Where do Teddy Bears come from? Why did they suddenly take over the world? Was Teddy Roosevelt really involved? Join Emma and Janina as they unravel the hairy truth behind our plush pals.

Who was Catiline? Why did he try to do a coup? Why did Cicero hate him? Find out all this and more in this episode!

Join Emma and Janina on the high seas as Janina tells us all about her favourite shipwrecks

How big of a dickhead was Napoleon III, anyway?

Dormice? Sow's Uterus? What on earth did the Romans eat? Join Emma and Janina for a culinary odyssey through the world of Roman Food.

Who are some of the most badass saints? What were their lives like? What's a "desert father"? Find out all of this and more!

The most devious, murderous cut-throat family of renaissance Italy.. or misunderstood victims of slanderous propaganda? Emma and Janina take a look at one of Italy's most infamous families, their rise, and fall.

... and were they really so dark? Listener survey link: https://forms.gle/78wMyX42uQvpHf1Y8 Show notes: https://historyissexy.com/show-notes/episode-82-what-makes-the-dark-ages-dark

Graham and Ali from Rex Factor are here and we're talking about England's most consequential Queen Consorts, and all the skulduggery she got up to!

Willkommen in Österreich! Emma is joined by History Is Sexy producer and Austria Correspondent Oliver to have a look at a story that's captured Austrian hearts for a hundred years, the life of Empress Elisabeth.

Emma is joined by HR Owen once again to discuss the most dramatic family in Classical Egypt!

Janina's on a bit of a break, but history never sleeps, so Emma is joined by acclaimed podcaster HR Owen for a deep dive into perhaps one of the most dramatic families in history, the Ptolemys.

How did the various states that've existed on the British Isles/North Atlantic Archipelago coalesce, fracture, and coalesce over and over until it became the country we know today? A thousand years of history, all in just over an hour!

In 60CE, Boudica, Queen of the Iceni, led a violent uprising of unprecedented scale that tore across the southeast of Britannia, burning London and shocking the Roman world. But what's the real story? Was she real? Was she a literary construct? How are our modern conceptions of Boudica affected by the Victorians and Elizabethans?

Put on your gown and get ready to enter high society, as Emma and Janina walk you through the bizarre world of Debutantes, Balls, and "The Season"

This time, Dr Emma Southon and Janina Matthewson take a deep dive into matriarchal societies in classical and pre-history, did they really exist?

Caligula is a 1979 film made by pornographers, starring Malcolm McDowell, Helen Mirren, Sir John Gielgud, and Peter O'Toole. It's also completely bananas. Join Emma (seen it dozens of times) and Janina (not seen it before) as they discuss this scandalous and notorious historical film.

And why was he so special?

Emma and Janina investigate the mystery of wild children, and whether any of them were actually raised by olves.

What's "The Great Masculine Renunciation?" Who was Beau Brummell? Why are men's clothes so boring now?

Emma and Janina are back behind the mast of the longship! This time, we're discussing sagas, eddas, and other various mythological titbits. www.historyissexy.com

We're back, and better than ever! This time, Emma and Janina will be answering a few questions about everyone's favourite nordic seafaring pirate raiders, the Vikings! Were the Vikings the ISIS of the 9th century? Were the Vikings criminal outcasts from their homelands? Did we like Assassin's Creed: Valhalla? Tune in to find out!

A quick update to promise you that we are not dead and encourage you to stop giving us money. Please stop giving us money until 2023! <3

Where did the idea that Victorians were all repressed weirdos come from? Is it true? Did they cover their piano legs for modesty? What's going on? Show notes and links and get in contact at www.historyissexy.com

Who were the Illuminati? Did they cause revolutions all over the world, or were they just a bunch of nerds? Are philosophers to blame for everything? And did the French make books out of the skins of those they guillotined? Show Notes at https://historyissexy.com/show-notes/episode-66-did-the-illuminati-cause-the-french-revolution Support us at www.historyissexy.com

What's the history of Petra? Why was it considered lost for so long? Why aren't Bedouin people allowed to live there any more, and other things colonialism has ruined. Show notes at https://historyissexy.com/

