History

Marie Antoinette by Antonia Fraser Released 13th August 2009, running time 6 hours 30 minutes

A new exhibition at the V&A (opening on 20th September) is dedicated to the style of Marie Antoinette, a queen who was a complex fashion icon. Her timeless appeal is defined by her youth, style and notoriety. We share the defining history of this ‘most fashionable queen in history’ by her prestigious biographer Lady Antonia Fraser.

History

Historic Royal Palaces Podcast George III’s Great Pagoda in Kew Gardens

George III’s Great Pagoda in Kew Gardens is the tallest building Historical Royal Palaces looks after. With its Chinese inspired design and fierce dragons, it is an eye-catching example of the Georgian fascination with architecture from around the world.

History

The Alnwick Castle Podcast 83- The Stolen Crown – with Tracy Borman

The Alnwick podcast team welcome back historian, broadcaster and Chief Historian of Historic Royal Palaces and Chief Executive of the Heritage Education Trust, to talk about her new book The Stolen Crown: Treachery, Deceit and the Death of the Tudor Dynasty.

Inspired by new discoveries made at the British Library, Tracy tells us about the succession crisis in the reign of Elizabeth I, and how the transition from the Tudors to the Stuarts was not as straightforward as previously thought.

History

Dan Snow’s History Hit The Surrender of Japan

On the morning of 15th August 1945, Emperor Hirohito’s voice cracked over the airwaves to announce the unthinkable – the surrender of Japan.

Dan Snow delves into the complex story behind that surrender, examining Japan’s fierce military code, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Soviet invasion of Manchuria.

Dan is joined by Dr Evan Mawdsley, historian of the Second World War, to look more deeply into the final days of the Pacific War and explore what might have happened if Japan had not surrendered.

History

The History Podcast – BBC The Second Map (trailer)

We may know about Pearl Harbor and the ending of war against Japan, with the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But in popular memory what happened in between is less well-known.

Marking the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, we hear of how defeat turned to victory; through remarkable testimonies from British, Indian and Japanese soldiers who were there, along with former prisoners of war and civilian internees.

In addition, the team talk to descendants across Britain who are uncovering family members’ stories of heroism, imprisonment and survival.

History

Searching for Heroes with Benjamin Hall A Veteran Reflects: 50 Years since the End of the Vietnam War

30th April marked 50 years since the end of the Vietnam War. Vietnam wasn’t always honoured and respected as it is now. Veterans returning to American soil in the 1970s were not always welcomed as heroes – in fact often the contrary.

Now, half a century later, Vietnam veteran Jim Dickson and the Atlanta Vietnam Veterans Business Association are working to set the record straight.

History

Subject to Change – Russell Hogg The Curse of a King – with Christopher de Bellaigue

Writer Russell Hogg has spoken in the past with author Christopher de Bellaigue about his previous book, The Lion House, which was part one of a trilogy on the life of Suleiman the Magnificent. In this new podcast, he is back to talk about part two, The Golden Throne: The Curse of a King.

From the intricate power dynamics of the Ottoman court to bloody naval battles in the Mediterranean, The Golden Throne recreates the world of Suleiman the Magnificent at the height of his reign. We discover an empire where Christian slaves could rise to the highest positions of power, where the harem functioned as a complex political institution, and where eunuchs served as crucial information brokers between the male and female spheres of governance.

History

IAIN DALE ALL TALK EPISODE 299: HANNAH LEWIS

Today, on Holocaust Memorial Day, and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, LBC’s Iain Dale interviews Holocaust survivor Hannah Lewis, who as a child was forcibly marched to a labour camp in a village called Adampol, where she witnessed her mother being shot dead by a Nazi death squad. Of her extended family, only Hannah and her father would survive the war.