Born #OTD 1748 Jeremy Bentham. On his death in 1832, the philosopher left instructions for his body to be preserved. But what happened to his head? Hear the story in our Heads Podcast: tinyurl.com/hw5zwfdm #history #philosophy #britishhistory #universityoflondon

In 1605, a merchant paid St Sepulchre's Church to buy a handbell. At midnight, the day before an execution, the parish clerk rang the bell outside Newgate Jail's condemned man's cell. Hear the story in our Newgate Jail podcast: tinyurl.com/ycyp92cs #history #jail #london #justice

Pilliwinks were thumbscrews. Used to squeeze out “witch” confessions in the 1600s. A brutal reminder of fear dressed up as justice. Hear the story in our Women and Witchcraft Podcast: tinyurl.com/mrxbuh8w #history #witches #torture #historypodcast #britishhistory

In 1699 Sir Isaac Newton was made Master of the Mint. In charge of England's currency, he became a private investigator, visiting criminal haunts to gather evidence on coin clippers and forgers. Hear the story in our History of Money Podcast: tinyurl.com/yc7hpckb #history #newton #money #coins

Elizabeth Siddal died #OTD 1862. The artist and model was buried in Highgate Cemetery. Her husband, painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti, placed an original poetry manuscript in her coffin. What happened when he wanted it back? Find out in our Death and Burial podcast: tinyurl.com/4k9sfdpu #history

In 1463 there was an outbreak of valgas buns. English lords had taken to strutting around in carrot shaped pointy shoes that grew longer, and longer. The king had to intervene. Hear this story in our History of Men’s Fashion podcast: tinyurl.com/mrhnfmtc #history #fashion #shoes #clothes

What is the oldest pub name in Britain? And the most popular pub name? The strangest name? We go on a national pub crawl to find out in our latest History of Beer podcast. Listen at: tinyurl.com/47yrta2v #history #pubs #beer #ale

Born #OTD 1812 Charles Dickens. Age 12 he was sent to work in a rat-infested riverside factory - and it seemed his future was ruined. Hear his life story in our dramatized podcast: Dickens - How One Writer Changed Britain: tiny.cc/t769001 #dickens #history #literature

Our new podcast is out. From wooden money to “elephant” coins, from shops minting their own money to protesters storming the bank of England, and the troubled origins of paper money. All in our latest History of Money Podcast: tinyurl.com/2f4nazcj #history #money #banks

Born #OTD 1921 Violette Szabo, the second British woman to be awarded the George Cross. On a mission behind enemy lines she saved the life of an allied agent, was captured and murdered in a German camp. Hear her story in our Women and War podcast: tinyurl.com/3r73h9da #history #WW2 #spy

Born #OTD in 1868, Constance Markievicz was the first woman elected to the UK Parliament. She refused to take her seat. Find out why in our Women and Protest podcast: tinyurl.com/2p8fek9r #history #radical #politics #protest #ireland #parliament

Tales of dirty history. One of the most coveted jobs for a noble in the court of Henry VIII was the “position” of Groom of the Stool. The man charged with cleaning the king’s substantial posterior. Hear the story in our History of Sewerage Podcast: tinyurl.com/2ys6jpf3 #history #toilets #tudors

Medieval ales were flavoured with wild plants. One was henbane - which is a hallucinogen. Why did they put this in ale? To find out listen to our History of Beer podcast: tinyurl.com/52v2mcuf #history #beer #ale #medievalhistory #herbs #apothecary

Mary Shelley Died #OTD 1851. She endured the death of her mother, children and husband. Her legacy is one of the greatest books of world literature: Frankenstein. Hear the story in our Women and Writing podcast: tinyurl.com/jrcjkwwc #history #writing #frankenstein

Sagacious Pigs were an 18th century sensation. Performing at taverns, side shows and fairs, they would do arithmetic, spell out names and read minds. Hear the story in our Strange Animal Stories Podcast: tinyurl.com/2mcp4ww5 #history #animals #pigs

Charles I was beheaded #OTD 1649. The crowd on Whitehall was shocked into silence. Some dipped their handkerchiefs in the king’s blood. But what happened to the monarch’s head after it was cut off? Find out in our Executed Heads Podcast: tinyurl.com/bde7huj3 #history

Margery Jourdemayne was a seer. She became a necromancer to the Dutchess wife of the king’s brother. Accused of witchcraft, her life was in peril. Hear the story of Old Mother Madge in our Women and Witchcraft Podcast: tinyurl.com/2d4a7y2k #history #witch #witchcraft #magic

