The Untitled History Podcast

Gareth Edwards

Deep dives into history’s fascinating rabbit holes. Untitled History Podcast is the podcast that takes you beyond the textbooks to explore the untold stories of the ancient and modern worlds. Join Gareth Edwards and a lineup of world-leading experts that lifts the lid on famous episodes and obscure global events alike. Do you like our podcast? Then please leave us a review, it helps us a lot! Host: Gareth Edwards More about Gareth Edwards: ⁠https://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-history#host⁠ To comment and ask questions, please join our community:⁠ https://untitled-history.com/supporters Use our code: Rabbit and get one month free as a Captain, or join as a free member. Support via Paypal:⁠ http://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-paypal⁠⁠ Merchandise and Shop: ⁠https://untitled-history.com/collections/all Our WW1 Podcast:⁠⁠ https://listen.not-so-quiet.com/ Our WW2 Podcast:⁠ ⁠⁠https://listen.both-sides-of-the-wire.com⁠ Battle Guide YouTube Channel:⁠ https://www.youtube.com/@BattleGuideVT⁠ If you want to keep your finger on the pulse of what the team at Battle Guide have been getting up to, why not sign up to our monthly newsletter:⁠ ⁠https://battleguide.co.uk/newsletter⁠ Gareth socials BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/garius.bsky.social Mastodon: https://mastodon.me.uk/@garius Battle Guide Twitter: https://x.com/BattleguideVTGeneral Enquiries: ⁠untiteld@battleguide.co.uk⁠⁠⁠ Credits: - Host: Gareth Edwards - Production: Linus Klaßen

  1. 4d ago

    1983: The year of crises that almost ended the world

    In September 1983, the Soviet missile launch detection system falsely reported an inbound US missile strike. The actions of Stanislav Petrov that day, who refused to report the launch as true, have often been described as having saved the world. This is the story of 1983. The year the world almost ended. Petrov’s actions in the Soviet missile control centre at Serpukhov-15 near Moscow, arguably prevented a nuclear war. But what’s often not talked about is why the Soviets were prepared to launch a missile strike of their own, based only on a warning for a single detection system. In reality, 1983 was a year full of tragic events, and intelligence failures by both the Americans and Soviets. Failures that left the world on the brink of war by September without either side really knowing how close to a war for no reason both power blocs in the Cold War really were. Guest David is a historian specializing in the global Cold War and is a researcher and writer as well as the host of the YouTube channel The Cold War, where he explores different events, ideas and facets of the second half of the 20th Century, ranging from nuclear weapons and armed stand offs to comic books and cartoons! Cats present Grover (actually a dog!) Useful links David on Bluesky: @coldwarhost.bsky.social https://www.youtube.com/@TheColdWarTV Do you like our podcast? Then please leave us a review, it helps us a lot! Host: Gareth Edwards More about Gareth Edwards: https://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-history#host To comment and ask questions, please join our community: https://untitled-history.com/supporters Use our code: Rabbit and get one month free as a Captain, or join as a free member. Support via Paypal: http://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-paypal Merchandise and Shop: https://untitled-history.com/collections/all Our WW1 Podcast: @NSQPod Our WW2 Podcast: @BSOWPod Battle Guide YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BattleGuideVT If you want to keep your finger on the pulse of what the team at Battle Guide have been getting up to, why not sign up to our monthly newsletter: https://battleguide.co.uk/newsletter Gareth socials BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/garius.bsky.social Mastodon: https://mastodon.me.uk/@garius Battle Guide Twitter: https://x.com/BattleguideVT General Enquiries: untitled@battleguide.co.uk Credits: - Host: Gareth Edwards - Editing: Sander van Kammen - Production: Linus Klaßen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  2. Aug 20

