Historycal: Words that Shaped the World

Abby Thatcher

Quickfire history in history’s own words, Historycal is the podcast for anyone who’s ever marvelled at the stories that shape us. From the earliest Cuneiform to the crooning of Elvis, from Rock Art to the Model T Ford, Historycal is an exuberant jaunt through the words people have spoken, sung, or scribbled down, and the unexpected ways in which they echo through our world. read less
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EP 039: 221B BAKER STREET
Nov 22 2022
EP 039: 221B BAKER STREET
What was, unbelievably, even more exciting than the first Glenfiddich single malt Scotch, or a man circumnavigating the world on a Penny Farthing? In this episode, we're talking about deerstalkers, magnifying glasses, and the one thing that really got the Victorians to talk about their feelings.

Episodes

EP 039: 221B BAKER STREET
Nov 22 2022
EP 039: 221B BAKER STREET
What was, unbelievably, even more exciting than the first Glenfiddich single malt Scotch, or a man circumnavigating the world on a Penny Farthing? In this episode, we're talking about deerstalkers, magnifying glasses, and the one thing that really got the Victorians to talk about their feelings.
EP 038: THE MONARCH OF MONTGOMERY STREET
Nov 16 2022
EP 038: THE MONARCH OF MONTGOMERY STREET
What do you do when there's more rice than sauce, nobody remembers your birthday, and you're fed up with the governance of a nation? If you aren't naming yourself King, you're doing it wrong. In this episode we're spending time with Norton I, the first Emperor of the United States.
EP 037: WHEN TIGERS SMOKED PIPES
Nov 8 2022
EP 037: WHEN TIGERS SMOKED PIPES
What came before K-Pop, Squid Game, and politicians dancing to Gangnam style? If you aren't picturing a tiger in a smoking jacket, listen up. Today, we've got cobblers, Emperors, and Korean Boy Bands - although, thankfully, not all in the same place.
EP 036: THE FIRST BIRTHDAY
Nov 1 2022
EP 036: THE FIRST BIRTHDAY
What do the Ancient Egyptians, JFK, and Chapter One of the Lord of the Rings all have in common? If you aren't thinking of high drama birthday celebrations, this one is for you. Today, we're asking who had the first birthday party, how many candles should really top your cake, and why Rameses II got an extra celebration.
EP 035: HEY MR SANDMAN
Oct 17 2022
EP 035: HEY MR SANDMAN
What's the secret to castles on the shore, beautifully sleeping children and automated girlfriends? In this episode, we're talking the Sandman, the Sad Man and one or two men that are just, frankly, mad.
EP 034: THIS NIGHT IN SPAIN
Aug 16 2022
EP 034: THIS NIGHT IN SPAIN
What happens when you pay for a wife and lose the husband? This time, we're talking about what Prince Arthur did (or didn't do) in Spain, where Henry VII found his crown, and who really won The King's Great Matter.
EP 033: THE FOOD OF LOVE
Aug 9 2022
EP 033: THE FOOD OF LOVE
What do you get if you combine four lovers, two sea captains, and one brilliant disguise? If you aren't thinking of every tacky motivational poster you've ever seen, this one is for you. In this episode, we're tackling Twelfth Night, Taylor Swift, and some not-so-rousing speeches.
EP 032: IF THE SHOE FITS
Jul 26 2022
EP 032: IF THE SHOE FITS
What gruesome sport is favored amongst Princes, and can a glass slipper really carry the weight of a running girl? Today, we're tackling the tough stuff behind one of Disney's shiniest fairytales.
EP 031: MAN’S BEST FRIEND
Jul 19 2022
EP 031: MAN’S BEST FRIEND
What do a lawyer, a poet and the King of Prussia have in common? In this episode, we're talking love, loyalty, and how cats (and people) can't be trusted.
EP 030: VARNEY THE VAMPIRE
Jun 14 2022
EP 030: VARNEY THE VAMPIRE
What came before Twilight, the Salvatore brothers, and even Count Dracula? In this episode, we're talking Penny Dreadfuls, cheap thrills, and the geometric improbability of vampires.
EP 029: GO ASK ALICE
Jun 7 2022
EP 029: GO ASK ALICE
What did the innocent words in a high school yearbook foreshadow for one of the world's oldest and most stigmatized diseases? If you aren't thinking of Alice Ball, this one is for you. Today we talk leprosy, stolen credit, and why people in old photographs never smile.
EP 028: I HAVE NOT SHOT HER YET
May 31 2022
EP 028: I HAVE NOT SHOT HER YET
What was John Peter Toohey thinking when he first called the Algonquin Round Table to order? And what did it take to crack an invite? Today we're talking about Dorothy Parker, her place among the literary elite, and the time she tried to train a turtle.
EP 027: DEAR JOHN
May 24 2022
EP 027: DEAR JOHN
What does mail have to do with morale, and how can you ruin both in one fell swoop? In this episode we're talking women, war and Dear John letters... with a little Christina Rossetti for good luck.
EP 026: JIBES, JEERS AND OTHER SICK BURNS
May 17 2022
EP 026: JIBES, JEERS AND OTHER SICK BURNS
What do Winston Churchill, William Shakespeare and Pope John XXIII have in common? The answer: they all know how to deliver a sick burn. And now you do too. In this episode we have the history of all sorts of things our mothers told us not to say - said in style.
EP 025: THE GREAT FISH OF MĀUI
May 10 2022
EP 025: THE GREAT FISH OF MĀUI
What's better for brothers than stowaways, shipwreck, and a good long fishing trip? Today, we're talking canoes, New Zealand's countryside, and the demi-god that accidentally caught a country.
EP 024: TURTLES, TRICKSTERS AND TROUBLE
May 3 2022
EP 024: TURTLES, TRICKSTERS AND TROUBLE
What do Brer Rabbit, spiders and Tom Hiddleston have in common? If trickster figures in ancient mythology wasn't your first thought, this episode is for you. Today, we're talking Brer Rabbit, Anansi the Spider, and what Shakespeare considered a good disguise. (Spoiler: It wasn't).
EP 023: BOTTOMS UP!
Apr 26 2022
EP 023: BOTTOMS UP!
What makes a cocktail a cocktail, and how did some unsuspecting horses get dragged into it? In this episode, we've got Mint Julips, speakeasies, the Frozen Water Trade, and - of course - tiny paper umbrellas.
EP 022: I HATE MONDAYS
Apr 19 2022
EP 022: I HATE MONDAYS
What does the world's favourite cat have against Mondays, and in how many other ways do they suck? As it turns out, many. And they're mostly self-inflicted. In the episode, we're talking about the road to the seven day week, the Boomtown Rats, and whether or not it was easier to enjoy yourself before the Second Industrial Revolution.
EP 021: BURN YOUR BOATS
Apr 12 2022
EP 021: BURN YOUR BOATS
What do you do when someone tells you to burn the ride you came in? And how do you get home for dinner if you burn the bridges too? Today, we're going back to the murky origins of these two famous phrases, crossing the Rubicon, and finishing up at the Paris Opera House.
EP 020: THE GREAT KHAN
Apr 5 2022
EP 020: THE GREAT KHAN
What do you say to a man who has taken the keys to your kingdom? And what do you say to cheer up your grieving daughter?  In this episode, we're tackling Temüjin, the slaughter at Nishapur, and Genghis Khan's troubled childhood.