The Curious History of Your Home Noiser
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- History
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Join domestic historian Ruth Goodman as she guides you through the surprising, often epic, stories behind everyday objects in your home. Double-glazed windows? We owe those to a French king’s odd fascination with oranges. The minty fresh toothpaste by your sink? Well, if you lived in Ancient Greece, you’d be washing your teeth with ground-up bones and oyster shells. And wallpaper? It seems innocent enough, but in the Victorian era it was downright deadly.
Discover the extraordinary history of the ordinary items all around you, every Tuesday, wherever you get your podcasts.
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Hosted by Ruth Goodman. Production: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Tom Pink, Addison Nugent, Nicole Edmunds, Lloyd Starr, George Colwey, Miriam Baines, Katrina Hughes. Compositions by Tom Pink, Dorry Macaulay, Oliver Baines.
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Toilets
This episode will be available for free on July 30th 2024. For instant access, ad-free listening and bonus material, join Noiser+.
Ruth lifts the lid on the surprising history of toilets. A cesspit proves deadly for a noble assembly in 12th-century Germany. Pigs form an unlikely part of the sewage system in ancient China. And the world’s first flushing toilet is invented… four and a half thousand years ago…
A Noiser production, written by Roger Morris. -
Jewellery
Roman women get creative, and violent, with their hair pins. In the Middle Ages, poison rings are used to covertly contaminate food and drink. A ring seals the deal on a scandalous marriage in 16th century Germany. And in Antwerp, a gang of jewellery thieves pull off the heist of the century…
A Noiser production, written by Nicole Edmunds.
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Lawnmowers
Landscape gardening leads to the downfall of a powerful politician in 17th century France. In the 1820s, two Englishmen test their new lawn mowing invention in the middle of the night, much to the displeasure of their neighbours. A camel helps to cut the grass at London Zoo. And in America, a man resorts to an unconventional mode of transport when his brother falls ill hundreds of miles away…
A Noiser production, written by Roger Morris.
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Ovens
In Neolithic Croatia, the world’s oldest oven provides around the clock perks to the locals. In Dublin, a celebrity chef sets up an innovative soup kitchen during the Great Irish Famine. And in Mughal India, an emperor just can’t do without his favourite tandoori meals… even during a fight to the death with his own son…
A Noiser production, written by Nicole Edmunds.
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Board Games
On the Isle of Lewis, a lost cow unearths the most famous chess pieces in history. An Egyptian king and queen battle it out over the game board. A New York architect lays the foundations of Scrabble. And during World War Two, a Monopoly set is a matter of life or death for British prisoners of war…
A Noiser production, written by Roger Morris.
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Hats
In the Italian Alps, the world’s oldest known hat is unearthed. In ancient Rome, a simple head covering separates slaves from freedmen. In Victorian London, hats prove deadly for the men and women who make them. And Napoleon Bonaparte causes a stir, by rotating his bicorne 90 degrees…
A Noiser production, written by Nicole Edmunds.
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Customer Reviews
Superb
Ruth Goodman is always an erudite and entertaining speaker, and this is no exception. Perfectly paced with just the right amount of engaging and accessible historical content. Well done to all involved in its production.
Perfect historical storytelling
I love history podcasts and this mix of stories and facts is so easy to enjoy and what would be a list of mundane historical facts comes alive in these episodes.
Love it
This is a little gem. Such varied, well researched topics. I love Ruth’s narration and really look forward to the next one. Now one of my favourite podcasts!