Blind History

Long before Elon Musk and Steve Jobs, there was a billionaire playboy who set the standard - a genius with a passion for flying and designing planes, a womaniser who bedded the sexiest women in Hollywood, and a man who was eccentric enough to be declared mentally ill by today’s standards. Howard Hughes was many things... but he certainly wasn’t boring!

The fiery, furious relationship between the medieval era’s most famous power couple led to glory and terrible failure. The empire they presided over was the greatest empire in the West since the time of Charlemagne. He was 9 years younger than her, but she matched his energy. When they weren’t making love and producing one of many children, they were plotting against each other or fighting like cat and dog. She took no prisoners, but he made her one for 15 years. The world, it seems, wasn’t big enough for Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Vice Admiral Viscount Horatio Nelson was the greatest British sailor of all time, possibly the greatest sailor in all the world’s history. His adventures, tactical genius and courage inspired Britain to become the naval superpower that it was in the 1700s and 1800s, and helped bring about the fall of Napoleon and a change in the balance of power throughout the world. Though he had only one eye and one arm, he seems to have brought enough energy and ambition for two lifetimes, and history looks fondly on his contribution.

In 1742 a Russian aristocrat and military engineer, fluent in Turkish and French, rose to prominence in the Imperial court of Peter the Great. He had all the trappings of nobility, and was held in such high regard that the Tsar adopted him. This great figure of Russian history's name is Gannibal - charming, intelligent and a man of extraordinary achievement. Oh, and also a black African.

If there were a prize for genocide, one man would have unbeatable odds at claiming it. He began life as a bright young revolutionary with enormous enthusiasm for change and fairness - but he devolved into a fat, dirty, old tyrant who filled everyone with fear and loathing. He was at China’s helm when up to 55 million people died in just four devastating years. He was known as Chairman Mao, and he changed China forever.

Long before Mario Puzo wrote 'The Godfather', and before Brando and Pacino brought the book’s characters to life on the big screen, the real Godfather - Lucky Luciano - ruled over the world of organised crime. Gambling, prostitution, guns and shallow graves were his stock-in-trade. He was public enemy number one... and he remains the original gangster.

Unlike most great people from history, you can actually still look into the faces of some of the Pharaohs. At the Egyptian Museum of Civilisation, 22 mummies occupy a sanctified space, and represent over 3,000 years of recorded history. One of the most memorable is Tuthmosis III - while he was alive, his eyes looked out over the apex of Ancient Egyptian culture and power... and under his rule, they built the greatest temples, expanded the territory, and established a pantheon of gods.

Once upon a time, there lived a king... a king who had so much wealth that he could fill great halls to their roofs with it. When he visited the biggest Islamic city of his age, he brought so much money with him that he almost destroyed its economy. But this is no mythical fairytale, and he wasn’t just a big spender. His name was Mansa Musa, and he used his phenomenal wealth to build universities, libraries and more - and in the process, established perhaps the greatest medieval kingdom in Africa.

Chivalry, jousting, coat-armour, knights on horseback and the great glory of the Middle Ages are mostly made up. The real Middle Ages were a dirty, bloody, brutal and uncivilised time. Women were mere possessions, land was wealth, might made right, and peasants ate rocks and soil to stay alive. Only the high-born could live a life anything like Sir Walter Scott imagined in his novels. But once upon a time, there was a great knight - a man called William Marshall. He outlived four kings, fought countless battles, and was the very epitome of the medieval warrior.

Within living memory of Alexander the Great, a vast, powerful and extraordinary empire rose up in Northern India - forged by the strength, intelligence, and philosophy of one man. In one lifetime, he went from warlord to monk, from outcast to emperor... and his ideas brought a new religion, Buddhism, to full bloom in faraway places. Ashoka the Great is still commemorated on the flag of India, and his empire left a mark on all of Southern Asia.

Everyone knows the story of Joan of Arc - the patron saint of France, the heroine who was burnt at the stake for her valour and her faith. History has been less kind to Gilles de Rais, a man whose story is less heroic and more macabre. In the dungeons of his castle, the sounds of chains, the heat of fires, and the screams of children became his legacy. But did any of it really happen? Was he a mass murderer of children, or a victim of his wealth and military success? Those secrets are buried under stone and ash and legend, and we may never know for sure...

