Operation Market Garden

Operation Market Garden was an unsuccessful British-American airborne invasion of the Netherlands (Holland) during World War II that lasted September 17-25, 1944. It was the largest airborne operation of the war, involving more than 34,000 airborne troops. Background Operation Market Garden was intended to advance the Allies across the Rhine River into Germany’s industrial heartland. …Read More

Battle of Yorktown

The Battle of Yorktown (September 28 – October 19, 1781; also called the Siege of Yorktown) was the last major land battle of the American Revolutionary War. After almost 2 weeks of being under siege, the British troops at Yorktown, Virginia, surrendered to combined American and French forces, signaling the beginning of the end of …Read More

1900 Galveston Hurricane

Summary On September 8, 1900, Galveston, Texas, was struck by a category 4 hurricane that decimated the island and killed thousands of people, making it the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history. Great Galveston Hurricane The day before the hurricane struck, heavy swells were noticed in the Gulf, and by the early morning of the …Read More

S2 Ep5: A (Peaky?) Blinder of Gangster story and a Fertile Centenarian

Michala transports us back to the world of 1920s Birmingham gangland this week, and if you’re a Peaky Blinders fan, some of the names in her newspaper article (from The Times, 28 April 1921) may be familiar…Then, not to be outdone, Brad unpicks the eye-opening headline ‘Man Aged 130 has son 4 And a Wife …Read More

S2 Ep4: Man Haunted by Dead Mother, and a Robbery With a Twist

We’re hopping across the Atlantic for this week’s episode – that’s right, all our stories this week are sourced from newspapers in the USA. And there are some corkers hidden in that American newsprint. Whilst Brad doesn’t believe in ghosts, the subject of his story – Mr Frank Swulius – certainly did; the spooky actions …Read More

Season 2 Episode 3: WWII Special – The First Civilian Casualty of WWII and ‘Mend and Make Do’ in the Air

This year marks a number of notable World War II (WWII) anniversaries, most significantly, the 75th anniversary of VE Day – when combat ended in Europe. With this in mind, all our stories in this episode are WWII themed – giving insight into the lives of not just those that served but also the impact …Read More

Season 2 Episode 2: Victimisation of Winston Churchill’s Mother and a Prison Break!

Our hosts have served up a couple of Victorian chancers for your listening pleasure in today’s episode. Brad’s headline ‘Alleged Frauds on Ladies’ (from the Daily News, 5th October 1897) takes us into the world of fraudster who scammed Winston Churchill’s mother and Michala’s story (reported in Lloyd’s Weekly Newspaper, 6th January 1850) follows the …Read More

Season 2 Episode 1: Murders Most Horrid and (Almost) Killer Lemonade

Behind The Headlines of History is back for another season – and we couldn’t be more delighted to be sharing more weird and wonderful tales from the newstands of history with you! Michala is kicking off season two with a grisly story of the first private hanging (from the Liverpool Mercury, 15th August 1858) but …Read More

Christmas Special: Mock Marriages & The Great Christmas Coat Robbery

We’re back in your ears for a Christmas special of Behind The Headlines of History! All our stories in this episode have a seasonal slant, although perhaps not in the way you’d expect… Take a listen to discover the festive resonance of Brad’s headline: ‘Alleged Mock Marriage’ (from the Western Mail on December 24th, 1890) …Read More