History is full of the extraordinary. Each week, we'll transport you back in time to witness history's most incredible moments and remarkable people. New episodes Mondays, or a week early for Noiser+ subscribers. With Noiser+ you'll also get ad-free listening and exclusive content on shows across the Noiser podcast network. Click the subscription banner at the top of the feed to get started or head to noiser.com/subscriptions A Short History of Ancient Rome - the debut book from the Noiser Network is out now! Discover the epic rise and fall of Rome like never before. Pick up your copy...
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Sep 27, 2026 · 53:50
The English Civil Wars are among the most traumatic and consequential events in British history. What began as a struggle between Crown and Parliament over power, money and…
Sep 20, 2026 · 56:09
The so-called Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 was the first mass popular uprising in England. A true people’s revolution, it involved not just peasants but also tradesmen, merchants,…
Sep 13, 2026 · 50:38
The Empire State Building is one of the most recognisable structures in the world, an iconic component of New York City’s skyline. Even for those who have never visited, the…
Sep 6, 2026 · 59:09
On the morning of September 11th, 2001, terrorists from the Islamic extremist group Al Qaeda hijacked four commercial aircraft in a coordinated attack against targets in the…
Sep 2, 2026 · 46:52
This is a preview of a brand-new audiobook from the Noiser Podcast Network. Join Dame Julie Andrews as she reads another beloved Austen classic, Emma, on the Jane Austen Stories…
Aug 30, 2026 · 54:43
Nina Simone was not only renowned for her powerful, groundbreaking music; she also became an icon of the civil rights movement at a crucial point in its evolution. And while she…
Aug 23, 2026 · 54:01
Isambard Kingdom Brunel is remembered as one of the greatest engineers of the nineteenth century. Working on a dizzying array of infrastructure projects, he pushed the boundaries…
Aug 16, 2026 · 51:37
With his expressive face and gravity-defying moustache, Salvador Dalí is one of the most recognisable – and influential – artists of the 20th century. Famed for his paintings of…
Aug 9, 2026 · 51:15
Nellie Bly was one of the most famous journalists on earth, a trailblazer who forged a unique path through an industry in which few women had ever worked. Challenging powerful…
Aug 2, 2026 · 49:48
Ned Kelly, the leader of the infamous Kelly gang, has been described as Australia's only truly national hero. During a short but intense crime spree at the end of the 1870s, he…
Jul 26, 2026 · 55:15
It was once one of the great unsolved problems of the early modern world: the calculation of exactly how far east or west a given point was on the surface of the Earth. Longitude…
Jul 19, 2026 · 53:52
In April 1916, a small group of poorly-armed Irish radicals made a stand against the British Army, in a bid for independence for their homeland. Over six days during Easter week,…
Jul 12, 2026 · 52:45
In 1986, seven astronauts boarded Space Shuttle Challenger for what was meant to be a routine tenth flight of the orbiter. Seventy-three seconds after lift-off, the shuttle broke…
Jul 5, 2026 · 50:18
The Brink’s-Mat robbery was one of the largest thefts in British history. The discovery of the record-breaking haul in a west London warehouse in 1983 set off a chain of events…
Jul 3, 2026 · 57:47
The founding of the United States on July 4th, 1776, changed the world, and inspired other colonies to control their own destinies. The men responsible for writing and signing…
Jun 28, 2026 · 51:33
In August 2005, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in the Gulf of Mexico barrelled toward the United States. When Hurricane Katrina finally struck land, it devastated…
Jun 21, 2026 · 52:51
Ronnie and Reggie Kray were a vicious pair of gangsters who somehow cultivated an air of charm and 60s cool. They were criminals who attracted celebrities like Jackie Collins and…
Jun 16, 2026 · 59:54
This is a preview of a brand-new show from the Noiser Podcast Network. Hosted by Clarke Peters (The Wire, The Boroughs), 'Founding Fathers: An American Dream' tells the epic…
Jun 14, 2026 · 50:13
