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Short History Of… — History
Short History Of…

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 now at your local bookstore or visit ⁠⁠noiser.com/books⁠⁠ to learn more.

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No part of this podcast may be used or reproduced in any manner for the purpose of training artificial intelligence technologies or systems. In accordance with Article 4(3) of the DSM Directive 2019/790, Noiser Ltd expressly reserves this work from the text and data mining exception.

Latest Episodes:

The English Civil Wars, Part 1 of 2 Sep 27, 2026

Show notes

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 religion tore England, Ireland and Scotland apart, leading many to refer to the period as the Wars of Three Kingdoms. It was a conflict bitter enough to split communities, turn neighbour against neighbour, and tear families to shreds. By the time it is over, thousands are dead and the victors have exacted a revenge so shocking that many fear they have insulted God himself.

But what disagreements triggered the political crisis that eventually collapsed into open war? How did Charles’ leadership fan the flames of rebellion? And once England goes to war with itself, who will dominate in the struggle to shape the country’s future?

This is a Short History Of The English Civil Wars, Part 1 of 2.

A Noiser podcast production. Hosted by John Hopkins. With thanks to Mark Stoyle, Professor of History at the University of Southampton, who specialises in the English Civil War.

Written by Sean Coleman | Produced by Kate Simants | Production Assistant: Chris McDonald | Exec produced by Katrina Hughes | Sound supervisor: Matt Peaty | Sound design by Oliver Sanders | Assembly edit by Dorry Macaulay | Compositions by Oliver Baines, Dorry Macaulay, Tom Pink | Mix & mastering: Cody Reynolds-Shaw

Unlock the next two episodes of Short History Of… right now by subscribing to Noiser+. You’ll also get ad-free listening and early access to shows across the Noiser podcast network, including Real Survival Stories and Sherlock Holmes Short Stories. Just click the subscription banner at the top of the feed, or head to www.noiser.com/subscriptions to get started.

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The Peasants’ Revolt Sep 20, 2026

Show notes

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, artisans, priests, village leaders — an emerging middle-class from the countryside. Their demands were radical; an overhaul of a centuries-old system of power held by aristocrats and the church, and the end of the exploitation of the masses by the elites. By the time it was over, a small, disparate band of disillusioned common people had swollen into an army of tens of thousands, forcing the king himself to listen.

How did a village ruckus explode into a national crisis? Who were the rebels willing to die for a cause? And who clung onto power after London fell into anarchy?

This is a Short History Of The Peasants’ Revolt.

A Noiser podcast production. Hosted by John Hopkins. With thanks to Juliet Barker, a medieval historian and author of the book England, Arise.

Written by Jo Furniss | Produced by Kate Simants | Production Assistant: Chris McDonald | Exec produced by Katrina Hughes | Sound supervisor: Matt Peaty | Sound design by Oliver Sanders | Assembly edit by Dorry Macaulay | Compositions by Oliver Baines, Dorry Macaulay, Tom Pink | Mix & mastering: Cody Reynolds-Shaw | Fact check: Sean Coleman

Unlock the next two episodes of Short History Of… right now by subscribing to Noiser+. You’ll also get ad-free listening and early access to shows across the Noiser podcast network, including Real Survival Stories and Sherlock Holmes Short Stories. Just click the subscription banner at the top of the feed, or head to www.noiser.com/subscriptions to get started.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Empire State Building Sep 13, 2026

Show notes

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 building is internationally famous thanks to its starring role in a litany of blockbuster films. For decades, it was the tallest building in the world, a title much coveted by American businessmen and architects in the early decades of the previous century.

Who was behind this impressive feat of architecture and engineering? How did it become an American cultural icon? And what unexpected events have occurred there in its nearly 100-year lifespan?

This is a Short History Of The Empire State Building.

A Noiser podcast production. Hosted by John Hopkins. With thanks to Anthony W. Robins, founding member and Vice-President Emeritus of the Art Deco Society of New York, as well as formerly Director of Survey at New York City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission, where he wrote the official Commission report on the Empire State Building. He is also the author of New York Art Deco: A Guide to Gotham's Jazz Age Architecture.

