Did you know the Black Country used to be known as Birmingham-on-Sea?

The boat people never stayed in one place for long, they were responsible for moving cargo - even Cadburys chocolate!

People moved cargo along the canals until just after the Second World War!

With the development of the road network, trucks took over and the canals fell into disrepair. The families who lived on the canals had to move into houses.

Join Fun Kids Podcasts+: https://funkidslive.com/plus

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Life at home in the Black Country in the 1800's was a lot different to life nowadays.

Can you imagine having to share an outside toilet with your whole street?

Or starting work before you're old enough to finish school!

Things have come a long way since, but there's still some similarities...

Join Fun Kids Podcasts+: https://funkidslive.com/plus

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Black Country was famous for coal mining back in the day!

But working in the mines wasn't just a pretty horrible job because it was so hard, dark, and dirty work; it was also really dangerous.

You could be crushed by falling rock, suffocate on gasses, or be caught up in an explosion if any flammable gases caught on fire.

In this episode of 'Adventures Through Time' we learn all about the famous Rounds Green Colliery Explosion that happened in 1846.

Join Fun Kids Podcasts+: https://funkidslive.com/plus

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You might take being warm and cozy in your house for granted, but the people of the Black Country definitely didn't back in the Victorian era!

Most people back then had to rely on fire in their homes to keep warm. With finding the fuel for the fire, starting it off, and keeping it burning, it was quite a job they had on their hands!

Find out all about how people of the Black Country used to keep warm in this episode of 'Adventures Through Time'.

Join Fun Kids Podcasts+: https://funkidslive.com/plus

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Staying healthy is really important, but with all those factories and mines in the Black Country, doing that was easier said than done.

People would get ill and injured a lot back then but not everyone could go to the doctors to get their health problems fixed. The NHS wouldn't be around until 1948 and doctors back in the day were expensive, far too expensive for normal factory workers like so many of the people living in the Black Country were. These people would often rely on their local chemist to give them remedies for their illnesses, and the chemist would design and create these remedies themselves!

Find out all about it in this episode of 'Adventures through Time'.

Join Fun Kids Podcasts+: https://funkidslive.com/plus

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in the Black Country didn't just work in the factories all the time, they had to eat too!

Getting a good meal back then was a little different back then, lots of families would get a lot of food themselves. They would grow vegetables on their own vegetable patches and keep animals.

That wasn't the only option though, trains were a big deal back then which allowed food and drinks from all over the British Empire to be transported around the country. This meant that (if you had the money) you could buy lots of different and exotic food and drink like sugar from the Caribbean and tea from India!

Find out more about how the people of the Black Country kept themselves fed in this episode of Adventures Through Time...

Join Fun Kids Podcasts+: https://funkidslive.com/plus

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Queen Victoria meant a lot to the people of the Black Country.

Many pubs and houses around the Black Country would have a picture of the Queen hanging in them to honor her.

Usually, if you were expecting to see the queen you would probably have to be in London and attending a fancy party or concert. But Queen Victoria decided to visit The Black Country back to unveil a statue of her late husband.

This was a big deal to the people who lived in the Black Country, as you can hear in this episode of 'Adventures Through Time'.

Join Fun Kids Podcasts+: https://funkidslive.com/plus

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mary Macarthur was a pretty amazing woman in the Black Country's history.

Lots of women workers back then used to be treated very unfairly, they were made to work long hours and for not very much money at all!

It was a hard and horrible life, but they didn't dare say anything as they were scared of being fired and not being able to feed their family.

Mary Macarthur saw this injustice and decided to help.

Listen to this episode of The Black Country Living Museum's 'Adventures Through Time' to hear all about what she did to help these workers.

Join Fun Kids Podcasts+: https://funkidslive.com/plus

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ever wondered what it was like in London back in the Tudor times?

If you're not sure when the Tudor times were, it's basically when King Henry VIII was in charge!

Find out all about what London was like back then by listening to this episode of London's History!

Join Fun Kids Podcasts+: https://funkidslive.com/plus

See omny.fm/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we learn all about the famous Blitz that happened during World War Two and that destroyed large parts of London.

The Blitz was a famous series of bombings during World War Two, but there's more to know about it than just that. 

Join Fun Kids Podcasts+: https://funkidslive.com/plus

See omny.fm/listener for privacy information.