Histories Of The Unexpected

In this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis humbly and in full solidarity with the people of Ukraine explored the unexpected History of BRAVERY! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis walk down the garden path of history and through the front door of the past to move into the UNEXPECTED history of HOUSES! Which is all about those Cambridge Regius Professors J.B. Bury and G.R. Elton on the building blocks of history (of course it is - it's about the Houses of History); it's about the discovery of secret rooms in Devon, priest holes, hiding places and Catholicism in Elizabethan England; domestic. architecture and family life (via Frank Lloyd Wright). It is also about the Great Fire of London of 1666; seating arrangements and rules in the House of Lords; and cleanliness and the rise of domesticity. Who knew! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this Homeschooling History episode, the Histories of the Unexpected duo, James and Sam, explore the fascinating history of HELPING OUT. From discussions of charity, philanthropy, the foundation of Barnardo's, the Kindertransport and WWII, and giving and much, much more, James and Sam rampage around history of helping out before settling on the fascinating history of WWI and the Home Front. The episode gives important background on the Defence of the Realm Act (DORA) of 1914, before looking at how people could help out the war effort (including discussions of charities, war bonds and women's work), before dealing with the increased production of munitions. As always, there is a quiz at the end, and a writing task, based on the role of women during the Great War. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis try to breathe new life into the unexpected history of CORPSES! Which is all about the eccentric Cornish landowner Sir James Tillie (1645-1713), who demanded that upon his death his body should be tied to a chair facing the River Tamar in a purpose-built mausoleum at Pentillie Castle (and he was to be fed every day!); Viking corpse doors and mortuary practices related to doors; and superstitions to do with bleeding corpses. It's also all about sixteenth- and seventeenth-century burial practices; exhumation, posthumous execution and corpses on the move (via Oliver Cromwell); Thomas Hood's poem, The Death Bed; body farms and swamp men! Who knew! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis get all romantic with a St Valentine's Day special on the history of gthe colour RED! Which is all about romance and the history of emotions, via Macbeth and blood, early cinema and technicolour, and superstitions about red hair and red thread. It is also about the history of race, ethnography and native American peoples, favourite colours and of course Judas Iscariot. Who knew! It's also of course about the Robert Burn's poem A Red, Red, Rose:O my Luve is like a red, red rose    That’s newly sprung in June; O my Luve is like the melody    That’s sweetly played in tune. So fair art thou, my bonnie lass,    So deep in luve am I; And I will luve thee still, my dear,    Till a’ the seas gang dry. Till a’ the seas gang dry, my dear,    And the rocks melt wi’ the sun; I will love thee still, my dear, &

In this Homeschooling History episode, the Histories of the Unexpected duo, James and Sam, explore the fascinating history of DIVORCE. From discussions of the early history of divorce, the 1857 Matrimonial Causes Act, the scandalous Argyll divorce of the 1960s and much, much more, James and Sam rampage around history of divorce before settling on the fascinating history of Henry VIII, The King's Great Matter, and the Break with Rome. The episode gives important background on Henry' VIII's divorce from Catherine of Aragon, the roles played by Wolsey, Cromwell and Cranmer, before analysing the Reformation Parliament and the break with Rome. As always, there is a quiz at the end, and a writing task, based on Reformation Parliament. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis do more than scratch the surface of the unexpected history of THE FLEA! Which is all about Victorian miniature dressed fleas and Mexican cultural traditions, real life flea circus's, and the English Renaissance poet, John Donne's influence on WWI poetry. It's also all about the movement of disease and the plague! Who knew! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis buzz around and sting you with the unexpected history of BEES! Which is all about medieval beekeeping, bees wax candles and changes in religious practices; as well as the superstitious practice of 'telling the bees', whereby individuals informed the bees of births and deaths in the family to prevent bad luck! It's also all about the usefulness of bees in medieval Muscovy! Who knew! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis taking the winding stair of history to explore the unexpected history of STAIRCASES! Which is all about medieval castles, Victorian houses, the development (absence) and taxonomy of staircases (including spiral stairs), and Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It's also all about the fabulous Tulip Staircase at the Queen's House in Greenwich, Inigo Jones, Queen Anne (or Anna) of Denmark, Henrietta Maria and court politics; the staircase hall at Powderham Castle in Devon (as seen in the Anthony Hopkins film Remains of the Day), heritage and accessibility; as well as staircases in the Forbidden City in Ming China. Who knew! