What do whispered dares, flickering mirrors, and ancient European rituals have in common? They’re all echoes of the ghostly games we played as kids. Join BJ as he uncovers the dark European origins of “Bloody Mary,” “Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board,” and the folklore that turned childhood curiosity into spine-tingling legend.
This episode is supported by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.
What do historic Italian newspapers, the digital revolution, and the future of journalism have in common? They’re all part of the evolving story of Italy’s press! Join BJ and his guest Marco Ascione from the Corriere della Serra as they explore the rise of Italian newspapers, their fight for relevance in the digital age, and what lies ahead for print and online journalism in Italy.
This episode is supported by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.
What do Marcus Aurelius, Isaac Newton, and Stephen Hawking have in common? They’re all linked to the history of professorial chairs! Join BJ as he unpacks the legacy, funding, and influence of these prestigious academic titles.This episode is supported by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.
What if I told you Valentine’s Day began with goat sacrifices, secret weddings, and a death sentence? In this episode of The Eurospeak Podcast, BJ discusses the unexpected origins of the world’s most romantic holiday—from the wild Roman festival of Lupercalia to the daring defiance of Saint Valentine. Explore how forbidden love, ancient rituals, and iconic symbols like Cupid’s arrow and the heart shape transformed February 14th into a global celebration of romance. Love it or hate it, you’ll never see Valentine’s Day the same way again.
This episode is supported by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.
In this episode of Eurospeak, BJ dives into the stories behind two iconic New Year’s songs: Auld Lang Syne and the Radetzky March. Discover the history, meaning, and unique vibes of these pieces—one reflective and nostalgic, the other upbeat and full of energy. Tune in to explore how these tunes shape New Year’s traditions worldwide and decide which one fits your midnight celebration best!
This episode is supported by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.
In this holiday episode, BJ explores the European origins of iconic toys like Barbie, LEGO, Hot Wheels, and the Labubu. Discover how these classics were inspired by European traditions and myths, shaping playtime for generations. Perfect for toy lovers and holiday gift hunters!
This episode is supported by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.
For our first episode of 2024, we are strapping on shinguards, putting on our kit, and launching ourselves into the world of football, or to use its full name, association football! BJ is joined by Professor Joan Ricart Angulo from the Universitat Pompeu Fabra to discuss the how the sport's consumption around the world, its connections with politics, and tips for first time football spectators.
On this episode, BJ explores the origins of some famous Christmas traditions, including the Christmas tree, markets, and carols. During the episode, you'll run into some familiar names from European history, like Queen Victoria, Martin Luther, and Charles Dickens.
No Copyright Music by OlexandrMusic Download Free Music: http://bit.ly/3ikZxuF
On this episode, BJ explores the thrilling and maybe surprising history of Halloween. In it, he discusses how very old Celtic customs and Christian traditions have impacted the annual event in which we dress up in costumes, carve pumpkins, decorate our homes, and tell scary stories about haunted places.
Music Courtesy of Darren Curtis
On this episode, BJ is joined by Jorge Luengo, Associate Professor of History at the Pompeu Fabra University in Spain, to discuss Spanish Constitutionalism. During the episode, they examine how societies in India, China, and the Philippines were shaped by developments in Spain during the Napoleonic period.
This episode's topic is about the lore of League of Legends. Launched in 2009, the game is one of the top titles in the genre called multiplayer online battle arena, MOBA for short. Produced by Riot Games, League of Legends revolutionized the economics of video games being one of the first major free-to-play games in history. Although it costs nothing to play, the game’s publishers are able to make money through the sale of in-game character customizations. BJ and his guest will explore the European references embedded in the game and its lore.
On this episode, we’ll be turning our attention to history, but not the way we’ve done so in the past. This isn’t the kind of thing you’ll be reading about in high school textbooks. Instead, today’s subject is alternate history as we discuss The King’s Man, a movie released in 2021 starring Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, and Rhys Ifans.