By the mid-1970s, many young British people felt locked out of life. The country was struggling, the future uncertain, and for a generation coming of age, there was a growing…
Jun 7, 2026 · 54:41
Co-inventor of the Aqua-Lung, Captain Jacques Cousteau opened the ocean to the public like no one before. An explorer, filmmaker and environmentalist, he led groundbreaking…
May 31, 2026 · 51:39
Charlemagne remains one of the towering figures of European history. He created for himself a vast territory that covered most of modern-day France and Germany, encompassing the…
May 24, 2026 · 55:05
In the early nineteenth century, engineers discovered that steam power and iron rails could be combined to move people and goods faster than any horse or ox could. Within a few…
May 17, 2026 · 57:30
The first and only successful uprising of enslaved people to establish a nation-state, the Haitian Revolution began in the French colony of Saint-Domingue in 1791. Inspired, in…
May 10, 2026 · 53:26
In the early years of the twentieth century, long before James Bond stepped onto the page, one man was at work as a new kind of spy. He crossed borders as easily as he changed…
May 3, 2026 · 54:07
The story of Franco’s rise to power and the painful, repressive regime he oversaw is fundamentally interlinked with that of the Spanish Civil War. A brutal three-year conflict…
Apr 26, 2026 · 54:09
Sir Francis Drake is most famous for his role in defeating the Armada of 1588 and saving England from a Spanish invasion. By that point in his life, he was already a wealthy and…
Apr 19, 2026 · 54:31
The American singer-songwriter and musician Bob Dylan is one of the most important recording artists on the planet. A cultural icon, his work has had a profound influence on…
Apr 12, 2026 · 59:07
In the decades since the United States declared their independence from Britain, the question of slavery had become increasingly divisive. As the nation expanded, fragile…
Apr 5, 2026 · 58:24
The American Civil War started with a single, explosive question: could a nation built on slavery survive without it? Several Southern states chose to protect the institution…
Mar 29, 2026 · 55:43
In 1914, Europe was dominated by four great empires — the British, the French, the Russian, and the vast, uneasy realm of Austria-Hungary, stretching from the Alps to the…
Mar 23, 2026 · 54:52
One of the most famous writers of the 20th century, C. S. Lewis was a scholar of medieval literature, an influential Christian thinker and a supremely gifted storyteller. A…
Mar 18, 2026 · 54:18
This is a preview of a brand-new show from the Noiser podcast network. Hosted by Iain Glen (Game of Thrones, Silo), Real Vikings takes you on a deep dive into the Viking age.…
Mar 16, 2026 · 56:34
At the dawn of the twentieth century, a writer emerged who learned his craft not in a classroom, but in battlefields, bullrings, and bars. To some, Ernest Hemingway was the…
Mar 9, 2026 · 57:23
Although the Middle Ages were an undeniably turbulent period in the history of Europe, characterised in part by endemic violence, hardship and inequality, the latter half of the…
Mar 2, 2026 · 58:10
The period known as the Middle Ages was defined by more than knights and warfare. It began centuries before the First Crusade was called, in the confusion that followed the end…
Feb 23, 2026 · 57:32
From the deserts of Central Asia to the gates of ancient China, from the bazaars of Persia to the harbours of the Mediterranean, the Silk Roads were never just one route. A…
Feb 16, 2026 · 56:47
The sinking of the General Belgrano on May 2nd 1982 by a British submarine was one of the most controversial events of the Falklands War. The strike resulted in the deaths of 323…
Feb 9, 2026 · 54:24
For hundreds of years, Rwanda’s Hutu and Tutsi groups had lived in relative harmony. But the arrival of European colonists enforced and exaggerated the differences between them,…
Feb 2, 2026 · 57:22
A Short History of Ancient Rome - the debut book from the Noiser Network is out now! Discover the epic rise and fall of Rome like never before. Pick up your copy now at your…
Jan 26, 2026 · 55:38
The Māori have had a presence in New Zealand for at least 800 years. For much of that time, they lived in imperfect harmony with the natural environment, developing a social and…
Jan 19, 2026 · 57:38
