We're BACK, BABYYY! Let's Learn About... is returning at the end of May 2025, just with a few changes. I can't wait to crawl inside your ears again and teach you new things! 🧠

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Want to feature at the start of an episode? Please send us a voicenote with a fun fact you've learned, or something you found particularly interesting from one of our previous episodes, and we'll include it in an episode!

Where to Find Us:

Head to our website, learnaboutpod.com, to read the full episode notes and see a list of links and resources used to research this episode. You can also follow us on Instagram and Twitter at @learnaboutpod.

Support us on Patreon:

Want to help support the show? For only £2/month you'll get early access to episodes, two exclusive bonus episodes every month, a handwritten postcard, and outtakes that don't make the final cut. Go to patreon.com/learnaboutpod to get started!

A huge thanks to our current patrons: Llinos, Bryony, Linde, Michael, Sarah, Steve, Megg, and Hazel!

We're always on a mission to show that LGBTQ+ love has existed long before any of us. In this episode, Charlotte covers a brief history of gay relationships in ancient literature, particularly in Ancient Greek and Roman mythology, and a little bit of 11th century Japanese literature too. Stay tuned in a couple of episodes time, when we jump forward a bit to classic literature.

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References for This Episode:
(See our website below for all links)

• Important Milestones in LGBTQ Publishing
• Gay literature - Wikipedia
• Homoerotic themes in Greek and Roman mythology - Wikipedia

Where to Find Us:

Head to our website, learnaboutpod.com, to read the full episode notes and see a list of links and resources used to research this episode. You can also follow us on Instagram and Twitter at @learnaboutpod.

Support us on Patreon:

Want to help support the show? For only £2/month you'll get early access to episodes, two exclusive bonus episodes every month, a handwritten postcard, and outtakes that don't make the final cut. Go to patreon.com/learnaboutpod to get started!

A huge thanks to our current patrons: Llinos, Bryony, Linde, Michael, Sarah, Steve, Dan, Megg, George, and Hazel!

Ellie shares 13 weird things that have washed ashore in different parts of the world, including an entire 10-foot tree in La Push, a German U-Boat in 1919 that turned out to be lethal, and hundreds of rubber ducks that are still likely to be floating out in the oceans today.

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References for This Episode:
(See our website below for all links)

• 20 Strange Things That Have Washed Ashore - The Fact Site
• 'Faceless seabeast' washes up on beach but no one knows what it really is
• Dinosaur head found in U.K., and experts say it's one of the most complete pliosaur skulls ever unearthed - CBS News

Where to Find Us:

Head to our website, learnaboutpod.com, to read the full episode notes and see a list of links and resources used to research this episode. You can also follow us on Instagram and Twitter at @learnaboutpod.

Support us on Patreon:

Want to help support the show? For only £2/month you'll get early access to episodes, two exclusive bonus episodes every month, a handwritten postcard, and outtakes that don't make the final cut. Go to patreon.com/learnaboutpod to get started!

A huge thanks to our current patrons: Llinos, Bryony, Linde, Michael, Sarah, Steve, Dan, Megg, George, and Hazel!

Charlotte talks about Bishop Castle, a huge stone building in Colorado built over the course of 60 years by one man, Jim Bishop. The family describe it as "a monumental statue in stone and iron that cries loud testament to the beauty and glory of not only having a dream, but sticking with your dream no matter what." Learn about the history of this amazing place – and you can even visit for free!

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References for This Episode:
(See our website below for all links)

• Ginny Di's tweet that inspired this episode
• Bishop Castle
• Bishop's Castle – Rye, CO | Castle Landmark in Southern Colorado
• The Legacy Of Bishop Castle Has Only Been Singed By Fire | Colorado Public Radio
• The Colorado Man Who Single-Handedly Built A Castle Over 53 Years

Where to Find Us:

Head to our website, learnaboutpod.com, to read the full episode notes and see a list of links and resources used to research this episode. You can also follow us on Instagram and Twitter at @learnaboutpod.

Support us on Patreon:

Want to help support the show? For only £2/month you'll get early access to episodes, two exclusive bonus episodes every month, a handwritten postcard, and outtakes that don't make the final cut. Go to patreon.com/learnaboutpod to get started!

A huge thanks to our current patrons: Llinos, Bryony, Linde, Michael, Sarah, Steve, Dan, Megg, and George!

