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In this episode, Nick speaks with author Maggie Ritchie about her novel White Raven, inspired by the true life of Moira Beattie. A Glasgow art student recruited to Bletchley Park at 18, Beattie used her artistic eye to break German codes, finding liberation in the facility’s unique, classless environment. The conversation explores her wartime romance with a Russian officer and transitions to the Cold War era, shining a light on the Joint Services School for Linguists at Crail, Scotland. They discuss the moral complexities of espionage, where patriotism, adventure, and the desire for geopolitical balance often blurred the lines between…
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When we picture the architects of our modern economy, who comes to mind? We see industrialists in top hats, bankers in boardrooms, and perhaps legions of men in flat caps marching out of factories. The story of economic history, as it’s almost always been told, is a story about men. It is a narrative of male innovation, male labour, and male genius. And according to historian Dr Victoria Bateman, it is a monumental falsehood. In a compelling episode of the Explaining History podcast, Dr Bateman discusses her new book, Economica: A Global History of Women, Wealth and Power, a hugely ambitious project that…