Comedian and space nerd Dara O Briain joins Rattus as guest host for a special show that marks the anniversary of the 1969 moon landings.\n\nFor generations, we have looked to the stars and wondered as to the mysteries they contain, and have even used them as a form of celestial advisor, as shown when one Babylonian king bestows his crown upon a peasant because the heavens have foretold that 'the king would die' - so as long as the current king doesn’t happen to be the actual king when the death happens, then surely all would be well?!\n\nCopernicus, Galileo and Newton are on hand with a floor-filler about their more scientific thoughts on the heavens and the universe and, in Historical Educating, 17th-century philosopher and supply teacher John Wilkins tells his class about their upcoming field trip, during which they will ride a flying chariot to the moon, so that they can meet the people that live there.\n\nWe see the first manned rocket-powered flight, which occurred much earlier than you think it probably did and was an ill-advised (from a health and safety perspective at least) stunt at a celebration for a sultan.\n\nThe Space Race proper gets under way in the 1950s, as America and Soviet Russia fight it out to be the first to harness that rocket power, and use it to get their people into space. We see Soviet Russia’s fearsome Sputnik satellite (the first to reach space), and the even more scary Ivan Ivanovich - a mannequin that actually floated in space while reciting a recipe for Borscht. Owing to this Russian success, the Americans panic and enlist the help of Sophie and Sebastian to come up with some ideas as to how they can take the lead in the Space Race - suggestions include 'space pool', so it’s fair to say that results are mixed, at best.\n\nWe also discover that Yuri Gagarin’s dad was less than impressed with his son being the first man in space, and meet America’s solution to finally getting ahead in the race, and getting a man on the moon: a 'computer' called Katherine Johnson.\n\nFinally, we learn that the Apollo 10 crew faced the horror of someone’s poo floating around in the cockpit, and the episode ends with a swinging tune from JFK and Khrushchev about 'flying to the moon'.
Source: CBBC
Series 8: 14. Fantastic Firsts Special
A special show featuring some of history’s greatest firsts, including the first ever library, Olympic Games, people on the moon and rat roller-skating on TV!
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Terrible Tudors King Henry VIII and his daughter Queen Elizabeth I bicker about who was the best ruler. Henry had a mechanical dragon kite, but Liz had a flushing toilet.
19-11-2024
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Series 9: 1. British Black History
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Series 8: 11. Outrageous Olympics
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Series 9: 7. Foul Feasting
Horrible Histories serves up the history of foul feasting, from Stone Age lentils to Queen Victoria’s anti-fart bread.
17-11-2024
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Series 9: 14. Smash Hit Songs
Rattus has an idea that might make him millions – he is going to launch a streaming service. However, to make Ratify a success, he is going to need some great songs from h ...
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Series 10: 14. Songtastic Musical Special
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Series 8: 5. Fearsome Families
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14-11-2024
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A look at some of the various ways in which, throughout history, humans have lived with, worked with, and interacted with animals - from the very first socialising with wolves t ...
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Series 10: 2. Nhs 75th Birthday Special
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03-10-2024
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Series 8: 10. Fierce Females
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Series 8: 2. Fashion Faux Pas
From the ancient Egyptians pioneering smelling good (a heady mix of fat and perfume plonked on your head, so that it would gradually melt throughout the day and make you smell a ...
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Series 10: 3. Foul Football
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04-10-2024
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Series 3 - Episode 2
Historical sketch show. Some medieval knights discover the most disgusting way to attack a castle and a Georgian goes shopping in a modern pet shop.
17-04-2024
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