History Uncensored

Was the suspected plague death of Darya Shipilova in Russia an accident, or could it point to a wider threat from biological weapons?

In this episode, hosts Bianca Nobilo and Tim Marshall investigate the history of plague as a weapon, exploring how it has been used and feared from ancient Egypt to the modern day. As questions emerge over the circumstances surrounding the suspected case in Russia, we examine the history of biological warfare, the dangers of weaponising deadly diseases, and the concerns surrounding Russia’s potential bioweapons capabilities.

(00:00:19) Plague as a weapon

(00:01:02) Soviet biological weapons program

(00:07:06) How it spread: Fleas, rats & trade

(00:09:25) Empire weakened by plague

(00:11:41) 'Leaking out of every orifice'

(00:15:17) Black Death, The Decameron & Bianca's pirate links

(00:18:25) Shakespeare & the bubonic plague

(00:22:13) Who else used biological warfare? Germany, Japan & Unit 731

(00:29:54) Empathy with our ancestors

(00:31:57) Watch more History Uncensored & 'avoid cliches like the plague'
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Who are the Houthis, and how did they become powerful enough to challenge Saudi Arabia and disrupt global trade?

Following the attack on Riyadh airport, Bianca Nobilo and Tim Marshall examine how Yemen’s long running war has become a major regional and global security threat.

From Yemen’s strategic position on the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb strait to the origins of the Houthi movement and its long running rivalry with Saudi Arabia, we explore why instability on the kingdom’s southern border poses such a significant security threat.

(00:00:00) Bianca and Tim discuss "Why now?"

(00:02:01) How ancient geography shapes today

(00:04:50) Look to history to understand the Houthis

(00:08:30) Enter British empire

(00:12:49) An Iranian proxy?

(00:18:26) Path to resolution?

(00:20:39) Asymmetric warfare
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The news is out… Tim Marshall joins Bianca Nobilo as co-host of History Uncensored!

In this brand-new episode, Tim and Bianca explore the strange, dramatic and often terrifying history of aircraft hijackings.

Following the attack aboard a Flydubai flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30, they look back at the origins of hijackings, the political motives behind them and their evolution into a defining feature of modern terrorism.

From the Cold War and Russia to 9/11, Tim and Bianca revisit some of the most notorious hijackings in history.

(00:00:00) Hijackings 'as old as air travel'

(00:00:40) BIG NEWS - welcoming Tim Marshall

(00:01:19) Flydubai to 9/11 - History of hijacking

(00:02:19) Hijacking's origins

(00:04:40) Before hijacking there was piracy

(00:08:39) Baron Franz Nopcsa

(00:10:44) First recorded aircraft hijacking??

(00:12:47) Terrorism was not always the reason

(00:14:27) D.B. Cooper mystery, 1971

(00:16:24) Hijackings reflect geopolitical tension

(00:22:44) The changing face of hijacking

(00:24:57) Flydubai incident 2026

(00:27:34) Terrorism as theatre and propaganda of the deed

(00:34:14) Dawson's Field hijackings

(00:37:58) How will historians view the Flydubai attack?

(00:42:13) History Uncensored's goal
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How does Vladimir Putin use history to justify Russia’s war in Ukraine?

In this episode, Bianca Nobilo speaks to Bill Browder about the Kremlin’s use of historical narratives and how Putin’s version of Russia’s past has helped frame the war as a fight against fascism, Nazism and threats to the Russian people.

They explore why Putin needs these myths to sustain support for the war, and whether the West should pay closer attention to the history leaders invoke before they act.

(00:00:00) How history is wielded as a weapon

(00:02:37) History, manipulation, propaganda

(00:04:50) Putin understands history is emotive - Bill Browder

(00:07:41) Do Putin’s historic narratives contradict?

(00:10:24) 'We need to start paying a lot more attention'

(00:14:05) Would Putin stop at Ukraine?

(00:15:55) Bill Browder on being expelled from Russia

(00:19:47) Do Russians believe Putin's version of history?

(00:23:23) A warning to world leaders

(00:25:23) Could Russia use nukes? What does history suggest?

(00:28:17) Bianca's goal
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On September 24, Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, the leaders of two global rivals will meet at the White House. But to understand why this meeting matters, we have to go back to 1985, when Ronald Reagan welcomed China’s leader Li Xiannian to Washington.

Back then, the balance of power looked completely different. 41 years later, Trump and Xi meet in a world of trade wars, Taiwan tensions, AI competition and global conflict.

Bianca Nobilo is joined by American political scientist Ian Arthur Bremmer to take a look at the history of the world’s biggest superpowers.

(00:00:14) Trump and Xi - leaders and legacy

(00:00:51) How China became a U.S. rival

(00:03:34) How the past shapes these leaders - with Ian Bremmer

(00:05:54) How leaders use and control history

(00:11:05) Term limits v decades

(00:15:38) Taiwan - how important is this moment?

(00:19:04) The Thucydides Trap

(00:23:16) AI, Cuban Missile Crisis, and mutually assured destruction

(00:27:30) This moment in the broad sweep of history

(00:29:34) Bianca's goal
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