Since the World's been Turning

In this episode we look into the epic story of how man got to the moon. 

Our guest is historian David Whitehouse, author of “Apollo 11: The Inside Story.” David is a former BBC science editor and Asteroid ‘4036 Whitehouse’ is named after him. 

This episode, we’re telling the story of one of the most tumultuous events in contemporary American political history - the 1968 presidential election. 

Our guest for this episode it Dr Luke Nichter, Professor of History at Chapman University, California. His area of specialty is the Cold War, the modern presidency, and U.S. political and diplomatic history, from John F. Kennedy through Watergate. Dr Nichter’s latest book, The Year that Broke Politics, has just been released and is all about the 1968 presidential election.R

 We’re returning to South East Asia and the theme of colonialism, as we explore the story of Ho Chi Minh – the Communist leader who passed away before he could see the end of the Vietnam War. 

It’s difficult to cover Ho Chi Minh’s history in one episode, but to help us we’re joined by special guest Professor Tuong Vu, who gives us a snapshot of Ho Chi Minh’s life and activities. Tuong is a professor of political science at the University of Oregon and he has written extensively about political movements in Vietnam, including the Communist revolution. 

In this episode we explore one of the most significant medical advances of the mid-20th century: hormonal birth control. 

The Pill is commonly associated with better family planning, and a rise in women going out to work, as well as the more relaxed attitude towards sexuality that became more prevalent in the swinging 1960s, and the hippy movement of the 70s.

 But which came first: the Pill itself, or the drive for social change? Our special guest, Lara [Fray] Friedenfelds, is a historian of reproduction, health and parenting in America, and she joins us to discuss the development and the impact of The Pill. 

This episode, we’re examining one of the most hotly debated events in American history.  Over the past fifty plus years, the assassination of President John F Kennedy, has become increasingly defined by the litany of conspiracy theories that have sprung up around it. The sheer and wide reaching tragedy of the event itself, has, for many, faded with age.  And so we’ll attempt to turn the clock back to the 1960s, and try to recapture how this was felt at the time, by the Kennedys, by America and by the world at large.

Our guest on this episode is Phillip Shenon, author of “A Cruel and Shocking Act: The True History of the Kennedy Assassination.”  Phillip was also a reporter at the New York Times for more than twenty years, where he provided extensive political coverage of affairs in the heart of Washington.

 In this episode we take a look at one of the juiciest scandals of the mid-20th century: the Profumo affair.

 It’s the media circus that ushered in the swinging 60s: and it’s got everything – English politicians, Cold War spies, wild parties, young showgirls and even a high society osteopath.

We’re joined by special guest Stephen Dorrill, who talks us through the colorful characters and events of the time. Stephen is the co-author of Honeytrap: The Secret Worlds of Stephen Ward, and a recently retired lecturer and honorary research fellow at the University of Leicester.

 This episode we’re looking at the life and work of one of America’s most polarising political and religious figures, Malcolm X.

 Also known as Malcolm Little, and el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz, Malcolm X was a prominent voice in Black empowerment and served as a more provocative and anti-establishment counterpart to Civil Rights Leaders such as Martin Luther King.

 This episode we’re looking at the life and work of one of America’s most polarising political and religious figures, Malcolm X.

 Also known as Malcolm Little, and el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz, Malcolm X was a prominent voice in Black empowerment and served as a more provocative and anti-establishment counterpart to Civil Rights Leaders such as Martin Luther King.

In this episode, we’re telling the story of one of Catholicism's least remembered, yet most relevant, figures of the 20th century.

 Pope Paul VI, who was born Giovanni Montini, arguably changed the relationship Lay-Catholics have with Church Leadership forever, with his determination to uphold traditional Church teachings on Birth Control. Yet Pope Paul’s career and legacy cannot be boiled down to just this one decision, however impactful. A multifaceted and complex figure, Pope Paul made a variety of socially progressive changes and thoroughly helped bring the Catholic Church into the 20th century. 

 Our special guest for this episode is Michele Dillon a professor of Sociology and the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at the University of New Hampshire.

This episode, we go back to the ring and  explore the tumultuous and complex world of American Professional Boxing in the 1960s. 

Sonny Liston’s challenge of Floyd Patterson, is one of the most high profile, vicious, and tragic stories in the history of boxing. With tendrils extending out into organised crime, and even the oval office, it proves that sport can be as political as anything else, and that behind any important game, there’s a great story to be told. 

So enter the ring with us, as we navigate just what happened when Sonny Liston beat Floyd Patterson.