Shows
The Timely HistorianMudbloods and MischlingeOnce you spot the similarities between the Harry Potter universe and Nazi Germany, the parallels are endless. To close Season 1: a look at how Hogwarts is haunted by 20th-century history.
Main Sources:
Rowling, JK, The Harry Potter Series, Books 1-7 (London: 1997-2007).
Arendt, H, Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil (London: 1963).
Additional Sources:
Lyubansky, M, Ordinary Wizards: The Psychology of Evil in the Harry Potter Universe, University of Illinois Department of Psychology. PDF Available at http://labs.psychology.illinois.edu/~lyubansk/ordinarywiz.pdf [Accessed: 03/2021].
Osazuwa, C, Harry Potter & the Nazi Regime, Christine Osazuwa.com. PDF Available...2021-03-2912 minThe Timely HistorianKeeping It In The FamilyAlthough they wielded tremendous power in Spain for 184 years, all was not well within the mighty House of Habsburg. Its members were plagued by unusual maladies and physical deformities, including bulbous lower lips and the excessively protruding chins now known as the 'Habsburg Jaw'. What was going on, and what can we take away from their story ourselves?
Main Source:
The Collections of Museo Del Prado: https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection
Additional Sources:
Ansede, Manuel, Research Confirms that Intermarrying Caused the ‘Habsburg Jaw’ in Spanish Royals, El Pais Online (December 2019). Retr...2021-03-2211 minThe Timely HistorianDreadnought, Defiance, Devastation and...DwarfHMS Carcass, HMS Fairy, HMS Truant...over the centuries, the Royal Navy has chosen some peculiar names for its ships. From HMS Cherub to HMS Lucifer and everything in between, these are some of the most unforgettable, along with the weird and wonderful stories behind them.
Main Source:
The Terror, AMC (2021, USA).
Additional Sources:
Bacon, Admiral Sir Reginald, The Dover Patrol 1915-1917: Volume 1 (1919). Transcription retrieved from Naval-History.net, accessible at https://www.naval-history.net/WW1Book-Adm_Bacon-Dover_Patrol.htm#2 [Accessed: 03/2021].
Christenson, Scot, From Vindictive to Dainty: The Extremes of...2021-03-1511 minThe Timely HistorianBetween the Devil and the Deep Blue SeaSome of history’s most infamous prisons - Alcatraz, Robben Island, the Dry Guillotine - have been established on naturally beautiful but hopelessly desolate islands. How can their secrets help us to make sense of our experiences in 2020/21?
Main Sources:
Belbenoit, Rene, Dry Guillotine: Fifteen Years Amongst the Living Dead translated by Rambo, P. (New York: 1938). Available at https://archive.org/details/Dry_Guillotine/mode/2up
Grosser, Philip, Uncle Sam's Devil's Island: Experiences of a Conscientious Objector in America during the World War (Boston: 1933). Available at https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015069746421 ...2021-03-0812 minThe Timely HistorianEat Your Vegetables, Mr President!Some of the most poignant questions, sage advice and heartrending pleas ever received by American presidents have come via children’s letters. These are some of the most memorable from over the last century - compelling reminders of the wit, wisdom and political power of youth!
Main Source:
Laskas, Jeanne Marie, To Obama With Love, Joy, Hate and Despair (London: 2018).
Additional Sources:
Letter to President Franklin D Roosevelt retrieved from https://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/active_learning/explorations/children_depression/12yearold.cfm [Accessed: 02/2021}.
Letter to President Kennedy retrieved from ht...2021-03-0111 minThe Timely HistorianHeadhuntingSir Thomas More, once Lord High Chancellor of England, was publicly executed in 1535 - but the fall of the axe only marked the beginning of the adventures of his severed head. What insight can this bizarre story give us into public shaming culture today? Thanks to William Weingarten for help with researching this episode.
Main Sources:
Mantel, Hilary, Wolf Hall (London: 2009).
Mantel, Hilary, Bring Up the Bodies (London: 2012).
Mantel, Hilary, The Mirror and the Light (London: 2020).
Additional Sources:
Bridgett, T.E., The Life and Writings of...2021-02-2211 minThe Timely HistorianThe Most Heavily Bombed Country on EarthIt's not Japan. It isn't Germany. And it's not Vietnam, either. This is the story of the nation devastated by the so-called 'Secret War' - when it was relentlessly bombarded with 2 million tons of ordnance - and the people who are still living with the consequences today.
Main Source:
Rhodes, Ben, The World As It Is (London: 2018).
Additional Sources:
Becker, Rachel A., Video Clip: Meet the Giant Rats that are Sniffing Out Landmines, National Geographic (7 October 2015). Available at https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/10/151006-giant-rats-landmines-cambodia-science-animals/ [Accessed: 02/20201].
Boland, Rosita, Death from...2021-02-1510 minThe Timely HistorianThe Golem MenaceThe centuries-old tale of a creature moulded from clay and brought to life as an obedient servant and fierce protector - although that isn't how the story ends. What can the golem of Jewish folklore teach us about the ethics of artificial intelligence today? Thanks to William Weingarten for help with researching and fact-checking the information in this episode.
Main Sources:
Wecker, Helene, The Golem and the Djinni (London: 2013).
Der Golem: Wie Er In Die Welt Kam, Directed by Carl Boese and Paul Wegener, Universum Film (1920, Germany).
Additional Sources:
...2021-02-0811 minThe Timely HistorianA Sibling Rivalry for the AgesThe story of the fabulous and forgotten Philippe I, Duke of Orleans - a royal son who was brought up as a daughter, and a complex figure who can teach us plenty about our modern-day understanding of masculinity.
Main Source:
Versailles, Canal+ (2015, France).
Additional Sources:
Harper, J. and von Goeth, A., Louis XIV, the Real Sun King (South Yorkshire: 2018).
Unknown, Philippe de France, Frere Unique de Roi, Party Like 1660. Retrieved from https://partylike1660.com/philippe-de-france-frere-unique-du-roi/ [Accessed: 01/2021].
2021-02-0110 min
The Timely HistorianDoves of Peace and Pigeons of WarThe story of how pesky pigeons helped the Allies to victory in World War II - and why that's relevant to our approach to climate change today.
Main Sources:
Corera, G., Secret Pigeon Service: Operation Columba, Resistance and the Struggle to Liberate Europe (Glasgow: 2018).
Day, J., ‘Operation Columba’, London Review of Books Vol. 41 No. 7 (April 2019).
Additional Sources:
Unknown, Hero Pigeon's WWII Medal on Show, BBC News. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/4600865.stm [Accessed 01/2021].
Unknown, The Pigeon: Britain’s Most M...2021-01-2509 min
ClubNIMBUS - dj NIMBUS PodcastSunday Drive SessionHere's a pretty chill, deep house set. After a rainy, gray Sunday drive from Austin to Houston with my girlfriend, this is the result of a relaxing winter roadtrip. This could be a nice candle lit dinner backdrop or a peaceful drive on a cloudy evening. Enjoy.1. Ananda Project - Glory Glory ( Timewriter's Deep & Reprised Excursion Mix)2. Chubby Dubz - 31 Flavors3. Darque feat Kaylow - Difference ( The Antidote Remix )4. Justin Martin - The Sad Piano ( Charles Webster Remix )5. Pawel - Crillon ( Sistrum Remix )6. Anette Party feat Anita Coke - Moreno7. Version...2011-12-0557 min