The creaking ship rose and fell in massive swells, the waves as high as 10 men stacked on top of each other. Blistering Antarctic winds seemed determined to prevent anyone from rounding the cursed Cape Horn. It had been months since any of the crew had seen their families, eaten anything fresh, or tasted anything but sea water every time they opened their mouths... and yet they were exploring places that had never been mapped before, encountering people and animals that no European had ever seen. At the helm was Captain Cook - more legend than man, undaunted by rain, wind, sun and sea.

Dr Emma Southon specialises in Roman history, and has written some incredibly interesting - and very funny - books. As a bonus episode of Blind History, we managed to have a chat with her about Rome, Roman society, the role of women in Roman families, and many more salacious and unbelievable stories about what really happened outside of politics and war.

Some believe he was the greatest man who ever lived, the son of God. Some historians mentioned him in passing as a Jewish rebel and philosopher. Either of those groups may be right, but we’ll never know exactly how to separate the reality from the myth of Jesus of Nazareth.

We’ve been avoiding this one, but eventually we had to do it ... the arch-villain of modern, if not all history - Adolf Hitler. The Fuhrer of Germany and the man who almost brought the whole Western world to its knees. More has been written about Hitler than anyone else in the 20th century, and yet, his evil deeds, megalomania and sheer force of will continue to elude us. It is not too much to say that this podcast might never have existed, or certainly been in German, if things hadn’t gone the way they did.

Charles Martel was born in the palace of Austrasia - which it turns out is neither in Australia nor Austria. If you’re confused, just imagine being French without a France. Austrasia was one of four provinces of what would eventually become medieval France, and Charles Martel would be its first leader. As the founder of a nation that has persisted to the present day, his battles, family, and faith would establish an identity in Western Europe that would make even the least proud Frenchman say, “Mon Dieu!”

Elizabeth Bathory might not be the most famous Hungarian in history, but once you hear her story, you’ll never forget her name. A tale of sadism, torture, cruelty and murder awaits you in this episode of Blind History...

Coming hot on the heels of last week’s episode, the villains can add another ugly monster to their number. Hideki Tojo was Japan’s fascist, genocidal answer to Himmler in Germany. Throughout his career, only Imperial Japanese priorities would matter, and if people got in the way, he treated them as an inconvenience or a resource. Ultimately, he faced justice in a way few war criminals did, but the blood he spilt in the twentieth century is a stain on Japan’s history.

If you were to compile a list of the most evil men in history, Heinrich Himmler would undoubtedly be near the top of it. Hitler’s chief executioner and the mastermind behind the genocidal concentration camps, Himmler was obsessed with racial superiority, the occult and killing people efficiently. With his round spectacles and devotion to Hitler, Himmler stopped at nothing to achieve his final solution. If you find the worst people that ever lived fascinating, you’ll enjoy this macabre episode.

Probably the most famous and successful artist of all time, this Spanish creative genius founded Cubism, produced thousands of works, and bedded many women. Perhaps his talent allowed us to see the world differently, but it is indisputable that his influence went much further than beautiful pictures.

When we think of Ancient History, we think of Egypt, Greece and Rome. Undoubtedly the greatest and most well-understood of these civilisations was Rome, but who were the ancient Romans frightened of? The answer is Carthage, and their most famous leader was Hannibal. One of the greatest strategic military thinkers of all time, he audaciously took on the might of Ancient Rome, and nearly brought her to her knees!

The father of communism and socialism, to some a wicked ideologue with the worst plans for social engineering; to others a heroic thinker who conceived of a freer, fairer world order. No matter what you think of him, Karl Marx’s shadow looms large in modern politics, in history, and in society today.

William the Conqueror was one of the great medieval warrior-kings. In fact, he set the standard for the next 500 years of English kingship. In war, he was undefeated, but in many ways he was unconventional, and plagued by family troubles and constant rebellion. His talent for administration produced a survey of England that it would take centuries to replicate, and his audacity (and a combination of strategy and luck) put a family on the throne that lasted for a thousand years.

Between Edison and Tesla there are some 1,200 patents for inventions and innovations that birthed the modern world. To fully appreciate their contribution, you would have to remember that at the time of their birth, technology was steam-powered locomotion, and candlelight. Over the course of their years of discovery and success, they engaged in bitter rivalry and the greatest leaps forward for humankind. But there were also failures, and tragedies.