Written by Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow | Produced by Kate Simants | Production Assistant: Chris McDonald | Exec produced by Katrina Hughes | Sound supervisor: Matt Peaty | Sound design by Oliver Sanders | Assembly edit by Dorry Macaulay | Compositions by Oliver Baines, Dorry Macaulay, Tom Pink | Mix & mastering: Cody Reynolds-Shaw | Fact check: Sean Coleman

Unlock the next two episodes of Short History Of… right now by subscribing to Noiser+. You’ll also get ad-free listening and early access to shows across the Noiser podcast network, including Real Survival Stories and Sherlock Holmes Short Stories. Just click the subscription banner at the top of the feed, or head to www.noiser.com/subscriptions to get started.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

9/11 Sep 06, 2026

Show notes

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 United States. Two planes were intentionally crashed in New York City. A third hit the government’s military and defence headquarters at the Pentagon. The fourth jet plummeted into a field when passengers fought back against hijackers and prevented it from reaching a target in Washington. The atrocity, which became widely known as 9/11, saw almost 3,000 people from 93 different countries lose their lives.

Why did Al Qaeda target the United States? How did they devise a plan to use aircraft as weapons? And why did it take almost a decade to hunt down the terrorist mastermind, Osama bin Laden?

This is a Short History Of 9/11.

A Noiser podcast production. Hosted by John Hopkins. With thanks to Garrett Graff, historian and author of The Only Plane in the Sky, an Oral History of 9/11.

Written by Jo Furniss | Produced by Kate Simants | Production Assistant: Chris McDonald | Exec produced by Katrina Hughes | Sound supervisor: Matt Peaty | Sound design by Mirianna Pitman-Latham | Assembly edit by Dorry Macaulay | Compositions by Oliver Baines, Dorry Macaulay, Tom Pink | Mix & mastering: Cody Reynolds-Shaw | Fact check: Sean Coleman

Unlock the next two episodes of Short History Of… right now by subscribing to Noiser+. You’ll also get ad-free listening and early access to shows across the Noiser podcast network, including Real Survival Stories and Sherlock Holmes Short Stories. Just click the subscription banner at the top of the feed, or head to www.noiser.com/subscriptions to get started.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Introducing Jane Austen Stories: Emma Sep 02, 2026

Show notes

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 podcast.

Step into the village of Highbury, home to the handsome and clever Emma Woodhouse.

As new visitors arrive and quiet mysteries unfold, what will our heroine learn both of the secrets of others and of her own heart's desires?

For more episodes, search for Jane Austen Stories in your podcast app and hit follow, or head to www.noiser.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nina Simone Aug 30, 2026

Show notes

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 lived with the spotlight of fame trained firmly upon her, she struggled to keep her tempestuous personal life out of the public eye.

How did she use her bountiful talent to become a champion of political causes? Why did she ultimately spend so much of her life in self-imposed exile? And how much did private struggle impact her role as a public figure and her personal search for happiness?

This is a Short History Of Nina Simone.

A Noiser podcast production. Hosted by John Hopkins. With thanks to Alan Light, a music journalist and author of the biography What Happened, Miss Simone?

Written by Dan Smith | Produced by Kate Simants | Production Assistant: Chris McDonald | Exec produced by Katrina Hughes | Sound supervisor: Matt Peaty | Sound design by Oliver Sanders | Assembly edit by Dorry Macaulay | Compositions by Oliver Baines, Dorry Macaulay, Tom Pink | Mix & mastering: Cody Reynolds-Shaw | Fact check: Sean Coleman

Unlock the next two episodes of Short History Of… right now by subscribing to Noiser+. You’ll also get ad-free listening and early access to shows across the Noiser podcast network, including Real Survival Stories and Sherlock Holmes Short Stories. Just click the subscription banner at the top of the feed, or head to www.noiser.com/subscriptions to get started.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Isambard Kingdom Brunel Aug 23, 2026

Show notes

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 of what was considered technologically possible, and drove forward Britain's industrial revolution.

What inspired Brunel to become such a multi-talented engineer? What was the secret of his incredible work ethic? And does he deserve his reputation as one of the most significant figures in Britain's industrial history?

This is a Short History Of Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

A Noiser podcast production. Hosted by John Hopkins. With thanks to Tim Bryan, historian and author of Iron, Stone and Steam: Brunel's Railway Empire.

Written by Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow | Produced by Kate Simants | Production Assistant: Chris McDonald | Exec produced by Katrina Hughes | Sound supervisor: Matt Peaty | Sound design by Oliver Sanders | Assembly edit by Dorry Macaulay | Compositions by Oliver Baines, Dorry Macaulay, Tom Pink | Mix & mastering: Cody Reynolds-Shaw | Fact check: Sean Coleman

Unlock the next two episodes of Short History Of… right now by subscribing to Noiser+. You’ll also get ad-free listening and early access to shows across the Noiser podcast network, including Real Survival Stories and Sherlock Holmes Short Stories. Just click the subscription banner at the top of the feed, or head to www.noiser.com/subscriptions to get started.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Salvador Dalí Aug 16, 2026

Show notes

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 melting clocks and his lobster telephone, Dalí also cultivated a larger-than-life character for himself to play, using fashion and performance to blur the boundaries between art and reality. But alongside the deliberately provocative persona lurked a fascination with fascism and a sometimes-violent temper.