This week we explore the weird and wonderful world of alchemy, from ancient China to Isaac Newton. Show notes https://historyissexy.com/show-notes/episode-64-whats-the-history-of-alchemy

People who's lives turned out to involve things no one could have predicted. Show notes: historyissexy.com/show-notes/cqcz3d5vh0ftaryie0kdkbw8s5ht7g

*Reuploaded* This episode we talk political philosophy, chaos, revolutions and war crimes and the messy path to human rights theory. Show notes, merch and contact form at www.historyissexy.com

Did a real human man called Jesus actually live and was he really crucified or did the church make the whole thing up? Show notes: https://historyissexy.com/show-notes/episode-61-did-jesus-really-exist

Was the past stinky? Were medieval peasants covered in poo like Monty Python? Did people really piss out of windows like in Blackadder? Were the streets of medieval London rivers of animal guts and dung? Or were the people of the past just like us? Let's find out! Show notes: https://historyissexy.com/show-notes/episode-60-how-smelly-was-the-past

We debate Oliver Cromwell and whether, massacres and puritanism aside, he was really such a bad guy. Show notes at historyissexy.com/show-notes/0pd9rhjo7tx1caqc6baqevdinck1y3

Was there really an all female tribe of warrior women in the ancient world? Did they cut off one boob? Why would they do that? Emma and Janina discuss the evidence. Show notes: https://historyissexy.com/show-notes/episode-58-were-the-amazons-real

The greatest escapes in history, or; how we learned the most tried and true escape methods. Show notes and merch available at https://historyissexy.com/

A continuation of the last episode on Arabic libraries and centres of learning, today we visit West Africa and learn how Timbuktu became a focus of Islamic scholarship and learning. Show notes historyissexy.com/show-notes/episode-56-whats-the-history-of-timbuktu

We talk about the great libraries of Baghdad and Cordoba. Includes a truly thrilling escape story that for some reason hasn't had a big budget HBO series made about it? Show notes and merch available at historyissexy.com/

Sieges, sieges and more sieges! Turns out there's more to Malta than just seiges, but there are a lot of them. Janina and Emma discuss knights, crusades, mother goddesses and endless, interminable wars. Show notes and links at www.historyissexy.com

The final part of our Rasputin series features Boney M, Anastasia, and Rasputin's alleged dick! Show notes and merch available at https://historyissexy.com/

In part two of our Rasputin series, we talk about actual Rasputin! His life, his death, and our new favourite historical personage, his murderer. Show notes and merch available at https://historyissexy.com/.

It's a series! Part one of a three part look at that cat that really was gone, Rasputin. Show notes and merch available at https://historyissexy.com/.

*reupload to fix sound problems at the start!* This week, Emma and Janina talk about clothing laws, colonialism and pants! Show notes, contact details and merch are at www.historyissexy.com

This week, Janina and Emma discuss the ways in which people mostly people with uteruses) prevented pregnancy in the past! Content warnings for miscarriage, abortion and a lot of horrible things gong into vaginal canals! For show notes and merch, see our shiny new website! www.historyissexy.com

Emma and Janina talk all things poison and unexpected methods of poisoning people throughout the ages. Sources at https://historyissexy.com/

This time Emma and Janina take a look at the history of pets, where did dogs come from? Why were cats persecuted in the middle ages? What were the favourite pets of the Romans? 😺🐶🐦 Show notes and references https://historyissexy.com/show-notes/episode-47-history-pets

Emma's new book is OUT NOW! To celebrate the launch of A Fatal Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, we had a lovely Live Episode/Q&A event. Here is the unedited audio recording for you to listen to at your leisure. Buy A Fatal Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fatal-Thing-Happened-Way-Forum/dp/1786078376/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1600377106&sr=8-1 https://www.bookdepository.com/Fatal-Thing-Happened-on-Way-Forum-Emma-Southon/9781786078377?ref=grid-view&qid=1600377032474&sr=1-1

Emma has a book out so we are having a live episode (on zoom) for free and we invite you to join us! Register here (for free) https://bit.ly/3itHqxb

👽👽👽 We're back for another episode! This time Emma and Janina dive into the weird and wonderful world of aliens, and for just how long people have believed in them. So strap into your UFO chair, drink your weird blue milk, and enjoy the ride! 👽👽👽 Sources: https://historyissexy.com/show-notes/episode-46-history-aliens

That's right folks, this time Emma and Janina step into the ring to examine the surprising history of everyone's favourite grappling-based sports entertainment, wrestling!

