Who Did What Now
Episodes
95. Pope Leo X - The Ultimate Nepo Baby
13 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Pope Leo X was an interesting religious leader, he had a pet elephant, excommunicated Martin Luther and had his lover framed for murder, and that's on...
94. William Dorsey Swann = Queen of Drag
06 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
William Dorsey Swann was a former slave who went on to become the very first drag queen. Swann took care of their community, held the most sensational...
93. Gland Larceny: The Testicle Thieves of Chicago
30 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If you go down to the Windy City, the Windy City is mighty pretty, but you might have your nuts chopped, yes siree! During the roaring twenties there ...
92. Marguerite de Valois - Queen of Navarre - Part II
23 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We are diving into part II of the life of France's slandered queen, Marguerite de Valois, Queen of Navarre. A woman who's life was tainted with libel ...
91. Marguerite de Valois - Queen of Navarre - Part I
16 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Marguerite of Valois, Queen of Navarre (or Queen Margot to her friends) lived through a time of political upheaval in France, with a lifetime tainted ...
90. The Real Dick Whittington
05 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The tale of Dick Whittington (and his cat) is one that has flowered through folklore and onto the stage, becoming a pantomime staple several centuries...
89. Lavinia Fisher - America's First Female Serial Killer
13 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The name Lavinia Fisher is one that has haunts the true crime annals for centuries. She was accused of poisoning and murdering many guests who had the...
88. Charles Dickens - Great Expectations, Terrible Reality
06 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Charles Dickens is one of the most popular writers ever to exist, he championed for the poor, he highlighted inequality and child labour laws, and he'...
87. The Theft of the Irish Crown Jewels
30 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
At the turn of the 20th Century, four days before the King and Queen are due to visit Ireland for the Great Expedition, the country is rocked by Irela...
86. De Valera's Prison Break
28 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Eamon De Valera, the long fellow, was to become the President and first Taoiseach of the Irish Republic, but before that he was locked up in an Englis...
85. Mary Shelley - The Original Goth Girl
14 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mary Shelley was a force to be reckoned with, an intellectual mastermind, fuelled by passion and who lived a life rife with death and creativity. As a...
84. Edgar Allan Poe
18 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Edgar Allan Poe was the original goth boy, emo well before that G note made everyine with 45degree fringes and spray on trousers stop in their tracks....
83. Elizabeth Bathory - The Blood Countess REDUX
10 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Erzébet Báthori, history's most prolific female serial-killer, who exsanguinated her victims and the bathed in the blood of virgins, out of villainy...
82. Sawney Bean And His Cannibal Clan
03 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the 16th Century Sawney Bean and his bloodthirsty brood ambushed, killed and consumed weary travellers as they traversed the log, narrow roads of t...
81. Roald Dahl - Soldier, Writer, Cheater, Spy
26 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Roald Dahl has created worlds within pages that live in the minds and hearts of children (and some grown-ups) worlds that are chaotic, complicated, da...
80. The Great Fire of London
22 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Over 350 years ago, the City of London was razed when a tiny spark on Pudding Lane ignited a fire hotter than lava, that would ravage the city for fou...
79. Princess Alice of Battenberg
12 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Princess Alice of Battenberg had a far more interesting life than most royals in recent history, she was a princess, a wife, a mother, a nurse, a refu...
78. J. M. Barrie - The Man Behind Peter Pan
05 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
James Matthew Barrie, a Scottish novelist and playwright, best known for being the creator of Peter Pan, brought joy, childhood fantasies and the name...
77. Diana - Princess of Wales
31 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The late Diana, Princess of Wales, was the first wife of King Charles III and to many is the uncrowned queen whose life and tragic death have been ste...
76. Justice for Ellen Poe - A Forgotten Woman
22 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ellen Poe was the wife of a prosperous doctor in Tipperary during the Irish Famine, but their marriage was not a happy one. Ellen suffered at the hand...
75. The Sydney Shark Arm Murder REDUX
16 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In April 1935, Australia is sitting between two world wars and while celebrating ANZAC day a shark in a Sydney aquarium vomits up an entire human limb...
Bittisode 016: The Murder of Lord Darnley - Scotland's Oldest Cold Case
10 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's bittisode we discuss the mysterious death of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, the King Consort to Mary, Queen of Scots. This unsolved murder...
74. Caterina Sforza - Renaissance Woman
08 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Caterina Sforza was certainly a force to be reckoned with, the Countess of Forli and Lady of Imola, she fought off armies, husbands and even cardinals...
73. Frank Abagnale Jr - Catch Him if You Can
01 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Frank Abagnale Jr is known as a reformed conman, a criminal gone good, using his skills and expertise to protect big companies from fraudsters like he...
72. Mary Stuart - Queen of Scots
25 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's Who Did What Now's one-year anniversary with the Airwave Media Network, so why not celebrate it by talking about the most scandalous queen in Sco...
71 - Barbie - The Evolution of an Icon
17 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In 1959, when Barbie was first introduced to the world, no-one could have expected that this little doll (of what some might call naughty origins) wou...
70. The Rise and Fall of the East India Company
11 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For a historical example of just how incredibly devious, vile and downright evil a corporation can be, look no further than the East India Company's u...
69. King Alfonso XIII - The Raunchiest Royal
04 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Seeing as this is Episode 69 (nice) why not take find out the history of the only King to be both nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and for having a...
68. Dr James Barry - the Medical Pioneer with a Secret!
26 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr James Barry was the very first European doctor to perform a caesarean section in which both mother and baby survived, he was a pioneer in preventat...
67. Mary Jane Kelly - The Ripper's Final Kill...?
19 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mary Jane Kelly has been an enigma of sorts for over a century, as well as being an exception to the rule. So much of Kelly's life is seeped in myster...
Bittisode 015: Sex Worker Brides and the Creation of the Millionaire
11 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
France was in crippling debt and a Scotsman of all people had the ultimate plan to save the country, all he needed was a bank, some drunk soldiers and...
66. Catherine Eddowes - The Penultimate Victim
09 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Catherine Eddowes is the penultimate victim of the so-called "canonical five" during the infamous Whitechapel Murders. Being moved from pillar to post...
Bittisode 014: King Charles' Disastrous Disguise
04 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
King Charles I of England was not the most efficient of monarchs and as a result plunged England into a Civil War that would lead to an odd situation ...
65. Elizabeth Stride - The Ripper's Third Victim?
03 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Elizabeth Stride was a lot of things, from Nymphs Row to the Poplar Workhouse and the lodging house on Flower & Dean Street. Elizabeth Stride live...
Bittisode 013: The Chastity Belt Myth
27 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A little bit of brevity never hurt anyone (well it did, but we won't talk about that...yet) in this week's bittisode Katie discusses the myths surroun...
64. Annie Chapman - The Ripper's Second Kill
25 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Annie Chapman, also known as "Dark Annie" had everything going for her, she had a husband with a good job, a family and she was in a social sense, upw...
63. Polly Nichols - The Ripper's First Victim
17 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mary Ann Nichols, known as Polly to friends, family and the law, was the first canonical victim of the serial killer known as Jack the Ripper. One of ...
62. Gráinne O Malley - Ireland's Pirate Queen
28 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
An amazing woman from Irish history who once divorced her husband by shouting at him through a window, shocked the entirety of Queen Elizabeth I's cou...
61. Let's Get Divorced
21 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Getting married is all fine and well, but what happens when you (historically) want to dissolve your relationship, well my friends question no more as...
60. The Impotence Trials
07 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In Medieval Europe, especially France and England, it was basically illegal not to have sex with your spouse! In order to ensure that a marriage could...
59. The Brides in the Bath Murders
31 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
While the Great War rages on across the Channel, tragedy strikes on a chilly afternoon in London where a newlywed is found dead in the bathtub, a mere...
58. Coco Chanel - The Fascist Fashionista
24 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Coco Chanel, the creator of the couture French fashion house was a style icon, an astute business women and also a Nazi collaborator... From the poorh...
57. Evelyn Nesbitt - The First Supermodel
12 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Evelyn Nesbitt was the original "It" girl, she was THE Gibson Girl, the world's first supermodel and unsurprisingly like most women in history, a vict...
56. Cleopatra - The Last Ruler of Egypt
03 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Queen Cleopatra VII Philopator was the last ruling member of the Ptolemaic Dynasty, and perhaps the most famous. A woman who used her skills, knowledg...
Bittisode 012: Weird History of Christmas
15 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There are some Christmas traditions that are weird, creepy or downright illegal... Some have fallen out of fashion (looking at you , Feast of the Ass)...
55. Dame Alice Kyteler - Ireland's First Witch
13 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Dame Alice Kyteler was the first woman to be officially charged for the crime of witchcraft in Ireland, and maybe all of Europe... Let Katie tell you ...
54. The War at Christmas
05 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What says historically festive ore than wartime at Christmas? Join Katie as she shares yuletide tales of truces, more truces and clandestine gifts... ...
53 - The Burning of Bridget Cleary
18 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the late 1800s Bridget Cleary was burned alive by her husband, was it because the "real" Bridget had been stolen by evil fairies and had been repla...
Bittisode 011: The Island that Despised Doing it!
29 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Inis Beag, a small island off the coast of Galway, was an Irish island that was so repressed no-one got naked, even to bathe! The rural islanders were...
52 Jacqueline Kennedy - America's Fashionable First Lady
27 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis was an icon, a socialite, an ambassador, a writer, a mother, a First Lady and a living symbol of grief. Jackie Kenn...
Bittisode 010: Theodore Durrant - The Demon of the Belfry
25 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Who would have suspected that a God-fearing man who worked at a Sunday School could commit such a terrible crime? Often referred to as "San Francisco'...
51 The Case of The Cult of Clitoris
20 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's all fun and games until a famed dancer gets accused of being a lesbian spy sent by Germany in order to tear down the British war effort from the ...
Bittisode: 009 The Death of Diana, Princess of Wales
15 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The premature passing of the People's Princess, Diana Spencer was a shock to the world. Her death, much like her life, has been studied, dissected, tw...
50 - Winston Churchill - The Paradoxical Prime Minister
01 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Winston Churchill was a man always at war, with other nations, the opposition, his own political party, himself... In the 50th episode we cover the ve...
Bittisode 008: Anthrax Island
10 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
During World War 2 Winston Churchill was working on "Operation Vegetarian" the aim of which was to destroy the German's food source using biological w...
49 - Lady Jane Grey - The Nine Days Queen
09 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Lady Jane Grey is known as the Nine Days Queen, as she only held the crown for less than a fortnight. The Tudors were full of dramatic moments and of ...
48 - The 1788 Doctor's Riots
05 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The origins of modern medicine were murky at best and maleficent at worst. Doctors needed to study the human body in order to understand the human bod...
47 - The Bennington Triangle Mystery...
29 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
New England's Bennington Triangle is home to several unexplained, unsolved and mysterious disappearances over the years, with no clear connection betw...
46 - Lizzie Borden - Axe Murderer (Part 02)
21 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Lizzie Borden has gone down in history as one of America's most notorious killers, but was the New England heiress truly an axe-murderer, or was she a...
45 - Lizzie Borden - Axe Murderer (Part 01)
17 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Lizzie Borden took an axe...This is the first of two episodes discussing Lizzie Borden, the notorious Massachusetts' Murderess! Who exactly was Lizzie...
44 - Eleanor of Aquitaine - Queen & Rebel
25 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Eleanor of Aquitaine led one hell of a remarkable life, a teenage heiress, queen of two countries, went on Crusades, supported a rebellion against h...
43 - The Lost Colony of Roanoke
19 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The mystery of the lost colony of Roanoke is one of, if not the oldest "unsolved" mysteries in North America, when 115 men, women and children disappe...
42 - Elizabeth Báthory - The Blood Countess
12 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The life of the infamous Elizabeth Báthory has been a cautionary tale of terror throughout the ages, known as a vampiric villainess who viciously mur...
41 - Typhoid Mary
03 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mary Mallon, more commonly known as "Typhoid Mary" was an Irish-born cook to the New York elite, and the first known asymptomatic carrier (or super sp...
Bittisode 007: Titanic Toilets
26 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Titanic is quite probably the most famous ships in all of maritime (and all of probably) history! There are so many fascinating factors to discuss...
40 - Dr. Cream - The Lambeth Poisoner
18 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Doctor Thomas Neill Cream was a Scottish-Canadian chloroform fan, back alley abortionist and serial killer with a hatred for women that was so intens...
39 - Anna Genovese - The Bisexual Mob Queen
09 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's LGBTQ+ history month in the UK and Ireland, so what better time to talk about than Anna Genovese, the bisexual mob queen who history tried to for...
38 - Lucrezia Borgia - Victim or Vixen?
31 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Lucrezia Borgia, the illegitimate daughter of Rodrigo Borgia, also known as Pope Alexander VI, is one of the most infamous women in history. Immortali...
37 - Forty Elephants - The 19th Century Women-Only London crime syndicate
12 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, join Katie as she runs headfirst into what was the history of England's oldest running crime syndicate! This group of girl gangsters were h...
36 - JonBenét Ramsey - The Unsolved Murder of the Baby Beauty Queen
03 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week join Katie as she struggles to discuss a piece of modern history and one of America's most notorious cold cases, the unsolved murder of JonB...
35 - Maria Rasputin - Daughter of the Mad Monk
14 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Maria Rasputin eluded capture and certain death in Russia, going on to live many lives, as a cabaret dancer, a lion tamer and even an author. In fact,...
Bittisode 006 - Cuban Cow Crisis
09 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Justice for Ruhina!Hosted by Katie Charlwood Wishlisthttps://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/2LAB2ZP4U9USX?ref_=wl_shareDonate at: https://patreon...
Welcome to Who Did What Now
06 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Every week join Katie Charlwood, history harlot and reader of books, as she shares what your teacher never told you on Who Did What Now, the history p...
34 - Mary Tudor - The Bloody Queen
05 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Mary Tudor was the first queen of England in her own right, the first legitimate then illegitimate heir to King Henry's throne, she instigated regal r...
Bittisode 005: Wonderful Wine Bricks
25 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
During the dark cloud of prohibition and the Volstead Act, the humble wine brick singlehandedly saved the American wine industry from disintegrating!H...
33 - Surviving Clipperton Island
23 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The tragedy of Clipperton Island is a tale that is often forgotten, a dark and twisted tale of an abandoned colony and the tyrant that claimed them......
Bittisode 004: The Hanging of the Hartlepool Monkey
18 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's bittisode join Katie as she leaps into the legend of the hanging of the Hartlepool monkey during the Napoleonic wars, was it really a m...
32 - The Fall of the House of Gucci
16 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The scandalous true story behind the feature film, The House of Gucci!Hosted by Katie Charlwood Wishlisthttps://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/2LA...
31 - Frida Kahlo - Disabled, Queer and Fantastic
12 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Frida Kahlo has become one of Mexico's most famous artists, whose uncompromising and colourful works do not shy away from her journey through life, fr...
Bittisode 003 Halloween Origins: Jack O‘Lantern
27 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Why do we carve pumpkins and light them up at Halloween? Did you know that like many Halloween traditions the Jack O'Lantern originated in Ireland? Jo...
