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A History of the World in Spy ObjectsEpisodes
SPYSCAPE
A History of the World in Spy Objects
A weekly History podcast
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Episodes of A History of the World in Spy Objects
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Where does a leader like Fidel Castro place his trust?The answer comes in the form of a box of romantic mementos, carried from Cuba to Russia. Print designer Manya Kullman tells Alice Loxton the story of her grandmother, Galina, a KGB spy who
What would you need to go it alone behind enemy lines?For the agents of the notoriously brave Special Operations Executive in World War II, a select toolkit of spy gadgets represented the difference between life and death. Design Museum CEO Ti
How does the old spy regard himself, when he’s left alone with his thoughts?The answer to this question can be found in the aborted memoir of one of the most notorious traitors in history: Kim Philby. Screenwriter Alexander Cary and host Alice
If Nijo Jinya’s walls could talk, what story would they tell?World-renowned architect Kengo Kuma joins host Alice Loxton to discuss a still-standing Kyoto guest house where, in Japan’s Edo era, power was bought and sold, and silent ninjas stal
What’s it like to be the child of a world-famous spy?Gary Powers Jr. takes his name and his inspiration from his father, Francis Gary Powers – the pilot of the U2 spy plane that was shot down over the Soviet Union in 1960, sparking a major Col
Who pays for all the King’s secrets?In between the lines of a tired old accounts ledger, a hidden history of espionage and scandal lies in wait. Antiquarian bookseller Tom Ayling and host Alice Loxton guide us through the secret affairs of Kin
How dangerous is metadata?According to the artist and author Trevor Paglen, it can be deadly. Paglen joins host Alice Loxton to shine a light on Skynet – a network of all-seeing satellites – and the ominous AI algorithm that farms metadata and
Who keeps on moving the coffee pot?That innocent question plunges one East German woman into a dangerous world of deception and betrayal. Photographer and archivist Simon Menner joins Alice Loxton to unravel a Cold War domestic mystery centere
How did Napoleon keep a sprawling empire under his thumb?Ask Sheehan Quirke – who runs the popular history feed, The Cultural Tutor – and he’ll tell you that the great historical leader depended on a vast network of spies to keep him clued up.
What secrets are hiding under the bed?For the Portuguese artist and sculptor, Joana Vasconcelos, a troubling inheritance of deceit lay lurking in wait in her late grandparents’ apartment. Here, she and host Alice Loxton discuss the dark journe
How do you solve a problem like a Russian radar?That question lies at the heart of one of the most innovative and intricate planes ever to be made: the SR-71 Blackbird. Acclaimed industrial designer and artist Marc Newson and host Alice Loxton
What official secrets hide inside that battered red leather box?Popular historian Dan Snow and host Alice Loxton peer inside a Victorian Prime Minister’s despatch box, and speculate on the world-changing intelligence that such a storied case o
What did George Orwell and the CIA have in common?Perhaps more than the great socialist writer would have cared to admit. The groundbreaking visual artist Daniel Arsham and host Alice Loxton bring us inside the CIA-sponsored production of Anim
To whom do retired spies turn after the collapse of their mission?Los Angeles’ Wende Museum holds one of the most impressive Cold War collections in the world – and has become something of an amnesty box for old agents seeking to preserve a pi
What does it take to betray your country?Less than you might think. Dr. Elizabeth Bruton and host, Alice Loxton, break down the surprisingly humble tool kit of one of the most destructive espionage networks in British history – the Portland Sp
How many secrets weigh 1500 lbs, cost $100 million, and travel at 600 mph?Only one that we can think of. Acclaimed actor Jason Isaacs and host Alice Loxton take us inside the cockpit of Northrop Grumman’s legendary B-2 Spirit – the iconic stea
How much depended on breaking Enigma’s code?Mathematician James Grime and host, Alice Loxton peer beneath the hood of one of the most storied inventions in military history: the near-unbreakable Enigma Machine, used by German military througho
For how long could you keep a secret?In the case of Joan Bright Astley, the answer was ‘To the grave.’ Acclaimed novelist and screenwriter Anthony Horowitz and host Alice Loxton offer up a gift from the real-life Miss Moneypenny – a formidable
How can a button save your life? It depends on who your tailor is.Military history expert Lynette Nusbacher and host Alice Loxton discuss an ingenious piece of covert pathfinding technology, designed for RAF pilots stranded behind enemy lines
What was the sharp pain that Georgi Markov felt in his ankle as he crossed London’s Waterloo Bridge one day?Spoiler: it doesn’t end well for Georgi. Designer Thomas Heatherwick and host Alice Loxton tell the sad tale of a Bulgarian dissident’s
What connects the radical 20th century painter Jackson Pollock and the CIA? More than you’d think. Artist Daniel Arsham and host Alice Loxton share the surprising secret history of Pollock’s 1949 masterpiece, Number 8. From SPYSCAPE, the hom
The Enigma Machine. The B2 stealth bomber. The poisoned-tipped umbrella. Napoleon’s Briefcase of Secrets. As long as there has been conflict, there have been spies, and as long as there have been spies, there have been incredible gadgets and ic
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