It's a three-in-one this time as Emma and Janina tackle three questions, all on the theme of Women's suffrage! Why did New Zealand grant universal suffrage so early? Who was the *real* first woman MP? Why is Switzerland so weird? Sources: https://historyissexy.com/show-notes/episode-44-womens-suffrage Janina's Musical: https://open.spotify.com/album/27pikGLOASw0WtUnfxBbCh?si=bgANPckGSSuULrBoJMJpdg

Join Emma and Janina as they take a look at the topic of redheads in history, and why something as simple as a hair colour has been consequential for so many people. Sources: https://historyissexy.com/show-notes/episode-43-red-headed-history

We're back! This time Emma and Janina tackle some quicker listener questions! Sources: https://historyissexy.com/show-notes/episode-42-more-short-questions

We're back! This time we're taking a deep dive into the stories of the coolest Roman women from after 68CE! www.ko-fi.com/hispod www.twitter.com/sexyhistorypod Sources: https://historyissexy.com/show-notes/episode-41-coolest-roman-women

Yo ho me hearties! We're back with another swashbuckling episode for all you landlubbers. Emma and Janina answer another burning question: Were pirates communists? Did they also occasionally get married to each other? Just how good were they anyway? Sources: https://historyissexy.com/show-notes/episode-40-were-pirates-really-communists

This time, Emma and Janina tackle a very complicated pair of questions. Which royal figures in history were queer/LGBT, and has the gender binary/heteronormativity always been that way? Sources: https://historyissexy.com/show-notes/episode-39-queer-royals

Join Emma and Janina as they take a deep dive into the strange and surprising history of gynaecology. Featuring: Speculae! Forceps! Babies with slightly squashed heads!

Emma and Janina return for the second bit of their two-part quest to tackle Chinese history, dynasty by dynasty. There's so much of it! www.ko-fi.com/hispod

It's our most ambitious episode ever, can we fit thousands of years of Chinese history into just two hours? We'll certainly give it a try! Strap in for a whistle-stop tour of Chinese history, as told by Emma and Janina.

This time our duo investigates a dark period of history that lasted a lot longer than you might think. The subject of a famous Monty Python bit, the Spanish Inquisition features plenty of grotesque terror for everyone to enjoy! Featuring: Papal Bulls! Martin Luther! Neighbour disputes! and, lots of torture! Sources: https://historyissexy.com/show-notes/episode-35-spanish-inquisition

We're back! This week, Emma and Janina take a look at the lives of women in ancient Athens. Was it really better to be a hetaera (courtesan) than a wife? Sources: https://historyissexy.com/show-notes/episode-34-hetaera-athens

This time, Emma and Janina don their goggles and take to the skies to answer a very burning question. Was the "Airship Age" a real thing? How did people use Airships? Why did they very suddenly disappear? Featuring: The word "Dirigible"! An indoor water park! The humanity! Oh, the Humanity! Sources: https://historyissexy.com/show-notes/episode-33-airships

This time on History is Sexy, Emma and Janina investigate the persistent notion of tickling being used as torture. Where does this story come from? Are there any sources at all? What are Mario and Luigi doing in that picture? Content Warning/Listener discretion is advised: This episode contains descriptions of mutilation and torture. Sources: https://historyissexy.com/show-notes/episode-32-chinese-tickle-torture www.ko-fi.com/hispod

This time, Emma and Janina dive into a big vat of history, answering a question from Emma's Mum's friend: "In medieval times, how come there was so much ale available. What was it made of, how come it was so available and how was it made and transported?" Sources: https://historyissexy.com/show-notes/episode-31-beer-middle-ages

