Blind History
Episodes
The Unkillable Soldier: The Insane Life of Adrian Carton de Wiart
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A warplane falls from the sky over Libya. A badly injured man crawls from the wreckage, one eye, one hand, and a will made of iron. What follows is th...
BLIND HISTORY S8 EP5 | Pu Yi: The Emperor Who Lost Everything
05 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A toddler crowned the “Son of Heaven.” An emperor who never ruled. A puppet of Japan, a prisoner of the Soviets, and finally a humble gardener swe...
BLIND HISTORY S8 EP 4 | Haile Selassie: The King of Kings Who Lost Everything
28 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this gripping Blind History episode, Gareth Cliff and Anthony Mederer unpack the rise and fall of Haile Selassie. The “King of Kings” who becam...
BLIND HISTORY S8 EP3 | Theodora: Empress, Survivor, Seductress
21 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Gareth Cliff and Anthony Mederer uncover the extraordinary rise of Theodora — the seductive stage performer who became one of the most powerful wome...
Henry VIII: The King Who Lost His Mind (and His Wives)
12 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Gareth Cliff and Anthony Mederer dive into the wild, gruesome, and utterly fascinating life of England’s most infamous monarch, Henry VIII. From Ren...
Nelson Mandela
06 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The most famous South African, the first democratically elected president of the Rainbow Nation, the anti-apartheid icon, and the man who spent 27 yea...
Howard Hughes
29 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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, ...
Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine
22 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The fiery, furious relationship between the medieval era’s most famous power couple led to glory and terrible failure. The empire they presided over...
Lord Nelson
15 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Vice Admiral Viscount Horatio Nelson was the greatest British sailor of all time, possibly the greatest sailor in all the world’s history. His adven...
Gannibal
08 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Mao Zedong
01 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 ent...
Lucky Luciano
25 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 Godfath...
Tuthmosis III
18 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Mansa Musa
11 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 bigge...
William Marshall
04 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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, bl...
Ashoka the Great
27 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Within living memory of Alexander the Great, a vast, powerful and extraordinary empire rose up in Northern India - forged by the strength, intelligenc...
Gilles de Rais
20 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Captain James Cook
13 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 determi...
Dr Emma Southon
23 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Emma Southon specialises in Roman history, and has written some incredibly interesting - and very funny - books. As a bonus episode of Blind Histor...
Jesus
15 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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. Eithe...
Adolf Hitler
09 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 German...
Charles Martel
02 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Elizabeth Bathory
23 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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, to...
Hideki Tojo
09 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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, genoci...
Heinrich Himmler
02 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Picasso
26 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Probably the most famous and successful artist of all time, this Spanish creative genius founded Cubism, produced thousands of works, and bedded many ...
Hannibal
19 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When we think of Ancient History, we think of Egypt, Greece and Rome. Undoubtedly the greatest and most well-understood of these civilisations was Rom...
Karl Marx
15 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The father of communism and socialism, to some a wicked ideologue with the worst plans for social engineering; to others a heroic thinker who conceive...
William the Conqueror
08 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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...
The Great Inventors
01 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Between Edison and Tesla there are some 1,200 patents for inventions and innovations that birthed the modern world. To fully appreciate their contribu...
Peter the Great
17 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 follo...
Royals Behaving Badly
06 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 ra...
Constantine the Great
29 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 onl...
Cardinal Richelieu
22 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Cardinal Richelieu was the most powerful man in France, and the architect of absolute monarchy. His strategic mind and dedication to French interests ...
Nostradamus
08 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Jesse James
01 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 dea...
Hernán Cortés
25 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Leopold II
18 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 genera...
Vikings
11 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The fearsome northmen in all their violence, strength, courage and ferocity probably shouldn’t be summarised in one lowly episode, but we’ll tell ...
Cleopatra
04 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Cleopatra VII lived at a great intersection of history... where Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome collided. She was undoubtedly one of th...
Robert Sobukwe
28 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
King George III
20 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The longest reigning King of England watched the birth of America, the French Revolution, the dawn of modern science and the Agricultural revolution w...