Though equally loved and vilified by modern historians and analysts, it is beyond question that Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of Great Britain remains one of the most audacious women of history. This Iron Lady, who came to be respected by her enemies and friends alike, held firm in the face of strikes, wars, ideology and treachery. Her legacy may still be a controversial one, but even the most chauvinist right-winger or unionist feminist can likely agree that she was formidable on an international scale.

The story of Pyotr Alekséyevich is the story of Russia emerging from the cold. It is a story which continues to play out in the centuries which followed, and which galvanised the character of not just a new nation, but a nascent empire. Join us on the bewildering journey of a man of extraordinary character and ambition, and learn about the darker side of greatness in his relationships. From very nearly losing his life to the mob, Peter the Great would become one of the key figures of post-enlightenment Europe, and indeed, the father of his nation.

Kings and Queens aren’t always the best of us. Sometimes they’re weak, pathetic, unimpressive or downright evil! Just as history has shown us a range of glorious and exemplary monarchs, it is also full of examples of the kinds of men and women who might have been better suited to obscurity - men and women whose brief chapters in the story of their kingdom is one of great embarrassment or misery. Donald Trump would probably call them "losers”, but we thought they deserved a backward glance in the last episode of the season...

The Romans were a decaying bunch, with not very much to boast about and a rotten empire that was divided in half, ruled by four weak emperors. The only thing that arrested its slide into ignominy was the character and action of an ambitious, military, pious man called Constantine, whom history would call The Great. He picked Rome up and dusted it off, built a new capital for the empire, and with one gesture established Christianity as the religion of the known world. Those bold moves forged a relationship between church and state that would last until the enlightenment...

Cardinal Richelieu was the most powerful man in France, and the architect of absolute monarchy. His strategic mind and dedication to French interests made it possible for Louis XIV, and later Napoleon, to make France the envy of the world. Join us as we transport you back to the early 1600s, and into the mind and personality of this unique man…

Women in 2021 talk about sexism and not being taken seriously by the scientific, corporate or engineering world. Imagine what that was like during World War Two? Hedy Lamarr was called the most beautiful woman in the world, but in her own words, she wished they’d been more interested in her brain. In fact, you might actually be listening to us via a technology she played a part in developing, right now…

Nostradamus was either a genius with magical powers, or a very lucky bullshitter. In 16th century France, there may have been many mysterious men with the ability to convince the mighty they could foretell the future, but only one name survived down the ages. Even now, books about him and his predictions fly off the shelves. Those predictions continue to confound historians, ensnare mystics and drive rational people crazy... but who was Nostradamus?

The most famous bandit of the Wild West, Jesse James and his gang terrorised many American cities for more than a decade. Apart from a treacherous death, a crazy mom and many crimes, we’ll tell you all about one of the most dangerous men the USA ever knew...

To the Spanish he was a conquering hero, a conquistador, spreading Christianity to the 'savage tribes' of the new world. To the Aztecs and the native people of Central America, he was a harbinger of death, a destroyer of culture, and a frightening apparition that heralded the end of their civilisation.

We know you love the bad guys, but this one is close to impossible to like. The fact that he perpetrated his crimes against humanity only three generations ago makes it somehow more monstrous. When the story of humanity is told, King Leopold II of the Belgians will not find himself covered in glory. Join us on this journey into the Heart of Darkness...

The fearsome northmen in all their violence, strength, courage and ferocity probably shouldn’t be summarised in one lowly episode, but we’ll tell you how much more they gave us, and not just words like pillage and ransack. Their gods, society, women and sophistication were every bit as crucial as their raids, and we’re finding out more about the Vikings every day...

Cleopatra VII lived at a great intersection of history... where Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome collided. She was undoubtedly one of the personalities of the age - and a woman of tremendous power and influence. While the story ended in Shakespearean tragedy, to have seen history unfold through her eyes was to have a front row seat to the destiny of the world.

Robert Sobukwe was one of the great thinkers and leaders of the struggle for democracy and freedom in South Africa. A humble man of academic bent, he ended up founding the Pan-Africanist Congress and was sentenced to solitary confinement on Robben Island. His story is both sad and inspiring, but without him, we would be living in a very different world.

The longest reigning King of England watched the birth of America, the French Revolution, the dawn of modern science and the Agricultural revolution without ever leaving England. In fact, he hardly left Windsor. He was proud to be English and his bizarre eccentricities eventually proved to be real madness - but the people loved him. They called him 'Farmer George’ and he set a moral and respectable example of what the monarchy should be, one that has trickled down right to the present day.

