Blind History

His reputation has been downplayed by both the Nationalist Afrikaner regime that succeeded him, and the free South Africa that succeeded that, but for those prepared to dig a little deeper, Jan Smuts may well have been one of the greatest people to emerge from our continent. A brilliant mind, a close friend of Churchill, and an internationally respected politician and military strategist; we also owe the foundation of the United Nations to Jan Smuts. Find out more by taking this short journey into the past of South Africa in this episode of Blind History - brought to you by Taylor Blinds & Shutters.

Marcus Aurelius was the archetypal philosopher-king, a man of extraordinary talent and ability. He also had those rare qualities of introspection and self-awareness. He ruled when the Roman Empire was at its most powerful and after him, the world fell to pieces. Next time you see some profound thing on a fridge magnet, it might well have been something Marcus Aurelius first said - and his legacy is very much with us today. Join Gareth and Anthony as they take a closer look at one of the Ancient World’s most interesting people. Brought to you by Taylor Blinds & Shutters.

Edward III was England’s greatest medieval king. When you think of King Arthur’s round table, jousting, feasts, battles, armour and castles - Edward had all of that, but he also had a dark side, and a reign filled with tragedy... including the Black Death which killed millions of his people. Gareth and Anthony look into some of the more private troubles of this great man, and his long reign. Brought to you by Taylor Blinds & Shutters.

John F Kennedy is one of the most well-known and best loved Presidents of the United States. Most people know more about his assassination than anything else, but he had a really incredible (and unlucky) family, many affairs and a crisis or two of global proportions to deal with during his short term in the Oval Office. Find out from Anthony and Gareth about some of the less obvious things JFK got up to in this episode of Blind History - brought to you by Taylor Blinds & Shutters.

Shaka kaSezangakhona was Africa’s first imperialist. Before Shaka, there were tribes... after Shaka there was a kingdom. In this episode we trace the story of Shaka the warrior, the madman and the leader - because he was all three and more. The soil of our country is stained with the blood of his conquests, and the province of KwaZulu-Natal decorated with the glories of his achievements. You might love or hate him by the end of the episode, but you won’t be able to ignore him. Brought to you by Taylor Blinds & Shutters.