We Didn't Start the Fire: The History Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Lawrence of Arabia Oct 23, 2022

Show notes

It’s the greatest film of all time… Or is it? Lawrence of Arabia is a 1962 EPIC historical drama based on the life of T. E. Lawrence. It’s a tale full of familiar faces like Omar Sharif, David Lean and Peter O’Toole, and it impacted generations of film making. But how accurate is it? And how does it measure up to modern eyes? Our friend and film critic Helen O’Hara is back to talk us through it all!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bay of Pigs Invasion Oct 16, 2022

Show notes

In 1961, an attack is launched on the Bay of Pigs in Cuba in an attempt to weaken Castro’s Revolution. But, the attack is a huge failure and it's shrouded in scandal and conspiracy. We have SO many questions - was the CIA actually behind it all? How did it all go so wrong? How did it lead to an escalation of the Cold War? Luckily Dr Stephen Wilkinson is back to help us sort through the weeds!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Berlin Oct 09, 2022

Show notes

What would you do if you fell in love, but borders stopped you from being together? For some couples in East Berlin, the only options were to break up, end up in jail, be killed...or escape. In this episode we meet a mustachioed young East German, the American woman he falls in love with, and the stranger who helps them orchestrate an escape. It's a story full of heart, bravery, and far too many close calls. It's like something out of a spy movie, and we're so honoured they joined us to talk us through this daring escape, why they planned it, and how it all played out. If you'd like to watch a short documentary about the escape, head to againstthewallmovie.com. And a huge thank you to our listener, Kurt, for suggesting these guests!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(Bob) Dylan Oct 02, 2022

Show notes

Tom and Katie aren't quite sure what to think about Dylan. To be honest, they kind of prefer Dylan covers... He's a weird guy. But he's an icon of Billy's era. He's known as the Shakespeare of his generation. And his turn to electric guitar has people calling him Judas, so clearly he's influential. So today, we're joined by co-host of the podcast, 'Is it Rolling Bob? Talking Dylan' and Bob Dylan superfan, Kerry Shale, to see if he can convert Tom and Katie into Dylan fanatics.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stranger in a Strange Land Sep 25, 2022

Show notes

The 1960s is supposed to be sci-fi’s golden age. But when we look back at some of the era's books, it turns out some of them are a little strange. Stranger in a Strange Land might seem like an interesting premise, but really it’s just a 14 year old’s very confusing wet dream… But how does a book like this inspire Charles Manson's cult? What’s its connection to scientology? And did the book invent the waterbed?! Dr Cara Rodway is back to chat all these strange things and more!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eichmann (Part II) with Holocaust Survivor, Ruth Barnett Sep 18, 2022

Show notes

In this special second part of our Eichmann episodes, we speak to a Holocaust survivor about the horrors that Eichmann caused. Ruth Barnett was just 4 years old when she escaped Germany for England via the Kindertransport, because of her father's Jewish identity. She grew up between foster homes, in a strange country where she didn't know the language, as a person of no nationality. But despite it all, she still finds good and hope in the world. This week, we had the privilege of meeting Ruth and talking to her about her incredible life.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eichmann (Part I) Sep 11, 2022

Show notes

Adolf Eichmann was a Nazi bureaucrat. But the fact he's just a paper pusher,"doing his job", doesn't absolve him from his gruesome involvement in organising and enacting the Holocaust. And despite escaping the consequences by hiding under various false identities, he was finally captured by Mossad agents in Buenos Aires in 1960, leading to a televised trial which cemented the Holocaust in public consciousness. But how did it all happen? What exactly was his role? And how did he justify it to himself? This week, we're joined by Steven Luckert, Senior Program Curator in the Levine Institute for Holocaust Education at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC. This is Part I of our Eichmann episodes, and next week we'll be joined by Holocaust survivor Ruth Barnett for Part II.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hemingway Sep 04, 2022

Show notes

Ernest Hemingway was a radical Nobel prize winning writer who lived at the centre of Paris’ glamorous Lost Generation. But, he's troubled by mental illness, and his image as the über macho male may be ruining his legacy. Is he an extraordinary writer being lost in the clichés? It’s time for us to look delve deeper into his life. And luckily Hemingway expert, Dr Linda Patterson Miller is here to talk us through it all!

Make sure to check out our merch here: https://spreadthatfire.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

LIVE: Belgians in the Congo Aug 28, 2022

Show notes

Recorded live at the DS podcast festival in Ostend, Belgium, in early April, Katie and Tom were very lucky to be joined by policy adviser Reine Nkiambote and renowned Belgian historian David Van Reybrouck for a very special episode of We Didn't Start The Fire. Surrounded by statues of King Leopold III and staying in hotels built by blood money from that time, they're asking: what was life like for the Congolese under Belgium's brutal colonialist rule; and has Belgium reconciled itself with the more gruesome sides of its past?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Psycho Aug 21, 2022

Show notes

It’s the groundbreaking 1960 movie that’s essentially a cheapie slasher film… of COURSE it’s time for us to chat about Alfred Hitchcock’s iconic Psycho. It’s become both a meme and a cult staple, but how did they film *that* shower scene? Why is it black and white? What happened to Anthony Perkins? And why were all those remakes made? Cara Rodway is back to chat all things Psycho!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

We Didn’t Start the Fire: The History Podcast

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected