Histories of the Unexpected
412 episodes - English - Latest episode: 4 months ago - ★★★★ - 128 ratingsHistories of the Unexpected explores the past in ways that you never dreamt possible. Surely there’s nothing unexpected about the past? About History? Aha, well Histories of the Unexpected adopts a new approach to exploring our past. Gone is the traditional linear plotting of battles, monarchs and political movements. Histories of the Unexpected argues that everything has a history, even the most unexpected of subjects. Like SLIME. Or COURAGE. or APPLAUSE.... Presented by Dr Sam Willis and Professor James Daybell.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Episodes
Countdown to Christmas 2023: 24: GENEROSITY!
December 24, 2023 00:21 - 45 minutes - 52.4 MBIn the countdown to Christmas 2023, the Unexpected Christmas elves have been busy preparing a special podcast advent calendar for your delectation, based on their Histories of the Unexpected favourite past episodes. And behind door 24: the Unexpected History of Christmas is all about…..GENEROSITY! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Countdown to Christmas 2023: 23: CHRISTMAS 2021!
December 23, 2023 00:18 - 42 minutes - 48.2 MBIn the countdown to Christmas 2023, the Unexpected Christmas elves have been busy preparing a special podcast advent calendar for your delectation, based on their Histories of the Unexpected favourite past episodes. And behind door 23: the Unexpected History of Christmas is all about…..CHRISTMAS 2021! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Countdown to Christmas 2023: 22: CHRISTMAS 2018 PART 2!
December 22, 2023 15:12 - 25 minutes - 23 MBIn the countdown to Christmas 2023, the Unexpected Christmas elves have been busy preparing a special podcast advent calendar for your delectation, based on their Histories of the Unexpected favourite past episodes. And behind door 22: the Unexpected History of Christmas is all about….CHRISTMAS 2018 Part 2.! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Countdown to Christmas 2023: 21: CHRISTMAS 2018 Part 1
December 21, 2023 00:11 - 25 minutes - 35 MBIn the countdown to Christmas 2023, the Unexpected Christmas elves have been busy preparing a special podcast advent calendar for your delectation, based on their Histories of the Unexpected favourite past episodes. And behind door 21: the Unexpected History of Christmas is all about…..CHRISTMAS 2018 PART 1! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Countdown to Christmas 2023: 20: CHRISTMAS 2016!
December 20, 2023 00:07 - 35 minutes - 49.1 MBIn the countdown to Christmas 2023, the Unexpected Christmas elves have been busy preparing a special podcast advent calendar for your delectation, based on their Histories of the Unexpected favourite past episodes. And behind door 20: the Unexpected History of Christmas is all about…..CHRISTMAS 2016! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Countdown to Christmas 2023: 19: WISE MEN!
December 19, 2023 00:04 - 39 minutes - 44.9 MBIn the countdown to Christmas 2023, the Unexpected Christmas elves have been busy preparing a special podcast advent calendar for your delectation, based on their Histories of the Unexpected favourite past episodes. And behind door 19: the Unexpected History of Christmas is all about…..WISE MEN! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Countdown to Christmas 2023: 18: SHEPHERDS!
December 18, 2023 00:00 - 44 minutes - 51.2 MBIn the countdown to Christmas 2023, the Unexpected Christmas elves have been busy preparing a special podcast advent calendar for your delectation, based on their Histories of the Unexpected favourite past episodes. And behind door 18: the Unexpected History of Christmas is all about…..SHEPHERDS! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Countdown to Christmas 2023: 17: BABIES!
December 17, 2023 00:54 - 43 minutes - 49.3 MBIn the countdown to Christmas 2023, the Unexpected Christmas elves have been busy preparing a special podcast advent calendar for your delectation, based on their Histories of the Unexpected favourite past episodes. And behind door 17: the Unexpected History of Christmas is all about…..BABIES! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Countdown to Christmas 2023: 16: REINDEER Part 2!
December 16, 2023 14:43 - 41 minutes - 95.2 MBIn the countdown to Christmas 2023, the Unexpected Christmas elves have been busy preparing a special podcast advent calendar for your delectation, based on their Histories of the Unexpected favourite past episodes. And behind door 16: the Unexpected History of Christmas is all about…..REINDEER PART 2! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Countdown to Christmas 2023: 15: REINDEER Part 1!
