Calcutta in the late 18th century was a chaotic, fast-growing city, filled with fortune seekers, towering mansions, and an ever-present sense of impermanence. Inspired by the botanical and zoological paintings they encountered in Lucknow, Sir Elijah Impey, the first Chief Justice of Bengal, and his wife, Lady Mary Impey, brought this style to Calcutta, where ... Show More
Nov 20
309. Tintin, Nazis, & Soviets
What was the origin story of Hergé, the Belgian illustrator who created The Adventures of Tintin? How did an unlikely friendship transform Hergé’s life and lead him to draw Tintin crying in a comic strip for the first and only time?
Anita and William navigate the turbulent hot w ... Show More
45m 37s
Nov 2024
India's capsule coal mine rescue
In November 1989, mining engineer Jaswant Singh Gill saved 65 miners from the Mahabir Coal Mine, in India.The miners, who had been trapped for three days after a flood, were winched out one by one using a tiny, steel capsule.Rachel Naylor speaks to Jaswant's son, Sarpreet Singh G ... Show More
10m 6s
Sep 2024
Ancient India and China: from golden to silk roads
The best-selling historian William Dalrymple presents India as the great superpower of ancient times in The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World. He argues that for more than a millennium India art, religions, technology, astronomy, music and mathematics spread fa ... Show More
42m 10s
Jun 2025
Alan Michelson Talks Dinosaurs, Murderous US Presidents, and Platinum-Gilded Native “Knowledge Keepers”
As a child, Alan Michelson often rode the T past sculptor Cyrus Edward Dallin’s “Appeal to the Great Spirit” (1908) outside the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA). He was riveted by the statue’s grand horse and the powerful yet melancholy figure wearing a striking Plains Indian wa ... Show More
52m 19s
Mar 2022
International, part 1: The Disabled Woman Who Ruled Ancient Kashmir
Welcome to season 5 of Vulgar History, where things are taking an internationàle flair, starting with this story from 10th century Kashmir! The saga of Rani Didda contains THREE coin minting moments, NUMEROUS mysterious deaths, and a new inductee to the Lady Jane Grey Memorial Aw ... Show More
1h 12m
Oct 7
'I designed the Indian rupee symbol'
In 2009, the Indian government launched a national competition to find a design for the Indian rupee.With more than 3,000 entries and five finalists, the winning design was announced on 15 July 2010.The designer was by Udaya Kumar Dharmalingam, a student at the Industrial Design ... Show More
10m 29s
Aug 2024
Trash: The Archaeology of Rubbish
An archaeologist and an artist walk into a dump… For most of us, we throw our garbage to the curb, and it disappears from our lives. But to some, that’s just the beginning of trash’s story. In this episode, we follow two people who seek the truth in trash—an archaeologist who exc ... Show More
34m 58s
Dec 2024
Indian Ocean tsunami - Tamil Nadu
On 26 December 2004, an earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia sparking a tsunami which swept away entire communities around the Indian Ocean. In India, Choodamani and Karibeeran Paramesvaran’s children Rakshanya, 12, Karuyna, nine, and Kirubasan, five, were killed. A beref ... Show More
9m 12s
Apr 2025
S09E04 - Art Deco⏐Paris-Shanghai, a dialog of styles
In Paris, in the 1920s, a myriad of languages was spoken. Elegant ladies from all over the world flocked to the French capital to shop to their heart’s content. The city, a veritable crossroads of influences, drew inspiration from the most diverse sources. But if there was one ... Show More
16m 33s
Apr 2025
Georgian wallpaper and an enduring fashion trend
When Wrest Park’s Jemima, Marchioness Grey, was widowed, she unleashed her purse strings to install lavish Chinese art across the Bedfordshire estate: perfect for taking tea with friends.
You can get lost in the intricate birds, plants and people featured in Wrest Park’s Chines ... Show More
41m 35s