, we're talking love, loyalty, and how cats (and people) can't be trusted. 

What came before Twilight, the Salvatore brothers, and even Count Dracula? In this episode, we're talking Penny Dreadfuls, cheap thrills, and the geometric improbability of vampires.

What did the innocent words in a high school yearbook foreshadow for one of the world's oldest and most stigmatized diseases? If you aren't thinking of Alice Ball, this one is for you. Today we talk leprosy, stolen credit, and why people in old photographs never smile. 

What was John Peter Toohey thinking when he first called the Algonquin Round Table to order? And what did it take to crack an invite? Today we're talking about Dorothy Parker, her place among the literary elite, and the time she tried to train a turtle. 

What does mail have to do with morale, and how can you ruin both in one fell swoop? In this episode we're talking women, war and Dear John letters... with a little Christina Rossetti for good luck.

What do Winston Churchill, William Shakespeare and Pope John XXIII have in common? The answer: they all know how to deliver a sick burn. And now you do too. In this episode we have the history of all sorts of things our mothers told us not to say - said in style.

What's better for brothers than stowaways, shipwreck, and a good long fishing trip? Today, we're talking canoes, New Zealand's countryside, and the demi-god that accidentally caught a country. 

What do Brer Rabbit, spiders and Tom Hiddleston have in common? If trickster figures in ancient mythology wasn't your first thought, this episode is for you. Today, we're talking Brer Rabbit, Anansi the Spider, and what Shakespeare considered a good disguise. (Spoiler: It wasn't). 

What makes a cocktail a cocktail, and how did some unsuspecting horses get dragged into it? In this episode, we've got Mint Julips, speakeasies, the Frozen Water Trade, and - of course - tiny paper umbrellas.

What does the world's favourite cat have against Mondays, and in how many other ways do they suck? As it turns out, many. And they're mostly self-inflicted. In the episode, we're talking about the road to the seven day week, the Boomtown Rats, and whether or not it was easier to enjoy yourself before the Second Industrial Revolution.  

What do you do when someone tells you to burn the ride you came in? And how do you get home for dinner if you burn the bridges too? Today, we're going back to the murky origins of these two famous phrases, crossing the Rubicon, and finishing up at the Paris Opera House. 

What do you say to a man who has taken the keys to your kingdom? And what do you say to cheer up your grieving daughter?  In this episode, we're tackling Temüjin, the slaughter at Nishapur, and Genghis Khan's troubled childhood.

What do you get when you cross a hat with a common (or garden) thermometer? Mad hatters... and hatted madmen. In this episode, we're delving into Lewis Carroll, mercury poisoning, and all the other ways that tea time might go wrong.

What does it take to get a cow's head onto your doorstep? (Rest of cow, not included). Today, we're talking Ukrainian fairy tales, evil stepmothers, and how to be an awesome dad. Or something like that. 

What would you sacrifice for Art? And, more importantly, what does a wizard give an Armadillo when he comes to tea? In this episode, we take our first foray into South American folklore, featuring an ancient hero, some puffed up bull frogs, and a few insects who really need to get a room.  

What is the juice of smallpox, and when it is it best served? In this episode, we explore variolation, milkmaids, and how a slave in Boston helped change the world.

What's squiggly, saucy, and digs a pirate patch? If Bobby Henderson's open letter to the Kansas School Board didn't spring to mind, this one is for you. If it did, ditto. 

What do you get when you go looking for the herbs of eternal life? Not that. But maybe something better. In this episode, we talk the Panchatantra, some really mean jackals, and how to hang on to your friends. 

What's the fastest route to unhappy daughters, war with the French, and eventual relegation to the self-help annals of YouTube? In this episode, we talk murder, mayhem, and why Shakespeare felt the need to dish out confusing names to more characters than you could possibly fit on a single stage. 

What came first: the cosmic chicken, or the cosmic egg? Either way, Fred Hoyle would disapprove. In this episode we're off to the edge of the universe, to sort fact from fiction, and the fiction from the totally bizarre. 

What happens in medieval Russia, when sudden darkness plunges you into one of your first (and only) military defeats? Someone immortalizes it in verse, forever. And then we talk about it some more.

What do Kirsten Dunst, chocolate gateaux and the French Revolution have in common? Today, we're talking about the most famous words Marie Antoinette never said, as well as a few lesser-known ones that she actually did. 

What do you get when you cross a mulberry leaf with a flying horse? In this episode we're answering that very question, diving into whether silkworms can build skyscrapers, and telling stories about a fabric that changed the world.

What has eight legs, one wife, and all the stories in the world? If the trickster Anansi wasn't your first guess, listen up. If it was, listen anyway. Today, we're discussing oral traditions, storytelling, and what some people will trade for a good yarn. 

What do soothsayers, animal organs and the 15th of March have in common? Answer: one murder, 60 conspirators, and countless fantastic spinoffs. Including this podcast. Today we're talking about the assassination of Julius Caesar, and the invention of a legend.

What's the difference between an Archbishop and an activist? And is it ever appropriate to eat Yogi Sip for dinner? (Spoiler: Yes.) In today's episode, we're hanging out with Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his famous laugh.  Please have a look at this fantastic short film by the very talented folks at the 21 Icons Project: https://youtu.be/unrqfCODO-Q  

What do you find when you get to the edge of the world? According to the Epic of Gilgamesh, it's a pub. Today, we're diving into the world's oldest piece of literature and asking the tough questions - what it is, why it matters, and whether the goddess Siduri really did give up her day job.

What did Henry VIII do to turn his wife into his sister? And, more importantly, why did nobody point out how totally bonkers that was? Today we're turning to some of the many things (mostly untrue) that have been said about the infamous Flanders Mare.

What's the secret to a happy life in Ancient Egypt? These ancient words might be one of history's best (and best kept) secrets. In this episode, we dive into songs and poems that feel as fresh as a stiff Nile breeze. 

What do a pencil, a peanut, and a pilot have in common? They're all in the same book - and this is how they got there. In this episode, we take a quick whip through the highs and lows of the journey to a Dictionary of the English Language. But don't let that put you off. We came the weird way. 

What convinced Abraham Lincoln to grow his most famous feature? In this episode, we dive into the charming letters between the famous president and his youngest advisor.