History Uncensored

The Strait of Hormuz is a strip of water, a few miles wide, through which passes enough energy to shake the whole world. It's one of the most geopolitically charged waterways on Earth, and this is not an accident of the present. It is the result of strategic geography that has channelled trade, empire and coercion for centuries.

Bianca Nobilo gives us a quick history...

Bianca Nobilo dives into the compelling history of the American Mafia, speaking to former mob boss Michael Franzese and more.

Who were the first real gangs of New York? How deeply involved in American politics - and assassinations was the Mafia? And what did it feel like to watch your criminal empire crumble from the inside?

Behind the suits and swagger were rackets, intimidation and victims - listen to find out more.

Friday the 13th is considered unlucky by many - but why?

There’s at least one every year, with the next one coming up this week and the calendar date causes people to skip travels, avoid important business deals and generally feel a sense of unease.

It’s easy to assume it comes from ancient superstition - but this isn’t actually the case.

History Uncensored’s Bianca Nobilo explains more…

Iran has been governed by the Islamic Republic for more than four decades, with the regime suppressing fundamental rights and killing thousands of Iranian people in the last few months alone.

Resistance to the system has repeatedly erupted - from student uprisings, to reform movements, to mass protests led by women and young people.

So why hasn’t it fallen?

History Uncensored's Bianca Nobilo discusses this with Iranian historical sociologist Professor Kevan Harris, author of 'A Social Revolution: Politics and the Welfare State in Iran', which is coming soon.

If you want to understand world history, regional, Middle Eastern politics, and our world's broader contest between democracy and autocracy, you have to understand Iran.

It is one of the world's oldest continuous civilizations and the first ancient superpower, the Achaemenid Empire under Cyrus, a state that has been repeatedly conquered by Greeks, Arabs, Mongols, yet its strong national identity rooted in Persian history has never been erased.

Bianca Nobilo talks us through the history of the country that the whole world now has its eyes on, to help us understand what led the events we see unfolding today.

Note from Bianca: You can look more closely and read the inscription on the Cyrus cylinder here: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_1880-0617-1941