December 15, 2023 00:40 - 36 minutes - 84.5 MBIn the countdown to Christmas 2023, the Unexpected Christmas elves have been busy preparing a special podcast advent calendar for your delectation, based on their Histories of the Unexpected favourite past episodes. And behind door 15: the Unexpected History of Christmas is all about…..REINDEER PART 1! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Countdown to Christmas 2023: 14: ELVES!
December 14, 2023 00:37 - 38 minutes - 44.4 MBIn the countdown to Christmas 2023, the Unexpected Christmas elves have been busy preparing a special podcast advent calendar for your delectation, based on their Histories of the Unexpected favourite past episodes. And behind door 14: the Unexpected History of Christmas is all about…..ELVES! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Countdown to Christmas 2023: 13: WINGS PART 2
December 13, 2023 00:34 - 31 minutes - 71.3 MBIn the countdown to Christmas 2023, the Unexpected Christmas elves have been busy preparing a special podcast advent calendar for your delectation, based on their Histories of the Unexpected favourite past episodes. And behind door 13: the Unexpected History of Christmas is all about…..WINGS PART 2! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Countdown to Christmas 2023: 12: WINGS PART !!
December 12, 2023 00:33 - 33 minutes - 76.6 MBIn the countdown to Christmas 2023, the Unexpected Christmas elves have been busy preparing a special podcast advent calendar for your delectation, based on their Histories of the Unexpected favourite past episodes. And behind door 12: the Unexpected History of Christmas is all about…..WINGS! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Countdown to Christmas 2023: 11: DONKEYS!
December 11, 2023 00:02 - 33 minutes - 38.4 MBIn the countdown to Christmas 2023, the Unexpected Christmas elves have been busy preparing a special podcast advent calendar for your delectation, based on their Histories of the Unexpected favourite past episodes. And behind door 11: the Unexpected History of Christmas is all about…..DONKEYS! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Countdown to Christmas 2023: 10: STARS!
December 10, 2023 00:52 - 40 minutes - 46 MBIn the countdown to Christmas 2023, the Unexpected Christmas elves have been busy preparing a special podcast advent calendar for your delectation, based on their Histories of the Unexpected favourite past episodes. And behind door 10: the Unexpected History of Christmas is all about…..STARS! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Countdown to Christmas 2023: 9: SNOW!
December 09, 2023 00:47 - 32 minutes - 74.1 MBIn the countdown to Christmas 2023, the Unexpected Christmas elves have been busy preparing a special podcast advent calendar for your delectation, based on their Histories of the Unexpected favourite past episodes. And behind door 9: the Unexpected History of Christmas is all about…..SNOW! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Countdown to Christmas 2023: 8: CARROTS!
December 08, 2023 00:38 - 18 minutes - 41.3 MBIn the countdown to Christmas 2023, the Unexpected Christmas elves have been busy preparing a special podcast advent calendar for your delectation, based on their Histories of the Unexpected favourite past episodes. And behind door 8: the Unexpected History of Christmas is all about…..CARROTS! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Countdown to Christmas 2023: 7: OBSCENITY!
December 07, 2023 00:29 - 16 minutes - 38.7 MBIn the countdown to Christmas 2023, the Unexpected Christmas elves have been busy preparing a special podcast advent calendar for your delectation, based on their Histories of the Unexpected favourite past episodes. And behind door 7: the Unexpected History of Christmas is all about…..OBSCENITY! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Countdown to Christmas 2023: 6: RIOTS!
December 06, 2023 00:25 - 17 minutes - 40.7 MBIn the countdown to Christmas 2023, the Unexpected Christmas elves have been busy preparing a special podcast advent calendar for your delectation, based on their Histories of the Unexpected favourite past episodes. And behind door 6: the Unexpected History of Christmas is all about…..RIOTS! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Countdown to Christmas 2023: 5: SPITE!
December 05, 2023 00:14 - 17 minutes - 41.2 MBIn the countdown to Christmas 2023, the Unexpected Christmas elves have been busy preparing a special podcast advent calendar for your delectation, based on their Histories of the Unexpected favourite past episodes. And behind door 5: the Unexpected History of Christmas is all about…..SPITE! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Countdown to Christmas 2023: 4: LUCKY FINDS!