In this episode, Ellie talks about someone who fits perfectly in our 'awesome women of history' series: Grace O'Malley, the Pirate Queen of Ireland. Best summed up by Irish historian and novelist Anne Chambers, O'Malley was a fearless leader, by land and by sea, a political pragmatist and politician, a ruthless plunderer, a mercenary, a rebel, and above all, a woman who broke the mould and played a unique role in history.

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References for This Episode:
(See our website below for all links and resources used for this episode)

• Grace O' Malley - Anne Chambers
• Grace O' Malley - Royal Museums Greenwich
• The Pirate Queen Who Ruled The Irish Sea - Gráinne Ní Mháille
• Grace O'Malley: The Biography of Ireland's Pirate Queen 1530–1603 by Anne Chambers

Where to Find Us:

Head to our website, learnaboutpod.com, to read the full episode notes and see a list of links and resources used to research this episode. You can also follow us on Instagram and Twitter at @learnaboutpod.

Support us on Patreon:

Want to help support the show? For only £2/month you'll get early access to episodes, two exclusive bonus episodes every month, a handwritten postcard, and outtakes that don't make the final cut. Go to patreon.com/learnaboutpod to get started!

A huge thanks to our current patrons: Llinos, Bryony, Linde, Michael, Sarah, Steve, Dan, Megg, George, and Hazel!

Throughout history, there have been so many different methods people have used to affect change in the world, from peaceful protests to revolutions that are anything but quiet. But one of the methods that has risen to prominence over the last century or so is "craftivism": a word that combines craft and activism. Charlotte talks all about craftivism in today's episode, from the banners made by the Suffragettes to more modern campaigns for high street chains to pay their employees a living wage.

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References for This Episode:
(See our website below for all links)

• Craftivist Collective
• Craftivism: How Gentle Protest Is Helping The World One Stitch At A Time (Nest Creative Spaces)
• Knitting for Good! by Betsy Greer
• Hunger strikes and handkerchiefs (RCP Museum)
• How a gentle protest with hand-embroidered hankies helped bring higher wages for retail employees (TED)

Where to Find Us:

Head to our website, learnaboutpod.com, to read the full episode notes and see a list of links and resources used to research this episode. You can also follow us on Instagram and Twitter at @learnaboutpod.

Support us on Patreon:

Want to help support the show? For only £2/month you'll get early access to episodes, two exclusive bonus episodes every month, a handwritten postcard, and outtakes that don't make the final cut. Go to patreon.com/learnaboutpod to get started!

A huge thanks to our current patrons: Llinos, Bryony, Linde, Michael, Sarah, Steve, Dan, Megg, George, and Hazel!

We're very excited to be joined by Ben Ebbrell, otherwise known as Ebbers, from YouTube's Sorted Food! We talk all about how to be a better home cook, including essential kitchen equipment and cupboard staples, how to expand your culinary knowledge, how to be excited even about midweek cooking, and lots more. Ben also talks about his history of food, how he found his passion for it, and how Sorted Food came to be.

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Where to Find Us:

Head to our website, learnaboutpod.com, to read the full episode notes and see a list of links and resources used to research this episode. You can also follow us on Instagram and Twitter at @learnaboutpod.

Support us on Patreon:

Want to help support the show? For only £2/month you'll get early access to episodes, two exclusive bonus episodes every month, a handwritten postcard, and outtakes that don't make the final cut. Go to patreon.com/learnaboutpod to get started!

A huge thanks to our current patrons: Llinos, Bryony, Linde, Michael, Sarah, Steve, Dan, Megg, and George!

On 25th December, lots of families across the UK will tuck into a Christmas dinner. Everyone has their favourite part that they just can't go without, whether it's the roast potatoes, Yorkshire puddings or our personal favourite – pigs in blankets! But what did Christmas dinner in Britain look like throughout the ages? And where did some of our traditional Christmas day eats begin? It started earlier than you might think...

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Where to Find Us:

Head to our website, learnaboutpod.com, to read the full episode notes and see a list of links and resources used to research this episode. You can also follow us on Instagram and Twitter at @learnaboutpod.

Support us on Patreon:

Want to help support the show? For only £2/month you'll get early access to episodes, two exclusive bonus episodes every month, a handwritten postcard, and outtakes that don't make the final cut. Go to patreon.com/learnaboutpod to get started!

A huge thanks to our current patrons: Llinos, Bryony, Linde, Michael, Sarah, Steve, Dan, Megg, and George!