Before the words ‘gangster', ‘thug', ‘mafia' and 'mob boss' were used by pretenders, rappers and small-time thieves, those words were used to describe really dangerous, wily, streetwise and charismatic underworld people... people who started modern organised crime in America. Al Capone was the most real of them all.

Blind History has spanned centuries of incredible people and events. We’ve marvelled at the heroic efforts of titans, and could scarcely believe the evil of some of history’s villains. But, good or bad, they’ve all helped shape the world in which we live. And someone who helped to bring these stories to life is Simon Sebag Montefiore: an award-winning author, academic and historian whose writings not only provided research material for some of the episodes, but whose love of history is an inspiration to Blind History hosts, Gareth Cliff and Anthony Mederer.

The Terror! That’s what they called it. Nobody was safe from the depraved madness of the peak of the French Revolution… and the fearsome man who became virtual dictator - Maximilien Robespierre. He came from humble origins, but bore the scars of a life of rejection - and he took it out on the people of France. Join us on this journey into the mind and life of one of the real revolutionaries of history.

Torquemada! The name that struck fear into Spanish conversos and just about everyone else in Spain in the 15th Century. Torquemada! Grand Inquisitor and the all-powerful religious zealot who burned thousands and tortured many more thousands in his quest to rid Spain of sin. Torquemada - who had the ear of the Queen of Spain and extracted confessions out of the guilty and the innocent with equal zest. Today we’re the ones judging him... and history will be as unkind as he was then. WARNING: Graphic content!

In this episode of Blind History, we take you on a rollercoaster ride featuring some of the terrifying men (and women) who ruled the seas. Were the most famous pirates of history one-eyed, one-legged, parrot-on-the-shoulder caricatures, or were they - like so many of the greatest characters from our past - complex and flawed people, with a certain set of maritime skills they used to their advantage and everyone else’s disadvantage? Find out as we board the ship...

The dirty, smelly Siberian peasant was a bizarre fixture at the richest, most extravagant court in the world, and for a time, he might have been the most powerful man in the Empire. Grigori Rasputin was a celebrity, a priest, a seducer of women and a healer. He was also impossible to kill…

There was once a great emperor, who ruled over the most cosmopolitan and rich empire. This emperor built skyscrapers, palaces, giant statues and ruled for half a century. This isn’t the start of a fairytale, and it isn’t the story you might expect. This emperor was a woman... and she ruled a millennium and a half ago - in China.

The modern Englishman can only dream of a life of adventure, exploration, excitement and provenance. Sadly, those days may be gone. For the enduring spirit of T.E. Lawrence, his influence on the Middle East is still being felt. Lawrence of Arabia may only be familiar to you because of the movie, but his real life was perhaps even more epic.

The modern Englishman can only dream of a life of adventure, exploration, excitement and provenance. Sadly, those days may be gone. For the enduring spirit of T.E. Lawrence, his influence on the Middle East is still being felt. Lawrence of Arabia may only be familiar to you because of the movie, but his real life was perhaps even more epic.

The name Lucrezia Borgia is synonymous with poison, the name Cesare Borgia with murder, and the name Rodrigo Borgia with orgies, incest and nepotism. Maybe that’s why he changed his name to Pope Alexander VI when he was elected by the college of cardinals. Were the Borgias really the worst family in Rome? Find out in this episode of Blind History…

Simón Bolívar was the Napoleon of South America - although if you called him that, he might have cut your head off. He could have had the easy life of a rich landowner in Venezuela, but chose instead to create a new Europe in South America. Bolívar made a mark on South America that endures to this day... and is one of the few men in history to have a country named after him.

Pol Pot sounds like the kind of dish you’d order at a Cambodian restaurant - but it’s actually the name of one of the most horrific people ever to walk the Earth. For some reason he never makes it to the first division of truly maniacal, genocidal monsters of history... he’s always in the second tier, despite his own murderous efforts to make his mark. In his effort to socially engineer Cambodia, he killed more than a third of his people - and millions of bodies in mass graves are his grisly monument.

Although he was born Stefanus, nobody ever called him that. Paul Kruger went from pioneer, hunter and farmer to being the loneliest old man in Switzerland, dying on the banks of Lake Geneva. The part in between was remarkable.

Che Guevara is a pop icon and an inspiration to the rebels of the world. But many don’t know that he was a medical student, an adventurer, and a husband. This episode of Blind History takes us from Argentina to Guatemala, then from Mexico to Cuba. We even stop in the Congo... with our journey finally ending in Bolivia.

George Washington - father of the United States of America, with terrible teeth. He may have led the Continental Army, but poor George never smiled. Find out whether he and Martha had a happy marriage, or children... and if he really was a brilliant military mind.

Ancient Israel, place of mystery and cradle of religion. King David and King Solomon are referred to in the great tapestry of Middle Eastern history as being paragons of kingship. All through the Middle Ages, kings tried to live up to their example. But who were the ancient kings, how much evidence do we have for their existence - and what are the modern political implications for the descendants of King David in that part of the world? Join us on our journey through history as we start a new season in the place where so much began...

Mozart, Beethoven and Bach - possibly the three most famous composers of all time. Which one of them had 20 children? Which one died a pauper and was buried in a mass grave? And which one wore the same clothes for up to three weeks at a time, stinking to high heaven? These are just some of the things you’ll learn from the season 3 finale of #BlindHistory - brought to you by Taylor Blinds & Shutters.

Joseph Stalin is in the big three of the truly evil people of the 20th century, along with Mao and Hitler. Their combined body count is well over 100 million souls, and most of those weren’t soldiers. Stalin did however raise Russia to power, might and glory - and his personal story is human and full of flaws. Join us in this penultimate episode of Blind History season 3, and discover that even monsters can start off just like you or me.

Charlemagne’s reign marks the end of the dark ages and the start of the medieval era. In this episode we explore the origins of France and Germany, the genealogies of all the kings and queens of Europe, and the first emergence of Northwestern Europe from savagery and barbarism, since the fall of the Roman Empire.

During his short but expansive reign, he brought millions of souls under the banner of the Mongol Empire. Riding and fighting on horseback, he and his horde advanced into Persia, eastern Europe and China with such ferocity that even long after his reign had ended, the mere mention of his name would make men shudder, women weep, and children hide. Such was the reputation of the great Genghis Khan.

Eva Perón was born poor, unimportant and ordinary, but she was ambitious. Her ambition was so great that it propelled her into power, influence, glamour and wealth. By the time she died at only 33, she received one of the most ostentatious funerals ever held - and ever since, Argentina has considered her a saint.

From his silver throne in the glittering palace of Versailles, Louis XIV watched over his kingdom, resplendent in majesty. Everything about being a king was designed, considered, exalted. He taught the world what kings should look like, sound like, how they should walk and eat. He made himself the centre of the French universe, and epitomised the very idea of absolute monarchy. Within a hundred years of his death, everything he had painstakingly imbued into France had been ripped apart by revolution. Join us on a journey into the history of France in this episode of Blind History…

In central Iran, at the foot of a low hill overlooking a seemingly endless plain, stand a few broken columns reaching impossibly high for ruins. Atop one or two are the stern, proud faces of bulls and eagles, battered by the sands of 2300 years of history. In the great appadana that once stood there, Darius, King of kings, used to sit and preside over a parade of nations that had come to honour him. The most diverse, multicultural empire of the ancient world: Persia.

In a time of men - of the enlightenment and of extraordinary change, a young German princess found herself at the reins of the great Russian Empire. She was never anyone’s wife or lover - she made the rules. Catherine the Great was precisely that... great.

Perhaps no other American family was ever so photographed, written about, talked about, admired, hated and controversial. Were they brilliant, heroic, extraordinary people or arrogant, competitive, self-absorbed children of a wilful, overambitious patriarch? Most people think they know the Kennedys. We’ll tell you what you don’t know.

History isn’t just stories from the past, it’s also about things that humanity has been through that might be more relevant now than ever. Take great plagues for example: Humankind has faced some truly horrible diseases and pandemics in the past... and as awful as coronavirus is, it’s not nearly as scary as some of those that wiped out millions of us before - or the truly terrifying treatments they used to apply.

Perhaps no other single human has had such a lasting and powerful effect on the idea of civilisation. For his long reign, Augustus mostly wanted to be called ‘First Citizen’, but in effect he was one of the most powerful men to ever walk the Earth. He instituted a period of peace called the Pax Romana, something that was unknown in the brutal ancient world. He made laws, elevated culture, commissioned public works and vanquished all his enemies. By the time he died, he had brought about the creation of the greatest empire known to man.

Anyone who has ever heard of King Henry VIII knows he had many wives. Some even know their names. Their individual stories are complex, beautiful, sad, poignant and remarkable. In an age where women are finally being given their due, these six Queens deserve to be known for more than just the man they married...

There are some names that send a shudder through the air. Some names that have changed whole countries. Names that hang like a dark cloud over history. Idi Amin is such a name. The whole of East Africa - even the world - is still flabbergasted that as recently as 40 years ago, this evil man was able to murder thousands and get away with it. Did he deserve such fear and ignominy? Find out in this episode of Blind History...

Socrates, Aristotle and Plato are the fathers of Western (if not world) philosophy. Despite us knowing so little about their lives, they have an enduring influence on every aspect of our thinking and understanding. The university, the academy, the school... these things all come from the three great philosophers - men who actually lived, and knew each other. It's time we got to know them.

We end season two of Blind History in Ancient Rome... the place that gave us Hadrian, Augustus, Trajan and Marcus Aurelius. But this time we investigate the bad emperors - the ones who murdered, ruined, destroyed and perverted the greatest empire of antiquity. Caligula, Nero, Commodus and Elagabalus were some the most depraved men to exercise absolute power - and their lives were brutal and merciless. Brought to you by Taylor Blinds & Shutters.

Who is the most powerful Kim in the world? No, it isn’t Kim Kardashian - it’s a small Korean man with a bad haircut. He also has his finger on the button of a dangerous nuclear arsenal and the command of the third largest standing army on earth. Kim Jong-Un is the latest in a succession of Kims who rule North Korea - and their private lives are wilder than their public personas. Find out about them in this episode of Blind History.

Napoleon’s great adversary, a man of impeccable military credentials, and one of the finest examples of the great British soldier that tends to sound more like myth than fact, Arthur Wellesley was also just a man. He had mistresses, a sense of humour, and an inspirational style of leadership that has endeared him to generations of admirers. What Nelson was to the sea, Wellington was to land - and both helped raise Britain to the great world power it became in the late 19th century.

Born on the steppes and raised on horseback, young Attila was to lead a small tribe of barbarians to prominence, but not before he had been to Rome, threatened Constantinople, and fought and won many battles. His name is synonymous with raping, pillaging and destruction, but in reality Europe east of the Rhine had never seen a man more gifted in forging a single kingdom out of so many disparate tribes. His story is full of intrigue and love, violence and blood. Brought to you by Taylor Blinds & Shutters.

The image of a brilliant scientist is one inextricably linked to the picture of Albert Einstein. His unkempt hair, shabby jackets and the twinkle of genius in his eye - but the story of Einstein isn’t so one-dimensional. His relationships, his politics and the story of what happened to his brain after he died are as intriguing as the great ideas he presented to science and the world.

Stovepipe hats, four score-and-twenty speeches, and a bullet in the back of his head is what some people know about Abraham Lincoln. In fact this was the President who modernised the American economy, preserved the union and abolished slavery. Not bad for a life cut short by an assassin’s bullet.

Anthony Mederer from Taylor Blinds & Shutters is in studio on The Gareth Cliff Show – find out how the podcast Blind History came about, where his love of history began, and the process he and Gareth go through to come up with such riveting episodes.

Criminals can be great criminals. They can influence history, change cities and become the story themselves. Robin Hood, Al Capone, Bonnie & Clyde... they all ended up the stuff of legend. So would it be with the Krays, two London brothers who ended up owning the city and bending it to their will. Brought to you by Taylor Blinds & Shutters.

From artillery officer in the revolutionary army to Emperor of the French, Napoleon’s life is one of the great success stories of humanity. But it all ended in lonely exile on an island in the Atlantic, ignominy and possibly poison. The tremendous life of Napoleon’s rise and fall in Blind History… brought to you by Taylor Blinds & Shutters.

The man who encouraged black farmers to buy land in the early 1900s, became one of the first black lawyers in South Africa, and attended Columbia and Oxford Universities before founding the ANC, has almost been forgotten to history, but part of the reason Blind History is here is to open our eyes to some of the history we have forgotten. Find out about Pixley ka Isaka Seme in this episode - brought to you by Taylor Blinds & Shutters.

A tiny little Queen with enormous power - reputed to have had no sense of humour. That’s how most people know Queen Victoria, but in fact she was a progressive, sensitive and quite strident woman in an age where those things were mostly frowned upon. Let’s see if you’re amused in this episode of Blind History...

