History Is Sexy

Episode 126: What's the Deal with the Spartans?

21 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In which we learn that the Spartans were so horrible that even other ancient Greeks were freaked out by them, and recieved absolutly no benefit from i...

Episode 125: What's the Deal with the Tynwald?

07 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The long and unexpectedly revolutionary history of the Tynwald, the parliament of the Isle of Man. Allegedly the oldest continuous parliament in histo...

Episode 124: The Medici Part 3

23 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In which Emma loses total patience with this terrible family and retroactively decides that the name mispronunciation was actually an act of rebellion...

Episode 123: The Medici Part 2

10 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Support History is Sexy at https://www.patreon.com/c/historyissexy Show Notes etc at https://historyissexy.com/show-notes/episode-122-124-the-medici ...

Episode #122 - The Medici (Part 1)

24 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

One of history's most famous families, the Medici, ruled the city of Florence for years, but who were they?

Episode #121 - Aoife MacMurrough

27 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Episode #121 - Aoife MacMurrough by History Is Sexy

Episode #120 - The Merovingians

06 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Frank time, let's talk about the people who give France its name.

Episode #119 - Imhotep

23 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

www.patreon.com/historyissexy

Episode #118 - Charles II

06 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Episode #118 - Charles II by History Is Sexy

Episode #117 - Beer and Bread

18 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Episode #117 - Beer and Bread by History Is Sexy

Episode #116 - The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

04 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Quick, no googling, how many of the seven wonders can you name off the top of your head?

Episode #115 - Eleanor of Aquitaine

20 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You may know her from the 1968 film "The Lion In Winter" but who was the real Eleanor of Aquitaine?

Episode #114 - Pope Joan

06 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Lady Pope! What's the legend of Pope Joan?

Episode #113 - Arctic Exploration

12 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Episode #113 - Arctic Exploration by History Is Sexy

Episode #112 - The History of Duels

29 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

En Garde!

Episode #111 - The Year of the Four Emperors (Part 3)

29 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If you thought we forgot to upload this one, you would be correct, but here it is!

Episode #110 - The Year Of The Four Emperors (pt 2)

01 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Time for ranking! Emma lays out her categories and we rank the Four Emperors!

Episode #109 - The Year of the Four Emperors

17 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Four emperors, Jeremy, four? That's insane. historyissexy.com patreon.com/historyissexy

Episode #108 - Why Is Shakespeare "The Bard"?

03 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

William Shakespeare is often lauded as the greatest writer in the English language, but where did this reputation come from? How was it formed? Why is...

Episode #107 - Carthage

20 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Carthage, known primarily as one of early Rome's foremost nemeses, but what's the real story behind this North African city-state?

Episode #104 - History's Greatest Conmen

29 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You may have noticed Episode 104 was missing from our feed, here it is! Sorry for the delay!

Episode #106 - The History of KPop

08 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A topic that definitely isn't going to animate the internet, this one, Oliver does his level best to give us a history of KPop, where it started from,...

Episode #105 - Tumblr History with HR Owen

25 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tumblr, the online home of a certain ind of millennial, has a complicated relationship with history, mainly that relationship involves making up bonke...

Preview - Bonus Episode #2: Ask Us Anything!

24 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a preview of our second bonus episode, available exclusively on Patreon, to hear the full episode, join us at Patreon.com/HistoryisSexy

Episode #103 - Manifest Destiny

15 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Episode #103 - Manifest Destiny by History Is Sexy

Episode #102 - The History of Sex Work

10 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Episode #102 - The History of Sex Work by History Is Sexy

Episode #101 - WTDW The Marquis de Sade?

28 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

He's widely known as one of history's biggest freaks, but what was actually the deal with the Marquis de Sade?

Episode #100 - Patron Questions

24 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

All three of us take to the mic for this 100th episode celebration, answering questions supplied by the members of our patreon! www.historyissexy.com...

Episode #99: Quick Roman Questions

17 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A bunch of questions about Rome and Romans that don't fit into an episode of their own www.patreon.com/historyissexy www.historyissexy.com

Bonus Episode #1 Preview - Glad2ator and Megalopolis

13 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A taster of our first ever bonus episode, a film review show about two roman-inspired films. Full episode only available on Patreon: www.patreon.com/...

Episode #98 - Who Were The Druids?

03 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Druids, mysterious figures in pre-Roman British history, but who were they really??

Episode #97 - The Shroud of Turin & Veils of Veronica

19 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Miraculous holy faces! Where do they come from? What is their history? Join Emma and Janina as they take a trip through the bizarre world of face-base...

Episode 96 - Was Mansa Musa The Richest Person Ever?

05 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

He's the legendary emperor of Mali, famed for his epic journey to Mecca, but was he really the richest person in history?

