Trapped History

This week, we've got a special Trapped History short for you. It felt wrong to ask Jocelyn to nominate someone for the Hall of Fame (Vera Rubin, anyone?) and so today we've got some choice gems which didn't make it into the main show.

Starter for ten: have you ever wondered about the pop cultural impact of Jocelyn's pulsars? Well, it's huge and it has adorned the bedroom walls of many a teenager down the years. Following that – Jocelyn's a poet herself and has compiled poetry books and given poetry readings. Again, ask yourself why . . .

And finally, listen in as Oswin – in true 'don't mention the war' style – well and truly puts his foot in it! Enjoy.
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In its 120 year history, nearly 1,000 people have won a Nobel Prize. And we're going to ask you a simple question: how many of those Nobel laureates are women? What, half of them maybe? Or perhaps more realistically, one in four? One in ten even?

Nope. Of 990 Nobels, 67 are women. That's just 7%. And when we turn to scientific Nobels, then out of 659 awardees, only 26 are women. That's not even 4%.

And so today on Trapped History, we're recognising two women in particular whose names really should be on that list. Vera Rubin, who discovered dark matter, and Jocelyn Bell-Burnell, who found pulsars. Don't worry – you don't need a physics degree to tune in. Because we're actually in the room with Jocelyn herself, as she holds our hand and gently leads us through the mind-boggling world of stars, space and sexism. As Oswin says at the end of the show, he's learnt a lot but he's 'unlearnt' even more!
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For this week's Hall of Fame, the author Joe Dunthorne presents the writer's writer: Heinrich von Kleist. A contemporary of Goethe, Byron and Shelley he was perhaps even more jaded, world-weary and downright depressed than a whole inkwell of Doomed Romantic poets.

And that, ironically, is what makes him so modern. His stories don't resolve. There are no happy endings. No-one gets their comeuppance. A writer for our times, perhaps? And a writer for Joe too, because in researching Children of Radium he also wasn't in control of the story. If you've not heard his episode yet, find it now. And in the meantime, wallow with us in the modernist romance of Heinrich von Kleist.
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Wouldn't it be nice if the stories we're told were all true, were all heroic and inspiring? But that's not always the case. Because more often than not, family histories – all our family histories – are messy, complicated, disappointing and sometimes even shameful.

This season on Trapped History, we're looking at some of those stories. And today, we're joined by the writer Joe Dunthorne, whose critically acclaimed book Children of Radium and BBC radio series, Half Life, tell the story of his great-grandfather, Siegfried – and his troubling past which is both visible and hidden at the same time.

It is a must listen.
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On this week's Hall of Fame, prepare to bask in the glorious Provençal sunshine, as you sit under grapevines, drinking Rosé and tucking into the most delicious goat's cheese salad.

This is the world of Richard Olney, writer of perhaps the greatest cookbook ever, The French Menu Cookbook. And we are introduced to it today by Claire Thomson, food writer extraordinaire, who as 5 O'Clock Apron has a quarter of a million Instagram followers gobbling up her recipes.

Feel the sun on your face and the food on your tongue and pray, just pray, that it's not going to rain . . .
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