December 04, 2023 00:09 - 17 minutes - 41.1 MBIn the countdown to Christmas 2023, the Unexpected Christmas elves have been busy preparing a special podcast advent calendar for your delectation, based on their Histories of the Unexpected favourite past episodes. And behind door 4: the Unexpected History of Christmas is all about…..LUCKY FINDS! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Countdown to Christmas 2023: 3: SHOES!
December 03, 2023 00:07 - 17 minutes - 39.5 MBIn the countdown to Christmas 2023, the Unexpected Christmas elves have been busy preparing a special podcast advent calendar for your delectation, based on their Histories of the Unexpected favourite past episodes. And behind door 3: the Unexpected History of Christmas is all about…..SHOES! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Countdown to Christmas 2023: 2: Evil!
December 02, 2023 00:04 - 16 minutes - 36.6 MBIn the countdown to Christmas 2023, the Unexpected Christmas elves have been busy preparing a special podcast advent calendar for your delectation, based on their Histories of the Unexpected favourite past episodes. And behind door 2: the Unexpected History of Christmas is all about…..EVIL! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Countdown to Christmas 2023: 1: Bad Luck
December 01, 2023 00:01 - 18 minutes - 42.9 MBIn the countdown to Christmas 2023, the Unexpected Christmas elves have been busy preparing a special podcast advent calendar for your delectation, based on their Histories of the Unexpected favourite past episodes. And behind door 1: the Unexpected History of Christmas is all about…..Bad Luck! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
BONFIRE NIGHT SPECIAL - RERELEASE of FIRE
November 05, 2023 00:59 - 35 minutes - 43.9 MBInspired by Bonfire Night, Sam Willis and James Daybell reexplore the unexpected history of fire. It's all about communicating with fire, propaganda, speeches, hunting, exploring, Captain Cook, arrows, burning barrels, heresy, greed, Zoroastrianism, the rise of Islam, eternal flames, paisley, Dante's Inferno, treachery and Julius Caesar! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Halloween 2023: Rerelease 4 - FEAR - A HALLOWEEN SPECIAL
October 31, 2023 14:32 - 32 minutes - 51.2 MBIn this fourth and final RELEASE for HALLOWEEN 2023, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis discuss the unexpected history of FEAR! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Halloween 2023: Rerelease 3 - MONSTERS
October 31, 2023 14:28 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBIn this third RELEASE for HALLOWEEN 2023, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis discuss the unexpected history of MONSTERS! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Halloween 2023: Rerelease 2 - ZOMBIES
October 31, 2023 14:26 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MBIn this second RELEASE for HALLOWEEN 2023, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis discuss the unexpected history of ZOMBIES! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Halloween 2023: Rerelease 1 - CORPSES
October 31, 2023 14:22 - 43 minutes - 49.3 MBIn this RERELEASED episode for HALLOWEEN 2023, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis try to breathe new life into the unexpected history of CORPSES! Which is all about the eccentric Cornish landowner Sir James Tillie (1645-1713), who demanded that upon his death his body should be tied to a chair facing the River Tamar in a purpose-built mausoleum at Pentillie Castle (and he was to be fed every day!); Viking corpse doors and mortuary practices related to doors; and sup...
PINK!
July 09, 2023 23:15 - 33 minutes - 37.9 MBIn this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis uncover the UNEXPECTED history of PINK! Which is all about the history of death by duelling in eighteenth-century England (the transition from swords to pistols as the weapon of choice), masculinity and codes of honour. It's also all about elite status in ancien regime Europe, porcelain and female power at the French court, and the marketing of baby clothes in the late 20th century! Who knew! Hosted on Ac...
SUNSHINE!
June 19, 2023 15:36 - 35 minutes - 40.6 MBIn this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis don their shades of history, bag the sun beds by the pool of the past, relax and pontificate on the UNEXPECTED history of SUNSHINE! Which is all about religion and worship of sun deities (via Ra, the falcon-headed Ancient Egyptian sun god, and the tomb of Nefartari in Egypt's the Valley of the Queens!) as well as the history of the suntan (and Little House of the Prairie). It's also all about the military us...
HOMESICKNESS!