Al Capone
13 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Before the words ‘gangster', ‘thug', ‘mafia' and 'mob boss' were used by pretenders, rappers and small-time thieves, those words were used to de...
Bonus episode: Simon Sebag Montefiore
15 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Blind History has spanned centuries of incredible people and events. We’ve marvelled at the heroic efforts of titans, and could scarcely believe the...
Maximilien Robespierre
15 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 b...
Tomás de Torquemada
08 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Torquemada! The name that struck fear into Spanish conversos and just about everyone else in Spain in the 15th Century. Torquemada! Grand Inquisitor a...
Pirates
01 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 m...
Grigori Rasputin
24 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 m...
Lawrence of Arabia
10 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The modern Englishman can only dream of a life of adventure, exploration, excitement and provenance. Sadly, those days may be gone. For the enduri...
The Borgias
03 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The name Lucrezia Borgia is synonymous with poison, the name Cesare Borgia with murder, and the name Rodrigo Borgia with orgies, incest and nepotism. ...
Simón Bolívar
27 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Pol Pot
20 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Paul Kruger
13 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 Switzer...
Che Guevara
06 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 hus...
George Washington
29 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
George Washington - father of the United States of America, with terrible teeth. He may have led the Continental Army, but poor George never smiled. F...
Ancient Israel
22 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 a...
The Composers
23 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Joseph Stalin
02 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Charlemagne
26 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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, ...
Genghis Khan
19 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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...
King Louis XIV
05 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
From his silver throne in the glittering palace of Versailles, Louis XIV watched over his kingdom, resplendent in majesty. Everything about being a ki...
The Persian Empire
27 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
The Kennedys
14 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Perhaps no other American family was ever so photographed, written about, talked about, admired, hated and controversial. Were they brilliant, heroic,...
Bonus episode: Plagues & Pandemics
13 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 gr...
Emperor Augustus
07 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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...
The Wives of King Henry VIII
31 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Idi Amin
23 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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...
The Great Greek Philosophers
16 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Socrates, Aristotle and Plato are the fathers of Western (if not world) philosophy. Despite us knowing so little about their lives, they have an endur...
The Bad Emperors
09 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 investiga...
The Kims
03 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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...
The Duke of Wellington
25 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Napoleon’s great adversary, a man of impeccable military credentials, and one of the finest examples of the great British soldier that tends to soun...
Attila the Hun
18 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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, t...
Albert Einstein
11 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 g...
Abraham Lincoln
04 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Bonus episode: Gareth interviews Anthony
01 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 l...
The Kray Twins
28 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Criminals can be great criminals. They can influence history, change cities and become the story themselves. Robin Hood, Al Capone, Bonnie & Clyde.....
Napoleon Bonaparte
22 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 a...
Pixley ka Isaka Seme
15 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Queen Victoria
07 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Saladin
30 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Vlad the Impaler
16 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 insp...
Martin Luther King, Jr
09 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 pre...
Bonus episode: Why History?
27 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 pod...
Ep 13: Confucius
07 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 inf...
Ep 11: John Gotti
23 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 tra...
Ep 10: Joan of Arc
15 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 enem...
Ep 8: Julius Caesar
02 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 Bru...
Ep 7: Pharaoh Ramesses II
26 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Ep 6: Jan Smuts
19 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
His reputation has been downplayed by both the Nationalist Afrikaner regime that succeeded him, and the free South Africa that succeeded that, but for...
Ep 5: Marcus Aurelius
12 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Marcus Aurelius was the archetypal philosopher-king, a man of extraordinary talent and ability. He also had those rare qualities of introspection and ...
Ep 4: King Edward III
05 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Edward III was England’s greatest medieval king. When you think of King Arthur’s round table, jousting, feasts, battles, armour and castles - Edwa...
Ep 3: President John F Kennedy
26 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 anythi...
Ep 2: Shaka Zulu
19 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Shaka kaSezangakhona was Africa’s first imperialist. Before Shaka, there were tribes... after Shaka there was a kingdom. In this episode we trace th...
Ep 1: Alexander the Great
12 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 g...
Coming soon... Blind History
04 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 C...