The History of Yugoslavia - Part 4

22 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tito is dead, what happens now? www.patreon.com/historyissexy

The History of Yugoslavia - Part 3

08 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's Tito Time

The History of Yugoslavia - Part 2

23 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This time on History is Sexy, Emma and Janina continue their deep dive into the tumultuous history of the Balkans.

The History of Yugoslavia - Part 1

10 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This time on History is Sexy, Emma and Janina begin their deep dive into the tumultuous history of the Balkans.

Episode #91 - Why Have Chefs Historically Been Men/History of Restaurants?

20 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Why have chefs historically been men, and how did the concept of the restaurant take shape?

Quick Announcement - Patreon

05 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Support us at patreon.com/historyissexy! Thank you!

Episode #90 - Who Were The Luddites?

05 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy Who were the Luddites? Were they really "anti-technology", or were they about something entirely...

Episode #89 - What's The History of Teddy Bears?

30 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy Where do Teddy Bears come from? Why did they suddenly take over the world? Was Teddy Roosevelt ...

Episode #88 - What Really Happened in Catiline’s Conspiracy?

09 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy Who was Catiline? Why did he try to do a coup? was it a big deal? Why did Cicero hate him? Find ...

#87 - Janina's Top 3 Shipwrecks

22 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy Join Emma and Janina on the high seas as Janina tells us all about her favourite shipwrecks

Episode #86 - Napoleon III

19 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy How big of a dickhead was Napoleon III, anyway?

Episode #85 - What Did The Romans Eat?

30 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy Dormice? Sow's Uterus? What on earth did the Romans eat? Join Emma and Janina for a culinary ody...

Episode #84 - Badass Saints

21 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/historyissexy Who are some of the most badass saints? What were their lives like? What's a "desert father"? Fin...

Episode #83 - The Borgias

06 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy The most devious, murderous cut-throat family of renaissance Italy.. or misunderstood victims of ...

Episode #82 - What Makes The Dark Ages "Dark"?

24 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy ... and were they really so dark? Listener survey link: https://forms.gle/78wMyX42uQvpHf1Y8 Sh...

Episode #81 - History is Rexy! Anne Boleyn (feat. Rex Factor)

20 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy Graham and Ali from Rex Factor are here and we're talking about England's most consequential Quee...

Episode #80 - What's The Deal With Empress Elisabeth?

30 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy Willkommen in Österreich! Emma is joined by History Is Sexy producer and Austria Correspondent O...

Episode #79 - The Ptrouble With Ptolemys - Part 2! (Feat. HR Owen)

15 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy Emma is joined by HR Owen once again to discuss the most dramatic family in Classical Egypt! ⚠...

Episode #78 - The Ptrouble With Ptolemys, Part 1 (feat. HR Owen)

04 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy Janina's on a bit of a break, but history never sleeps, so Emma is joined by acclaimed podcaster ...

Episode #77 - Why Is The UK "United"?

21 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy How did the various states that've existed on the British Isles/North Atlantic Archipelago coales...

Episode #76 - The Story of Boudica

06 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy In 60CE, Boudica, Queen of the Iceni, led a violent uprising of unprecedented scale that tore acr...

Episode #75 - On Debutantes, Balls, and "The Season"

16 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy Put on your gown and get ready to enter high society, as Emma and Janina walk you through the biz...

Episode #74 - What's The Deal With Matriarchal Societies In History?

28 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy This time, Dr Emma Southon and Janina Matthewson take a deep dive into matriarchal societies in c...

Episode #73 - Caligula (1979)

04 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy Caligula is a 1979 film made by pornographers, starring Malcolm McDowell, Helen Mirren, Sir John ...

Episode #72 - What Was So Great About Alexander?

08 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

And why was he so special?

Episode #71 - What's the Deal with Wild Children?

25 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy Emma and Janina investigate the mystery of wild children, and whether any of them were actually r...

Episode #70 - When Did Men's Clothes Get So Boring?

10 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy What's "The Great Masculine Renunciation?" Who was Beau Brummell? Why are men's clothes so borin...

Episode #69 - What's The Deal With Vikings, Part 2

26 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy Emma and Janina are back behind the mast of the longship! This time, we're discussing sagas, edda...

Episode #68 - What's the Deal with Vikings, Part 1

13 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy We're back, and better than ever! This time, Emma and Janina will be answering a few questions a...

A Small Update

29 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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!

Episode #67 - Why Do We Think The Victorians Were Prudes?

26 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy Where did the idea that Victorians were all repressed weirdos come from? Is it true? Did they cov...

Episode #66 - Did the Illuminati Cause the French Revolution?

03 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy Who were the Illuminati? Did they cause revolutions all over the world, or were they just a bunch...

Episode #65 - What's the History of Petra?

13 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy What's the history of Petra? Why was it considered lost for so long? Why aren't Bedouin people al...

Episode #64 - What's the History of Alchemy?

25 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy This week we explore the weird and wonderful world of alchemy, from ancient China to Isaac Newton...