June 11, 2023 19:22 - 31 minutes - 35.8 MBIn this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis get rather maudlin and nostalgic about the UNEXPECTED history of HOMESICKNESS! Which is all about colonial settlers, the US civil war, nineteenth-century immigration, WW2 and modern childhood in America! It's also all about displacement of Jews during the Holocaust, the kindertransport, recipes and childhood diaries. And it's also all about space travel, sexism, and the history of paternal relationships. Who...
APOLOGIES!
June 05, 2023 06:33 - 29 minutes - 67 MBIn this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis prostrate themselves upon the ground and humbly beg forgiveness with the UNEXPECTED history of APOLOGIES! Which is all about British politeness and bumping into people as an experiment; public apologies and historical reconciliation for slavery, the holocaust and atrocities in WW2 (including the Statement by Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama 'On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the war's end' (15 Augus...
RERELEASE: GLOVES!
June 02, 2023 09:17 - 23 minutes - 42.2 MBRERELEASED for your listening pleasure, one of our favourite episodes from our back catalogue: the unexpected history of GLOVES! The gloves are off as the general of generations, Professor James Daybell, and the seadog of centuries, Dr Sam Willis, take us on a rip-roaring ride through the unexpected history of the glove. From the Holy Roman Empire to one of Japan’s most popular sports. Join the intrepid two as they handle with kid gloves, relics of remembrance, challenges to masculinity, we...
FRAILTY!
March 22, 2023 00:27 - 39 minutes - 45.1 MBIn this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis clutch the walking stick of the past to uncover the UNEXPECTED history of FRAILTY! Which is all about the history of old age, loneliness, well-being and medical history (via the seventeenth-century English diarist Sarah Cowper). It's also all about the history of accidents (falling off things, stumbling and fatalities) and the depiction of disabilities in the margins of medieval manuscripts. Who knew! Host...
MOTHER'S DAY SPECIAL!
March 19, 2023 00:00 - 34 minutes - 78.1 MBIn honour of mothers around the world, past and present, a rerelease of our episode on the Unexpected History of MOTHERS! THE UNEXPECTED HISTORY OF MOTHERS! A boy’s best friend is his mother’ (Norman Bates – Psycho, written and directed by Joseph Stefano and Alfred Hitchcock, 1960). Welcome to Histories of the Unexpected where you will discover the history of things you did not know even had a history, like the history of nonsense or the history of the itch. For this episode let us join t...
WAITING!
March 16, 2023 10:38 - 40 minutes - 46.3 MBIn this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis stretch their weary limbs, yawn and check their proverbial watch all in order to unpick the UNEXPECTED history of WAITING! Which is all about industrialisation, boredom and anxiety, and the history of queuing (via Winston Churchill and WW2 and Margaret Thatcher), power in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and the history of migration. Who knew! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informat...
WALLS!
March 05, 2023 21:41 - 35 minutes - 40.8 MBIn this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis scale the great heights of the UNEXPECTED history of WALLS! Which is all about ancient Rome (via Ovid's Metamorphoses and Pyramus and Thisbe), Hadrian's Wall, graffiti in Pompeii, and the House of Maius Castricius. It's also all about Medieval Castles and the Crusades, and the Great Siege of Malta in 1565. Who knew! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
STRIPES!
March 02, 2023 09:12 - 34 minutes - 39.7 MBSTRIPES! In this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis try on the city slicker pinstripe suits and speculate on the history of STRIPES! Which is all about the Carmelite order, the banning of striped clothing and stripes as a marker of social stigma (via the sartorial garb of the gangster). It's also all about the eighteenth-century maritime world (including Nelson's stocking), stripes as a marketing phenomenon, zebras and patterned cathedrals, as well...
VALENTINE'S DAY RERELEASE: LOVE!
February 14, 2023 00:04 - 46 minutes - 106 MBHappy Valentine's Day to our listeners! For this episode let us join the Cupid of history, Professor James Daybell and the Casanova of historical crime, Dr Sam Willis as they, with arrows notched and ready to fly, bring you from the back catalogue: the unexpected history of LOVE. Our two star crossed history hunters take the lead along love’s fickle twisting and turning path, from the modern phenomenon of attaching inscribed padlocks to public bridges in Paris to the votive offerings made t...