This time, Emma regales Janina (and us) with the story of Procopius, a cautionary tale of historical bias, fake news, and bizarre stories about geese! Featuring: Power couple Justinian and Theodora! 🤴👸 Sports teams that are also mafia gangs! 🏇 🗡️ https://historyissexy.com/show-notes/episode-30-actress-empress-goose The Hagia Sofia, it's pretty neat! ⛪ Support us here: bit.ly/supportsexyhistory

After a short break, Emma and Janina dive into the world of musical theatre, examining important shows and pondering the question, why are so many musicals about revolution? Featuring: Rambunctious revolutionaries! Corpulent kings! Bangers, wall-to-wall bangers! Support History is Sexy here: www.ko-fi.com/hispod

This time, Emma and Janina take a close look at a topic not many people are aware of: the Nazi breeding program. What was Lebensborn? How did it operate? Why is it largely forgotten and relatively unknown in today's society? Featuring: A mighty mangling of German! A lack of levity Lots of kidnapped kinder Sources: https://historyissexy.com/show-notes/episode-28-lebensborn

Please take our listener survey, we'd love to hear your feedback and how you think we could improve the show! https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/JQVH895?fbclid=IwAR1XURKStu4Xj7f-Juy9kUtfDAHnRBKOSsn6LmMbjrtrneJrkhRpeS07y9Y This time Emma and Janina take a look at the lives of women in the very martial Norse and Mongolian cultures. How were their lives different from those of their contemporaries in other cultures? Featuring: A very novel use for a sack of silver! The grave matter of burial goods! Political powerhouses! Sources: https://historyissexy.com/show-notes/episode-27-viking-mongolian-women

This time, Emma and Janina take a deep dive into the history of time and how we measure it! How did people in the pre-Christian world mark dates and years? What other calendars are there? Did the time period between 340AD and 911AD even exist?? Featuring: Lots of Kings and Emperors! 🤴🤴🤴 Water clocks and sundials! 🕰️⏰ A grand and ridiculous conspiracy theory! 🕵🏼‍♀️🤔 This audio has been updated due to a prior error Sources: https://historyissexy.com/show-notes/episode-26-time

This week Emma and Janina dive into the history of witch trials and the story of the possessed nuns of Loudun! What's the real story behind one of medieval Europe's most famous possession stories? What happened to the townspeople of Salem, Massachusetts? Featuring: A whole host of demons, signing a contract! 👿✒️ Some really gruesome executions! 💀💉 Nuns doing things that nuns aren't allowed to do! ⛪💞 Sources: https://historyissexy.com/show-notes/episode-25-witch-trials

It's Christmas! To celebrate the season of goodwill, we're answering your excellent quick questions in our bumper Xmas special! Where does Santa come from? Is Christmas really a pagan thing? Who is Father Christmas? How was he different to Santa? Why did the Puritans hate him? And much more!

In this episode, Emma and Janina take a deep dive into the history of menstruation! What methods did people in the past use to cope during their periods? What cultural attitudes and taboos did historic societies have towards the subject of menstruation? Why do modern people tend to have heavier periods? Featuring: All manner of bizarre "feminine hygiene products" (designed by people who have not menstruated) The Period Hut Various belts and apparatuses!

This time on History is Sexy, Emma and Janina dive into a listener's question about the history of people with albinism. Why did the Romans think they came from Albania? How has their history shaped understandings of race? and what challenges do they face in our modern world? Featuring: Noah being embarrassed 😳👴 The man who made Icelanders very angry ❄️🤬 Voltaire being awful 🇫🇷💢 And plenty more!

Join Emma and Janina as they consult the oracle, examine the augurs, and read the stars in their quest to answer another question: What's the history of omens? Featuring: Magpies! Some very unfortunate chickens! Your mum's spine!

