The Hopeful Historian is a light-hearted trip through design history. Whether we choose to admit it or not, modern day design is the sum of all that has gone before – a paradox, to be sure; but why not look back at history to appreciate those moments in time (some more comical than others) that made it possible to create the good, bad and everything in between. Once we’ve wondered through that murky past, as extrapolated from various narratives of numerous academics (both famous and the more infamous), it should bring us somewhat close to the even murkier waters of the present day. Hopefully, then, we have a better appreciation of modern day design.
Coffee
Posted: October 2010As you can imagine, coffee has a rich and full-bodied history. It begins with the legend of an Arabian shepherd named Kaldi who found his goats dancing joyously around a dark green leafed shrub with bright red cherries in the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula…
An audio podcast in MP3 format.The Tattoo
Posted: October 2010There are few art forms that have been around for as long as tattooing – in fact, some anthropologists claim that the history of tattoos may date back as far as 15,000 years. Tattoos have served as rites of passage, marks of status and rank, symbols of religious and spiritual devotion, decorations for bravery, sexual lures and marks of fertility…
An audio podcast in MP3 format.William Charles Wentworth
Posted: September 2010Described as ‘Australia’s greatest native son’, William Charles Wentworth led a life of firsts. A man of great intelligence and sharp wit, he wrote the first book by an Australian to be published, was joint editor and proprietor of the colony’s first independent newspaper, and founder of Australia’s first university.
An audio podcast in MP3 format.The Guggenheim Museum
Posted: August 2010The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum also known as “The Guggenheim” is located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. It is the permanent home to a renowned collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early Modern, and contemporary art.
An audio podcast in MP3 format.Mickey Mouse
Posted: August 2010The birth of Mickey Mouse occurred on a cross-country train ride in early 1928. Walt Disney was returning from a business meeting along with his wife. He’d set out to arrange for a new contract for his creation, Oswald the Rabbit, but the backers turned him down…
An audio podcast in MP3 format.The Soccer Ball
Posted: July 2010It seems as though kicking about something round and somewhat bouncy has always been a human pastime…
An audio podcast in MP3 format.The Record
Posted: June 2010In 1877, Thomas Edison developed the first recording machine or phonograph. Recordings were made on tinfoil…
An audio podcast in MP3 format.Penicillin
Posted: June 2010It was the desire to find an antiseptic that drove Scottish born doctor Alexander Fleming in his pioneering work in London in the 1920’s - this lead to the development of the miracle drug, Penicillin.
An audio podcast in MP3 format.Winnie the Pooh
Posted: May 2010The history of Winnie the Pooh began with Harry Colebourn – a soldier in the Canadian Army during World War I in 1914. The story goes that he was being transported for an assignment oversees, when the train made a pit-stop in Ontario…
An audio podcast in MP3 format.The Guillotine
Posted: April 2010The guillotine is viewed today as one of European history’s most bloody icons; the most famous, and possibly one of the earliest machines, dates back to 1066 - it was that of the Halifax Gibbet…
An audio podcast in MP3 format.The Stethoscope
Posted: April 2010The stethoscope was invented in 1816 by a French doctor, Rene Laennec. Laennec had a special interest in diseases of the chest because tuberculosis was rampant during the 18th century…
An audio podcast in MP3 format.Paper
Posted: March 2010To understand the origin of paper we must travel back once again to ancient Egypt over 5000 years ago…
An audio podcast in MP3 format.
Links
Review the full list of podcast channels in our creative category of the directory, including contemporary, media and visual arts as well as musical performances of work from different composers by a variety of performers.
Whilst all the podcasts listed in this directory are selected in line with our criteria, we do strongly recommend educators that the contents of all podcasts, podcast feeds and channels are regularly auditioned to ensure that they are suitable and appropriate for the age range of the children and young people.
Saturday, 11th February 2012
