It’s the HistoryExtra podcast’s 15th birthday! To celebrate, we’ve asked 15 historians to nominate a figure from history they think deserves their ‘15 minutes of fame’. In this episode,  Tom Holland nominates Franz Nopsca. Speaking with Rob Attar, he recounts the story of the early 20th-century Hungarian palaeontologist, adventurer and specialist in Albanian studies.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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15 minutes of fame: Franz Nopcsa, Hungarian adventurer and palaeontologist

The History Extra podcast brings you gripping stories from the past and fascinating historical conversations with the world's leading historical experts.  
 
Produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine, History Extra is a free history podcast, with episodes released six times a week. Subscribe now for the real stories behind your favourite films, TV shows and period dramas, as well as compelling insights into lesser-known aspects of the past. 
 
We delve into global history stories spanning the ancient world right up to the modern day. You’ll hear deep dives into the lives of famous historical figures like Cleopatra, Anne Boleyn and Winston Churchill, and explorations of intriguing events from the past, such as the Salem witch trials, the battle of Waterloo and D-Day. 
 
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Our episodes touch on a wide range of historical eras – from the Normans and Saxons to the Stuarts, Victorians and the Regency period. We cover the most popular historical subjects, from the medieval world to the Second World War, but you’ll also hear conversations on lesser-known parts of our past, including black history and women’s history. 
 
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History

Society & Culture

An unlikely mix of scientist, scholar, engineer and magician, the 'Magus' sat at the heart of the transformative Renaissance period. These mysterious figures ushered in the dawn of modern chemistry and physics, while also performing feats of magic, utilising secret codes, potions and a good deal of astrology. Speaking with Emily Briffett, Anthony Grafton discusses the careers of these men who were seen as genius scholars by some, and charlatans by others. 

(Ad) Anthony Grafton is the author of Magus: The Art of Magic from Faustus to Agrippa (Allen Lane, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Magus-Art-Magic-Faustus-Agrippa/dp/0674659732/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty

The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.
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The Magus: enlightened magician or Renaissance charlatan?

In 1942, the forces of Nazi Germany and its allies came head-to-head with those of the Soviet Union at a city on the Volga. The battle of Stalingrad was to become one of the war's grimmest, as infantry troops slogged it out in bombed-out cellars and freezing conditions. In the second episode of our series on WW2's Greatest Battles, military historian James Holland tells Ellie Cawthorne more about this pivotal clash on the Eastern Front.

James Holland is the co-founder of the Chalke History Festival - which runs from 24-30 June 2024. As a media partner of the festival, we're offering an exclusive 15% off Chalke Festival day tickets when you become a subscriber to either HistoryExtra or BBC History Magazine. Check out our spring offers and benefits at www.historyextra.com/pod 

The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.
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WW2's greatest battles | 2. Stalingrad

Were the Aztecs really obsessed with death and sacrifice? Did they have a pantheon of deities similar to the ancient Greeks or Romans? And how did a magical gem change the fortune of the Aztec people? Speaking to Emily Briffett, Camilla Townsend delves into their myths, legends and folklore to reveal a society bursting with life and colour.

(AD) Camilla Townsend is the author of The Aztec Myths: A Guide to the Ancient Stories and Legends (Thames and Hudson). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Aztec-Myths-Ancient-Stories-Legends/dp/0500025533/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty. 

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Aztec myths

David Lloyd George regularly features in lists of Britain’s greatest prime ministers. Born in Manchester and raised in rural Wales, the Liberal luminary helped lay the foundations of the modern welfare state and went on to lead the nation during the final two years of the First World War. But there is far more to Lloyd George’s life and career, as Professor Richard Toye tells Jon Bauckham in this episode of our 'Life of the Week' series. 

The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.
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David Lloyd George: life of the week

From etchings scratched into the earliest monuments, to the spray can designs that appear on structures today, the urge to leave our mark is universal. But in 18th-century Britain, the nature of graffiti changed; both exploding in popularity and becoming much more radical in nature. Speaking to Elinor Evans about her new book, Writing on the Wall, Madeleine Pelling explores this shift. She investigates the stories behind scraps of graffiti, from chalk markings made by soldiers and sex workers, to glyphs scratched onto windows by famed poets, and reveals what they can tell us about life in 18th-century Britain.

(AD) Madeleine Pelling is the author of Writing on the Wall: Graffiti, Rebellion and the Making of 18th-century Britain (Profile). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fwriting-on-the-wall%2Fmadeleine-pelling%2F%2F9781800811997. 

The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.
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15 minutes of fame: Franz Nopcsa, Hungarian adventurer and palaeontologist

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