30 - Burke & Hare - Bodysnatchers
25 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
William Burke and William Hare have gone down in history as Scotland's most notorious bodysnatchers, however the true tale is far more gruesome. These...
29 - The Werewolf of Bedburg - Peter Stumpf
18 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Strange things are afoot in the village of Bedburg... livestock are slaughtered, children are missing ... and the trail leads to Peter Stumpf, a wealt...
Bittisode 002 Halloween Origins: Trick or Treat
14 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's a time honoured tradition, get dressed up in a costume, go door to door and say "Trick or Treat" in exchange for candy and sweets! But where did ...
28 - Tarrare - The French Cannibal Spy
12 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Delve into another dark tale from history, hear all about Tarrare, the 18th Century showman who could (and would) eat anything! Eating live animals on...
Bittisode 001 Halloween Origins : Samhain
07 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Samhain - The Celtic Roots of HalloweenHosted by Katie Charlwood Wishlisthttps://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/2LAB2ZP4U9USX?ref_=wl_shareDonate ...
27 - Vlad the Impaler -The Real Dracula
05 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Few names have cast more fear into the human heart than Count Dracula. The legendary vampyre, created by author Bram Stoker, has inspired many horror ...
26 - Elvis Presley Belongs in Disgraceland
28 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Did you miss me? This week we return with the tale of Elvis Presley, the man, the myth, the absolute cretin. Find out why the King of Rock n Roll was ...
25 - Julie D'Aubigny - The Cross-Dressing, Sword-Swinging, Bisexual Opera Singer
09 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Julie D'Aubigny also known as Madame de Maupin was a duelling, gender non-conforming, bisexual badass, who also happened to be an opera singer. Find o...
24 - What Happened to Amelia Earhart?
01 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Amelia Earhart was a famed aviator and world-record breaker, but is her disappearance really the mystery we're led to believe? This week learn about t...
23 - The Failed Kidnapping of Princess Anne
25 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Bloody attempted kidnapping of Princess Anne, that did not go exactly to plan...Hosted by Katie Charlwood Wishlisthttps://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishl...
22 - The Prohibition Poisonings
18 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The "Prohibition Experiment" was started in order to supposedly protect people from the dangers of alcohol, so why then did the United States Federal ...
21 - Olga of Kyiv - Saint, Princess, Arsonist...
04 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes you hear of princesses behaving badly, but Olga of Kiev really takes the biscuit! I hope you're ready for a murderous medieval tale of reven...
20 - Joan of Arc
27 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Heroine or heretic? Born bang smack in the middle of the hundred years war, Joan of Arc went from being a famer's daughter to the saviour of France an...
19 - Prince Philip - Duke of Edinburgh
21 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How much life can one lead in 99 years? Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh was the longest running consort in Britain, fought against his own family...
018 - Katherine Parr - The Final Queen
05 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Katherine Parr, (or Catherine if you prefer) is the one who survived Henry VIII, but what do we really know about his final queen and why was she so i...
017 - Catherine Howard - The Promiscuous Queen
29 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Catherine Howard, Henry VIII's fifth wife was a teenager, nearly half the king's age when they wed. Was this vivacious girl a vixen who seduced her on...
016 - Anne of Cleves - The Ugly Queen
24 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Was Anne of Cleves really as horrifying as they say, or was their another reason why Henry VIII was determined to annul this marriage? Listen now to f...
015 - Jane Seymour - The Favourite Queen
20 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Jane Seymour was Henry's favourite queen, but was this church mouse as obedient, docile and as foolish as she is so often shown to be, or was she a sn...
014 - Anne Boleyn - The Infamous Queen
16 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Who was Anne Boleyn, harlot or hedonist?This week join Katie as she delves into the life (and death) of Henry VIII's second wife, Anne Boleyn. Was Ann...
013 - Katherine of Aragon - The True Queen
09 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week we start off our Women's History Month with by delving into the history of each of the Tudor Queens, the six wives of Henry VIII. Starting w...