Show Notes
Send us Fan Mail You had lots of questions about the Victorian job of the "Bleach Packer". So I invited Judith Wilde from Catalyst museum back for a Q&A. Together we dig deeper into the fascinating history of this gruelling job, that helped build the chemical industry. 🎧 Judith answers questions like: ➡ Why didn't their eyes burn? ➡ Did the muzzle actually work? ➡ Why were some of them drinking ten pints a day? ➡ Did this really continue into the 1950s? ➡ What is the area of Widnes like t...
More from What We Did Before | A History of Everyday Life
Send us Fan Mail 💬 In the early 20th century, radium was hailed as a wonder substance. Young women landed well-paid jobs painting glow-in-the-dark watch dials with it, even putting their brushes between their lips to keep a fine point. Years later, their teeth began falling out, their bones started disintegrating and the horrifying truth about radium emerged. ⚡ In this episode we hear from Kate Moore, New York Times bestselling author of The Radium Girls. She tells the remarkable story of the...
Send us Fan Mail 💬 When we think of fools or jesters, we often imagine a peculiar Medieval entertainer in a funny hat. But court jesters aren’t confined to one timeline - they appear around the world, throughout history. Far from being silly entertainers, they were often highly intelligent figures who could mock kings, challenge their decisions and wield surprising political power. ⚡ In this episode we hear from Beatrice Otto, author of Fools Are Everywhere, who has uncovered the extraordinar...
Send us Fan Mail 💬 Before petrol and electric cars took over our roads, inventors were experimenting with a very different kind of transport - steam-powered vehicles. In 1803, pioneering engineer Richard Trevithick built an extraordinary steam carriage capable of carrying passengers through London. But early road travel wasn't exactly comfortable - and Trevithick's revolutionary ideas didn't bring him the success you might expect. ⚡ In this episode, we visit the British Commercial Vehicle Mus...
Send us Fan Mail About the podcast: What We Did Before is a podcast exploring the history of everyday life, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI. About your host: Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers. Don't miss an episode - subscribe now: https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before Connect wi...
Send us Fan Mail 💬 What did Medieval people actually find funny? Very little record of Medieval comedy remains, but thanks to one 15th century priest we now have a rare glimpse into the life of a Minstrel and the types of jokes they would’ve told. ⚡ In this episode we hear from Dr James Wade, professor in English at Girton College at Cambridge and expert on the Middle Ages. His work has involved deciphering a manuscript written by Richard Heege, which has reshaped how we view Medieval culture...