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HistoryExtra Long Reads
From History Extra
History
Life Lessons from History
by History Extra
Today: #141 in History, United Kingdom on our combined chart.
Today: #183 in History, South Africa on our combined chart.
Chart positions today · United States
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Not on the Germany charts we track today.
Not on the Brazil charts we track today.
Not on the Mexico charts we track today.
Not on the New Zealand charts we track today.
Not on the Ireland charts we track today.
Not on the India charts we track today.
Not on the Japan charts we track today.
Not on the Philippines charts we track today.
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Ranking history · United States
No ranking history for this show in United States over the last 14 days.
Latest episodes
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Throw away your phone and go to a ball
October 11, 2026 · 22 minYou shall go to the ball. Or at least, that’s what you should do if you follow the advice of my expert in this episode of Life Lessons from History, from HistoryExtra. As Amy Boyington suggests to David Musgrove, we should throw away our…
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Just get outside, the air is lovely
October 4, 2026 · 25 minJust get outside and enjoy some fresh air. That was a simple pleasure that our medieval forebears embraced, and it’ll do wonders for us today. That’s the view of medievalist Katherine Harvey, talking on this episode of Life Lessons from…
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Wait for the wheel of fortune to turn your way
September 27, 2026 · 41 minSometimes things go your way, sometimes they don’t. That was the approach that many people in the Middle Ages took to life, because they had an understanding of time that was more cyclical than we tend to have today. You can channel this…
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Be more confident, like a WW2 secret agent
September 20, 2026 · 23 minBecome a secret agent and throw yourself into life-or-death situations because if it doesn’t kill you, it’ll make you stronger. That’s not very helpful or practical advice for most of us, but if you do want to build your confidence…
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Never give up, even in the face of terrible odds
September 13, 2026 · 30 minIf you don’t think you can carry on with something, take a moment to consider the resilience of 17th-century patients. Sick people in the 1600s were remarkably resilient, even when the chances of them recovering from illnesses were slim…
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Argue like a medieval Irish monk
September 6, 2026 · 36 minMedieval Irish monks knew how to disagree respectfully. That’s a skill that we sorely need these days, as social media nudges us into binary anger. According to medievalist Elizabeth Boyle, in conversation with David Musgrove, we can learn…
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Always look on the gloomy side of life
August 30, 2026 · 26 minAccording to Prof James Romm’s reading of the wisdom of the ancient Greek philosopher Sophocles, if you prepare well for gloom, you can enjoy the sunshine more readily. This episode of Life Lessons from History is all about mental…
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Go for a walk to free your mind
August 23, 2026 · 40 minWhat if the best way to solve a problem isn't to think harder, but simply to go for a walk? In this episode of Life Lessons from History, explorer and geographer Nicholas Crane joins Dave Musgrove to uncover the remarkable history of…
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Master the Medieval Art of Knowing Yourself
August 16, 2026 · 35 minThe Seven Deadly Sins are often dismissed as a list of religious prohibitions, but medieval historian Peter Jones reveals they were originally something much more profound: a practical guide to self-knowledge. Drawing on centuries of…
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Let’s talk about death more honestly
March 9, 2026 · 43 minWe should be better at talking about death, and maybe we could also do with being comfortable with the personal rituals that would allow that to happen. That’s what Helen Gittos suggests in this new Life Lessons from History podcast, as…
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Seek out silence, like a Tudor
March 2, 2026 · 21 minDo you ever actively seek out silence? Maybe you should, suggests historian of the early modern era Professor Mark Stoyle, in this latest Life Lessons from History episode, which explores the ways in which people reacted to noise, or the…
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Build your own stone circle
February 23, 2026 · 26 minThe people who constructed Stonehenge seem to have had a very communal society, in which they came together to work as one on these great megalithic building projects. Susan Greaney’s Life Lesson from History is that we should try to adopt…
About the show
How can the experience of the Babylonians and Assyrians ease our worries now? Can we look to a Tudor queen for advice on procrastination? How can we harness the ancient fear of faeries and witches to add a bit of enchantment to our lives today?
What’s this all about? It’s a simple concept. I find a great historian or archaeologist and I ask them to propose a Life Lesson from History – some learning from their study of the past that will help us today to live better, happier, healthier, or more productive lives.