History Dispatches

This week, we're bringing you a special teaser of You're Dead To Me, the BBC's hit comedy podcast that takes history seriously.

In this episode, host Greg Jenner is joined by historian Dr Serena Dyer and comedian Vic Michaelis to explore the surprisingly fascinating history of underwear. From Roman underpants and medieval linen shifts to corsets, stockings and modern bras, they uncover how changing fashions, beauty standards and social norms shaped what people wore beneath their clothes.

Expect hidden history, myth-busting and a lot of laughs. If you enjoy what you hear, find You're Dead To Me wherever you get your podcasts.

Website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07mdbhg
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There are many ways that we deliver mail today: car, truck, ship, plane, on foot. But one thing mail doesn't do is travel via rocket. Except for when the US Post Office tried to do so in 1959 by loading 3,000 letters onto a cruise missile. This is the story of Rocket Mail.

Sources

https://www.postalmuseum.org/blog/experimenting-with-rockets/

https://postalmuseum.si.edu/collections/object-spotlight/regulus-missile-mail-letter

https://postalmuseum.si.edu/exhibition/fad-to-fundamental-airmail-in-america-historic-airplanes-unusual-and-experimental/missile

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/mail-delivery-rocket-never-took-180963557/

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Missilemail.jpg

History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

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In France in August of 1572, the marriage of the King’s sister - a Catholic - to a prominent Protestant prince was supposed to unite the nation’s warring factions. However, militant Catholics in Paris would instead launch a shocking attack on their rivals. When the killing ended, tens of thousands of Protestants would be slaughtered - and the Wars of Religion were reignited. This is the story of the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre.

Sources

https://www.britannica.com/event/Massacre-of-Saint-Bartholomews-Day

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Bartholomew%27s_Day_massacre

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:La_masacre_de_San_Bartolom%C3%A9,_por_Fran%C3%A7ois_Dubois.jpg

History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

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In the city of Halicarnassus, the king Mausolus died around 350 BC. His wife then embarked on construction of a tomb so grand that it would rival the pyramids. Fourteen stories tall, three layers, immaculate sculptures, and enough grandeur to humble the grumpiest Roman, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus has gone down as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Sources

https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/Europe/Turkey/_Periods/Greek/_Texts/LETGKB/Mausoleum*.html#note:short_description_by_Pliny

https://turkisharchaeonews.net/site/mausoleum-halicarnassus

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mausoleum_at_Halicarnassus

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Philips_Galle,_Mausol%C3%A6et_i_Halikarnassos,_1572,_KKSgb10002-5,_Statens_Museum_for_Kunst.jpg

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Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespod50off to get 50 percent off and free daily greens per box. New subscribers only. While supplies last until 09/27/2026. (See website for more details).

History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

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Public art is a common site in many cities. But not many pieces of public art are in such a prominent place, nor are they so weird as Blucifer - a 32-foot tall statue of a blue mustang with fiery red eyes right outside Denver International Airport. A statue that not only looks like a demon, but is rumored to be inhabited by one - and killed its creator. This is the story of Blucifer.

Sources

https://www.cpr.org/2019/11/04/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-blucifer-the-demon-horse-of-dia/

https://www.uncovercolorado.com/blucifer-blue-mustang-statue-denver-airport/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Mustang

Image: Courtesy of Nick North

Sponsor

Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespod50off to get 50 percent off and free daily greens per box. New subscribers only. While supplies last until 09/27/2026. (See website for more details).

History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com

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