Cat history: everything you wanted to know

How did a severed ear start a war between Britain and Spain in the 18th century? And what has Queen Victoria's armpit got to do with the development of antiseptic? Speaking to Charlotte Hodgman, medical doctor and historian Dr Suzie Edge investigates our long-standing fascination with body parts, and explores the incredible stories of the people attached to them – from Albert Einstein's brain to the bones of 'Irish Giant' Charles Byrne. (Ad) Suzie Edge is a medical doctor, historian and the author of Vital Organs: A History of the World's Most Famous Body Parts (Wildfire, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vital-Organs-Suzie-Edge/dp/1035404583/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How did the Gilded Ages get its name? What caused the explosion of industry at this time? Who were the great industrialists of the age, and what can their philanthropy tell us about the morals of the era? Speaking to Elinor Evans, Nancy C Unger answers listener questions on the so-called Gilded Age in the US, from the expansion of railroads and manufacturing that shaped the era and made millions for the industrial barons, to the 'dollar princesses' who married into British aristocracy The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Throughout time, both authors and their readers have gone to war. In that process, the written word has become a deadly weapon and a glimmer of peace and hope – from the furious printing efforts behind publishing //Mein Kampf// to the daring exploits of James Bond. Speaking to Emily Briffett, Andrew Pettegree traces the surprising, and sometimes sinister, ways in which the written word has shaped, and been shaped, by the conflicts of last few centuries. (Ad) Andrew Pettegree is the author of The Book at War: Libraries and Readers in an Age of Conflict (Profile Books, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fthe-book-at-war%2Fandrew-pettegree%2F9781800814936 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices