In 1867, the United States purchased Alaska from Russia in a deal that reshaped the map of North America... but what did that moment mean for the people already living there? In this episode, we explore Alaska before European contact, the rise of Russian colonial settlement, and ...Show more
The Quaker Who Put Penn in Pennsylvania
From being locked up in the Tower of London to founding the 5th most populous state in the country, and the city at the heart of the Revolution, today we are charting the unlikely rise of William Penn and the founding on Pennsylvania.Don is joined by Thomas Hamm, Emeritus Profess ...Show more
Humanity has always looked to the heavens, pondering what is really out there. But how did space travel turn from fantasy into reality? In the aftermath of World War Two, a group of scientists from Nazi Germany arrives in the United States. Their task? To kickstart America's spac ...Show more
Join host Greg Jenner as he skyrockets back to the 20th century for a homeschool history lesson on the space race. From ancient Assyrian astrology to modern spacecraft, we explore how superpowers Russia (Team USSR) and America (Team USA) raced each other into space, aiming to be ...Show more
After multiple coups by the Soviet Union, astronaut Alan B. Shepard has just become the first American in space. But this is only the beginning. Now, NASA have the moon in their sights, but it's still a long way off. For either the USA or the USSR to succeed, they'll need newer a ...Show more
On 12th April 1981, the space shuttle Columbia made history becoming the first ever reusable space craft to fly into orbit. It marked the start of a 30-year shuttle programme which revolutionised the history of manned space exploration. Using NASA and BBC archive we tell the stor ...Show more