Died #OTD 1547, Henry VIII. The king financed his extravagant spending by removing silver from English coins. When his reign ended, the currency was destroyed. Hear the story of the financially imprudent monarch in our History of Money podcast: tinyurl.com/vdaufpea #history #money #finance

William Terris was the hero of the Adelphi Theatre melodramas. But behind the curtain, a bit-part actor nursed a deadly grudge. What followed was a trial, and a ghost story that still haunts the Adelphi. Hear the story in our Murder at the Theatre podcast: tinyurl.com/56nnmbfp #history #ghosts

St Mary’s Bethlem was England’s first psychiatric hospital. Inmates included a woman who tried to kill George III and a brilliant Victorian artist who murdered his father. Hear the story in our Bedlam – History of a Madhouse podcast: tinyurl.com/2whtb2xh #history #bedlam #mentalhealth

In 1326 Richard the Raker was a going about his job. As a gong farmer - paid to clean out sewage pits. When the cesspit collapsed, Richard fell into a pool of crap. Hear his story in our History of Sewerage Podcast: tinyurl.com/2ys6jpf3 #History #britishhistory #sewers

Winston Churchill died #OTD 1965. He loved cats. Tango, Nelson, Munich Mouser and Jock - the original marmalade puss - lived with him at home and Downing Street. Hear the story in our History of Cats Podcast: tinyurl.com/3cmky79u #history #cats #caturday #churchill

Died #OTD 1901, Queen Victoria was crowned at Westminster Abbey. The most chaotic investiture in modern times, find out how - and why - it all went so wrong in our mishaps and majesty podcast. Listen here tinyurl.com/ke5r2ftp #history #queenvictoria #westminsterabbbey

What is a Slubberdegullion or Jabbernowl? Insults defined in Samuel Johnson’s great dictionary. Hear about these strange words in our life of Dr Johnson Podcast: tinyurl.com/r6x2d9m7 #history #literature #engllsh #dictionary #englishlanguage

In the 1200s merchants travelled to London from Italy. They set up stalls in the City, changed money and arranged loans. The beginning of our modern financial system is marked by the name Lombard Street. Hear the story in our History of Money Podcast: tinyurl.com/vdaufpea #history #money #London

King Haakon IV of Norway sent English King Henry III a white bear. It was taken to live in the Tower of London. Hear about the Pale Bear in our Strange Animal Stories Podcast: tinyurl.com/2mcp4ww5 #history #animals #toweroflondon #bears

Hear how William Shakespeare left Stratford for London to became an actor, writer and theatre owner. Hear how his company carried their theatre across the Thames where it burned down. Find out why we nearly lost half his plays in our #Shakespeare Podcast at: tinyurl.com/wmzsxwk2 #history #hamnet

In 1944, British troops stationed in France for D-Day were desperate for beer. So the RAF sent flying pubs. Spitfires and Typhoons loaded up with ale and flown to Normandy. Listen to the story of the beer bombs in our History of Beer podcast: tinyurl.com/47yrta2v #history #beer #WW2

Died #OTD 1905, Louise Michel who opened an anarchist school in the heart of gentrified London. It was shut down when government agents found explosives in the basement. Hear her story in our Women and Protest podcast: tinyurl.com/mr3d49uz #history #anarchy #protest

Died #OTD 1848, age 97 Caroline Herschel. The first female astronomer rode through the night in 1797 - 30 miles from Windsor to Greenwich - to claim the first sighting of a comet. Hear the story in our Women and Science podcast: tinyurl.com/37hhfsye #history #women #science

Thomas Charnock was a 16th-century alchemist. Convinced he could discover the philosopher’s stone, his experiments to turn base metal into gold blew up his remote Somerset cottage. Hear the story in our History of Money podcast: tinyurl.com/vdaufpea #history #money #alchemy #magic #somerset

Died #OTD 1886, Richard Dadd was a Victorian artist. Delusions caused him to commit a brutal crime. Confined to Bedlam, he produced exquisite artworks. Hear his story in our podcast: Bedlam – History of a Madhouse. Listen at: tinyurl.com/2whtb2xh #history #art #painting #mentalhealth

Wassail comes from Anglo Saxon meaning 'Good Health'. By tradition on the 12th night following Christmas people would drink toasts to the new year. Hear more in our Stories of Christmas podcast: podbean.com/eas/pb-anfqe... #history #Christmas #Folklore

