In Our Time

By BBC Radio 4History

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42 min
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In Our Time episodes

July 04, 2013 The Invention of Radio
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the invention of radio. In the early 1860s the Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell derived four equations which together describe the behaviour of electricity and magnetism. They predicted the existence of a previously unknown phenomenon: electromagnetic waves. These waves were first observed in the early 1880s, and over the next two decades a succession of scientists and engineers built increasingly elaborate devices to produce and detect them. Eventually this gave birth to a new technology: radio. The Italian Guglielmo Marconi is commonly described as the father of radio - but many other figures were involved in its development, and it was not him but a Canadian, Reginald Fessenden, who first succeeded in transmitting speech over the airwaves.
With:
Simon Schaffer
Professor of the History of Science at the University of Cambridge
Elizabeth Bruton
Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Leeds
John Liffen
Curator of Communications at the Science Museum, London
Producer: Thomas Morris.
42 min
June 27, 2013 Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, widely regarded as one of the greatest works of Chinese literature. Written 600 years ago, it is an historical novel that tells the story of a tumultuous period in Chinese history, the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. Partly historical and partly legend, it recounts the fighting and scheming of the feudal lords and the three states which came to power as the Han Dynasty collapsed. The influence of Romance of the Three Kingdoms in East Asia has been likened to that of Homer in the West, and this warfare epic remains popular in China today.
With:
Frances Wood
Former Lead Curator of Chinese Collections at the British Library
Craig Clunas
Professor of the History of Art at the University of Oxford
Margaret Hillenbrand
University Lecturer in Modern Chinese Literature at the University of Oxford and Fellow of Wadham College
Producer: Victoria Brignell.
43 min
June 20, 2013 The Physiocrats
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Physiocrats, an important group of economic thinkers in eighteenth-century France. The Physiocrats believed that the land was the ultimate source of all wealth, and crucially that markets should not be constrained by governments. Their ideas were important not just to economists but to the course of politics in France. Later they influenced the work of Adam Smith, who called Physiocracy "perhaps the nearest approximation to the truth that has yet been published upon the subject of political economy."
With:
Richard Whatmore
Professor of Intellectual History & the History of Political Thought at the University of Sussex
Joel Felix
Professor of History at the University of Reading
Helen Paul
Lecturer in Economics and Economic History at the University of Southampton.
Producer: Thomas Morris.
43 min
June 20, 2013 The Physiocrats
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Physiocrats, an important group of economic thinkers in eighteenth-century France. The Physiocrats believed that the land was the ultimate source of all wealth, and crucially that markets should not be constrained by governments. Their ideas were important not just to economists but to the course of politics in France. Later they influenced the work of Adam Smith, who called Physiocracy "perhaps the nearest approximation to the truth that has yet been published upon the subject of political economy."
With:
Richard Whatmore
Professor of Intellectual History & the History of Political Thought at the University of Sussex
Joel Felix
Professor of History at the University of Reading
Helen Paul
Lecturer in Economics and Economic History at the University of Southampton.
Producer: Thomas Morris.
43 min
June 13, 2013 Prophecy
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the meaning and significance of prophecy in the Abrahamic religions. Prophets, those with the ability to convey divinely-inspired revelation, are significant figures in the Hebrew Bible and later became important not just to Judaism but also to Christianity and Islam. Although these three religions share many of the same prophets, their interpretation of the nature of prophecy often differs.
With:
Mona Siddiqui
Professor of Islamic and Interreligious Studies at the University of Edinburgh
Justin Meggitt
University Senior Lecturer in the Study of Religion and the Origins of Christianity at the University of Cambridge
Jonathan Stökl
Post-Doctoral Researcher at Leiden University.
Producer: Thomas Morris.
43 min
June 13, 2013 Prophecy
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the meaning and significance of prophecy in the Abrahamic religions. Prophets, those with the ability to convey divinely-inspired revelation, are significant figures in the Hebrew Bible and later became important not just to Judaism but also to Christianity and Islam. Although these three religions share many of the same prophets, their interpretation of the nature of prophecy often differs.
With:
Mona Siddiqui
Professor of Islamic and Interreligious Studies at the University of Edinburgh
Justin Meggitt
University Senior Lecturer in the Study of Religion and the Origins of Christianity at the University of Cambridge
Jonathan Stökl
Post-Doctoral Researcher at Leiden University.
Producer: Thomas Morris.
43 min
June 06, 2013 Relativity
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss Einstein's theories of relativity. Between 1905 and 1917 Albert Einstein formulated a theoretical framework which transformed our understanding of the Universe. The twin theories of Special and General Relativity offered insights into the nature of space, time and gravitation which changed the face of modern science. Relativity resolved apparent contradictions in physics and also predicted several new phenomena, including black holes. It's regarded today as one of the greatest intellectual achievements of the twentieth century, and had an impact far beyond the world of science.
With:
Ruth Gregory
Professor of Mathematics and Physics at Durham University
Martin Rees
Astronomer Royal and Emeritus Professor of Cosmology and Astrophysics at the University of Cambridge
Roger Penrose
Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford.
Producer: Thomas Morris.
43 min
June 06, 2013 Relativity
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss Einstein's theories of relativity. Between 1905 and 1917 Albert Einstein formulated a theoretical framework which transformed our understanding of the Universe. The twin theories of Special and General Relativity offered insights into the nature of space, time and gravitation which changed the face of modern science. Relativity resolved apparent contradictions in physics and also predicted several new phenomena, including black holes. It's regarded today as one of the greatest intellectual achievements of the twentieth century, and had an impact far beyond the world of science.
With:
Ruth Gregory
Professor of Mathematics and Physics at Durham University
Martin Rees
Astronomer Royal and Emeritus Professor of Cosmology and Astrophysics at the University of Cambridge
Roger Penrose
Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford.
Producer: Thomas Morris.
43 min
May 30, 2013 Queen Zenobia
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss Queen Zenobia, a famous military leader of the ancient world. Born in around 240 AD, Zenobia was Empress of the Palmyrene Empire in the Middle East. A highly educated, intelligent and militarily accomplished leader, she claimed descent from Dido and Cleopatra and spoke many languages, including Egyptian. Zenobia led a rebellion against the Roman Empire and conquered Egypt before being finally defeated by the Emperor Aurelian. Her story captured the imagination of many Renaissance writers, and has become the subject of numerous operas, poems and plays.
With:
Edith Hall
Professor of Classics at King's College, London
Kate Cooper
Professor of Ancient History at the University of Manchester
Richard Stoneman
Honorary Visiting Professor in the Department of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Exeter.
Producer: Thomas Morris.
42 min
May 30, 2013 Queen Zenobia
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss Queen Zenobia, a famous military leader of the ancient world. Born in around 240 AD, Zenobia was Empress of the Palmyrene Empire in the Middle East. A highly educated, intelligent and militarily accomplished leader, she claimed descent from Dido and Cleopatra and spoke many languages, including Egyptian. Zenobia led a rebellion against the Roman Empire and conquered Egypt before being finally defeated by the Emperor Aurelian. Her story captured the imagination of many Renaissance writers, and has become the subject of numerous operas, poems and plays.
With:
Edith Hall
Professor of Classics at King's College, London
Kate Cooper
Professor of Ancient History at the University of Manchester
Richard Stoneman
Honorary Visiting Professor in the Department of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Exeter.
Producer: Thomas Morris.
42 min