A Short History of Ancient Rome - the debut book from the Noiser Network is out now! Discover the epic rise and fall of Rome like never before. Pick up your copy now at your…
Jan 12, 2026 · 53:11
A Short History of Ancient Rome - the debut book from the Noiser Network is out now! Discover the epic rise and fall of Rome like never before. Pick up your copy now at your…
Jan 5, 2026 · 53:51
A Short History of Ancient Rome - the debut book from the Noiser Network is out now! Discover the epic rise and fall of Rome like never before. Pick up your copy now at your…
Dec 29, 2025 · 52:00
Short History Of... is taking a short break over the Christmas period. New episodes will continue from the 29th of December. Until then, we hope you enjoy this repeat episode!…
Dec 22, 2025 · 46:53
Short History Of... is taking a short break over the Christmas period. New episodes will continue from the 5th of January. Until then, we hope you enjoy this repeat episode!…
Dec 15, 2025 · 57:52
A Short History of Ancient Rome - the debut book from the Noiser Network is out now! Discover the epic rise and fall of Rome like never before. Pick up your copy now at your…
Dec 11, 2025 · 48:22
This is a preview of a brand-new audiobook from the Noiser Podcast Network. Join Sir David Suchet as he reads a selection of Charles Dickens’s most chilling short works, brought…
Dec 8, 2025 · 53:52
A Short History of Ancient Rome - the debut book from the Noiser Network is out now! Discover the epic rise and fall of Rome like never before. Pick up your copy now at your…
Dec 1, 2025 · 52:11
A Short History of Ancient Rome - the debut book from the Noiser Network is out now! Discover the epic rise and fall of Rome like never before. Pick up your copy now at your…
Nov 24, 2025 · 54:06
A Short History of Ancient Rome - the debut book from the Noiser Network is out now! Discover the epic rise and fall of Rome like never before. Pick up your copy now at your…
Nov 17, 2025 · 56:06
A Short History of Ancient Rome - the debut book from the Noiser Network is out now! Discover the epic rise and fall of Rome like never before. Pick up your copy now at your…
Nov 13, 2025 · 36:50
Exciting news, the Noiser Podcast Network has released a new book. It's called A Short History of Ancient Rome. The book is everything you love about the podcast, but a deeper…
Nov 10, 2025 · 52:52
A Short History of Ancient Rome - the debut book from the Noiser Network is out now! Discover the epic rise and fall of Rome like never before. Pick up your copy now at your…
Nov 3, 2025 · 1:01:28
A Short History of Ancient Rome - the debut book from the Noiser Network is out now! Discover the epic rise and fall of Rome like never before. Pick up your copy now at your…
Oct 27, 2025 · 51:57
For five days in early December 1952, a smog descended upon London that brought chaos to the city. By its end, it had claimed the lives of thousands, and seriously impacted the…
Oct 19, 2025 · 57:50
For decades after the Second World War, the Soviet Union and the United States of America were locked in a conflict of ideology that took the planet to the brink of catastrophe.…
Oct 12, 2025 · 54:25
The London Underground – often known simply as the Tube – is central to the city’s global identity. A pioneering feat of engineering at the time of its construction in the 19th…
Oct 5, 2025 · 54:45
The White House, at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., is perhaps the most recognisable home in the world. Built soon after the Americans won their independence from…
Oct 2, 2025 · 42:30
This is a preview of a brand-new audiobook from the Noiser Podcast Network. Join Dame Julie Andrews as she reads Jane Austen’s most famous novel, Pride and Prejudice. Step into a…
Sep 28, 2025 · 55:45
The Victorian era transformed Britain into the world’s foremost industrial and imperial power. The rise of factories saw the expansion of sprawling cities, inhabited by a working…
Sep 21, 2025 · 55:35
Over the course of Queen Victoria’s reign, Britain transformed into the world's foremost industrial and imperial power. The Victorians built railways that spanned continents,…
Sep 14, 2025 · 57:32
During World War II, a country house in Buckinghamshire hosted some of the UK’s top minds as they worked to crack enemy communications, most famously the German Enigma cipher. It…