    Agatha Christie goes to war

    Agatha Christie is the world’s best selling author and rightly regarded as the queen of crime. But less well known is her medical service in both world wars, and its influence on her writing. Without WW1, there would be no Poirot. Agatha Christie trained as nurse and served as a red cross volunteer in WW1, encountering many Belgian refugees. She later trained to become a dispenser. In the second world war she served once again. In this episode we explore that work, and the experiences and people - and poisons - she encountered would prove to be the perfect fuel for her writing career. Guest Tina Hodgkinson is a historian and the author of Agatha Christie’s London: A Historical Guide to the Queen of Crime’s Capital. She is employed at The London Archives, the UK’s second largest public archive. A member of the Crime Writers’ Association and a qualified City of London and City of Westminster tour guide. Cats present Cecilia Useful links Agatha Christie’s London: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/agatha-christie-s-london-a-historical-guide-to-the-queen-of-crime-s-capital-tina-hodgkinson/29844c0f963a617b?ean=9781837050796&bkshp-astro=t Do you like our podcast? Then please leave us a review, it helps us a lot! Host: Gareth Edwards More about Gareth Edwards: https://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-history#host To comment and ask questions, please join our community: https://untitled-history.com/supporters Use our code: Rabbit and get one month free as a Captain, or join as a free member. Support via Paypal: http://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-paypal Merchandise and Shop: https://untitled-history.com/collections/all Our WW1 Podcast: @NSQPod Our WW2 Podcast: @BSOWPod Battle Guide YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BattleGuideVT If you want to keep your finger on the pulse of what the team at Battle Guide have been getting up to, why not sign up to our monthly newsletter: https://battleguide.co.uk/newsletter Gareth socials BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/garius.bsky.social Mastodon: https://mastodon.me.uk/@garius Battle Guide Twitter: https://x.com/BattleguideVT General Enquiries: untitled@battleguide.co.uk Credits: - Host: Gareth Edwards - Editing: Hunter Christensen - Production: Linus Klaßen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  3. Aug 13

    The history and cultural impact of Asterix the Gaul

    The best selling comic series in the world is One Piece. But the second best selling, with almost 400 million copies sold, is neither British nor American. It is, in fact, the story of a small French village holding out against the Roman Empire. In this episode we’re going to look at the history, and cultural impact, of Asterix the Gaul. The year is 50 BC. Gaul is entirely occupied by the Romans. Well, not entirely... One small village of indomitable Gauls still holds out against the invaders. And life is not easy for the Roman legionaries who garrison the fortified camps of Totorum, Aquarium, Laudanum and Compendium. So start the adventures of Asterix, Obelix and friends. Adventures that have sold 393 million copies over 65 years of continuous publication. Adventures that have been turned into some of the earliest audiobooks, into films, games, theme parks and more. Yet beneath that success lies a remarkable story of a French Jewish writer and an Italian immigrant writing about the history, and foibles, of the country they both called home. And of France trying to rebuild its national myth in the aftermath of German occupation, decolonization and the horrors of war. Guest Julie Kalman is professor of history at Monash University (in Melbourne, Australia). She is a French historian, who is interested in the history of nationalism and migration. She is currently working on a book, provisionally titled Asterix and the Making of Modern France, which will be her fifth. Cats present Cecilia (tail) Useful links Julie on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/juliekalman.bsky.social https://research.monash.edu/en/persons/julie-kalman/ https://auntymuriel.com/2012/12/23/asterix-in-translation-the-genius-of-anthea-bell-and-derek-hockridge/ https://web.archive.org/web/20070202144156/http://www.asterix-international.de/asterix/mirror/asterix_my_love.htm Do you like our podcast? Then please leave us a review, it helps us a lot! Host: Gareth Edwards More about Gareth Edwards: https://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-history#host To comment and ask questions, please join our community: https://untitled-history.com/supporters Use our code: Rabbit and get one month free as a Captain, or join as a free member. Support via Paypal: http://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-paypal Merchandise and Shop: https://untitled-history.com/collections/all Our WW1 Podcast: @NSQPod Our WW2 Podcast: @BSOWPod Battle Guide YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BattleGuideVT If you want to keep your finger on the pulse of what the team at Battle Guide have been getting up to, why not sign up to our monthly newsletter: https://battleguide.co.uk/newsletter Gareth socials BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/garius.bsky.social Mastodon: https://mastodon.me.uk/@garius Battle Guide Twitter: https://x.com/BattleguideVT General Enquiries: untitled@battleguide.co.uk Credits: - Host: Gareth Edwards - Editing: Hunter Christensen - Production: Linus Klaßen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  4. Aug 6