Episode #63 - "Did A Girl From Cork Become a Moroccan Empress?" And Other Stories

28 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy People who's lives turned out to involve things no one could have predicted. Show notes: historyi...

Episode #62 - Where Did The Idea Of Human Rights Come From?

14 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy *Reuploaded* This episode we talk political philosophy, chaos, revolutions and war crimes and th...

Episode #61 - Did Jesus Really Exist?

30 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy Did a real human man called Jesus actually live and was he really crucified or did the church mak...

Episode #60 - How Smelly Was the Past?

02 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy Was the past stinky? Were medieval peasants covered in poo like Monty Python? Did people really p...

Episode #59 - How Big a Dickhead Was Oliver Cromwell?

19 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We debate Oliver Cromwell and whether, massacres and puritanism aside, he was really such a bad guy. Show notes at historyissexy.com/show-notes/0pd9rh...

Episode #58 - Were the Amazons Real?

05 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy Was there really an all female tribe of warrior women in the ancient world? Did they cut off one ...

Episode #57 - History's Greatest Escapes

22 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy The greatest escapes in history, or; how we learned the most tried and true escape methods. Show ...

Episode #56 - What's The History of Timbuktu?

08 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy A continuation of the last episode on Arabic libraries and centres of learning, today we visit We...

Episode #55 - Arabic Libraries

24 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 ser...

Episode #54 - What's the History of Malta?

10 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy Sieges, sieges and more sieges! Turns out there's more to Malta than just seiges, but there are a...

Episode #53 - Ra Ra Rasputin Part III

20 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy The final part of our Rasputin series features Boney M, Anastasia, and Rasputin's alleged dick! S...

Episode #52 - Ra Ra Rasputin, Part II

06 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy In part two of our Rasputin series, we talk about actual Rasputin! His life, his death, and our n...

Episode #51 - Ra Ra Rasputin, Part I

22 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy It's a series! Part one of a three part look at that cat that really was gone, Rasputin. Show no...

Episode #50 - The History of Banned Clothing (And Underwear)

08 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy *reupload to fix sound problems at the start!* This week, Emma and Janina talk about clothing la...

Episode #49 - What's The History Of Birth Control?

25 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy This week, Janina and Emma discuss the ways in which people mostly people with uteruses) prevente...

Episode #48 - History's Greatest Poisons

08 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy Emma and Janina talk all things poison and unexpected methods of poisoning people throughout the ...

Episode #47 - The History of Pets

16 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy This time Emma and Janina take a look at the history of pets, where did dogs come from? Why were ...

Emma's Book Launch Live Episode

17 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Live Episode Announcement! 17th September 7pm

14 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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

Episode #46 - How Long Has The Idea of Extraterrestrial Beings Existed?

11 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy 👽👽👽 We're back for another episode! This time Emma and Janina dive into the weird and w...

Episode #45 - The History of Wrestling

06 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy That's right folks, this time Emma and Janina step into the ring to examine the surprising histor...

Episode #44 - Women's Suffrage in New Zealand/Countess Markievicz/Switzerland

01 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy It's a three-in-one this time as Emma and Janina tackle three questions, all on the theme of Wome...

Episode #43 - Redheaded History

16 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy Join Emma and Janina as they take a look at the topic of redheads in history, and why something a...

Episode #42 - More Quick Questions!

13 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy We're back! This time Emma and Janina tackle some quicker listener questions! Sources: https://h...

Episode #41 - Who Were The Coolest Women In Rome After 68CE?

08 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy We're back! This time we're taking a deep dive into the stories of the coolest Roman women from a...

Episode #40 - Were Pirates Communists?

17 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy Yo ho me hearties! We're back with another swashbuckling episode for all you landlubbers. Emma an...

Episode #39 - Queer Royalty and Gender Norms

20 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy This time, Emma and Janina tackle a very complicated pair of questions. Which royal figures in hi...

Episode #38 - The Weird History of Gynaecology

07 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy Join Emma and Janina as they take a deep dive into the strange and surprising history of gynaeco...

Episode #37 - China, Dynasty by Dynasty pt. 2

16 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy Emma and Janina return for the second bit of their two-part quest to tackle Chinese history, dyn...

Episode #36 - China, Dynasty by Dynasty, Part 1

31 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy It's our most ambitious episode ever, can we fit thousands of years of Chinese history into just ...

Episode #35 - Did Anyone Expect The Spanish Inquisition?

18 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy This time our duo investigates a dark period of history that lasted a lot longer than you might t...

Episode #34 - Was It Better To Be A Hetaera Than A Wife In Ancient Athens?

27 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy We're back! This week, Emma and Janina take a look at the lives of women in ancient Athens. Was i...

#33 - "Was The Airship Age A Real Period of History, or a Technological Fad?"

18 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy This time, Emma and Janina don their goggles and take to the skies to answer a very burning quest...