How the compass became a political weapon

History is often told through the epic struggles of famous personalities or grand movements. Yet sometimes the voices of ordinary people break through. In this episode, Maurice J Casey speaks to Danny Bird about his new book, Hotel Lux, which follows three connected families through the upheavals of the 20th century. Bound by idealism, friendship and love, their journey begins in 1920s Moscow, inside a hotel that was once a sanctuary for international revolutionaries drawn to the Soviet Union’s bold vision for a better world. (Ad) Maurice J Casey is the author of Hotel Lux: An Intimate History of Communism's Forgotten Radicals (Footnote Press, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hotel-Lux-Intimate-Communisms-Forgotten/dp/180444099X/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Poisoned sweets. Criminal misdeeds. And a sex scandal involving… the prime-minister. Listen to HistoryExtra's new podcast History’s Greatest Scandals, delving into the murky underworld of The Victorians. Ellie Cawthorne and historian Professor Rosalind Crone take a journey through the backstreets of 19th-century Britain to explore the darker side of Victorian life. Sneaking into private parlours, descending into candlelit mines, frequenting grim workhouses and paying a visit to an unscrupulous confectioner, uncovering some of the biggest scandals of the day – and explore what they can reveal about Victorian age. Series 1 launches today, 7 Jan 2025. Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/40kQYTz Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/33plhOIkO9rtli5btfziHE Listen everywhere else by searching: History's Greatest Conspiracy Theories You can listen ad-free, access episodes early and more by subscribing to HistoryExtra Plus here: https://apple.co/4fgRA1d. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The name Susan B Anthony is inextricable from any history of the American movement for women's suffrage. Yet the life of the woman herself can be obscured by her status as a campaigner and figurehead. Speaking Elinor Evans, Susan Ware answers questions on the American social reformer and women's rights activist. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why did early Islamic cartographers place south at the top of their maps? Who invented the magnetic compass? And why has 'the west' become an intensely political term, as well as a geographical one? Here, in conversation with Spencer Mizen, Jerry Brotton answers the most intriguing questions on the history of the four cardinal points: north, east, south and west. (Ad) Jerry Brotton is the author of The Four Points of the Compass: The Unexpected History of Direction (Allen Lane, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Four-Points-Compass-Unexpected-Direction/dp/0241556872/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty. Hear more from Jerry Brotton on the life and legacy of extraordinary cartographer Marie Tharp: https://link.chtbl.com/ZbHzAbh8. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What was it like to live in a British town or city in the Middle Ages? Were they filthy hotbeds of crime and violence? How often did fires break out? And where could you get a good slap-up meal if you were hungry? In this 'everything you wanted to know' episode, historian Professor Carole Rawcliffe speaks to David Musgrove to answer listener questions about medieval urban life – from filth and fire, to fast food, foreigners and fighting on the streets. Professor Carole Rawcliffe explores the keep-fit trends of the Middle Ages: https://link.chtbl.com/vIShX27F. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Harold Wilson is as central to the story of sixties Britain as the Beatles, Profumo and miniskirts. Admirers applauded the social reforms he introduced while in office; his critics accused the prime minister of being Machiavellian. Here, in conversation with Spencer Mizen, former home secretary Alan Johnson – who has just written a biography of Wilson – reveals how he rode the wave of the cult of youth sweeping the nation. (Ad) Alan Johnson is the author of Wilson: Twentieth Century Man/ (Swift Press, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Harold-Wilson-Ministers-Alan-Johnson/dp/1800753322/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty. Check out our series in which historians nominate who they think was Britain's greatest prime minister here: https://www.historyextra.com/membership/britains-greatest-prime-minister-historyextra-podcast-series/ The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Sutton Hoo ship burial is one of the most famous discoveries in British archaeological history. But who is actually buried there? Or perhaps a better question is: why was the man buried with such a wealth of exotic goods? Dr Helen Gittos has a fascinating new theory that may alter our understanding of this major archaeological discovery. David Musgrove spoke to her to find out more. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What were Jesus's views on sex? Why did so many Christians choose a life of celibacy? Has the church ever been tolerant of homosexuality? These are some of the questions explored by Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch in his new book Lower than the Angels, a sweeping 2,000-year history of sex and Christianity, which he expects will annoy a great many people. In today's episode, Rob Attar catches up with Diarmaid to find out why. (Ad) Diarmaid MacCulloch is the author of Lower than the Angels: A History of Sex and Christianity (Penguin, 2024). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Flower-than-the-angels%2Fdiarmaid-macculloch%2F9780241400937. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Catherine the Great stands out from the rulers of Imperial Russia – a 'philosopher empress' whose wit, political savvy, and unyielding ambition transformed her empire into a European powerhouse. Seizing the throne through an audacious coup against her own husband, Catherine wielded her authority with an iron grip, balancing the volatile ambitions of her court while nurturing her vision of enlightened rule. Historian Janet Hartley speaks to Danny Bird about how Catherine corresponded with the era's leading philosophers, navigated scandalous love affairs and earned her glittering but contentious reputation — not just as an innovator but as the architect of Russia’s might. Here, Simon Sebag Montefiore answers listener questions about the history of imperial Russia’s formidable rulers: https://link.chtbl.com/QWPY1LAC. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

William of Normandy famously invaded England in 1066 – but, he didn't quite conquer it all. In fact, the duty of leading a second assault was left to his son William Rufus almost 30 years later. Speaking to David Musgrove, Sophie Ambler and Fiona Edmonds reveal how the second Norman Conquest came about in the 1090s, and explain how this story played out in little-studied kingdom of Cumbria. Listen to our podcast with Marc Morris, The Normans: Everything you wanted to know, here: https://link.chtbl.com/PFBA-VhF The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices