The Forum Episodes Episode guide
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Samurai: Japan鈥檚 elite warrior class
The changing image of Japan鈥檚 fabled fighters over the centuries
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Ice cream: A cool history
How snow and ice were transformed into one of the world鈥檚 most popular desserts
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The Popol Vuh: Central American epic that survived Spanish conquest
One of the most mind-bending mythological sagas ever written
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The Koryo Kingdom: Medieval dynasty that united Korea
Progressive, pluralistic and united 鈥� the remarkable era of the Koryo Kingdom
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Insulin: The discovery that transformed diabetic care
Tracing the discovery of a hormone that has helped millions manage diabetes
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Eunuchs and empires
The painful route to power for some young boys and men
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Vikings and their quest for silver
How Viking trade and raids transformed medieval economy and society
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Fertiliser and poison gas: The legacy of chemist Fritz Haber
The scientist who helped feed billions, and unleashed a new kind of death
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Emperor Nero: Bad boy of Ancient Rome
Historical accounts of the notorious Roman emperor skew our interpretation of his legacy
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Mirror Mirror on the wall: The history of the looking glass
The magical role of the mirror that's revealing ground-breaking secrets of the universe
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Kwame Nkrumah: Ghana鈥檚 Pan-African idealist
Assessing the complex legacy of a man who campaigned for a United States of Africa
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The Truman Doctrine: Beginnings of the Cold War
The speech that committed the USA to a 40-year struggle with the Soviet Union
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Margaret Fuller: Early feminist and war correspondent
A brilliant American journalist determined to live her life to the full
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Money: From coin to cryptocurrency
The origins of coins, paper money, shares and other financial instruments
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Pinocchio: The real story of the mischievous wooden puppet
The original Italian novel about the wooden puppet with the growing nose
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The invention of numbers
How numbers and counting shaped our world
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Vincent van Gogh: The struggling artist
Charting the highs and lows of the influential Dutch post-Impressionist painter
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Franz Liszt: Hungarian pianist and painter in sound
A charismatic musician who transformed classical concerts
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Joseph Heller's Catch-22: A novel of twisted logic and absurd bureaucracy
Bridget Kendall explores a novel that gave rise to a new term in the English language
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Sofya Kovalevskaya: The eventful life of a maths pioneer
A brilliant Russian whose scientific discoveries helped to reshape European universities
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Machu Picchu: Secrets of a forgotten city
The enigma of the Inca mountain retreat
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Pleasure and pain: The philosophy of Jeremy Bentham
The radical ideas of the 18th-century legal reformer Jeremy Bentham
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Copper: From mining to microprocessors
The shiny red metal our lives depend on that has powered human development
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Writer Agatha Christie: Murder and mystery
How the queen of crime achieved her extraordinary success
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Boudica, warrior queen
The Iron Age English warrior queen who led a rebellion against the Romans
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Harry Houdini: Escape artist and showman
Pulling back the curtain on the master of illusion
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Antarctic Treaty: Protecting the icy continent
Safeguarding peace and wilderness with the Antarctic Treaty
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Don Quixote: Spanish masterpiece
The multi-layered masterpiece by Miguel de Cervantes
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Algae: Slime life
The evolution of life鈥檚 original alchemists
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The original Goths
How did a Germanic tribe come to inspire an architectural style and a global subculture?
