Why Greenwich is the home of time
HistoryExtra podcast
02/04/26
•35m
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Why is a small observatory in south east London so important to the story of how we tell the time? Speaking to Elinor Evans, Emily Akkermans, Curator of Time at the Royal Museums Greenwich, shares the history behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). From 17th-century efforts to solve the 'longitude problem' at sea, to the red 'time ball' that still drops at 1pm each day, this episode uncovers how Britain’s maritime ambitions, royal patronage and scientific ingenuity turned Greenwich into the beating heart of global timekeeping.
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James Gillray: life of the week
February 3
•32m
James Gillray was one of Georgian Britain’s most ruthless satirists, using his prints to mock kings, politicians and generals, turning politics into popular entertainment. From the print shops of London, he reduced figures such as Napoleon to objects of ridicule while capturing the humour and anxieties of an age shaped by revolution and war. Historian Alice Loxton speaks to Rachel Dinning about Gillray’s world, the crucial role of his publisher Hannah Humphrey, and why his imagery still underpins modern political cartoons.
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Alice hosts HistoryExtra Academy’s The World of the Georgians, which explores Gillray’s art and what it reveals about Georgian society. Find out more here: https://bit.ly/46b8YST
And don't miss our live Q&A with Alice Loxton and HistoryExtra's Lauren Good at 7pm on Wednesday 4 February on Instagram. Follow us at @historyextra for more information.
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Next Episode
Untold LGBTQ stories of the National Trust
February 6
•33m
In 1895, when the National Trust was founded, homosexual acts of ‘gross indecency’ were still illegal in Britain. And yet, as Michael Hall reveals in his new book, A Queer Inheritance: Alternative Histories in the National Trust, the organisation had queer connections from its very earliest days. Charlotte Vosper caught up with Michael to learn more about how those connections developed throughout the 20th century.
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