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HistoryExtra podcast - The problem with poo: a millennium of manure
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The problem with poo: a millennium of manure

HistoryExtra podcast

11/19/25

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35m

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When did poo become a problem? Why was manure so important in the medieval economy? And why don't we have vacuum-powered sewers? All these questions – and more – are answered in this brief history of both animal and human manure. David Musgrove speaks to Richard Jones to find out more.

The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.

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James Garfield: life of the week

November 18, 2025

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56m

US president James Garfield's life is often overshadowed by his untimely death in 1881, as the second president to be assassinated in office. However, his story is now once again in the limelight, thanks to the new Netflix drama Death by Lightning. Historian and biographer CW Goodyear talks to Elinor Evans about a man who, though his time as leader was fleeting, remains a fascinating figure – and explains why there is much more to be remembered about him than simply his final days.

The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.

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Fears of the undead rising from their graves to cause trouble have recurred in societies around the globe throughout the centuries. But why was your mother-in-law especially likely to become a vampire? What makes Count Dracula a highly unusual bloodsucker? And how would you best mutilate a vampire's corpse to neutralise their threat? Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne, Professor John Blair shares stories of vampire 'epidemics' throughout history from his new book Killing the Dead.

(Ad) John Blair is the author of Killing the Dead: Vampire Epidemics from Mesopotamia to the New World (Princeton University Press, 2025). Buy it now from Waterstones: http://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=22479&awinaffid=489797&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fkilling-the-dead%2Fjohn-blair%2F9780691224794&clickref=historyextra-social-histboty.

The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.

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