Short History Of... Episodes Episode guide
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The Boston Tea Party
America, 1773. 300 chests of tea are thrown into Griffin's Wharf. What happened, and why?
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The Black Death
The Black Death ravages the populations of three continents during the 1340s.
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The Berlin Wall
Starting out as a barbed wire fence, the Berlin Wall became a symbol of the Cold War.
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The Beatles
The Beatles - the biggest band the world has ever seen. What's their story?
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The Battle of the Somme
The Battle of the Somme was supposed to be the offensive to win WW1. What's the story?
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The Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad is one of the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare.
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The Aztecs
The Aztecs arrived into central Mexico in the 1300s. What is their real story?
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The Australian Gold Rush
In 1851, gold was discovered in Australia. How did the gold rush shape the country?
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The Anglo-Saxons
How did the Anglo-Saxon period shape England as we know it today?
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The Ancient Olympics
How did the Olympic Games begin? And why did the Games die out for over a thousand years?
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The Abolition of the British Slave Trade
Throughout 18th Century Britain, calls for the end of the slave trade grew louder
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Stonehenge
What is Stonehenge? An ancient clock or computer? And who lived and died to create it?
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St Patrick
St Patrick is honoured by millions worldwide every year, what is his real story?
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Sitting Bull
Sitting Bull was the greatest chief the Lakota people had ever known
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Shakespeare
No single writer has shaped the way we speak and think more than William Shakespeare.
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Rosetta Stone
The Rosetta Stone provided the key to understanding Egyptian hieroglyphs.
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Rosa Parks
A defiant act catapults Rosa Parks to the forefront of the battle for racial equality.
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Queen Victoria
One of the most iconic and beloved monarchs, but who was the real Queen Victoria?
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Queen Elizabeth the Second: Part 2 of 2
How will the era-spanning reign of Queen Elizabeth II be remembered?
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Queen Elizabeth the Second: Part 1 of 2
Queen Elizabeth II modernised her role while managing a family often thrown by scandal.
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Pyramids
The Pyramids have become a symbol of Egypt, but what mysteries might still remain inside?
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Prohibition
The age of prohibition was rowdy. Why was it needed, and who were its heroes & villains?
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Princess Diana
Princess Diana. How should we remember the ‘People’s Princess’ today?
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Pompeii and the Vesuvius Eruption
In 79 AD, one of history’s most infamous natural disasters unfolds in Pompeii.
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Polynesian Exploration
The Polynesian exploration has been compared to missions into space. What's the story?
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Pocahontas
How did Pocahontas spearhead a period of truce between her tribe and the Europeans?
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Petra
Lost for 1,000 years, and rediscovered by a Swiss explorer... the ancient city of Petra
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Pearl Harbor, Part 3 of 3
As the smoke clears after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the blame game begins.
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Pearl Harbor, Part 2 of 3
Chaos reigns in the immediate aftermath of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
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Pearl Harbor, Part 1 of 3
In 1941, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor changed the course of the Second World War.