We've a real mixed bag for you this week - from the theft of a banknote that saw the perpetrator scarper in the buff (reported in Jackson's Oxford Journal, 24 Nov 1855) to a more sobering and tragic story that looks at the impact of cholera on a young life and the subsequent attack on the cholera hospital (as reported in the Manchester Times and Manchester and Salford Advertiser and Chronicle, 8 Sep 1832). Please note that this second story features a historic news report that includes...

Ahead of International Women's Day, in this episode our stories explore different experiences and achievements of women throughout history - from the incredible story of a no-nonsense suffragist who travelled from the USA to London to investigate her two-timing husband (as reported in The Chicago Tribune, 24 August 1911) and her moment of activism recorded in the 1911 census, to the death of a Cornish 'witch' (The Courier and Argus, 27 January 1880). And listen to the end of the episode for...

There's a little Antipodean flavour to some of this week's stories - Michala takes us from a highway robbery in Bradford, England (reported in the Leeds Mercury, 30th December 1843) across the seas to Australia, tracing the fate of two men called Abraham. Not to be outdone, Brad takes the robbery theme and runs with it - all the way to New Jersey, where he picks up the story of a one armed bandit (of sorts) - from the The Courier-News, 6th February 1899. Then for this episode's News In...

Sensitive ears (and noses!) beware - Brad's opening story in this episode is a bit of a stinker, involving a dispute over pig manure in Ireland (reported in the Nationalist and Leinster Times, 2nd January, 1886). Thankfully Michala is on hand to cleanse your auditory palettes with a tale about beer in Manchester...but before you take a sip, watch out, it's poisioned! (Story from the Guardian, 18th January, 1901). To round the episode off, this week's News In Briefs feature a big appetite,...

Michala transports us back to the world of 1920s Birmingham gangland this week, and if you're a Peaky Blinders fan, some of the names in her newspaper article (from The Times, 28 April 1921) may be familiar...Then, not to be outdone, Brad unpicks the eye-opening headline 'Man Aged 130 has son 4 And a Wife in Her Twenties' (from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 27 July 1919). Then kick back and indulge in this epsiodes' News In Briefs - one featuring a lecture on...Scottish love songs (there's...

We're hopping across the Atlantic for this week’s episode - that's right, all our stories this week are sourced from newspapers in the USA. And there are some corkers hidden in that American newsprint. Whilst Brad doesn't believe in ghosts, the subject of his story - Mr Frank Swulius - certainly did; the spooky actions of his cursed dead mother are reported in The Chicago Tribune on 14 Dec 1902. And Michala's found a robbery with a twist; why did ten men cause pandemonium at the house of...

This year marks a number of notable World War II (WWII) anniversaries, most significantly, the 75th anniversary of VE Day - when combat ended in Europe. With this in mind, all our stories in this episode are WWII themed - giving insight into the lives of not just those that served but also the impact of war for the people at home in Britain, and how this was reported in the press at the time. Michala starts the episode with the sadly tragic story of the first civilian casualty of WWII,...

Our hosts have served up a couple of Victorian chancers for your listening pleasure in today’s episode. Brad’s headline ‘Alleged Frauds on Ladies’ (from the Daily News, 5th October 1897) takes us into the world of fraudster who scammed Winston Churchill’s mother and Michala’s story (reported in Lloyd’s Weekly Newspaper, 6th January 1850) follows the exploits of a prison breaker. Then we have some audacious and dramatic News In Briefs, one involving a hair-raising street crime and another...

Behind The Headlines of History is back for another season - and we couldn’t be more delighted to be sharing more weird and wonderful tales from the newstands of history with you! Michala is kicking off season two with a grisly story of the first private hanging (from the Liverpool Mercury, 15th August 1858) but it’s the executioner, Mr Calcraft, that she’s interrogating with her genealogy prowess. Then speaking of grisly (and things that go bump in the night) Brad brings to the table a...

We’re back in your ears for a Christmas special of Behind The Headlines of History! All our stories in this episode have a seasonal slant, although perhaps not in the way you’d expect... Take a listen to discover the festive resonance of Brad’s headline: ‘Alleged Mock Marriage’ (from the Western Mail on December 24th, 1890) and to learn about Michala’s tale of ‘A Christmas Day Robbery’ - featuring a rather magnificent coat. (from the Yorkshire Herald and York Herald - 31st December 1887)....

It’s the last episode of our inaugural season of Behind The Headlines of History (but we'll be back!) and this week we’re marking Remembrance Day with stories related to the lives of people during WWI. Michala starts the episode with the incredible tale of Sapper Dorothy Lawrence - the ambitious female war correspondent who dressed as a man to make it to the British front line (from The Observer, 21st September 1919) and Brad’s uncovered an intriguing story of an officer in a POW camp...

