Unlikely Threads

Andrew Wisdom and Clive Hartley
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From the precipitous slopes of a dormant volcano in Central Victoria, intrepid and anally retentive know-nothings Clive Hartley and Andrew Wisdom search out forgotten, unlikely, occasionally ridiculous but always interesting people, events and, well, other stuff. They end up heading down rabbit holes, blaming each other, but how do they get there? By pulling on unlikely threads and seeing where they lead…

  1. Oct 26

    A Diamond Is Forever

    You walk into a jeweller and spend $10,000 on a diamondring. Twenty minutes later, you change your mind and try to sell it back. Suddenly it's worth only a fraction of what you paid. Why? In this fascinating episode of Unlikely Threads, Clive Hartley and Andrew Wisdom pull on one of the world's most glitteringloose threads and discover that the value of diamonds may have far less to do with rarity than we've been led to believe. They take you on a journey from the depths of Earth's mantlebillions of years ago to the dusty diamond fields of South Africa, where Cecil Rhodes and De Beers built one of the most successful monopolies in history. Discover how a handful of mining magnates controlled global supply, how aPhiladelphia advertising agency convinced generations that "A Diamond Is Forever", and how an engagement ring became an essential symbol of love. But that is not the end of the story. The thread keepsunravelling through the discovery of Soviet diamonds and Australia's Argyle mine to blood diamonds and the rise of laboratory-grown gems, the industry has survived crisis after crisis. The value of diamonds is now under threat. If alaboratory can create an identical diamond for a fraction of the price, what exactly are people paying for? A stone? A status symbol? A tradition? Or simply a story? This is the remarkable tale of how one of the greatestmarketing campaigns ever created shaped romance, wealth, and desire for more than a century, and why that story may finally be coming to an end.

  2. Oct 13

    The Boy who declared war on Hitler

    15. A seventeen-year-old Jewish refugee walks into the GermanEmbassy in Paris carrying a pistol and a grievance. Minutes later, five shots ring out, a German diplomat lies mortally wounded, and one of the most consequential events before the Second World War is set in motion. In this episode of Unlikely Threads, Clive and Andrewunravel the extraordinary true story of Herschel Grynszpan, a desperate teenager whose act of protest against Nazi persecution of his family shocked Europe and provided Hitler with the excuse for the November Pogrom (also knownas Kristallnacht, the infamous Night of Broken Glass) Was Herschel a lone avenger, a political activist, or simplya frightened young man pushed beyond endurance? How did the expulsion of his family from Germany drive him towards violence? Who was the mysterious diplomat Ernst vom Rath, and was he really the loyal Nazi martyr history remembers? The podcasts traces a young man’s journey through pre-warEurope which ends in one of the war's greatest unsolved mysteries, this is the remarkable story of a boy whose actions reverberated far beyond the streets of Paris. Join us as we follow an unlikely thread through one ofhistory's darkest chapters. If you enjoy uncovering the extraordinary stories hidden in overlooked places, follow Unlikely Threads and join us as we keep chasing the footnotes that lead somewhere unexpected. Search for Unlikely Threads on Apple or Spotify.

  3. Sep 29

    The Tanganyika Laughter Epidemic – The Laughter That Wasn’t Funny

    14. In January 1962 — one month after Tanzanian independence —three girls at a mission boarding school started laughing uncontrollably. Then screaming. Then crying. Then running. The epidemic spread to fourteen schools and a thousand people over eighteen months. The doctors found nothing. Thegovernment said it was children being dramatic. The Western scientists called it fascinating and went home. Nobody asked the girls what they thought. This is that story.If you enjoy this episode please support us and encourage usto do more episodes! Like it, leave us a comment and follow us. Thanks Andrew and Clive

    The Tanganyika Laughter Epidemic – The Laughter That Wasn’t Funny

  4. Sep 14

    What Were They Thinking?: The Society That Tried to Turn Australia Into England

    13. What do 800 million rabbits, 19 million feral cats, and 200million cane toads have in common? They were all solutions. This is the story of the Europeans who arrived in Australia, looked at an ancient and extraordinary continent, and decided — with the best intentions, and the full backing of science and government — that it needed to be fixed. If you enjoy this episode please support us and encourage usto do more episodes! Like it, leave us a comment and follow us. Thanks Andrew and Clive

