Let's Learn About...

Most people love chocolate in some form, but do you know where chocolate came from or its rich history that spans centuries? In this episode, Charlotte covers the history of chocolate, going right back to ancient times and up to the world-famous chocolatiers of the last couple of centuries. We also learn about ethical chocolate production, slave-free cocoa initiatives, and Fair Trade.

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Where to Find Us:

Head to our website, learnaboutpod.com, to read the full episode notes and see a list of links and resources used to research this episode. You can also follow us on Instagram and Twitter at @learnaboutpod.

Support us on Patreon:

Want to help support the show? For only £2/month you'll get early access to episodes, two exclusive bonus episodes every month, a handwritten postcard, and outtakes that don't make the final cut. Go to patreon.com/learnaboutpod to get started!

A huge thanks to our current patrons: Llinos, Bryony, Linde, Michael, Sarah, Steve, Dan, Megg, and George!

If we were to say that today's episode is about a beautiful woman/sea creature who was tricked to live a life ashore and be potentially cursed for the rest of their life, we'd forgive you for thinking we're talking about mermaids. But not quite! Ellie is turning to Scottish folklore to tell us a story about Selkies - mythological seal creatures who shed their skin on land to take on human form.

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Where to Find Us:

Head to our website, learnaboutpod.com, to read the full episode notes and see a list of links and resources used to research this episode. You can also follow us on Instagram and Twitter at @learnaboutpod.

Support us on Patreon:

Want to help support the show? For only £2/month you'll get early access to episodes, two exclusive bonus episodes every month, a handwritten postcard, and outtakes that don't make the final cut. Go to patreon.com/learnaboutpod to get started!

A huge thanks to our current patrons: Llinos, Bryony, Linde, Michael, Sarah, Steve, Dan, Megg, and George!

Think you know much about your ancestors? How about way back before the human race existed as we know it? In this episode, Charlotte goes back a few million years to pre-human times and covers a brief history of our human lineage, from our most ancient ancestors, and discoveries of new related species that were made as recently as 2013.

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Where to Find Us:

Head to our website, learnaboutpod.com, to read the full episode notes and see a list of links and resources used to research this episode. You can also follow us on Instagram and Twitter at @learnaboutpod.

Support us on Patreon:

Want to help support the show? For only £2/month you'll get early access to episodes, two exclusive bonus episodes every month, a handwritten postcard, and outtakes that don't make the final cut. Go to patreon.com/learnaboutpod to get started!

A huge thanks to our current patrons: Llinos, Bryony, Linde, Michael, Sarah, Steve, Dan, Megg, George, and Nermin!

English writer H. G. Wells was prolific in many genres, writing more than fifty novels and dozens of short stories, and has been called the 'father of modern science fiction'. He was also considered to be a futurist, with his works imagining time travel, alien invasion, invisibility, and biological engineering before these subjects were common in the genre. So Ellie wanted to find out... how many of H. G. Wells' creations actually came true?

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Where to Find Us:

Head to our website, learnaboutpod.com, to read the full episode notes and see a list of links and resources used to research this episode. You can also follow us on Instagram and Twitter at @learnaboutpod.

Support us on Patreon:

Want to help support the show? For only £2/month you'll get early access to episodes, two exclusive bonus episodes every month, a handwritten postcard, and outtakes that don't make the final cut. Go to patreon.com/learnaboutpod to get started!

A huge thanks to our current patrons: Llinos, Bryony, Linde, Michael, Sarah, Steve, Dan, Megg, and George!

We're joined by Lyndall Cave for a super long and informative guest episode! Have you ever wondered what actually goes into the clothes you wear or the things you use in everyday life, whether that's the materials themselves or the process it took to make them? This is what Lyndall covers in this episode, going right back to the fibres that fabrics are made of.

We also talk about ethical and sustainable fashion, what that really means, and some tips on how to make your own wardrobe a bit more envrionmentally-friendly.

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Where to Find Us:

Head to our website, learnaboutpod.com, to read the full episode notes and see a list of links and resources used to research this episode. You can also follow us on Instagram and Twitter at @learnaboutpod.

Support us on Patreon:

Want to help support the show? For only £2/month you'll get early access to episodes, two exclusive bonus episodes every month, a handwritten postcard, and outtakes that don't make the final cut. Go to patreon.com/learnaboutpod to get started!

