Democracy is widespread today - but what do we actually mean by the word? Participative democracy existed in ancient Athens, but not everyone could take part. But did the Greeks really have the first democratic government?
The Black Death was a catastrophe for Europe killing half of the population of the continent in the Middle Ages. But was it the worst pandemic ever? And how did it change the course of history?
Do we work more today than in the distant past? Hunter-gatherers often got by with little effort, and it was only with agriculture and industrial work that working hours exploded, so what might the future hold for our working lives?
For as long as we can remember, human beings have expressed belief in higher deities in art, rituals, and rules of behaviour. But is the idea in a higher power innately human? Or was it something we picked up along the way?
The Library of Alexandria was considered a treasure trove of knowledge - and its loss shows how fragile knowledge can be. What has been preserved over thousands of years has often been painstakingly preserved and copied. But whether on…
According to a widely believed story, the vibrator was the brainchild of male doctors who wanted to treat hysteria with orgasms. But behind this medical origin story lie not only bizarre errors but also aggression. Female pleasure was…
Advances in agriculture, hygiene and medicine have steadily increased average life expectancy throughout history. But even in the Stone Age, some people reached old age. Was life expectancy really much lower in the past?
Many believe that Hitler invented the Autobahn, boosting the German economy and solving unemployment in the process. But this is not actually true. So why do we think it is?
The steam engine marked the beginning of the fossil fuel era. But was it really this invention that triggered the Industrial Revolution? The search for answers takes us back to ancient times, to China, to Iceland... But never strays far…
A world without money? It is hard to imagine - but it did exist. But was bartering really the first form of exchange, with money gradually replacing it? And how did this happen?
What does what we wear reveal about our society? Who determines what is considered masculine or feminine? From Antiquity to the present day, this episode looks back at the history of trousers. Both practical and scandalous, how did…
Beauty has shaped our thoughts and feelings from ancient times to the present day. Who do we find attractive? And why? Although many cultures share a similar vision of beauty criteria, there is still immense diversity. But one pattern…
A caesarean has become a common way to give birth, but until the 19th century, it was a highly dangerous last resort. So did Julius Caesar really come into this world by C-section?
Did everyone think that the Earth was a flat disc until Christopher Columbus boldly attempted to prove otherwise ? How do we actually know that the Earth is round? And why do people still insist that it is not?
With chivalrous Knights, great castles and high adventure, the Middle Ages have always fascinated us. While fans of heroic tales may see it through rose-tinted glasses, others only see the dark side: Dirty bodies, stinking cities, and no…
Military victories, efficient administration, flourishing trade, innovative technologies: the Roman Empire is the archetype of a successful empire. But after centuries of domination over the Western world, the empire suddenly collapsed.…
Education is seen today as one of the pillars of a modern, democratic society. Yet its historical roots are more often found in authoritarian structures. This episode looks at how rulers - from the Spartans to the Prussians,…
They sailed under the flag of the skull and crossbones - as the self-proclaimed enemies of all mankind. Pirates are seen as lawless thugs, proud of their reputation. But are we doing them justice by labelling them as criminals? This…
The Tragedy of the Commons theory posits that a valuable and finite resource, freely available to everyone, will be overused and be at risk of destruction. But with common land shared for centuries in medieval Europe, is this really the…
Who doesn't love pasta? It's conquered the world, but Italians love it most. But did they really invent it? We explore its history from ancient China through the Middle Ages to New York and 19th-century Italy. Where was spaghetti born,…
From Iceland’s women’s strike in 1975 right back to strong Viking women and the very first human settlements, was the past more equalitarian than we think? Can we find matriarchy rather than patriarchy in our 2.8 million years of human…
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250,000 kilometres of borders stretch across the world todaya nd even on the oldest maps they are everywhere. But have borders always been with us? From the frontiers of the Roman Empire, past the Berlin Wall, to the European Schengen…
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In the past, childhood did not exist: Children had to go out into the fields and work alongside adults from a very young age in a difficult like of toil… or so many people think. But was that really the case? Were the children of…
People eat meat - all over the world in the most diverse cultures. But have they always done so? And what is the truth of the theory that the human brain needed meat to grow? This episode embarks on an historical search for clues, from…
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Destruction, terror, war: It seems that there has never been more violence than in the world today. But what can we learn from history? Was there really less violence in the past?
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Is drug-induced intoxication a new phenomenon – emerging in a pleasure-seeking society that knows no bounds? Discoveries of drug artifacts thousands of years old raise doubts. Intoxication seems to have been used in many cultures for…
To this day, Columbus is considered the first person to have crossed an ocean. But archaeology, genetics, and indigenous knowledge systems tell a different story: Polynesians, Vikings, and even early humans reached distant continents long…
Traditions seem ancient—but many are invented, politically dictated, or shaped by modern tourism. This documentary traces the origins of traditions from Bavaria through France to Georgia, showing how customs create identity, secure power,…
Africa is often considered a continent entirely colonized by Europeans – although large parts of it remained independent until the 19th century. So what was it really like? This documentary tells the story of Leopold II's reign of terror…
GPS, space travel, industrial fertilizer production: they all arose under military pressure. Wars accelerate decisions, pool resources, and drive innovation. But they also destroy knowledge, societies, and lives. Is it possible, then, to…
The myth sounds seductive: Johannes Gutenberg invents printing – and suddenly the Reformation, the scientific revolution, and the Enlightenment begin. A single machine is said to have triggered an entire era. But historical reality is far…
Did tourism originate with the railway? Pilgrimages were important precursors – but it was romantic notions of nature and the expansion of infrastructure that created the necessary conditions. Politics and media staging ultimately shaped…
Are the rich today richer than ever? This episode shows how the gap between rich and poor has developed over the millennia: From the first states, through the slave trade and industrialisation, to globalised trade and neo-liberal…
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From Caesar’s cipher to the Enigma machine, from Renaissance intrigue to today’s online payments, the art of encoding and decoding information has evolved for centuries. Wars, conspiracies, and revolutions - the hidden science of…
Michelangelo, Newton, Einstein - some individuals have achieved extraordinary things. But are “true geniuses” real, or have we invented them because we want to believe in someone exceptional? Experts from four countries explore how the…