Podcast · 70 episodes
Short History Of...
by NOISER · English
History is full of the extraordinary. Each week, we'll transport you back in time to witness history's most incredible moments and remarkable people. New episodes Mondays, or a week early for Noiser+ subscribers. With Noiser+ you'll also get ad-free listening and exclusive content on shows across the Noiser podcast network. Click the subscription banner at the top of the feed to get started or head to noiser.com/subscriptions A Short History of Ancient Rome - the debut book from the Noiser Network is out now! Discover the epic rise and fall of Rome like never before. Pick up your copy now at your local bookstore or visit noiser.com/books to learn more. For advertising enquiries, email info@adelicious.fm No part of this podcast may be used or reproduced in any manner for the purpose of training artificial intelligence technologies or systems. In accordance with Article 4(3) of the DSM Directive 2019/790, Noiser Ltd expressly reserves this work from the text and data mining exception.
Latest episodes
The English Civil Wars, Part 1 of 2Part 1 (of 2) of a short history of the English Civil Wars, beginning with Charles I’s failed attempt to arrest MPs in January 1642 and tracing how disputes over royal authority, taxation, and…27 Sep 2026 · 54 min
The Peasants’ RevoltThe Peasants’ Revolt of 1381, sparked by rising poll taxes and enforced labor rules after the Black Death, spreading from Essex and Kent to London, targeting poll-tax records and hated officials,…20 Sep 2026 · 56 min
The Empire State BuildingA short history of the Empire State Building—its site’s Astor-era elite past, the 1920s skyscraper race for publicity, its Depression-era construction and design, major incidents (including a WWII…13 Sep 2026 · 51 min
All episodes
The English Civil Wars, Part 1 of 2Part 1 (of 2) of a short history of the English Civil Wars, beginning with Charles I’s failed attempt to arrest MPs in January 1642 and tracing how disputes over royal authority, taxation, and…27 Sep 2026 · 54 min · 12 chapters
The Peasants’ RevoltThe Peasants’ Revolt of 1381, sparked by rising poll taxes and enforced labor rules after the Black Death, spreading from Essex and Kent to London, targeting poll-tax records and hated officials,…20 Sep 2026 · 56 min · 14 chapters
The Empire State BuildingA short history of the Empire State Building—its site’s Astor-era elite past, the 1920s skyscraper race for publicity, its Depression-era construction and design, major incidents (including a WWII…13 Sep 2026 · 51 min · 14 chapters
9/11A short history of the September 11, 2001 attacks, from Al-Qaeda’s origins and planning through the hijackings, impacts on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, the Flight 93 uprising, the towers’…6 Sep 2026 · 59 min · 19 chapters
Nina SimoneA short history of Nina Simone, tracing her rise from segregated North Carolina to international fame, her transformation into a civil-rights protest voice, and her later-life exile, instability, and…30 Aug 2026 · 55 min · 15 chapters
Isambard Kingdom BrunelA short history of 19th-century engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, framed around major projects (SS Great Britain, the Thames Tunnel, Clifton Suspension Bridge, the Great Western Railway, and the…23 Aug 2026 · 54 min · 18 chapters
Salvador DalíThis episode is a short history of Salvador Dalí, mixing a dramatic “lecture” anecdote with a chronological biography.16 Aug 2026 · 52 min · 21 chapters
Nellie BlyNellie Bly’s life and reporting career, framed by her undercover investigation of a New York asylum and her later “stunt journalism” and global circumnavigation.9 Aug 2026 · 51 min · 18 chapters
Ned KellyThe episode “Ned Kelly” dramatizes Ned Kelly’s rise from Irish-Australian rural hardship to the Kelly Gang’s outlaw campaign, culminating in the Glenrowan siege and Ned’s execution.2 Aug 2026 · 50 min · 20 chapters
LongitudeThe episode explains why longitude at sea was historically unsolved, then traces how it was finally made practical—especially through the Longitude Act, the lunar distance method, and John Harrison’s…26 Jul 2026 · 55 min · 21 chapters
Ireland’s Easter RisingThe episode “Ireland’s Easter Rising” recounts the April 1916 Easter Week rebellion in Dublin and explains why intellectual nationalists turned to armed revolt.19 Jul 2026 · 54 min · 24 chapters
The Space Shuttle Challenger DisasterThe Space Shuttle Challenger disaster (Jan 28, 1986), how NASA’s shuttle program and risk culture led to the launch, what failed, and how later investigations shaped safety.12 Jul 2026 · 53 min · 14 chapters
The Brink’s-Mat RobberyThe episode recounts the 26 Nov 1983 Brinks-Mat robbery at a West London warehouse near Heathrow, where security guard Michael Skous and colleague Robin Risley are forced to open the vault.5 Jul 2026 · 50 min · 21 chapters
Hurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina’s approach, the failure of New Orleans’ flood protection (levees/pumps/sheet piling), the resulting mass flooding and humanitarian breakdown, and what the disaster revealed about…28 Jun 2026 · 52 min · 17 chapters
The Kray TwinsThe April 19, 1965 wedding of Reggie Cray and Francis Shea, framed as the glamorous cover for the Kray twins’ violent East End criminal empire, and tracing how Reggie and Ronnie rose from poverty to…21 Jun 2026 · 53 min · 17 chapters
Introducing: Founding Fathers: An American Dream - Episode 1A short history of the “Founding Fathers” framed through key Revolutionary War events (1776 Declaration, Washington’s leadership, European alliances) and the early U.S.16 Jun 2026 · 58 min · 21 chapters
PunkThe episode “Punk” (a short history narrated by John Hopkins) argues that punk emerged from mid-1970s British instability—rising inflation, unemployment, industrial conflict, and cultural…14 Jun 2026 · 50 min · 15 chapters
Jacques CousteauThe life of Jacques Cousteau, focusing on how he and the “Sea Musketeers” developed the Aqualung/SCUBA, then used it to film and popularize underwater exploration, later shifting toward marine…7 Jun 2026 · 55 min · 25 chapters
CharlemagneA short history of Charlemagne (Charles the Great), from the rise of the Carolingian dynasty to his imperial coronation on Christmas Day 800, his wars (especially Saxony), governance and religious…31 May 2026 · 52 min · 18 chapters
The Golden Age of RailwaysThe episode traces how early-19th-century steam locomotives and iron rails created the “golden age of railways,” reshaping travel speed, timekeeping, cities, leisure, warfare, and empires—then how…24 May 2026 · 55 min · 22 chapters
The Haitian RevolutionThe Haitian Revolution (1791–1804) in Saint-Domingue/Hispaniola, tracing Spanish and French slavery, the 1791 Bois Caïman uprising, emancipation by French decree, Toussaint Louverture’s rise and…17 May 2026 · 58 min · 23 chapters
The Real James BondThe episode argues that Sidney (Sydney) George Reilly—often called “the real James Bond”—inspired Ian Fleming’s James Bond, while also stressing that Reilly’s legend is partly exaggerated and hard to…10 May 2026 · 53 min · 11 chapters
The Spanish Civil WarThe Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), from Spain’s political polarization and military coup to international intervention, major battles, atrocities, and Franco’s dictatorship; it also covers modern…3 May 2026 · 54 min · 15 chapters
Sir Francis DrakeA short history of Francis Drake, contrasting his 1581 knighthood and Armada fame with his earlier career as a pirate/privateer, including participation in the transatlantic slave trade and later…26 Apr 2026 · 54 min · 26 chapters