This week we've got something a little different for you! This episode was recorded live at RootsTech London - an event dedicated to discovering family histories - on Saturday 26th October. The audio is a little different in this episode and unfortunately due to a technical issue on stage we were unable to record Michala's story and the usual 'News In Brief' stories. We're really sorry about that but hope you enjoy the episode nonetheless; we had a ball recording live in front of an audience!...

Halloween is just around the corner, so in this week’s episode, Brad and Michala’s stories take a *spooky* turn. ‘Headline-less’ Brad kicks off proceedings with an article from the Observer on 31st October 1880 on old Halloween rituals and traditions - including a bizarre husband-snaring tactic involving a wet shirt, salting keyholes and the origins of apple bobbing. Then Michala takes us on a macabre journey, with the headline ‘Body Stealing At Barnsley” (From the Sheffield and Rotherham...

Brad's tasked himself with the challenge of trying to answer someone's plea to help them find living family members (from Lloyd's Weekly Newspaper, 9th Sep, 1900) and Michala's story this week focuses on the surprising tale of Sir Gregory Lewin, a barrister gone bad: '"The Del Boy of History"! (Sparked by a news report in The Bradford Observer, 12 March 1840). Then, News In Brief evolved into a pub quiz - take a listen at the end of the episode to see what we mean... All newspaper articles...

We've got a little extra treat this week, with Brad 'the browser' and Michala 'the key word searcher' sitting down to pull back the curtain and reveal how they used Newspapers.com to find and research their stories for the podcast and more broadly, why newspapers are such a great tool for family history research. Normal service resumes early next week with episode 7 of Behind The Headlines of History! Email: [email protected] Tweet us: @Brad_Argent @UnearthThePast @AncestryUK...

This week, Michala introduces us to Fanny Oliver, a Victorian femme fatale who murdered her husband by arsenic poisoning (as reported in Berrow's Worcester Journal, 24 July 1869) and Brad digs into a family rift triggered by the stealing of cattle (covered by the Yorkshire Herald, 24 October 1881). And listen to 'News In Brief' at the end of the episode for a tongue in cheek report on what Victorian men looked for in a woman and a more sobering tale of a young girl literally on fire (don't...

If anyone can link a man being attacked on the street to a woman shopping for flower pots (covered in The Illustrated Police News, 6 September, 1879), Brad can! Stick with it, it’s a good’un! And Michala seamlessly takes us from ‘Snow’ to water, uncovering one of her history heroes (reported in the Yorkshire Herald, 26 June, 1858) Rounding off the episode In ‘News In Brief’, Brad spends a penny, and Michala’s livid over adulterated milk. All newspaper articles referenced in this episode...

This week, Brad takes us up, up and away with a dramatic, theatrical and ultimately tragic tale of aeronaut Lieutenant George Gale and his flying pony (covered by the London Examiner on 14 September 1850), and Michala’s story of a Victorian bigamist (reported in the Newcastle Weekly Courant, 20 August, 1858) rivals the plot of any TV period drama! Then to round things off, a menagerie of creatures from sheep to birds feature in this episode’s News In Brief section! All newspaper...

There’s a somewhat sombre tone to episode three, with Brad and Michala each sharing a story and research stemming from the tragic year of 1862 - from a boiler explosion in Leicestershire (reported in the Bury and Norwich Post, 25 Jan. 1862) to the Hartley Colliery disaster (covered by the Newcastle Weekly Courant, 24 Jan. 1862). And if you’re not a fan of rodents or horse manure, prepare yourself for this week’s News In Brief stories... All newspaper articles referenced in this episode...

In episode two, Michala tells the story of the colourful life and times of Old Jane Cakebread, who was making her 271st appearance before the North London Magistrates’ Court (as reported in the Huddersfield Chronicle and West Yorkshire Advertiser, Nov 1894) and Brad makes an impressive segue from a near drowning (covered by the Preston Chronicle and Lancashire Advertiser, 24 May 1851) to dentistry in the 19th century. Then, this week’s ‘News In Brief’ articles cover a South London spectre...

In the first episode of Series 1, Michala shares the love story behind The Great Bullion Robbery that was reported in the press in 1855, and Brad’s research reveals how the perpetrator of a hazelnut theft, covered by The Hampshire Advertiser in 1877, is linked to Downton Abbey! To round the episode off, this week’s ‘News In Brief’ stories have a bit of a love and marriage theme... All newspaper articles referenced in this episode were sourced on Newspapers.com, with additional research...

Behind The Headlines of History is a new podcast from Ancestry and Newspapers.com that explores intriguing newspaper stories from the past. In every episode, hosts Brad Argent and Michala Hulme each share a historic newspaper article and put on their genealogy hats to find out more about some of the people involved in the story.