What We Did Before | A History of Everyday Life

Send us Fan Mail 💬 What was it really like to be a medieval executioner? We often imagine mysterious hooded figures wielding axes and swords, but the reality was far more surprising. Some even worked as physicians. ⚡ In this episode, I’m joined by Dr Larissa Tracy, medieval literature expert and author of Exile and Execution in Medieval and Early Modern Society. We discover why executioners were sometimes ostracised from their communities, what happened when executions went wrong, and why the...

Send us Fan Mail 💬 Was medieval torture really as brutal and widespread as we've been led to believe? From the rack to the Iron Maiden, the Middle Ages have a reputation for unimaginable cruelty. But how much of what we think we know is actually true? ⚡ In this episode we hear from Dr Larissa Tracy, medieval literature expert and author of Torture and Brutality in Medieval Literature. We discover why torture was often more restricted than we imagine, how gruesome stories of medieval punishmen...

Send us Fan Mail 💬 Were humans always conscious? And why did ancient people seem to constantly report encounters with the gods? One theory by Julian Jaynes - the Bicameral Mind hypothesis - suggests that, as recently as 3,000 years ago, the normal state for the human mind was very different to today - that for most of human history, consciousness as we know it today did not exist at all. ⚡ In this episode we hear from Brian J. McVeigh, anthropologist, cultural psychologist and psychoth...

Send us Fan Mail 💬 White paint was used everywhere in Victorian Britain. The trouble was, the pigment that made this paint so useful was deadly. For the people working in the white lead factories, this job was said to be deadlier than being a soldier. Early chemical jobs were notoriously hazardous, but white lead workers are said to have had it worst of all. We’ve known about white lead’s toxic and deadly qualities for thousands of years. Despite this people - like Queen Elizabeth I - wore it...

Send us Fan Mail 💬 What was life like before gas lighting? Just over 230 years ago, even the wealthiest homes were poorly lit by modern standards. But when a Scottish engineer began experimenting with gas, he sparked a revolution that would transform everyday life. ⚡ In this episode we hear from Russell Thomas, Technical Director at WSP and gas historian. We discover how William Murdoch earned a reputation as the “Wizard of Cornwall”, why Victorian gasworks were such dangerous and unpleasant ...