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Histories of the Unexpected — History
Histories of the Unexpected

Histories of the Unexpected explores the past in ways that you never dreamt possible. Surely there’s nothing unexpected about the past? About History? Aha, well Histories of the Unexpected adopts a new approach to exploring our past. Gone is the traditional linear plotting of battles, monarchs and political movements. Histories of the Unexpected argues that everything has a history, even the most unexpected of subjects. Like SLIME. Or COURAGE. or APPLAUSE…. Presented by Dr Sam Willis and Professor James Daybell.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Latest Episodes:

VOLCANOES! Jan 28, 2022

Show notes

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!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

DOGS! Jan 27, 2022

Show notes

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!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PYJAMAS! Jan 22, 2022

Show notes

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!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

DINOSAURS! Jan 21, 2022

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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!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

RESOLUTIONS! Jan 20, 2022

Show notes

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!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

GENEROSITY! Dec 24, 2021

Show notes

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!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

WISE MEN! Dec 22, 2021

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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!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

BABIES! Dec 18, 2021

Show notes

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!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ELVES! Dec 15, 2021

Show notes

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!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

STARS! Dec 15, 2021

Show notes

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!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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