Since the World's been Turning

In this episode we’re spinning the story of one the world’s most timelessly popular toys, the Hula Hoop. 

While it’s often thought of today as a fad of the past, the Hula Hoop has actually existed in a variety of different forms for centuries, and is debatably still as popular today as ever. 

Joining us to talk about it is Bunny B Star, the founding director and owner of Australian Hula Hoop company, Hoop Empire. 

This episode explores one of the darkest versions of the American Dream -  the deadly world of the Mafia. 

For more than a century, the organized crime groups also known as the Cosa Nostra have inspired fear and fascination in America, as they change and evolve along with society. 

We’re joined by a very special guest, former journalist and accomplished author Geoff Schumacher - the vice president of exhibits and programmes at the Mob Museum in Las Vegas

In this episode we’re looking at the history of the unsung pioneers of space travel, Monkeys and Chimpanzees! 

Before rockets were safe enough to take humans, and even after, NASA and rival organizations sent apes into space to test conditions without risking human life. These primates risked life and limb, faced incredible danger and adversity, and saw more than most humans ever will. Now, over 50 years since the height of the space race, there are new questions to be asked. 

With a modern perspective on animal welfare, the conditions these apes were put under are dubious to say the least. 

Our guest for this episode is , Matthew Wood,  Author of  “Space Race, How the Cold War put humans on the Moon” 

This time we’re looking at another epic of classic Hollywood cinema, Ben-Hur. Widely considered one of the greatest films ever made, Ben-Hur had more than enough drama happen off screen to fill all 4 hours of the blockbuster’s running time.

 What is the story of Ben-Hur? And what impact has it left today? 

This episode takes us to a poignant time in the history of rock music: the brief and brilliant life of Buddy Holly. We travel back in time to learn about the young man behind the music: who accomplished such a lot, and could have achieved so much more. 

We’re joined by special guest, Philip Norman. Philip’s the author of Buddy: Philip Norman. He’s also written extensively about other rock legends, including The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and Eric Clapton. 

In this episode we’re looking at what is arguably the greatest medical catastrophe in recent history, the Thalidomide Scandal. A drug designed to reduce morning sickness in pregnant women, Thalidomide caused more than 10,000 children in the late 1950s and early 1960s to be born with intense physical disabilities. Pushed primarily under the name Contergan by German company Chemie Grunenthal, the history of Thalidomide is one of corporate greed, negligible accountability, and minimal consequences. 

To help us explore this complex and difficult subject, we have two guests. The first, James Essinger, author of “Frankie: The Woman Who Saved Millions from Thalidomide” and Thalidomider, academic speaker Kev Donnelon

In this episode we’re looking at the lives of America’s first real celebrity killers, 19 year old Charles Starkweather and his 14 year old girlfriend, Caril Ann Fugate.

The object of perverse levels of public attention, the pair participated in a series of Spree Killings between December 1967 and January 1968 that would go on to inspire movies, music, and extensive, unrelenting, news coverage.

This episode takes us back to the world of sport, and the era of California Baseball, when major league teams packed their bags and headed West in search of new opportunities. 

The Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants are the most famous teams that chose to leave, but others followed suit, and major league baseball also eventually made its way into America’s deep south. 

We’re joined once again by very special guest, baseball historian Andy McCue. Andy’s the author of Mover and Shaker: Walter O’Malley, the Dodgers and Baseball’s Westward Expansion.

In this episode we discuss the most famous French leader of the 20th century - General Charles de Gaulle. He’s the stubborn military commander who defied the Germans during WWII, and became the voice of hope that inspired thousands. 

After the war, he was also the President who restored order to war-torn France. He returned to power again in 1958, when he handled the Algerian crisis, and founded France’s fifth republic.

We’re joined in this episode by very special guest, Lord Peter Ricketts, long time diplomat, and the former British ambassador to France between 2012 and 2016. 

In this episode we’re traveling back to the Middle East in the 1950s - and to the time when the United States conducted its first major military intervention in the area - in Lebanon. 

What were the origins of the Lebanese crisis, and what led the Americans to intervene? Looking back today, did it make a difference?