A huge thanks to our current patrons: Llinos, Bryony, Linde, Michael, Sarah, Steve, Dan, Megg, and George!

Happy St David's Day! In this episode, Welsh native Charlotte talks about how people all around Wales celebrate on 1st March every year, a bit about who St David was (way back in the year 520), and the origins of some common Welsh symbols or emblems: leeks, daffodils, and love spoons.

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Where to Find Us:

Head to our website, learnaboutpod.com, to read the full episode notes and see a list of links and resources used to research this episode. You can also follow us on Instagram and Twitter at @learnaboutpod.

Support us on Patreon:

Want to help support the show? For only £2/month you'll get early access to episodes, two exclusive bonus episodes every month, a handwritten postcard, and outtakes that don't make the final cut. Go to patreon.com/learnaboutpod to get started!

A huge thanks to our current patrons: Llinos, Bryony, Linde, Michael, Sarah, Steve, Dan, Megg, and George!

We love a feel-good episode, and this is another one about amazing animals! Ellie tells the stories of 3 incredible cats who held high-ranking human jobs: Mayor Stubbs, the mayor of a small Alaskan town; Catmando, a political party leader; and Tama the Stationmaster, who gained notoriety as more than just the mascot of a Japanese railway station.

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Where to Find Us:

Head to our website, learnaboutpod.com, to read the full episode notes and see a list of links and resources used to research this episode. You can also follow us on Instagram and Twitter at @learnaboutpod.

Support us on Patreon:

Want to help support the show? For only £2/month you'll get early access to episodes, two exclusive bonus episodes every month, a handwritten postcard, and outtakes that don't make the final cut. Go to patreon.com/learnaboutpod to get started!

A huge thanks to our current patrons: Llinos, Bryony, Linde, Michael, Sarah, Steve, Dan, Megg, and George!

Just a quick announcement to explain why we're changing our episode schedule to biweekly (every 2 weeks) instead of weekly!

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Where to Find Us:

Head to our website, learnaboutpod.com, to read the full episode notes and see a list of links and resources used to research this episode. You can also follow us on Instagram and Twitter at @learnaboutpod.

Support us on Patreon:

Want to help support the show? For only £2/month you'll get early access to episodes, two exclusive bonus episodes every month, a handwritten postcard, and outtakes that don't make the final cut. Go to patreon.com/learnaboutpod to get started!

A huge thanks to our current patrons: Llinos, Bryony, Linde, Michael, Sarah, Steve, Dan, Megg, and George!

February is LGBT+ History Month in the UK, and in this episode, you'll learn all about it! Find out how this annual awareness month started, why it's so important, and some of the ways you could celebrate it yourself, whether you're an LGBTQ+ person or a wonderful ally.

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Where to Find Us:

Head to our website, learnaboutpod.com, to read the full episode notes and see a list of links and resources used to research this episode. You can also follow us on Instagram and Twitter at @learnaboutpod.

Support us on Patreon:

Want to help support the show? For only £2/month you'll get early access to episodes, two exclusive bonus episodes every month, a handwritten postcard, and outtakes that don't make the final cut. Go to patreon.com/learnaboutpod to get started!

A huge thanks to our current patrons: Llinos, Bryony, Linde, Michael, Sarah, Steve, Dan, Megg, and George!

Saint Brigid of Kildare, or Brigid of Ireland, is the patroness saint of Ireland, and one of its three national or patron saints along with St Patrick and St Columba. There is debate over whether Brigid was a real person or not, or whether she is a Christianisation of the Celtic goddess of the same name. But whatever the truth, this woman did some great things, and we're learning about her in this episode!

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Where to Find Us:

Head to our website, learnaboutpod.com, to read the full episode notes and see a list of links and resources used to research this episode. You can also follow us on Instagram and Twitter at @learnaboutpod.

Support us on Patreon:

Want to help support the show? For only £2/month you'll get early access to episodes, two exclusive bonus episodes every month, a handwritten postcard, and outtakes that don't make the final cut. Go to patreon.com/learnaboutpod to get started!

A huge thanks to our current patrons: Llinos, Bryony, Linde, Michael, Sarah, Steve, Dan, Megg, and George!