Blind History

The most famous South African, the first democratically elected president of the Rainbow Nation, the anti-apartheid icon, and the man who spent 27 years in prison for his conviction and devotion to the cause. There are many ways to describe Nelson Mandela, but we had to end this season with a big one. Here’s the story of a man most of us wouldn’t even think of as a part of history - mostly because he’s still very much in our present.

Long before Elon Musk and Steve Jobs, there was a billionaire playboy who set the standard - a genius with a passion for flying and designing planes, a womaniser who bedded the sexiest women in Hollywood, and a man who was eccentric enough to be declared mentally ill by today’s standards. Howard Hughes was many things... but he certainly wasn’t boring!

The fiery, furious relationship between the medieval era’s most famous power couple led to glory and terrible failure. The empire they presided over was the greatest empire in the West since the time of Charlemagne. He was 9 years younger than her, but she matched his energy. When they weren’t making love and producing one of many children, they were plotting against each other or fighting like cat and dog. She took no prisoners, but he made her one for 15 years. The world, it seems, wasn’t big enough for Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Vice Admiral Viscount Horatio Nelson was the greatest British sailor of all time, possibly the greatest sailor in all the world’s history. His adventures, tactical genius and courage inspired Britain to become the naval superpower that it was in the 1700s and 1800s, and helped bring about the fall of Napoleon and a change in the balance of power throughout the world. Though he had only one eye and one arm, he seems to have brought enough energy and ambition for two lifetimes, and history looks fondly on his contribution.

In 1742 a Russian aristocrat and military engineer, fluent in Turkish and French, rose to prominence in the Imperial court of Peter the Great. He had all the trappings of nobility, and was held in such high regard that the Tsar adopted him. This great figure of Russian history's name is Gannibal - charming, intelligent and a man of extraordinary achievement. Oh, and also a black African.

If there were a prize for genocide, one man would have unbeatable odds at claiming it. He began life as a bright young revolutionary with enormous enthusiasm for change and fairness - but he devolved into a fat, dirty, old tyrant who filled everyone with fear and loathing. He was at China’s helm when up to 55 million people died in just four devastating years. He was known as Chairman Mao, and he changed China forever.

Long before Mario Puzo wrote 'The Godfather', and before Brando and Pacino brought the book’s characters to life on the big screen, the real Godfather - Lucky Luciano - ruled over the world of organised crime. Gambling, prostitution, guns and shallow graves were his stock-in-trade. He was public enemy number one... and he remains the original gangster.

Unlike most great people from history, you can actually still look into the faces of some of the Pharaohs. At the Egyptian Museum of Civilisation, 22 mummies occupy a sanctified space, and represent over 3,000 years of recorded history. One of the most memorable is Tuthmosis III - while he was alive, his eyes looked out over the apex of Ancient Egyptian culture and power... and under his rule, they built the greatest temples, expanded the territory, and established a pantheon of gods.

Once upon a time, there lived a king... a king who had so much wealth that he could fill great halls to their roofs with it. When he visited the biggest Islamic city of his age, he brought so much money with him that he almost destroyed its economy. But this is no mythical fairytale, and he wasn’t just a big spender. His name was Mansa Musa, and he used his phenomenal wealth to build universities, libraries and more - and in the process, established perhaps the greatest medieval kingdom in Africa.

Chivalry, jousting, coat-armour, knights on horseback and the great glory of the Middle Ages are mostly made up. The real Middle Ages were a dirty, bloody, brutal and uncivilised time. Women were mere possessions, land was wealth, might made right, and peasants ate rocks and soil to stay alive. Only the high-born could live a life anything like Sir Walter Scott imagined in his novels. But once upon a time, there was a great knight - a man called William Marshall. He outlived four kings, fought countless battles, and was the very epitome of the medieval warrior.

Within living memory of Alexander the Great, a vast, powerful and extraordinary empire rose up in Northern India - forged by the strength, intelligence, and philosophy of one man. In one lifetime, he went from warlord to monk, from outcast to emperor... and his ideas brought a new religion, Buddhism, to full bloom in faraway places. Ashoka the Great is still commemorated on the flag of India, and his empire left a mark on all of Southern Asia.

Everyone knows the story of Joan of Arc - the patron saint of France, the heroine who was burnt at the stake for her valour and her faith. History has been less kind to Gilles de Rais, a man whose story is less heroic and more macabre. In the dungeons of his castle, the sounds of chains, the heat of fires, and the screams of children became his legacy. But did any of it really happen? Was he a mass murderer of children, or a victim of his wealth and military success? Those secrets are buried under stone and ash and legend, and we may never know for sure...

The creaking ship rose and fell in massive swells, the waves as high as 10 men stacked on top of each other. Blistering Antarctic winds seemed determined to prevent anyone from rounding the cursed Cape Horn. It had been months since any of the crew had seen their families, eaten anything fresh, or tasted anything but sea water every time they opened their mouths... and yet they were exploring places that had never been mapped before, encountering people and animals that no European had ever seen. At the helm was Captain Cook - more legend than man, undaunted by rain, wind, sun and sea.

Dr Emma Southon specialises in Roman history, and has written some incredibly interesting - and very funny - books. As a bonus episode of Blind History, we managed to have a chat with her about Rome, Roman society, the role of women in Roman families, and many more salacious and unbelievable stories about what really happened outside of politics and war. Taylor Blinds & Shutters

Some believe he was the greatest man who ever lived, the son of God. Some historians mentioned him in passing as a Jewish rebel and philosopher. Either of those groups may be right, but we’ll never know exactly how to separate the reality from the myth of Jesus of Nazareth. Taylor Blinds & Shutters

We’ve been avoiding this one, but eventually we had to do it ... the arch-villain of modern, if not all history - Adolf Hitler. The Fuhrer of Germany and the man who almost brought the whole Western world to its knees. More has been written about Hitler than anyone else in the 20th century, and yet, his evil deeds, megalomania and sheer force of will continue to elude us. It is not too much to say that this podcast might never have existed, or certainly been in German, if things hadn’t gone the way they did. Taylor Blinds & Shutters

Charles Martel was born in the palace of Austrasia - which it turns out is neither in Australia nor Austria. If you’re confused, just imagine being French without a France. Austrasia was one of four provinces of what would eventually become medieval France, and Charles Martel would be its first leader. As the founder of a nation that has persisted to the present day, his battles, family, and faith would establish an identity in Western Europe that would make even the least proud Frenchman say, “Mon Dieu!” Taylor Blinds & Shutters

Elizabeth Bathory might not be the most famous Hungarian in history, but once you hear her story, you’ll never forget her name. A tale of sadism, torture, cruelty and murder awaits you in this episode of Blind History... Taylor Blinds & Shutters

Coming hot on the heels of last week’s episode, the villains can add another ugly monster to their number. Hideki Tojo was Japan’s fascist, genocidal answer to Himmler in Germany. Throughout his career, only Imperial Japanese priorities would matter, and if people got in the way, he treated them as an inconvenience or a resource. Ultimately, he faced justice in a way few war criminals did, but the blood he spilt in the twentieth century is a stain on Japan’s history. Taylor Blinds & Shutters

If you were to compile a list of the most evil men in history, Heinrich Himmler would undoubtedly be near the top of it. Hitler’s chief executioner and the mastermind behind the genocidal concentration camps, Himmler was obsessed with racial superiority, the occult and killing people efficiently. With his round spectacles and devotion to Hitler, Himmler stopped at nothing to achieve his final solution. If you find the worst people that ever lived fascinating, you’ll enjoy this macabre episode. Taylor Blinds & Shutters