    The myth and reality of medieval Crusader States

    In the aftermath of the First Crusade, four Christian kingdoms were established in the near east. In this episode we explore the history of the Crusader States, and the many myths that surround them. Edessa, Antioch, Tripoli and Jerusalem. Four Christian kingdoms were all established after 1098. The popular image of these kingdoms is as fortified outposts, ruling over poor and often barren lands. Lands where they were treated as an occupying force. Yet the reality of the Crusader States is far more complex. The states were often in political conflict with themselves or newcomers from the west, as much as their perceived enemies. They had a love-hate relationship with the Byzantines to their north, the Muslim rulers on their borders and eventually both the Mamluks and Mongols. They were also vibrant, rich and often multicultural kingdoms thanks to the nature of the trade routes and geography over which they sat. Kingdoms that were not guaranteed to fail. Indeed the Kingdom of Jerusalem would survive, in some form, for almost 200 years. Guest Dr Nic Morton is an associate professor at Nottingham Trent university, he specialises in medieval middle eastern history and is the author of Mongol Storm which looks at the Mongol invasions of the middle east from multiple perspectives, and most recently Crusader Storm, which takes the same approach but for the 12th century. Cats present Cecilia Useful links Nic on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:53uj5t35g6salgtelolzsrmq Nick at the University of Nottingham Trent: https://www.ntu.ac.uk/staff-profiles/arts-humanities/nicholas-morton The Crusader Storm: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-crusader-storm-a-global-history-of-the-wars-for-the-middle-east-nicholas-morton/c0bd72f03740cfae?ean=9781399818728&bkshp-astro=t Do you like our podcast? Then please leave us a review, it helps us a lot! Host: Gareth Edwards More about Gareth Edwards: https://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-history#host To comment and ask questions, please join our community: https://untitled-history.com/supporters Use our code: Rabbit and get one month free as a Captain, or join as a free member. Support via Paypal: http://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-paypal Merchandise and Shop: https://untitled-history.com/collections/all Our WW1 Podcast: @NSQPod Our WW2 Podcast: @BSOWPod Battle Guide YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BattleGuideVT If you want to keep your finger on the pulse of what the team at Battle Guide have been getting up to, why not sign up to our monthly newsletter: https://battleguide.co.uk/newsletter Gareth socials BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/garius.bsky.social Mastodon: https://mastodon.me.uk/@garius Battle Guide Twitter: https://x.com/BattleguideVT General Enquiries: untitled@battleguide.co.uk Credits: - Host: Gareth Edwards - Editing: Hunter Christensen - Production: Linus Klaßen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  5. Jul 30

    18th Century letter writing and the hidden history of women

    In 1740, Samuel Richardson published Pamela, a novel purporting to be the letters of a young woman. In 1748, he followed this up with Clarissa, written on the same principle.Richardson’s subjects were fake. But the activity he showed them engaging in was very real. The creation of reliable and regular postal services after the English Civil War led to an explosion in letter writing, especially for women. Through letters they could build and maintain relationships, share opinions on society or politics and reflect on life. Just as we do through messaging platforms or social media today. Indeed the intimacy and information contained within those letters could even provoke questions on how those letters  should be handled after death.Collections of those letters which do survive provide historians with a remarkable insight into the lives of people - and particularly women - within this period.GuestDr Natasha Simonova is a writer and academic specialising in English literature in the long 18th century. She is currently working on a book called The Grey Ladies: The Secret Lives of 18th-Century Women.Cats presentCecilia, Penny (Guest kitty)Useful linksNatasha’s website: https://natashasimonova.comPublishing 18th Century Women’s Manuscript letters (conference talk): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BM0rCa4JUo&t=15895sPamela by Samuel Richardson: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/6124 Do you like our podcast? Then please leave us a review, it helps us a lot! Host: Gareth Edwards More about Gareth Edwards: https://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-history#host To comment and ask questions, please join our community: https://untitled-history.com/supporters Use our code: Rabbit and get one month free as a Captain, or join as a free member. Support via Paypal: http://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-paypal Merchandise and Shop: https://untitled-history.com/collections/all Our WW1 Podcast: @NSQPod Our WW2 Podcast: @BSOWPod Battle Guide YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BattleGuideVT If you want to keep your finger on the pulse of what the team at Battle Guide have been getting up to, why not sign up to our monthly newsletter: https://battleguide.co.uk/newsletter Gareth socials BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/garius.bsky.social Mastodon: https://mastodon.me.uk/@garius Battle Guide Twitter: https://x.com/BattleguideVT General Enquiries: untitled@battleguide.co.uk Credits: - Host: Gareth Edwards - Editing: Hunter Christensen - Production: Linus Klaßen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  6. Jul 23