FISH!
February 06, 2023 08:02 - 39 minutes - 45.2 MBIn this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis don the waders, bait the hook of history and cast out to land the unexpected history of FISH! Which is all about the fascinating history of cod (via the Vikings and Mr Birds Eye), it's about Samuel Pepys, the Royal Society, Sir Isaac Newton and Willughby and Ray’s exceptionally unsuccessful De Historia Piscium (The History of Fishes). It's also all about the History of Fish and Chips, fly fishing and feather...
ROBOTS!
January 30, 2023 09:42 - 33 minutes - 38.2 MBIn this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis get all mechanised and programme the unexpected history of ROBOTS! Which is all about AI and the rise of ChatGPT, popular culture, science fiction and imagining good and bad machines (think C3PO, R2D2 and Metal Mickey). It's also all about the Brazen Head automaton and the late medieval polymath Roget Bacon, via Robert Greene's Elizabethan play, Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay (c.1590), as well as the Industria...
RERELEASE: Christmas Microhistory 1: Bad Luck!
December 21, 2022 16:18 - 18 minutes - 42.9 MBIn this RERELEASE episode from the archive the Histories of the Unexpected team explain how the history of Christmas is actually all about BAD LUCK - Who Knew! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
RERELEASE: SNOW!
December 17, 2022 06:43 - 32 minutes - 74.1 MBIn this latest RERELEASED episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis don their most Artic-like winter wear to track down the extraordinarily unexpected history of SNOW! A festive taster for all our listeners! Who knew! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
THE NUMBER 50!
December 16, 2022 11:28 - 34 minutes - 39.3 MBIn this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis take stock of half a century (in honour of the Daybell's milestone Birthday!) to unwrap the extraordinarily unexpected history of THE NUMBER 50! Which is all about models of how we interpret the past, the headlines on 3 December 1972, and the remarkable meanings and symbolisms of the number 50!! It's also about the fascinating history of the £50 bank note, and the notion of historical figures on the back of ...
SPOTS!
December 05, 2022 11:35 - 32 minutes - 36.8 MBIn this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis pinch the historical pus out of the extraordinarily unexpected history of SPOTS! Which is all about female beauty and false advertising in the nineteenth century in the United States of America, and the strangely titled Arsenic Wafers, which it was advertised were entirely safe and ensured a blemish free complexion. It's also all about the Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4, and the history of acne, teenagers...
FOXES!
December 01, 2022 10:04 - 1 hour - 87.4 MBIn this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis shout TALLY HO! and follow the historical scent of the extraordinarily unexpected history of FOXES! Which has nothing whatsoever to do with fox-hunting, but is in fact all about the remarkable sport of fox-tossing (as well as aerial golf!), and Basil Brush and the history of British light entertainment. It's also all about Operation Fantasia in the aftermath of Pearl Harbour when the Office of Strategic Serv...
SECRETS!
November 25, 2022 12:30 - 43 minutes - 50 MBIn this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis get all hush, hush (we'd love to tell you, but then we'd have to kill you....) about the extraordinarily unexpected history of SECRETS! Which is all about Elizabethan Catholics, recusancy laws and priest holes (and a recent adventure at the wonderful Harvington Hall); it's about secret codes and ciphers, and the practice of hiding sweaty gloves in chimneys to deter malign spirits. It's also all about D-Day a...
BEARS!
November 18, 2022 14:55 - 38 minutes - 43.5 MBIn this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis tackle the extraordinarily unexpected history of BEARS! It's not all about Teddy Bears - Paddington, Winnie-the-Pooh and Rupert bear - in fact it's all about bear attacks and how to avoid them; keep bears at pets (via Lord Byron). It's also all about accidents and bear-baiting in Shakespearean England, and travel. Who knew! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
MUMBLING!
November 12, 2022 05:33 - 33 minutes - 37.9 MBIn this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis tackle the extraordinarily unexpected history of MUMBLING! Yes! It does have a history, and this one takes us back to the basics of the concept of histories of the unexpected, which is the historical equivalent of rambling around the past like a bull in a historical china shop. Mumbling is all about historical definitions and talking with your mouth full; it's about 90s rap phenomenon, mumble rap; linguistic...