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this Homeschooling History episode, the Histories of the Unexpected duo, James and Sam, explore the fascinating history of REVENGE. From discussions of revenge in the corridors of power at 10 Downing Street to Anglo Saxon Blood Feud, and Mafia Vendettas, James and Sam rampage around history of revenge before settling on the fascinating history of the Wars of the Roses and the Battle of St Albans. The episode gives important background on the causes of the Wars of the Roses, its distinct phases and personalities, before analysing the Battle of St Albans in detail. As always, there is a quiz at the end, and a writing task, based on the Wars of the Roes See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis erupt forth with the unexpected history of VOLCANOES! Which is all about world-changing volcanic eruptions that have shaped human history (like.... the eruption of the Okmok volcano in 43 B.C. which possibly led not only to the fall of the Roman Republic but also to the rise of the Roman Empire); Munch's The Scream; literary depictions (via mary Shelley's Frankenstein) and Victorian disaster narratives. It's also all about the volcanic eruption of Krakatoa in 1883 and the first global media event in history; and it's about archaeological technological developments of recovering decayed human bodies, as well as reconstructing the history of food and drink in ancient Pompeii! Who knew! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis take you all for a long country walk to exercise the unexpected history of DOGS! Which is all about Tudor gifts and Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII and sporting pastimes, and Mary Queen of Scots' lapdog; it's about the 1796 Dog Tax, and the attempt to contain dogs in 1738 in Edinburgh in the face of a rabies outbreak; and also about the history of guide dogs via Herculaneum and Charles Dickens. It's also all about personal histories and memories of beloved childhood pets; monstrous dogs and the Beast of Gévaudan; and Titian and Rembrandt! Woof woof! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis unpack the unexpected history of PYJAMAS! Which is all about festive Christmas family traditions (yes, you've guessed it - matching family Christmas pyjamas), it's about the pre-history of the pyjamas in the sixteenth and seventeenth century, the diary of Samuel Pepys and the Great Fire on London. It's also all about Robert Louis Stevenson and pilots in pyjamas! Who knew! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis uncover the fossilised remains of the past with unexpected history of DINOSAURS! Which in addition to being all about the Tyrannosaurus Rex or T-Rex, the stegosaurus and diplodocus and more is in fact all about Charles Dickens and Bleak House, which contains the brilliant lines: 'would not be wonderful to meet a Megalosaurus, forty feet long or so, waddling like an elephantine lizard up Holborn Hill'. It's all about Natural History Museums, Sir Richard Owen, misbehaving and the invention of the dinosaur. It's about dinosaur eggs, families and upbringing and scientific research into the history of colour, and having dinner in gigantic sculptures of prehistoric beasts! It's also all about literary and cinematic representations, via Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s 1912 classic The Lost World. Who knew! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis wish listeners a HAPPY NEW YEAR with the unexpected history of RESOLUTIONS! Which is all about leafing through old notebooks, spiritual purity and self-improvement, and self-denial; sobriety, John Wesley and English Methodism; it's about power in Tudor England, paranoia, Victorian failure and medieval shoe throwing and jumping beans. It's also all about diplomacy, international agreements and the United Nations. Who knew! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis get all festive ONE MORE TIME and inspired by the Christmas Story offer another Christmas special on the unexpected history of GENEROSITY! Which is all about the history of gift-giving and the change from Christmas being an adult affair, to one being centred on children and the family from the Victorian period onwards; Sam's favourite psychological experiment, the Ultimatum Games, King Henry VI of England, and Roman charity. It's also all about the saving of the lost literary treasures contained in The Honresfield library (which contains precious manuscripts by the Brontës, Austen, Walter Scott and Robert Burns), the collecting of Shakespeare texts by Henry Clay Folger and the foundation of the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington D.C.! Who knew! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis get all festive ONE MORE TIME and inspired by the Christmas Story offer another Christmas special on the unexpected history of WISE MEN! Which is all about Christina Rossetti's 'A Christmas Carol', T.S. Eliot's 'The Journey of the Magi', as well as gestures of deference, Kowtowing in China and nineteenth- and twentieth-century world diplomacy! It's also all about John Dee's mirror, and the stunning 8th-century Franks Casket at the British Museum, and the history of costume! Who knew! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis get all festive ONE MORE TIME and inspired by the Christmas Story offer another Christmas special on the unexpected history of BABIES! Which is all about fictional round robins and David Sedaris, literary depictions of the nativity via John Donne, Christina Rossetti, G.K. Chesterton and John Milton. ! It's also all about the abandonment and persecution of babies, and the material culture of birth and early childhood: from birthing chairs, high chairs and rattles, to portraits and wooden dolls, via wolves teeth and magical amulets! Who knew! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis get all festive again and offer yet another Christmas special on the unexpected history of ELVES! Which is all about Louisa May Alcott, and unpublished novels, Swedish and Danish folklore, and the Yule Goat! It's also all about David Sedaris and working in Macy's Department Store in New York City at Christmas time (including manning the 'Vomit Corner!'), J.R.R. Tolkein, medieval literature and his friendship with C.S. Lewis! Who knew! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis get all festive again and offer another Christmas special on the unexpected history of STARS! Which is all about celestial navigation, walking at night, being guided by the stars, telling the time, and predicting the weather; and a 7th-century Chinese star chart and political power in Ancient China! It's also all about the history of Star Wars and the death star, and the symbolism of stars! Oh yes, and it's all about the Christmas nativity and the Star of Bethlehem! Who knew! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.