    How Games Workshop changed the world with Jordan Sorcery

    In 1975, three young men sat in a grotty flat in West London decided to launch a games company. Over the next few years, they would find themselves at the centre of the growing revolution in roleplay, and then miniature gaming. Today, we’re going to talk about the history of Games Workshop and the universe it launched: Warhammer Today, Games Workshop, with its line of Warhammer games, books and more stands as one of the most successful British companies in history. So successful has it been that as of December 2024 it is a member of the FTSE 100. But behind the global business is a story of a company that played a critical role in the explosion of gaming in the UK and beyond. One whose artists, designers and writers have influenced almost every aspect of how we view fantasy and science fiction today. All launched from a small flat in Shepherd’s Bush. Guest Jordan Sorcery is a Warhammer Historian who has studied the history of Games Workshop and its various products extensively. This includes work as a documentarian and interviewer of over 100 former GW figures and employees. Cats present Cecilia, Martha (Guest kitty) Useful links Jordan Sorcery - https://www.youtube.com/@jordansorcery Designers & Dragons - https://www.designers-and-dragons.com Fighting Fantasy - https://www.fightingfantasy.com Do you like our podcast? Then please leave us a review, it helps us a lot! Host: Gareth Edwards More about Gareth Edwards: https://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-history#host To comment and ask questions, please join our community: https://untitled-history.com/supporters Use our code: Rabbit and get one month free as a Captain, or join as a free member. Support via Paypal: http://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-paypal Merchandise and Shop: https://untitled-history.com/collections/all Our WW1 Podcast: @NSQPod Our WW2 Podcast: @BSOWPod Battle Guide YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BattleGuideVT If you want to keep your finger on the pulse of what the team at Battle Guide have been getting up to, why not sign up to our monthly newsletter: https://battleguide.co.uk/newsletter Gareth socials BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/garius.bsky.social Mastodon: https://mastodon.me.uk/@garius Battle Guide Twitter: https://x.com/BattleguideVT General Enquiries: untitled@battleguide.co.uk Credits: - Host: Gareth Edwards - Editing: Hunter Christensen - Production: Linus Klaßen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  7. Jul 16

    Robin Hood: The Truth Behind the Myth

    Lythe and listin Gentilmen, That be of freebore blode I shall tell you of a gode Yeman His name was Robyn Hode These are the opening words to The Gest of Robin Hood, first published by Wynkin de Worde in written form in 1506. They represent the first literary mention of a man who was almost certainly never real, but who has existed in the British consciousness since the middle ages. In this episode, we’re going to explore the medieval origins of Robin Hood, and how he has always reflected the society and time in which his story is being told. Guest Madeline is an architectural and cultural historian. She works on medieval Britain, and how medieval beliefs shaped the built world that we have inherited. Cats present None Useful links Madeline’s website: https://madelineodent.com Madeline on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/oldenoughtosay.com The Gest of Robin Hood: https://metseditions.org/read/976AKyAFRDDQFWvztV5Meuxbpld4M6V The Downfall of the Earl of Huntingdon: https://archive.org/details/downfallofrobert00munduoft/page/n5/mode/2up Do you like our podcast? Then please leave us a review, it helps us a lot! Host: Gareth Edwards More about Gareth Edwards: https://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-history#host To comment and ask questions, please join our community: https://untitled-history.com/supporters Use our code: Rabbit and get one month free as a Captain, or join as a free member. Support via Paypal: http://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-paypal Merchandise and Shop: https://untitled-history.com/collections/all Our WW1 Podcast: @NSQPod Our WW2 Podcast: @BSOWPod Battle Guide YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BattleGuideVT If you want to keep your finger on the pulse of what the team at Battle Guide have been getting up to, why not sign up to our monthly newsletter: https://battleguide.co.uk/newsletter Gareth socials BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/garius.bsky.social Mastodon: https://mastodon.me.uk/@garius Battle Guide Twitter: https://x.com/BattleguideVT General Enquiries: untitled@battleguide.co.uk Credits: - Host: Gareth Edwards - Editing: Hunter Christensen - Production: Linus Klaßen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  8. Jul 9

