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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:

Cousins! Oct 05, 2021

Show notes

In this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis uncover the unexpected history of COUSINS! Which is all about Samuel Pepys, money-lending and pomposity, prohibited marriages, Lydia and Samuel DuGard and seventeenth-century love! Who knew!

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

Gin! Sep 27, 2021

Show notes

In this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis uncover the unexpected history of GIN! Which is all about dutch courage, crime in the eighteenth century, addictive architecture, liquid poison, female drinkers and of course William Hogarth! Who knew!

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

Embarrassment! Sep 20, 2021

Show notes

In this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis uncover the unexpected history of EMBARRASSMENT! Which is all about the science of blushing, Charles Darwin, politeness and cultural taboos, social humiliation, Nazi Germany and cultures of shaming! Who knew!

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

Chaos! Sep 18, 2021

Show notes

In this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis uncover the unexpected history of CHAOS! Which is all about Lady Jane Grey and Mary I, the Cultural Revolution in China, the science of unpredictability, the withdrawal from Afghanistan, lawless hours and days, social anarchy and Lords of Misrule! Who knew!

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

Trust! Sep 17, 2021

Show notes

In this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis uncover the unexpected history of TRUST! Which is all about seventeenth-century Dutch merchants, atrocities against First Nations, Inuit and Métis children in Canada, the Stolen Generations in Australia and the extension of credit and trade networks! Who knew!

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

Switches Sep 10, 2021

Show notes

In this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis uncover the unexpected history of SWITCHES! Which is all about cheating death, switching on Christmas lights and the history of celebrity, and the nuclear button via WW2 and the Cuban Missile Crisis! Who knew!

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

Sheds Sep 03, 2021

Show notes

In this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis uncover the unexpected history of SHEDS! Which is all about the Grade II listed Devon-based writing hut of Henry Williamson (he of Tarka the Otter fame), Roald Dahl, Dylan Thomas, J.K. Rowling, Mark Twain, George Bernard Shaw, the American naturalist and philosopher, Henry David Thoreau and Walden Pond. It's also all about boys toys, men's sheds, a room of his own, and men's sheds or community sheds in modern-day Australia! Who knew!

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

Distance! Sep 01, 2021

Show notes

In this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis uncover the unexpected history of DISTANCE! Which is all about Renaissance letter-writing, the Kentish knight, politician and antiquary Sir Edward Dering and his third wife Lady Unton Dering, Roman Vindolanda, Puritans in New England, loneliness and isolation, the Atlantic, communication and postal systems, medieval villages and the history of mountains. Who knew!

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

The Bottom Jul 23, 2021

Show notes

In this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis uncover the unexpected history of THE BOTTOM! Which is all about fashion and femininity and masculinity, political protest, cycling technology, the Reformation, political protest and the invention of comfort! Who knew!

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

Puppies! Jul 17, 2021

Show notes

In this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis uncover the unexpected history of PUPPIES! Which is all about family blackmail, breeding and the Victorian quest for pedigree perfection, Renaissance portraits, the rise of the pet, theft and poverty! Who knew!

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

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