So what can we be sure of about the life of an artist who loved to self-mythologise? And how did he become the best known of the surrealists, creating images that far outlasted his own lifetime?

This is a Short History Of Salvador Dalí.

A Noiser podcast production. Hosted by John Hopkins. With thanks to Dr Elliott H King, a professor of art history at Washington and Lee University in Virginia, who has studied the life of Salvador Dalí for more than two decades.

Written by Nicola Rayner | Produced by Kate Simants | Production Assistant: Chris McDonald | Exec produced by Katrina Hughes | Sound supervisor: Matt Peaty | Sound design by Mirianna Pitman-Latham and George Tapp | Assembly edit by Dorry Macaulay | Compositions by Oliver Baines, Dorry Macaulay, Tom Pink | Mix & mastering: Cody Reynolds-Shaw | Fact check: Sean Coleman

Unlock the next two episodes of Short History Of… right now by subscribing to Noiser+. You’ll also get ad-free listening and early access to shows across the Noiser podcast network, including Real Survival Stories and Sherlock Holmes Short Stories. Just click the subscription banner at the top of the feed, or head to www.noiser.com/subscriptions to get started.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nellie Bly Aug 09, 2026

Show notes

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 institutions and exposing hidden injustice, she chased danger across continents, shocking readers with the places she was willing to go in pursuit of a story.

But how did an ordinary young woman convince major editors to give her a chance to become a pioneer in journalism? What drove her to fake insanity in order to expose abuse inside a New York asylum? And how did she help change not just journalism, but the way women could move through the modern world?

This is a Short History Of Nellie Bly.

A Noiser podcast production. Hosted by John Hopkins. With thanks to Brooke Kroeger, journalist and author of Nellie Bly: Daredevil, Reporter, Feminist.

Written by Lizzie Enfield | Produced by Kate Simants | Production Assistant: Chris McDonald | Exec produced by Katrina Hughes | Sound supervisor: Matt Peaty | Sound design by Mirianna Pitman-Latham | Assembly edit by Dorry Macaulay | Compositions by Oliver Baines, Dorry Macaulay, Tom Pink | Mix & mastering: Cody Reynolds-Shaw | Fact check: Sean Coleman

Unlock the next two episodes of Short History Of… right now by subscribing to Noiser+. You’ll also get ad-free listening and early access to shows across the Noiser podcast network, including Real Survival Stories and Sherlock Holmes Short Stories. Just click the subscription banner at the top of the feed, or head to www.noiser.com/subscriptions to get started.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ned Kelly Aug 02, 2026

Show notes

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 led a gang of notorious outlaws who rampaged through the Australian bush, robbing banks and stealing horses as they evaded capture for more than two years.

For some, Kelly embodies a certain rugged, masculine Australian spirit - a heroic anti-establishment figure, standing up for poor farmers against the corruptions of the government and powerful landowners. Yet to the Victorian police who hunted him, he was nothing more than a thief and murderer.

So what put Ned Kelly on a collision course with the law? Was he a brave rebel, or a cold-blooded criminal? And how did the Australia he grew up in determine the course of his life – and the legend that formed after his death?

This is a Short History Of Ned Kelly.

A Noiser podcast production. Hosted by John Hopkins. With thanks to Professor Graham Seal, an expert on Australian folklore and the author of 'Tell em I Died Game': The Legend of Ned Kelly.

Written by Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow | Produced by Kate Simants | Production Assistant: Chris McDonald | Exec produced by Katrina Hughes | Sound supervisor: Tom Pink | Sound design by Mirianna Pitman-Latham and Matthew Peaty | Assembly edit by Dorry Macaulay | Compositions by Oliver Baines, Dorry Macaulay, Tom Pink | Mix & mastering: Cody Reynolds-Shaw | Fact check: Sean Coleman

Unlock the next two episodes of Short History Of… right now by subscribing to Noiser+. You’ll also get ad-free listening and early access to shows across the Noiser podcast network, including Real Survival Stories and Sherlock Holmes Short Stories. Just click the subscription banner at the top of the feed, or head to www.noiser.com/subscriptions to get started.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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