logo
episode-header-image
Sep 1
22m 59s

On Top of the World

GBH
About this episode

Maps show us the world. These wayfinding wonders show us how people think about the world, and sometimes they make us think about the world differently. When a map from 1700 worth thousands of dollars and showing a very different world view came to ANTIQUES ROADSHOW’s 2023 event in Sturbridge, MA, it raised the question – on modern maps, why is north always at the top? Join host Adam Monahan as he travels through map making history to discover the surprising events that flipped cartography on its head.

Up next
Nov 10
Encore: David and the Two Lamps
A pair of Tiffany lamps go missing years after appearing on GBH’s Antiques Roadshow. Just how far would someone go to get their hands on these lamps? And just how far would someone else go to get them back? DETOURS host Adam Monahan talks to those close to the story including the ... Show More
25m 50s
Oct 27
Encore: That Time the FBI Called
Photographs of Edgar Allan Poe are incredibly rare. The famed writer sat for portraits only a few times, resulting in eight unique images, known as daguerreotypes. When one appeared on the TV show in Omaha, NE it seemed too good to be true. Then the FBI called. It’s a tale never ... Show More
24m 40s
Oct 13
Encore: The King of Fakes Gets Faked
In 2013, GBH’s Antiques Roadshow appraiser John Buxton met a guest claiming to have an ancient Mayan carving. Buxton’s gut said this was a fake but the guest had paperwork proving otherwise. Is it possible Buxton’s instinct was right all along? DETOURS host Adam dives into the de ... Show More
33m 40s
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2022
Mobits Extra: Mo’s Mystery Bust
Mo’s deep appreciation for our less-remembered presidents led him to purchase a giant bust of Grover Cleveland, which has dominated his living room for over 20 years. But when the New York Times questioned the bust’s identity, it set in motion a quest, culminating in an appearanc ... Show More
24m 52s
Oct 2021
Losing Your Marbles
They’ve seen wars, the bottom of the ocean and even - bizarrely - been part of a boxing match.The story of how the Parthenon Marbles actually ended up in London’s British Museum is a wild tale featuring bribes, court cases and some extremely dodgy deals.  There’s been a centuries ... Show More
36m 46s
May 2022
Episode 1333 - Marc Goes To Washington w/ Dr. Dwandalyn Reece and Lance Mion
This is an episode about history. Collective history and personal history. Marc finds himself in Washington, DC on the latest leg of his standup tour, a place imbued with symbolism, both for what we want it to be, but also what we really are. And it's where Marc's college roommat ... Show More
1h 11m
Sep 2022
A Short History of the Bank of England
<p>As the UK's bond market has suffered its biggest fall in decades and the pound has reached its lowest ever price against the US dollar, Dan talks to Dr Nuno Palma, a senior lecturer and associate professor in economics at the University of Manchester about the Bank of England. ... Show More
21m 3s
Aug 2022
Welcome to American History Hit
<p><strong>Join Don Wildman twice a week for your hit of American history, as he explores the past to help us understand the United States of today.</strong></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>We’ll hear how codebreakers uncovered secret Japanese plans for the Battle of Midway, visit Chief Powha ... Show More
3m 12s
Jul 2023
348: The Boston Tea Party (Part 2)
“Last night three cargos of tea were emptied into the sea. This morning a man of war sails. This is the most magnificent movement of all. There is a dignity, a majesty, a sublimity, in this last effort of the patriots, that I greatly admire.” The Boston Tea Party occurs amid the ... Show More
57m 34s
Mar 2024
SYMHC Classics: James G. Fair
This 2019 episode covers James G. Fair, known as the Silver King. But though Fair often appears on lists of the richest men in U.S. history, his image was also tainted by scandal. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
31m 8s
Feb 2024
Drag: a British history
Drag is an art form that's seen a great deal of success – and a little controversy – in recent years. Yet, as Jacob Bloomfield argues in his recent book, Drag: A British History, it's also entertained British audiences for decades, stretching back to the music halls of the Victor ... Show More
37m 59s
Aug 2023
The Hungerford Deed
<p>When a <a href="https://siarchives.si.edu/blog/tale-three-contracts?utm_source=si.edu&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=oneSmithsonian" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">200-year-old legal document</a> anonymously arrived at his office, Smithsonian Libraries and Archives c ... Show More
29m 8s