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What Came Before is a podcast dedicated to detailing the events, people, and periods that have shaped our world.
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Recent Episodes
The Berlin Tunnel (1954)
In 1954, the CIA and MI6 dug a tunnel from West Berlin into the Soviet sector to tap military phone lines. It was one of the most audacious intelligence operations of the Cold War. There was just one…
The Cato Street Conspiracy (1820)
In February 1820, a group of desperate radicals plotted to murder the entire British Cabinet at a private dinner, behead two ministers, and spark a revolution in the streets of London. This is the…
The Gunpowder Plot (1605)
In November 1605, a group of English Catholics led by Robert Catesby attempted to blow up Parliament and King James I. This is the story of the Gunpowder Plot - how it was planned, how it was…
The Suez Crisis (1956)
In the summer of 1956, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal, seizing control of one of the world's most strategically vital waterways from its Anglo-French owners. What…
The Siege of Malta Part 2 - The Grand Harbour (1565)
After the fall of Fort St. Elmo, the full weight of the Ottoman army turns on the twin peninsulas of Birgu and Senglea. Through months of relentless bombardment, underground mining, and massive…
The Siege of Malta Part 1 - The Corsairs and the Cross (1565)
In the summer of 1565, the Ottoman Empire dispatched an armada of nearly 200 ships and 40,000 men to the Mediterranean island of Malta. Their target was the Knights Hospitaller, a Catholic military…
The 47 RÅnin Part 2 - The Snowy Night (1701-1702)
In the aftermath of Lord Asano’s forced seppuku and the total confiscation of the AkÅ domain, over 300 samurai are abruptly cast out as masterless rÅnin. But behind their peaceful surrender to…
The 47 RÅnin Part 1 - The Insult and the Blade (1701)
In the spring of 1701, a feudal lord named Asano Naganori was assigned to host imperial envoys at Edo Castle — one of the most important ceremonial duties in Tokugawa Japan. His instructor in court…
The Life of Winston Churchill Part 3 - The War Premiership and The Final Phase (1940–1965)
Churchill becomes Prime Minister as France falls and Britain stands alone. From the Dunkirk evacuation and the Battle of Britain to the forging of the Grand Alliance with Roosevelt and Stalin, we…
The Life of Winston Churchill Part 2 - Rise, Fall, and The Gathering Storm (1901–1939)
From the green benches of Parliament to the mud of the trenches, this episode tracks Winston Churchill's turbulent path through the early 20th century. His meteoric rise as a Liberal reformer, the…
The Life of Winston Churchill Part 1 - The Making of a Hero (1874–1900)
Born into privilege but dismissed by his father as a failure, young Winston Churchill set out to prove the world wrong. From self-education in India to the last great cavalry charge at Omdurman and a…
The Siege of Vienna (1683)
In the summer of 1683, the fate of Europe hung in the balance on the banks of the Danube. A massive Ottoman army led by Grand Vizier Kara Mustafa laid siege to Vienna, intent on capturing the "Golden…
The Tiananmen Square Protests - China (1989)
In the spring of 1989, a spontaneous wave of grief for a fallen leader transformed into a massive movement that paralyzed the Chinese capital. For seven weeks, millions of students and workers…
The Cultural Revolution - China (1966-1976)
In 1966, Mao Zedong launched the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, a decade-long campaign to purify the Communist Party that plunged China into total anarchy. This episode traces the descent…
The Great Leap Forward - China (1958-1962)
In 1958, the People's Republic of China embarked on one of the most radical social experiments in human history: the Great Leap Forward. Aiming to surpass the industrial output of the West in just…
The Russian Revolution Part 7: The House of Special Purpose (July 1918)
In the finale of the series, we enter the "House of Special Purpose" - the ominous code name for the villa where the Romanov dynasty met its end. As the White Army closed in on Ekaterinburg in the…
The Russian Revolution Part 6: Red October (October 1917)
The most consequential revolution of the 20th century did not happened with a change of the guard. In this episode, we dismantle the myth of the "storming" of the Winter Palace to reveal the reality…
The Russian Revolution Part 5: The Summer of Chaos (May–August 1917)
By the summer of 1917, the optimism of the February Revolution had dissolved into violence. Alexander Kerensky, the "Persuader-in-Chief," attempted to save the crumbling nation with a suicidal…
The Russian Revolution Part 4: Lenin’s Ultimate Gamble (April 1917)
In the spring of 1917, the German General Staff decided to deploy a new kind of weapon against the Russian army: a revolutionary exile named Vladimir Lenin. In this episode, we follow the journey of…
The Russian Revolution Part 3: Five Days in February (February 1917)
In the bitter winter of 1917, the 300-year rule of the Romanov dynasty ended with a bread riot. What began as a march by female textile workers demanding food spiraled into a revolution when the…
Frequently Asked Questions
What Came Before has published 41 episodes since September 2025, covering topics in Education, History.
What Came Before is currently highly active with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 50m.
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