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The Curious History of Your Home

Discover the extraordinary history of ordinary items all around you.

Sounds,31 episodes

Episodes

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Sheds
A boy scout assembles parts for the nuclear reactor he’s building in his mother’s shed.
22 Oct 2024,27 mins
Laundry
The Ancient Romans use questionable substances to clean their clothes.
15 Oct 2024,28 mins
Bins
A whole city is built from waste in Neolithic Turkey.
08 Oct 2024,29 mins
Neighbours
Villagers across Europe turn on each other with dangerous accusations of witchcraft.
01 Oct 2024,32 mins
Bread
Ryebread causes a devastating disease in medieval .
24 Sep 2024,31 mins
Heating
A king in dire financial straits institutes a controversial tax on fireplaces.
17 Sep 2024,30 mins
Home Entertainment
On a windswept island in the Bristol Channel, radio is born…
10 Sep 2024,30 mins
Clocks
The most elaborate clock the world has ever seen is constructed in 11th-century China.
03 Sep 2024,28 mins
Pests
In Victorian London, a rat catcher turns his profession into street entertainment.
27 Aug 2024,33 mins
Dinner Parties
At a feast in Norway, drunk Vikings engage in a rap battle.
20 Aug 2024,30 mins
Windows
A tax on windows leads to some interesting architectural solutions.
13 Aug 2024,29 mins
Home Security
A gaggle of geese stands guard outside a whisky distillery in Scotland.
06 Aug 2024,31 mins
Toilets
Pigs form an unlikely part of the sewage system in ancient China.
30 Jul 2024,30 mins
Jewellery
In the Middle Ages, poison rings are used to covertly contaminate food and drink.
23 Jul 2024,30 mins
Lawnmowers
Landscape gardening leads to the downfall of a powerful politician in 17th century .
16 Jul 2024,28 mins
Ovens
In Mughal India, an emperor just can’t do without his favourite tandoori meals…
09 Jul 2024,31 mins
Board Games
On the Isle of Lewis, a lost cow unearths the most famous chess pieces in history
02 Jul 2024,31 mins
Hats
Napoleon Bonaparte causes a stir, by rotating his bicorne 90 degrees…
25 Jun 2024,31 mins
Carpets
A young girl’s innovation turns a small Georgia town into the carpet capital of the world.
18 Jun 2024,31 mins
The Medicine Cabinet
A radical apothecary causes a stir during the English Civil War...
11 Jun 2024,31 mins
Beds
A bed proves fatal for three men in medieval …
04 Jun 2024,32 mins
Beer
Prohibition in America leads to the production of potentially deadly drinks…
28 May 2024,33 mins
Cats
The world’s first cat lady is found living in Victorian London.
21 May 2024,30 mins
Gardening
In medieval England, gardening brings an inquisitive monk closer to God.
14 May 2024,32 mins
Coffee
A goat herder in 9th century Ethiopia finds a stimulating plant.
07 May 2024,32 mins
Forks
At a wedding in medieval Italy, a woman’s death is blamed on a two-pronged utensil...
30 Apr 2024,32 mins
Washing Up
A summit between Henry VIII and his French counterpart leaves a mountain of dirty dishes.
23 Apr 2024,30 mins
Lights
In the hills of Northern Spain lamps help an anthropologist make an incredible discovery.
16 Apr 2024,32 mins
Baths
A murderous emperor builds the grandest bath complex ever seen in Ancient Rome.
09 Apr 2024,33 mins
Fridge
In Ancient Persia, ice houses refrigerate food in one of the hottest deserts on earth...
02 Apr 2024,45 mins