We Are History
Angela Barnes and John O'Farrell
The less-than-serious history podcast with stand up comedian Angela Barnes (The News Quiz, Mock The Week and Live at The Apollo) and writer John O'Farrell (An Utterly Impartial History of Britain, Things Can Only Get Better, Spitting Image). In each podcast our two history nerds discuss, explain and laugh at interesting and quirky episodes from the olden days, such as East German Nudism, Spy Pigeons or Vlad the Impaler. Angela and John’s in-depth knowledge of world history has been described as ‘laughable’ - and now they read the history books so that you don't have to. The We Are History podcast - not as world-changing as the Black Death, but slightly funnier.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 23, 2020 • 1h 1min
Nuclear fall-out shelters
Exploring how Britain prepared for nuclear war with inadequate fall-out shelters but an abundance of tea bags. Delving into the dynamics of living under the constant threat of nuclear destruction, the roles and responsibilities in a fall-out shelter, and contrasting UK and US attitudes towards shelter preparation.
Mar 16, 2020 • 47min
McCarthyism and America's Red Scare
How post-war America became so paranoid about Communists, they organised show trials and exiled enemies of the state just like the Communists. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 8, 2020 • 45min
'The Cycling Suffragettes'
'The Cycling Suffragettes" - how young women shocked Victorian society by finding freedom on bicycles and wearing weird trousers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 2, 2020 • 47min
Sons of Africa - the black British who campaigned against slavery
How former slaves campaigned in Georgian Britain, recounting how they were ripped from their families in Africa and sold into a brutal life of slavery, which you're not allowed to do since political correctness went mad. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Feb 24, 2020 • 45min
Mosley and the Blackshirts
In the 1930s, as Germany succumbed to the Nazis and Mussolini ruled Italy, Sir Oswald Mosley created the British Union of Facists, supported by the Daily Mail who famously declared 'Hurrah for the Blackshirts!' Why did he fail? Could Britain have succumbed to a facist dictatorship? And did his teenage kids say 'Honestly Dad, you're such a facist!' Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Feb 17, 2020 • 34min
The Black Death
Delve into the chaos of the Black Death, which wiped out half of Europe and ushered in the Renaissance. Hear how the plague spread from marmots to humans via rats and catapulted corpses during sieges. Discover the bizarre medieval beliefs about bad air, the rise of flagellants, and the brutal scapegoating of marginalized groups. Learn how this tragedy led to the fall of serfdom, changes in land use, and even a revival of wildlife in abandoned villages. Explore the cultural impacts that shaped the modern age amid the turmoil.
Feb 10, 2020 • 42min
Televangelism
In the 1970s and '80s, the rise of TV evangelism in America made multi-millionaires of the most ruthless and ambitious self-styled preachers, who used the money they extorted from vulnerable Christians for a variety of good causes - such as private jets, right-wing politics and prostitutes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Feb 3, 2020 • 43min
Spy Pigeons
How homing pigeons were dropped behind enemy lines to acquire secrets from Nazi occupied Europe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 27, 2020 • 49min
The 1975 Referendum on the Common Market
Discussion on the first referendum on the Common Market in Britain and its historical significance. Context of the 1975 Referendum and the hesitations towards joining the common market. Twinnings, exchanges, and the push for a referendum in the Labour Party. Reasons for remaining in the common market and the difference between the 1975 and 2016 referendums. Influence of the 1975 Eurovision Song Contest on the Referendum. Experiences with local radio interviews and Tony Ben's role in the out campaign. Contrasting support from big business in the 1975 and 2016 referendums. Clever use of sports stars in the 1975 Referendum campaign.
Jan 20, 2020 • 41min
Vlad the Impaler, the original 'Dracula'
How Vlad the Impaler got his nickname. (Was it just the main thing people noticed about him?) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
