Blind History

Ep 10: Joan of Arc

She was variously called the 'Maid of Orleans', Saint Joan, and the heroine of France. Ultimately she was burnt at the stake and condemned by her enemies as a heretic and lunatic. Joan died before her 20th birthday, but in that short life she succeeded in bringing France together, beating…

15 Apr 2019 14 min

Ep 8: Julius Caesar

Most people think of Caesar when they think of Rome - whether that’s because of Asterix, the famous bust with the laurel wreath, or the story of Brutus’ ultimate betrayal. He has become more myth than man, and his actual story is as fascinating as the stories told in fiction…

2 Apr 2019 18 min

Ep 7: Pharaoh Ramesses II

Stretch your understanding of time back 2000 years - to the time of Jesus and Augustus. Now go back another 1300 years. If you can even imagine such a vast expanse of history, then you might be able to see more than ruins, stones and statues in the reign of…

26 Mar 2019 16 min

Ep 6: Jan Smuts

His reputation has been downplayed by both the Nationalist Afrikaner regime that succeeded him, and the free South Africa that succeeded that, but for those prepared to dig a little deeper, Jan Smuts may well have been one of the greatest people to emerge from our continent. A brilliant mind,…

19 Mar 2019 12 min

Ep 5: Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius was the archetypal philosopher-king, a man of extraordinary talent and ability. He also had those rare qualities of introspection and self-awareness. He ruled when the Roman Empire was at its most powerful and after him, the world fell to pieces. Next time you see some profound thing on…

12 Mar 2019 15 min

Ep 4: King Edward III

Edward III was England’s greatest medieval king. When you think of King Arthur’s round table, jousting, feasts, battles, armour and castles - Edward had all of that, but he also had a dark side, and a reign filled with tragedy... including the Black Death which killed millions of his people…

5 Mar 2019 13 min

Ep 3: President John F Kennedy

John F Kennedy is one of the most well-known and best loved Presidents of the United States. Most people know more about his assassination than anything else, but he had a really incredible (and unlucky) family, many affairs and a crisis or two of global proportions to deal with during…

26 Feb 2019 17 min

Ep 2: Shaka Zulu

Shaka kaSezangakhona was Africa’s first imperialist. Before Shaka, there were tribes... after Shaka there was a kingdom. In this episode we trace the story of Shaka the warrior, the madman and the leader - because he was all three and more. The soil of our country is stained with the…

19 Feb 2019 15 min

Ep 1: Alexander the Great

If you feel like an underachiever, compared to Alexander, you are. Before he had even turned 30, he had conquered all of the known world. A military genius, divinity, tyrant, poet and alcoholic, his story is full of surprising twists. Find out about his horse, his lovers, and his death…

12 Feb 2019 17 min

Coming soon... Blind History

Blind History is a crash course in getting to know history’s greatest men and women - and by great we don’t always mean good. Hosted by Gareth Cliff and Anthony Mederer from Taylor Blinds, this series will tell you what the history books sometimes leave out - the sordid stories,…

4 Feb 2019 1 min