English Learning for Curious Minds | A More Interesting Way To Learn English

#631 | The Dark Side of Psychology | The Milgram Experiment

  In 1961, psychologist Stanley Milgram tested how far ordinary Americans would go when an authority figure told them to hurt someone.   His disturbing experiment reve

#629 | “Please, Sir, I Want Some More": The Truth About Victorian Workhouses

  Charles Dickens made the Victorian workhouse famous, but the reality behind Oliver Twist was even worse than fiction.   This episode tells how workhouses treated Bri

#626 | The Strange Story of Punch and Judy

  He wears a red hat, carries a stick, and laughs as he beats almost everyone he meets.   This episode tells the odd, violent story of Punch and Judy, the puppet show

#624 | George III: The Real Story of the “Mad King”

  In 1788, King George III began speaking without pause, talking to trees, and frightening his court.  He is often remembered as the “Mad King” who lost America, but hi

#622 | A Short History of Fire

  A million years ago, in a cave in South Africa, our ancestors did something no other animal has ever done: they controlled fire.   Fire cooked our food, shrank our g

#619 | Wyatt Earp | The Man Behind the Legend (English Listening Practice)

  In 1881, a 30-second gunfight in Tombstone, Arizona made Wyatt Earp a legend of the Wild West.  Earp was a gambler, a lawman, a fugitive, and later a showman who told

#617 | Bob Denard: The Mercenary Who Ruled the Comoros (English Listening Practice)

  In 1975, a French mercenary landed in the Comoros, a chain of small islands off East Africa, and decided he was going to run the place.  Bob Denard staged four coups,

#614 | The Conquest of Ireland: How England Never Left (English Listening Practice)

  How did a small band of Norman soldiers in 1170 begin 800 years of English control over Ireland?  It started as a deal between rival Irish kings. It ended in plantati

#612 | Should Britain Abolish Jury Trials? (English Listening Practice)

  Who should decide if you are guilty: the state, or a group of 12 ordinary citizens?  England is now considering getting rid of jury trials for thousands of cases. It

#609 | A Short History of Blasphemy in Britain (English Listening Practice)

  When Thomas Aikenhead was hanged in 1697 for questioning the Bible, it was the last time someone was executed for blasphemy in Britain. But it didn't mean that debates

#607 | The Life of JD Vance (English Listening Practice)

  JD Vance grew up in a struggling Ohio town, escaped poverty, and wrote a memoir that made him famous across the world.   Then, having spent years attacking Donald Tru

#604 | Otto Warmbier: The American Tourist Who Never Came Home (English Listening Practice)

  In 2016, a 21-year-old American student was arrested in North Korea after allegedly stealing a political poster.  Weeks later, he appeared in a strange public confess

#602 | AI & Learning English in 2026 (English Listening Practice)

  Ever since ChatGPT was released, people have declared the "death of language learning". It still hasn't happened.  Today, we'll look at how AI can help with reading,

#599 | Man's Best Friend: The Remarkable History of Dogs (English Listening Practice)

  Why do dogs understand us so well, and how did the "wild" wolf become man's closest companion? This episode tells the remarkable story of how a partnership thousands o

#597 | The Global Housing Crisis Explained (English Listening Practice)

  House prices have soared across the world, rising far faster than wages and locking many people out of home ownership.   This episode looks at why cheap credit, globa

#594 | Mohammed Bin Salman & The Rise of Saudi Arabia (English Listening Practice)

  For decades, Saudi Arabia was ruled by ageing princes, until one young royal began changing the system from within.  This episode tells the story of Mohammed bin Salm

#592 | A Beginner’s Guide To British Politics (English Listening Practice)

  British politics can feel confusing, with a king, a Prime Minister, and noisy debates in an old building.  This episode explains how the system works, from Parliament

#590 | The Unabomber | The Story of Ted Kaczynski (English Listening Practice)

  He was a mathematical genius who vanished into the wilderness... and became one of America’s most notorious terrorists.  In this episode, we'll explore the life of th

#587 | The Curious Tradition of Words of the Year (English Listening Practice)

  What do “truthiness”, “selfie”, and “goblin mode” have in common?  In this episode, we'll see how Words of the Year are chosen, look at some of the most pertinent fro

#585 | Is AI Really Destroying the Planet?

  Is AI really a disaster for the environment, or are the fears exaggerated?   In this episode, we'll discuss the environmental cost of Artificial Intelligence.   F