On this episode, BJ and his guest take you to the fantasy world of Teyvat, where gamers from all around the world play an online open world RPG known as Genshin Impact. Developed by miHoYo, a Chinese video game company, it was released in 2020 around the time of the pandemic. The story centers around the Traveler, who is on a quest to locate their twin who they got separated from at the beginning of the game. While exploring the world, players can visit the seven major nations. Among them are Mondstadt and Snezhnaya, which they discuss as having European influences.
Our third season will be releasing next week, and we’ve gone full on popular culture. From cinema, to anime, to video games, you’ll hear my conversations with guests about how Europe has influenced some popular media, such as The King’s Man, Attack on Titan, League of Legends, and Genshin Impact. We’re really excited to share these with you, so watch out for the Season 3 episodes, coming out starting next week.
On this episode, we share a recording of a forum hosted by BJ, with academics from the European Studies Program of the Ateneo de Manila University. They discuss their thoughts about the British monarchy, how we should think of the legacy of Queen Elizabeth II, and what we should expect from the royal family in the near future. We hope you find it to be an informative exchange.
We are still working on our third season, but this is a special episode that we are sharing because of what has happened in Ukraine. Our team felt that we would be remiss if we did not have content related to the crisis. On this episode, BJ will be sharing excerpts from a forum on the Ukraine invasion that he had the opportunity to moderate. The panel consisted of Jeric Tionloc and Jamina Jugo, both faculty members of the European Studies Program of the Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines. They discussed the crisis in general, the impact of sanctions directed against Russia, and how developments in Ukraine have implications on East Asia.
The military conflict has polarized the world, but a humanitarian crisis continues as a result of the violence. As such, if you are willing and able, please consider providing assistance to UN agencies or international NGOs that are active in Ukraine right now.
Some links are as follows:
For the UNHCR: https://donate.unhcr.org/int/en/ukraine-emergency
For UNICEF: https://www.unicef.org/emergencies/war-ukraine-pose-immediate-threat-children?gclid=Cj0KCQjw8_qRBhCXARIsAE2AtRa5g0LERIWSFRLvRm4zefQ_vXSaAG44JX2msCkfmPdILJoYD3SfEHAaAphnEALw_wcB
For the International Committee of the Red Cross: https://www.icrc.org/en/donate/ukraine
For Medecins Sans Frontieres: https://www.msf.org/donate
For the International Rescue Committee: https://help.rescue.org/donate-fr/ukraine-crisis?initialms=ws_modl_fy22_ukraine_mmus&ms=ws_modl_fy22_ukraine_mmus
On this episode, BJ and his guest bring together the topics of Catalan history, Nazi concentration camps, and photography as they discuss the 2018 film entitled “The Photographer of Mauthausen”. The Spanish film’s original title is El fotógrafo de Mauthausen. It is a biographical drama about the life of the Catalan photographer Francesc Boix, whose photographs would later be used as evidence during war crimes trials to implicate high-ranking Nazi officials such as Heinrich Himmler and Albert Speer.
On this episode, BJ and his guest grab their shields and spears, and travel back over two millennia to discuss the Battle of Thermopylae, one of the major battles between the Ancient Greeks and Persians. Their conversation examines the events surrounding the battle itself, and its legacy 2,500 years on.
On this episode, we’re sharpening our hidden blades, and preparing to take some leaps of faith as we explore the fictional universe of the Assassin’s Creed video game franchise. The series depicts a centuries-old struggle between the Assassins, who fight for peace and free will, and their adversaries, the Templars, whose machinations hope to bring about order and control. The pair turn their eagle vision at some of the historical figures that have been portrayed as villains in the series, and they assess whether or not they were actually as evil as they were portrayed in the game.
As 2021 is an Olympic year, due to the event being postponed by the pandemic, BJ invited two guests to join him in a sport and fitness-related episode. The conversation compared the Ancient Greek Olympics with the modern spectacle of today. They discussed some of the events that are no longer part of the competition, as well as training regimes that could be useful for anyone looking to get fit today.