    How Piracy Actually Worked

    Ask most people to describe a pirate and their ship, and they’ll likely conjure up an image of an eye-patch-wearing man commanding a huge ship. An image that, in most cases, could not be farther from the truth. From the middle of the 17th century onwards, European nations expanded their influence and trade into the Americas and the Indian Ocean. In doing so, they created an environment in which piracy began to flourish. That period, and the men and women who operated as pirates within it, have captured the imagination of the world ever since. Yet most of the common ideas and images about how piracy worked during that period are based on myth. On this episode, we’re going to look at how some of those myths came about, and also the equally interesting - and far more nuanced - reality hidden behind them. Guest Dr Rebecca Simon is a historian of the golden age of piracy. She is the author of The Pirates' Code: Laws and Life Aboard Ship. Pirate Queens: The Lives of Anne Bonny & Mary Read. Why We Love Pirates: The Hunt for Captain Kidd and How He Changed Piracy Forever,  She has appeared in documentaries such as Histories Greatest Mysteries and is a lecturer in history at California State University Nortridge. Cats present Cecilia Useful links Rebecca Simon’s books: https://rebecca-simon.com A General History of The Pyrates https://archive.org/details/generalhistoryof00defo Do you like our podcast? Then please leave us a review, it helps us a lot! Host: Gareth Edwards More about Gareth Edwards: https://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-history#host To comment and ask questions, please join our community: https://untitled-history.com/supporters Use our code: Rabbit and get one month free as a Captain, or join as a free member. Support via Paypal: http://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-paypal Merchandise and Shop: https://untitled-history.com/collections/all Our WW1 Podcast: @NSQPod Our WW2 Podcast: @BSOWPod Battle Guide YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BattleGuideVT If you want to keep your finger on the pulse of what the team at Battle Guide have been getting up to, why not sign up to our monthly newsletter: https://battleguide.co.uk/newsletter Gareth socials BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/garius.bsky.social Mastodon: https://mastodon.me.uk/@garius Battle Guide Twitter: https://x.com/BattleguideVT General Enquiries: untitled@battleguide.co.uk Credits: - Host: Gareth Edwards - Editing: Hunter Christensen - Production: Linus Klaßen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

5
out of 5
24 Ratings

About

Deep dives into history’s fascinating rabbit holes. Untitled History Podcast is the podcast that takes you beyond the textbooks to explore the untold stories of the ancient and modern worlds. Join Gareth Edwards and a lineup of world-leading experts that lifts the lid on famous episodes and obscure global events alike. Do you like our podcast? Then please leave us a review, it helps us a lot! Host: Gareth Edwards More about Gareth Edwards: ⁠https://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-history#host⁠ To comment and ask questions, please join our community:⁠ https://untitled-history.com/supporters Use our code: Rabbit and get one month free as a Captain, or join as a free member. Support via Paypal:⁠ http://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-paypal⁠⁠ Merchandise and Shop: ⁠https://untitled-history.com/collections/all Our WW1 Podcast:⁠⁠ https://listen.not-so-quiet.com/ Our WW2 Podcast:⁠ ⁠⁠https://listen.both-sides-of-the-wire.com⁠ Battle Guide YouTube Channel:⁠ https://www.youtube.com/@BattleGuideVT⁠ If you want to keep your finger on the pulse of what the team at Battle Guide have been getting up to, why not sign up to our monthly newsletter:⁠ ⁠https://battleguide.co.uk/newsletter⁠ Gareth socials BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/garius.bsky.social Mastodon: https://mastodon.me.uk/@garius Battle Guide Twitter: https://x.com/BattleguideVTGeneral Enquiries: ⁠untiteld@battleguide.co.uk⁠⁠⁠ Credits: - Host: Gareth Edwards - Production: Linus Klaßen

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