Saladin was the greatest Muslim warrior of the Middle Ages, and a man who recaptured Jerusalem from the Christians. He was also full of contradictions - honourable, yet cruel; warrior, yet peacemaker. Find out about this mysterious and powerful character in our latest episode of Blind History... proudly brought to you by Taylor Blinds & Shutters.

Dracula is a fictional character... a satanic creature that drinks the blood of its victims. Bram Stoker made that creature up, but the real-life inspiration of Vlad Dracul is much more sinister - a cruel, sadistic monster that put thousands of people to death in the most unimaginably vicious ways. Find out about Vlad the Impaler - how he got his name, what he did and why you should be glad he’s in Blind History and not in your living room.

The great leader of the US Civil Rights Movement. An iconic figure who was both deeply spiritual and practical. A pacifist, orator, family man and preacher. There are few who would say he lived long enough to achieve all his bold ambitions, but he lived long enough to make an enormous impact. Join Anthony Mederer and Gareth Cliff as they start the next season of Blind History with Martin Luther King, Jr. Brought to you by Taylor Blinds & Shutters.

In this bonus teaser for season two, Gareth Cliff and Anthony Mederer talk about why they love history, and how they choose their subjects for the podcast. Season two of Blind History is coming soon!

The Chinese claim him, but all the world still refers to him - all the time. Confucius, the great philosopher and teacher continues to inspire and inform so many conversations and ideas in modern society. The Golden Rule, a criticism of crass materialism and so many wise sayings were the work of one man, thousands of years ago in ancient Han China. Find out more in this episode of Blind History - brought to you by Taylor Blinds & Shutters.

The Golden Age was named for Elizabeth I, the great virgin queen of England. During her reign, Shakespeare and Marlowe wrote masterpieces, Sir Francis Drake sailed across the world, the Spanish Armada was defeated, and England reached its apogee. At the centre of it all was Elizabeth, resplendent in jewels, makeup, finery and glory.

His name is synonymous with gangsters, the mob, drugs, organised crime and flashy suits. John Gotti was the godfather and his life unfolded like a tragic movie script. His story starts with petty theft and ends with death in prison, but that’s just scratching the surface. Blind History brought to you by Taylor Blinds & Shutters.

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 back the English, and securing her young king on his throne.

She is revered the world over as a saint, but is there more to her story? Mother Teresa devoted her life to the poorest of the poor in a country that wasn’t even the one of her birth. Intensely pious and dogmatic, she has been criticised in the years since for creating a cult of death and taking money from some unscrupulous characters. Find out more in this episode of Blind History - brought to you by Taylor Blinds & Shutters.

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. Anthony Mederer thinks he’s a reincarnation of Julius Caesar, and judging by how much he knows about him, it might be true. This is the Blind History of Julius Caesar... brought to you by Taylor Blinds & Shutters.

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 the great Pharaoh Ramesses II of Ancient Egypt. At that time, he was more ego than Trump, stronger than Arnold, more god than man - and yet, you can visit him, the actual shrunken, wizened, leathery body of this extremely old person, at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. This is the Blind History of Ramesses II… brought to you by Taylor Blinds & Shutters.

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, a close friend of Churchill, and an internationally respected politician and military strategist; we also owe the foundation of the United Nations to Jan Smuts. Find out more by taking this short journey into the past of South Africa in this episode of Blind History - brought to you by Taylor Blinds & Shutters.

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 a fridge magnet, it might well have been something Marcus Aurelius first said - and his legacy is very much with us today. Join Gareth and Anthony as they take a closer look at one of the Ancient World’s most interesting people.

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. Gareth and Anthony look into some of the more private troubles of this great man, and his long reign.

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 his short term in the Oval Office. Find out from Anthony and Gareth about some of the less obvious things JFK got up to in this episode of Blind History - brought to you by Taylor Blinds and Shutters.

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 blood of his conquests, and the province of KwaZulu-Natal decorated with the glories of his achievements. You might love or hate him by the end of the episode, but you won’t be able to ignore him.

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 on this episode of Blind History, where Alexander III of Macedon became known to history as Alexander the Great.

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, the less well-known details, some of the stuff they didn’t teach you at school. Each person will help you put a piece of the puzzle in place, and bring history to life in 15 conversational minutes. Brought to you by Taylor Blinds & Shutters.