#OTD 1797 haberdasher John Hetherington supposedly caused a riot when: “he appeared on the public highway wearing what he called a silk hat”. The shock of the new, or PR stunt? Hear the story in our Men’s Fashion Podcast tinyurl.com/52bzy29p @BBGuides #fashion #FashionTrends

Died #OTD in 1922. Minnie Lansbury was jailed for six weeks for refusing to levy rates in the poverty-stricken East End. She fought for the rights of widows, orphans and WWI wounded. We tell her story in our Women and Protest podcast: tinyurl.com/mus8rmuz #history #eastend #london

Published #OTD 1818, Mary Shelley’s masterpiece Frankenstein. She endured the death of her mother, three children and her husband. Her legacy is one of the greatest books of world literature. Hear the story in our Women and Writing Podcast: tinyurl.com/3kafzfky #history #Frankenstein

Angela Burdett-Coutts philanthropist died #OTD in 1906. Together with Charles Dickens she co-founded Urania Cottage, a pioneering women's shelter. Hear the story in our Charles Dickens podcast: tiny.cc/t769001 #history #dickens #women

#OTD 1940, St Paul's Cathedral miraculously survived one of the most devastating air raids of the London Blitz, an event now known as the Second Great Fire of London. Hear the story in our London Blitz Podcast: tinyurl.com/mrx4huz4 #history #WW2 #blitz #london

Elizabeth Johnson was a Tudor widow. In 1591 she was found guilty of clipping silver shillings, taken to Tyburn and hanged. Hear the poor woman’s story in our History of Money podcast: tinyurl.com/vdaufpea #history #tudors #money #tyburn #elizabethanengland

In Britain, the day after Christmas is called Boxing Day. Hear about the origins of this strange name in our Stories of Christmas Podcast: podbean.com/eas/pb-anfqe-1768735 #history #christmas #traditions #britain #boxingday

On 25 December 1950, four Scottish students broke into Westminster Abbey, removed the coronation stone from the throne and took it to Scotland. Hear the story in our Westminster Abbey podcast: tinyurl.com/ke5r2ftp #history #scotland #westminsterabbey

On Christmas day 1647, Puritans tried to stop celebrations in Canterbury. Forcing shops to open and people to work. Hear how it ended in our Stories of Christmas Podcast: podbean.com/eas/pb-anfqe-1768735 #history #christmas #canterbury

The story of Santa Claus goes back 1700 years. From the patron saint of children, via Holland to the man coming down the chimney. Hear about the evolution Santa in our Stories of Christmas podcast: www.podbean.com/eas/pb-anfqe-1768735 #history #Christmas #santaclaus

In the 1840s a Christmas engraving of Queen Victoria and her family was published. It took hold of the imagination and popularised the Christmas tree tradition in Britain. Hear about Victoria and Christmas in our Stories of Christmas Podcast: podbean.com/eas/pb-anfqe-1768735 #history #christmas

From crafty coin clippers to a monarch who crashed England’s currency. From chopping off mint workers hands to a Tudor-era virtual coin, listen to these stories in our History of Money podcast: tinyurl.com/vdaufpea #history #money #coins #currency #finance #cash #economics

Today is the shortest day of the year. Marked at the ancient megaliths of Stonehenge by Druids, Wiccans and worshipers who make a winter pilgrimage. Hear the story of the henge at winter solstice in our Stonehenge Podcast: tinyurl.com/44ddu6ww #history #stonehenge #solstice

A Christmas Carol was published #OTD 1843. Charles Dickens’ beloved story of Scrooge and Tiny Tim changed the way we celebrate Christmas. Hear why in our Stories of Britain Podcast: podbean.com/eas/pb-anfqe-1768735 #christmas #Dickens #history #charlesdickens

Died #OTD 1897 William Terris, the star of the Adelphi Theatre plays. Bit-part actor Richard Prince hated the matinee idol. We bring to life a story that haunts London’s West End in our Murder at the Theatre Podcast: tinyurl.com/56nnmbfp #history #theatre #victorianlondon #haunting #ghosts

Margaret Cavendish died #OTD 1673. The duchess wrote poetry and natural philosophy and with The Blazing World created what many argue is the first-ever work of science fiction. Hear her story in our Women and Writing podcast: tinyurl.com/jrcjkwwc #history #literature #sci-fi #women

In the 1840s, a Christmas engraving of Queen Victoria and her family was published. It popularised the Christmas tree tradition in Britain. Hear about Victoria and Christmas in our Stories of Christmas Podcast: podbean.com/eas/pb-anfqe-1768735 #history #christmas #victorians #christmastree