Sep 7, 2025 · 56:03
Best known for his books Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell earned a reputation as chronicler and prophet of modern society. Plagued by illness, he exposed…
Aug 31, 2025 · 52:20
Following the Norman Conquest at the Battle of Hastings, Norman culture transformed the country, as William I governed through force and bureaucracy. One of his lasting legacies…
Aug 24, 2025 · 52:34
Rarely out of the papers during their lifetimes, and still figures of fascination in modern media, the six Mitford sisters have become notorious. From a shared, if eccentric…
Aug 17, 2025 · 54:13
Pre-order our new book: Short History of Ancient Rome Revered as a heroine, and mythologised as ‘the Lady with the Lamp’, Florence Nightingale has gone down in history as the…
Aug 10, 2025 · 56:33
In May 1945, the Second World War ended in Europe, but Japan refused to surrender - despite seemingly facing inevitable defeat. So, confronted by the prospect of drawn-out and…
Aug 3, 2025 · 54:43
The last Queen of France before the French Revolution, Marie Antoinette is best known today for her extravagant lifestyle and controversial legacy. Initially admired for her…
Jul 27, 2025 · 56:42
The Stone Age is the foundational period of human history, stretching from roughly 3 million to 5,000 years ago, and accounting for over 99% of humanity’s time on earth. It’s the…
Jul 20, 2025 · 55:45
Through his voyages in the eighteenth century, Captain Cook’s work as an explorer contributed to startling advances in scientific knowledge, and mapped swathes of unplotted…
Jul 13, 2025 · 56:36
Over 400 years ago, a bold commercial venture was established to allow an ambitious group of English merchants to send ships halfway around the world in search of spices, skills,…
Jul 6, 2025 · 55:07
The Shroud of Turin is a length of linen, believed by many to be the burial cloth of Jesus of Nazareth. Its most famous feature is the blurry imprint of a man’s face, which…
Jun 29, 2025 · 58:45
Arthur Conan Doyle, a doctor, war volunteer, campaigner for justice, politician, and believer in the spirit world, created one of literature’s most famous characters. In his…
Jun 25, 2025 · 1:04:55
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,…
Jun 22, 2025 · 56:52
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…
Jun 15, 2025 · 1:01:21
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 -…
Jun 8, 2025 · 58:24
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…
Jun 1, 2025 · 53:34
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…
May 25, 2025 · 58:04
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…
May 20, 2025 · 42:08
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…
May 18, 2025 · 1:01:47
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…
May 11, 2025 · 1:03:15
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…
May 4, 2025 · 55:50
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.…
Apr 27, 2025 · 58:58
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…
Apr 20, 2025 · 56:00
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…
Apr 13, 2025 · 1:01:07
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…
Apr 8, 2025 · 51:44
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…
Apr 6, 2025 · 1:00:51
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,…
Mar 30, 2025 · 1:02:57
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,…
Mar 24, 2025 · 51:43
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…
Mar 17, 2025 · 57:15
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,…
Mar 10, 2025 · 55:41
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…
Mar 3, 2025 · 1:02:22
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…
Feb 24, 2025 · 59:12
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…
Feb 17, 2025 · 58:37
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.…
Feb 10, 2025 · 55:42
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…
Feb 3, 2025 · 57:15
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…
Jan 27, 2025 · 57:06
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…
Jan 20, 2025 · 57:05
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…
Jan 13, 2025 · 54:58
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…
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