Byzantium And The Crusades - Introduction: Byzantium And The Crusades Episode 1

The Crusades shook the world. But why did they happen? This podcast tells the story of the Crusades and how the Byzantine Empire not only contributed to their origins but shaped their development. It's the story of what was, in effect, a world war as Turkish nomads from the Asian steppe-lands faced Frankish and Norman knights from western Europe. It was a time that changed the world. And its echoes are still with us today.

Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine World War, my book that describes the origins of the First Crusade.

Undiscovered - Spontaneous Generation

These days, biologists believe all living things come from other living things. But for a long time, people believed that life would, from time to time, spontaneously pop into existence more often—and not just that one time at the base of the evolutionary tree. Even the likes of Aristotle believed in the “spontaneous generation” of life until Louis Pasteur debunked the theory—or so the story goes. 

The Nod - Lady Sings the Blues w/ Bassey Ikpi

This week, Brittany gets personal as she sits down with author and poet Bassey Ikpi to talk about her new book, I'm Telling the Truth, but I'm Lying. In the book Bassey re-examines her life through the lens of her mental health and diagnosis of bipolar II.*


This episode of The Nod contains mentions of suicide and serious mental health issues, and may not be suitable for all of our listeners.

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50 Things That Made the Modern Economy - Sewing machine

Women's lives were transformed by sewing machines, which made a "never-ending, ever-beginning task" far less arduous and time-consuming. But Isaac Singer, who made his fortune from these devices, was far from a champion of women's rights. Tim Harford tells a story of how self-interest can sometimes be a powerful driver for social change.