News of the Times - Unlocking the vaults of historical crime
Welcome to News of the Times!
Step into the shadowed alleyways and gaslit parlours of the 18th and 19th centuries with News of the Times — a meticulously curated journey through historical crime. Each episode draws from authentic reports and court records, bringing you the darkly fascinating tales that gripped Georgian, Victorian, and Edwardian Britain.
With over 500 episodes and counting, we explore true accounts of mischief, murder, and mayhem from days gone by — all delivered with a wry nod and a love for the curious corners of the past.
🕵️ For those with a taste for the peculiar, you may also enjoy our new side project: Volume 1: Slightly Unreliable Memoirs — a whimsical collection inspired by the lives (and occasional misadventures) of our research team. Think cravats, crumpets, and the occasional cactus on the lam. Intrigued? Find it here:
👉 https://ko-fi.com/s/b406f6f11e
- Update frequency
- every 2 days
- Average duration
- 29 minutes
- Episodes
- 706
- Years Active
- 2022 - 2025
Ep17 Special: Everyday People 1712 to 1731
THE TIME: 1712 to 1731
THE NEWS: EVERYDAY PEOPLE
Some of the highlights in this edition of news items between 1716 to 1739 include:
A change of heart at the alter,
Numerous suicides of male teens,
The…
Short 25: 1726 The failed attempt to avoid having children
News of the Times Short 25
The Time: 1726
The Story: The failed attempt to avoid having children
| Another amusing story of the day about a woman who avoids marraige and men until she believes she is s…
Short 49: 1726 The story of the woman giving birth to live rabbits
News of the Times Short 49
The Time: 1726
The Story: The story of the woman giving birth to live rabbits
| Reportedly gave birth to live rabbits which was confirmed by eminent doctors of the day. This …
Short 56: 1888 The Whitechapel Sensation - The first Jack the Ripper attack?
News of the Times Short 56
The Time: 1888
The Story: The Whitechapel Sensation - The first Jack the Ripper attack?
| There have been arguments that this was the first of the Jack the Ripper murders. A …
Short 71: 1896 Saving the local dipsomaniac
News of the Times Short 71
The Time: 1896
The Story: Saving the local dipsomaniac
| We chose this story for two reasons. Firstly, it shows the inter community care for each other that was prevalent but…
Short 65: 1750 A very public suicide
News of the Times Short 65
The Time: 1750
The Story: A very public suicide
| In 1750, reputation was everything. This very public suicide destroyed the reputation of the partner. A rather extreme…
Short 53: 1840 The killer cordial killing a child
News of the Times Short 53
The Time: 1840
The Story: The killer cordial killing a child
| Cordial - a type of syrup one adds to water - in Victorian times could contain opium extracts such as lau…
Short 20: 1919 Unlivable high cost of living
News of the Times Short 20
The Time: 1919
The Story: Unlivable high cost of living
| Post war: the Spanish flu running rampant, over 2 million people unemployed in the UK, empty shelves in stores, and …
Ep16 The Time:1919 to 1921
THE TIME: 1919 TO 1921
Some of the highlights in this edition covering news items between 1919 to 1921 include:
The impact of the 1918 flu pandemic
The exceedingly high cost of living from the war
The fi…
Headline16. Some of the headlines of 1919 to 1921
The Time:1919 to 1921
Headline stories and events that give a flavour of 1919 to 1921
You can find the complete podcast from this time period in our Series 1 / Episode16.
Individual stories from this…
Short 41:1880 A country neighbour ongoing quarrel
News of the Times Short 41
The Time: 1880
The Story: A country neighbour ongoing quarrel
| The troublesome pain in the backside neighbour who makes everyone's life a misery. Quite a fun story where you…
Short 33: 1829 Murder by Arsenic
News of the Times Short 33
The Time: 1829
The Story: Murder by Arsenic Poisoning
| Murder by arsenic in one form or another seemed to be quite the thing. There are several shorts where arsenic is…
Short 24: 1723 Beaten into speech
News of the Times Short 24
The Time: 1723
The Story: Beaten into speech
| Despite the rather lurid title, this was meant as a funny story in its day. We chose the story as it gives a flavour of w…
Short 39: 1800 Murder attempt of intimate friend tragedy
News of the Times Short 39
The Time: 1800
The Story: Murder attempt of intimate friend tragedy
| A very sad story all stemming from an attack on "his intimate friend", but which ends up with muc…
Short 18: 1911 The importance of teaching girls in schools to be gentle and modest
News of the Times Short 18
The Time: 1911
The Story: The importance of teaching girls in schools to be gentle and modest
| A discussion on the teaching in school required by boys and girls in the…
Short 26: 1726 Couple's public street fight tragedy
News of the Times Short 26
The Time: 1726
The Story: Couple's public street fright tragedy
| A drunken fight between a couple in the street ends unexpectedly and tragically.
| We upload short …
Short 17: 1911 Launch of the unsinkable Titanic -marvel of marine architecture
News of the Times Short 17
The Time: 1911
The Story: Launch of the unsinkable Titanic -marvel of marine architecture
| Launch of the Titanic: "a marvel of marine architecture" - an interesting st…
Headline15. Some of the headlines of 1911 to 1913
The Time:1911 to 1913
Headline stories and events that give a flavour of 1911 to 1913
You can find the complete podcast from this time period in our Series 1 / Episode15.
Individual stories from this …
Ep15 The Time:1911 to 1913
The Time: 1911 to 1913
Some of the highlights in this edition covering news items between 1911 to 1913 include:
The launching of the unsinkable and unburnable Titanic,
Recommended schooling for girl…
Short 16: 1728 The ghost child seen by a village
News of the Times Short 16
The Time: 1728
The Story: The ghost child seen by a village
| A real ghost story from the 18th century recounted in the papers of the day.
| We upload short histori…