logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2023
56m 2s

The Columbian Exchange

Bbc Radio 4
About this episode

Greg Jenner is joined by Dr Caroline Dodds Pennock and comedian Desiree Burch in the 15th century to learn all about the Columbian Exchange, which is often described as the start of globalisation. We go beyond the expeditions of Christopher Columbus to share the bigger story of a monumental exchange of plants, foods, animals, materials, people and culture across the continents. It’s also a life lesson on why you shouldn't set sail with a couple of cougars aboard your ship!

Research by Roxy Moore Written by Emma Nagouse and Greg Jenner Produced by Emma Nagouse and Greg Jenner Assistant Producer: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow Project Management: Isla Matthews Audio Producer: Steve Hankey

You’re Dead To Me is a production by The Athletic for BBC Radio 4.

Up next
Aug 28
History of Underwear: from shirts and stays to bras and briefs
Greg Jenner is joined in western Europe by historian Dr Serena Dyer and comedian and actor Vic Michaelis to learn all about the hidden history of underwear. For as long as people have been wearing clothes, they have been wearing garments under them – Romans at Hadrian’s Wall were ... Show More
1 h
Aug 21
Akhenaten and Nefertiti: religious revolution in ancient Egypt
Greg Jenner is joined in ancient Egypt by historian and curator Dr Campbell Price and comedian Sikisa to learn all about Tutankhamun’s parents, Nefertiti and Akhenaten. As well as their famous son, this ancient Egyptian power couple are best known in the modern age for two reason ... Show More
58m 1s
Aug 14
Anne Bonny and Mary Read: real-life pirates of the Caribbean
Greg Jenner is joined in the eighteenth-century Caribbean by historian and curator Hannah Cusworth and comedian Kemah Bob to learn about the swashbuckling lives of pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read. These women and their adventures on the high seas have become the stuff of legend, ... Show More
1 h
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2023
The First Indigenous Americans in Europe
<p>1492 marked the beginning of the Colombian Exchange - the transfer of people, goods, ideas and commodities across the Atlantic between Europe and the Americas. We hear a lot about the conquistadors, the settlers, Jesuit priests and colonisers from Spain, Portugal and Britain w ... Show More
24m 13s
Feb 2023
306: Columbus: The Adventure Begins (Part 1)
A controversial figure both now and in his time, Tom and Dominic discuss Columbus and his drive for discovery, power and status. They look at Columbus’ early life in Genoa, his journey to becoming an accomplished sailor, his obsession with crossing the Atlantic to reach what he t ... Show More
56m 9s
Mar 2014
No Such Thing As The Middle Ages
Episode 3: This week QI Elves Dan Schreiber (@schreiberland) and James Harkin (@eggshaped) are joined by Horrible Histories consultant Greg Jenner (@gregjenner) and comedian Alex Edelman (@alexedelman) to discuss the first recorded smile, the most important animal in America and ... Show More
27m 34s
May 2025
From Belgium to Wall Street: The Dirty Birth of the Stock Market
Yannis and Chris take you on a wild ride back to the very first stock market—then keep going all the way to ancient Greece and Rome, where guys in togas were investing in ship voyages. They break down what the market is, how it started, and why it still confuses the average perso ... Show More
1h 34m
Jun 2022
LXIX. Nice.
Cooking With Grief is the comedy podcast that covers everything from history to science, pop culture to geography, and everything in between. Join us as we learn about how in 1518 the people of Strasbourg danced compulsively until they couldn't stand any longer, and also the biza ... Show More
36m 28s
Feb 2022
147. Disease, the New World and modern pandemics
How devastating were European arrivals to the Americas in terms of deaths and the introduction of new infectious diseases? Tom and Dominic are joined by Professor Kyle Harper from the University of Oklahoma to discuss the relationship between disease and colonial expansion, the ... Show More
39m 47s
Jan 2023
SYMHC Classics: The Darien Disaster
This 2011 episode from previous hosts Sarah and Deblina covers an attempt to start a Scottish colony in Panama in the late 1600s. But the expedition faced disease, death and poor trade, taking down the settlers -- and, ultimately, Scotland.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy ... Show More
22m 13s
Apr 2020
The Restoration
Join host Greg Jenner for a rambunctious romp through 17th century Britain to learn all about Charles II and the restoration of the monarchy.As well as finding out where to get the best cup of coffee in Restoration London, we’ll discover why Charles II was known as the Merry Mona ... Show More
14m 5s
Apr 2022
LXVII. Emancipate this, B*tch!
Cooking With Grief is the comedy podcast that covers everything from history to science, pop culture to geography, and everything in between. Join us as we learn about an Aztec god, Xipetotec, who was worshipped by flaying human sacrifices - and we also learn that the last Trial ... Show More
52m 34s
Aug 2017
Pop science and Punjabi epics
With Thea Lenarduzzi and Lucy Dallas – Alexander van Tulleken on what makes popular science books – including Neil deGrasse Tyson's Astrophysics for People in a Hurry – so popular, and is there a hidden danger in making science the subject of water-cooler conversations?; Clair Wi ... Show More
44m 40s