As it's that time of year, we dive into history's most mysterious and macabre ghost stories. What is a ghost anyway? Would you want to do the hoovering for eternity? Emma and Janina investigate these troublesome tales of terror and share their favourite spooky stories from history. Featuring: Spooky spectres! 👻😱 Mysterious mishaps! 🏴‍☠️ Gruesome ghouls! 🍔👶 Sexy skeletons! 💀👙

Join Emma and Janina as they tackle a historical topic you might not have heard much about, just how have natural disasters changed the world we live in? Featuring: Volcanos, which we ought to worship really. 🌋🌋🌋 Earthquakes 🏚️ Famines 💀 and much more!

Join Emma and Janina as they delve into the historic and linguistic mysteries of names. Why did medieval kings have nicknames? Where do surnames come from? Featuring: A million Gaius Juliuses John le Fucker If-Christ-had-not-died-for-thee-thou-hadst-been-damned Barbon

Join Emma and Janina as they dive into the depressing history of childhood, and explore how even children in the not-too-distant past suffered in ways that today's children can only dream of. Featuring: Spinning Jennies! 👩‍🏭🏭 Infant Mortality! 👶👻 Corporal Punishment! 👴💥 and much more!

This week, Emma and Janina are joined by guest James Harland to discuss what exactly happened after the Romans abandoned Britain. Was it an apocalyptic event, or was it all a bit more complicated than that?

How did people wipe their bums a thousand years ago? How many messengers actually did get killed? Who was the first Barry? It's another quick questions!

This time, Dr Emma and Janina examine a question close to the good doctor's heart, how did Christianity grow from such humble beginnings to become a dominant force in the world? How do religions spread? What did Christianity do differently? Featuring: Grumpy Jesus! 🙍‍♂️🕊️ Grumpy Paul! 👴 Constantine, The Chrissy Teigen of Rome! 👑 ♻️ NZ national anthem performed by Hayley Westenra.

This week, Emma and Janina take a deep dive into the bizarre world of Nazi pseudoscience and occultism. Did they really go all Indiana Jones and look for powerful holy relics? Featuring: Golden people who reproduce like flowers! 👨🌸 Operation Barbarossa - What were they thinking?!❄️💀 Flying saucers! Death rays! Anti-gravity machines! 👽🔫

Join Emma and Janina as they examine the stories of some real life, honest to goodness heroes you may never have heard of. Courage, bravery, grit, virtue, and general goodness, these fine people have got them in spades! Featuring: Daring diplomats! 👨‍⚖️ Superlative spies! 🕵️‍♀️ Fearless fashionistas! ✂️ Courageous cosmonauts! 👩‍🚀

This week, Emma and Janina tackle a particularly difficult question: Who is the most powerful person in history? Featuring: Enormous turbans! 👳‍♂️ Brutal conquest! ⚔️ A distinct lack of amusement! 👑 Chinese revolutionary history! 🇨🇳

This week, Emma and Janina are joined by our first ever guest, Dr Anna Scott, as they attempt to unravel the mysteries of the history of music! Featuring: Bone flutes (or wolf bites?)🦴🐺 Why are harpsichords so rubbish? 🎹 What's the least cool instrument?🤓 Mystical chanting and visions 🧞‍♀️ and much more! More from Anna: https://challengingperformance.com/interviews-recordings/anna-scott/ Synaulia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJLXyBzMci0 Musica Romana: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC4KqvAhqFA "Le Jeu De Robin Et Marion" by Adam de le Halle https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCIx07t14jw Hildegard of Bingen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei88J4lERbk https://catholicsaints.info/saint-hildegard-von-bingen/

Emma and Janina answer a whole bunch of questions - like how bad did aristocratic inbreeding really get? Who had the sexiest facial hair of the American Civil War? And what's the weirdest shit people have pulled to appear attractive? Links! Sexy beards https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/who-had-best-civil-war-facial-hair-180951965/ http://americancivilwarbeards.tumblr.com/ Roman bread: http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/pompeii_and_herculaneum/pompeii_live/live_event/bread_recipe.aspx Early communion: The Didache https://www.crossroadsinitiative.com/media/articles/didacheontheeucharistteachingofthetwelveapostles/ Justin Martyr (paragraphs 65-66) http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0126.htm

