The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster

More from Short History Of...

1. 

   S6 · E247 · 2 Aug 2026 · 50 min

   Ned Kelly

   Ned Kelly, the leader of the infamous Kelly gang, has been described as Australia's only truly national hero. During a short but intense crime spree at the end of the 1870s, he led a gang of notorious outlaws who rampaged through the Australian bush, robbing banks and stealing horses as they evaded capture for more than two years. For some, Kelly embodies a certain rugged, masculine Australian spirit - a heroic anti-establishment figure, standing up for poor farmers against the corruptions of the government and powerful landowners. Yet to the Victorian police who hunted him, he was nothing…

2. 

   S6 · E246 · 26 Jul 2026 · 55 min

   Longitude

   It was once one of the great unsolved problems of the early modern world: the calculation of exactly how far east or west a given point was on the surface of the Earth. Longitude was a challenge that sat at the intersection of science, navigation, empire and time itself. For centuries, sailors had been able to determine latitude, or their position north or south, with reasonable confidence. But its counterpart remained dangerously elusive, leaving those traversing the oceans vulnerable to error, shipwreck and disaster. In the search for a solution, astronomers, inventors, statesmen, and…

3. 

   S6 · E245 · 19 Jul 2026 · 54 min

   Ireland’s Easter Rising

   In April 1916, a small group of poorly-armed Irish radicals made a stand against the British Army, in a bid for independence for their homeland. Over six days during Easter week, almost 500 people died in the uprising, and thousands more were injured, leaving Dublin one of the most war-damaged cities in Europe. The Irish insurgents in what some call the Poet’s Rebellion were not soldiers but writers, teachers, and thinkers. And though these men and women brought destruction and bloodshed to their own city, they were later hailed as heroes and martyrs who set the country on a new course. So…

4. 

   S6 · E243 · 5 Jul 2026 · 50 min

   The Brink’s-Mat Robbery

   The Brink’s-Mat robbery was one of the largest thefts in British history. The discovery of the record-breaking haul in a west London warehouse in 1983 set off a chain of events that would echo through Britain’s criminal underworld for decades. It helped shape the property boom of the 1980s, the drugs trade of the 1990s and left an enduring mark on UK crime and policing. But who were the men behind the so-called robbery of the century? Why did the tentacles of the theft reach so far? And what is the “curse of Brink’s-Mat”? This is a Short History Of the Brink’s-Mat Robbery. A Noiser podcast…

5. 

   S6 · 3 Jul 2026 · 58 min

   The Founding Fathers of the US (Re-run)

   The founding of the United States on July 4th, 1776, changed the world, and inspired other colonies to control their own destinies. The men responsible for writing and signing the Declaration of Independence - the Founding Fathers - have gone down in history as legends, with an almost ‘God-like status’. But nearly 250 years on, their legacy is challenged and debated. So who were the founding fathers? How did their talents, ideas and flaws shape their nation? And how do the choices they made in the 18th century still affect the world today? This is a Short History Of the Founding Fathers of…

6. 

   S6 · E242 · 28 Jun 2026 · 52 min

   Hurricane Katrina

   In August 2005, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in the Gulf of Mexico barrelled toward the United States. When Hurricane Katrina finally struck land, it devastated hundreds of miles of shoreline, but the disaster that captured the world’s attention unfolded in one place above all: the city of New Orleans. Within hours of the storm passing, the flood defence levees meant to protect the city broke, and it began to fill with water. What followed the natural disaster was a crisis that raised profound questions about preparedness, inequality, and the ability and willingness of a…

7. 

   S6 · E257 · 11 Oct 2026 · 54 minNew

   Mary Shelley

   Mary Shelley is best known today as the author of Frankenstein, a Gothic novel widely considered the first work of science fiction. As demonstrated by her Swiss sojourn with the married Percy Shelley and the scandalous Lord Byron, Mary's own life was as sensational and tragic as anything contained within the pages of her famous novel. A real-life Gothic heroine and a serious author, her work profoundly influenced English genre fiction, and continues to inspire writers to this day. But to what extent was Mary Shelley’s work influenced by the revolutionary politics and philosophies of her…

8. 

   S6 · E256 · 4 Oct 2026 · 53 min

   The English Civil Wars, Part 2 of 2

   The First English Civil War ended with King Charles I defeated, his armies broken, and his cause apparently lost. But military victory for the Parliamentarians brought no real peace. Instead, the months that followed saw an even more volatile struggle, as Parliament turned on itself, and the captive King continued to bargain, delay and deceive. As the search for settlement gave way to renewed fighting, the conflict evolved into outright revolution. And when the extraordinary solution to the problematic monarch was finally enacted, it would shock even many of those who fought against him. Why…

9. 

   S6 · E255 · 27 Sep 2026 · 54 min

   The English Civil Wars, Part 1 of 2

   The English Civil Wars are among the most traumatic and consequential events in British history. What began as a struggle between Crown and Parliament over power, money and religion tore England, Ireland and Scotland apart, leading many to refer to the period as the Wars of Three Kingdoms. It was a conflict bitter enough to split communities, turn neighbour against neighbour, and tear families to shreds. By the time it is over, thousands are dead and the victors have exacted a revenge so shocking that many fear they have insulted God himself. But what disagreements triggered the political…

10. 

    S6 · E254 · 20 Sep 2026 · 56 min

    The Peasants’ Revolt

    The so-called Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 was the first mass popular uprising in England. A true people’s revolution, it involved not just peasants but also tradesmen, merchants, artisans, priests, village leaders — an emerging middle-class from the countryside. Their demands were radical; an overhaul of a centuries-old system of power held by aristocrats and the church, and the end of the exploitation of the masses by the elites. By the time it was over, a small, disparate band of disillusioned common people had swollen into an army of tens of thousands, forcing the king himself to listen. How…

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