    What Were They Thinking?: The Society That Tried to Turn Australia Into England

  5. Aug 31

    From Idealism to Gunfire – International Volunteers in the Spanish Civil War (Part 2)

    12. They came for a cause. They stayed for a war. In this secondpart of Unlikely Threads, the story moves from belief to battlefield as the International Brigades are thrown into the brutal reality of the Spanish Civil War. What began as a fight against fascism soon becomes something far more chaotic, dangerous—and complicated. From the Jarama valley to the streets of Barcelona, Clive and Andrew follow the volunteers into combat, where confusion, courage, and sheer chance shape the outcome. They uncover the stories of Australians who travelled halfway across the world to fight—including one who stood before a firing squad—and even the loneAustralian who chose to fight for the opposing side. Along the way, the war is captured—and reshaped—through the eyes of photographers like Gerda Taro and Robert Capa, while writers such as George Orwell and Ernest Hemingway grapple with what the conflict really means. Orwell, in particular, leaves Spain with more than a bullet wound—he carries with him a deep distrust of propaganda and power that would shape some of the most important political writing of the 20th century. This is the moment idealism meets reality. And not all ofthem would survive it. If you enjoy this episode please support us and encourage usto do more episodes! Like it, leave us a comment and follow us. Thanks Andrewand Clive

    From Idealism to Gunfire – International Volunteers in the Spanish Civil War (Part 2)

  6. Aug 17

    The War before the War – International Volunteers in the Spanish Civil War (Part 1)

    11. What if the Second World War didn’t begin in 1939—but threeyears earlier, in Spain? In this episode of Unlikely Threads, we follow the extraordinary stories of the men and women who travelled from more than sixty countries to fight fascism in its infancy. Some came for politics, others for adventure, sport, or romance —but all found themselves in a brutal conflict that would foretell the horrors to come. From artists and poets to rebels and idealists, this is the story of how ordinary people stepped into history—and what it cost them. Join Clive Hartley and Andrew Wisdom as they unstitch the threads and look a how the war started and some of the people that volunteered. If you enjoy this episode please support us and encourage usto do more episodes! Like it, leave us a comment and follow us. Thanks Andrew and Clive

    The War before the War – International Volunteers in the Spanish Civil War (Part 1)

  7. Aug 4

    How Football Split Into Different Sports. Part 2

    10. In the second part of the story Andrew and Clive look at how six different sports were born from a single argument. We look at the origins of Australian football, and why a Harvard campus that was slightly too small changed the rules of American football forever. Join Andrew and Clive as they explore the origins of the World Game and of other Codes, that would find that title provocative! If you enjoy this episode please support us and encourage usto do more episodes! Like it, leave us a comment and follow us. Thanks Andrew and Clive

    How Football Split Into Different Sports. Part 2

  8. Jul 21

    How Football Split Into Different Sports. Part 1

    9. One pub. One meeting. One vote about whether it should be legal to kick your opponent in the shins. The men who won that vote in 1863 invented soccer. The men who lost it and walked out invented rugby.  Join Andrew and Clive as they explore the origins of the World Game and of other Codes, that would find that remark as provocative! If you enjoy this episode please support us and encourage us to do more episodes! Like it, leave us a comment and follow us. Thanks Andrew and Clive

    How Football Split Into Different Sports. Part 1
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About

From the precipitous slopes of a dormant volcano in Central Victoria, intrepid and anally retentive know-nothings Clive Hartley and Andrew Wisdom search out forgotten, unlikely, occasionally ridiculous but always interesting people, events and, well, other stuff. They end up heading down rabbit holes, blaming each other, but how do they get there? By pulling on unlikely threads and seeing where they lead…

Information

  • Creator
    Andrew Wisdom and Clive Hartley
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    16
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Andrew Wisdom and Clive Hartley
  • Show Website
    Unlikely Threads

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