Join Emma and Janina as they attempt to unravel one of history's tricky questions: "Are the stories you hear of women dressing up to be soldiers true, and if so how did they get away with it?" Sources: Catherine Baker: https://twitter.com/richmondbridge/status/983619848973553664?s=09 Mark Stoyle. 2018.‘Give mee a Souldier's Coat’: Female Cross‐Dressing during the English Civil War. History 103 (354) pp. 5-26. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1468-229X.12542 Catherine Baker. 2018. Montrous Regiment. History Today. https://www.historytoday.com/catherine-baker/monstrous-regiment Cheryl Morgan. 2018. How Not To Erase Trans History. http://www.historymatters.group.shef.ac.uk/erase-trans-history/ Julie Wheelwright. 1990. Amazons and Military Maids: Women Who Dressed as Men in Pursuit of Life, Liberty and Happiness DeAnne Blanton, Lauren Cook Wike. 2002. They Fought Like Demons: Women Soldiers in the American Civil War Fraser Easton. 2003, Gender's Two Bodies: Women Warriors, Female Husbands and Plebeian Life. Past and Present 108, pp. 131-174. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3600742 Jing Yin, 2011. Popular Culture and Public Imaginary: Disney vs. Chinese Stories of Mulan. Javnost - The Public: Journal of the European Institute for Communication and Culture 18 (10), pp. 53-74. Peter Boag. 2011.Re-Dressing America’s Frontier Past. Lila Guadêncio, nd. The Pillars of Mimicry: Performativity and 'Realness' in Hua Mulan http://www.academia.edu/24696528/The_Pillars_of_Mimicry_Performativity_and_Realness_in_Hua_Mulan

This week our question is: "When In Rome, What Did The Romans Do?" Join Emma and Janina as they take a closer look into the daily lives of Roman citizens, both at work and play. Featuring: Sad lions! 🦁 Seneca complaining about everything! 👴 Would you want to be buried with your colleagues? ☠️ Roman comedy! 🎤 Checking out your friends equipment in the bath! 🛀

Murderesses! Bloodbaths! Wicked rulers! Cruel sadists! In this week's episode, Emma and Janina examine the horrible stories of some the nastiest and most bloodthirsty women in history. CONTENT WARNING: This episode features graphic descriptions of torture and murder that some listeners might find upsetting.

Join Emma and Janina as they discuss their favourite/most maddening historical myths and misconceptions. Featuring! * Flat Earth! * Caligula and his horse! * New Zealand settlement myths! * Napoleon! * Armour! * Vikings!

This week, Emma and Janina have a go at unravelling one of the more tricky questions submitted by listeners: What's the deal with antipopes? "Habemus Papam/We Have A Pope": http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1456472/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

"Before Scott and Charlene tied the knot, did anyone marry for love?" Join Emma & Janina as they attempt to unravel the history of love marriages. This episode's book recommendation: Hild - Nicola Griffiths Other Books: Marriage, A History: How Love Conquered Marriage - Stephanie Coontz I Don’t: A Contrarian History of Marriage - Susan Squire Public Vows: A History of Marriage and the Nation - Nancy F. Cott Sex, Marriage and and Family in World Religions - Don S. Browning Marriage, Sex and Death: The Family and the Fall of the Roman West - Emma Southon Eucheria of Marsailles, Sixth Century Satirical Poem.

Join Dr Emma Southon and Janina Matthewson as they attempt to untangle one of history's big questions: What was world war one all about? British anti-German propaganda: http://roadstothegreatwar-ww1.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/intense-british-anti-german-propaganda.html?m=1 Stefan Zweig's The World Of Yesterday: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-world-of-yesterday/stefan-zweig/anthea-bell/9781906548674

Join Dr Emma Southon and Janina Matthewson as they examine the impact of Roman conquest, both on the conquered peoples and how we view Rome in the modern world. The tintinnabulum: https://goo.gl/rixVdN Monty Python: https://goo.gl/8ouUh3 Animated map of growth of the Roman Empire https://goo.gl/2vvRDV Pliny https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pliny-the-Elder