Historian Ruth Goodman to host The Curious History of Your Home
A new weekly podcast will investigate the remarkable hidden history of everyday objects in our homes.
In each episode of The Curious History of Your Home, historian and presenter Ruth Goodman delves into the intriguing tales behind commonplace items, revealing their extraordinary origins.
These include the sleek and compact vacuum cleaner, once powered by horses and operated by four to six people, to the ancient Greek practice of tooth brushing with ground-up bones and oyster shells.
Launching with an exploration into wallpaper, Ruth uncovers a wealth of captivating facts about this deceptively simple home decor item. The origins of paper trace back to Ancient China.
The concept of wallpaper, traversing the ancient Silk Road, gradually eclipsed tapestry hangings in popularity. Notably, historical figures such as Oliver Cromwell attempted to suppress its production, deeming it frivolous.
Venturing further into the Victorian era, designer William Morris left an indelible mark by creating stunning wallpapers. However, these exquisite designs concealed a perilous secret—vibrant green pigments infused with arsenic. Shockingly, these wallpapers became, quite literally, to-die-for, as physicians of the time attributed a spate of mysterious deaths to the arsenic content!
Ruth says: “Our homes are full of history, but not just in the dusty photo album in your cupboard. We are surrounded by household items that we often take for granted, but each of them has its own remarkable tales of discovery and invention. Everything from forks, wallpaper, curtains, to household pets, each has a story that’s just waiting to be told. And that’s exactly what I do in this new podcast series!”
Other episodes look at the fridge, baths, lights, washing up, forks, coffee, gardening, cats and chairs.
The podcast is made by the award-winning history network Noiser, its CEO Pascal Hughes says: “We are all about history at Noiser, we usually explore significant events and people from the past, but this podcast is all about uncovering the epic in the ordinary. Ruth has a special talent for bringing these stories to life, it’s a dream pairing.”
The Curious History of Your Home is launched today, 26 March on BBC Sounds with episodes every Tuesday also available on all podcast platforms.