The Worst Jobs In History

The Worst Jobs In History: Maritime Jobs

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The Worst Jobs In History

Maritime Jobs

Season 1 | Episode 4 | The History Channel | December 6, 2010

History

Business and economics

Personal and social capability

Classification: Parental Guidance

Tony Robinson finds his sea legs this week as he learns about unsavoury maritime professions through the ages in The Worst Jobs in History.

Overview

Tony Robinson finds his sea legs this week as he learns about unsavoury maritime professions through the ages in The Worst Jobs in History.

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More from this series

The Worst Jobs In History

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This week Tony Robinson continues his examination of The Worst Jobs In History with a close look at the worst rural jobs and remembers those who risked their necks to maintain the heart of rural life, shifted excrement to produce enduring images of the countryside and saved souls in the villages by eating bread.

The Worst Jobs In History: Rural Jobs

Years 9-10, 11-12 History, Business and economics, Personal and social capability

This week Tony Robinson continues his examination of The Worst Jobs In History with a close look at the worst rural jobs and remembers those who risked their necks to maintain the heart of rural life, shifted excrement to produce enduring images of the countryside and saved souls in the villages by eating bread.

The Industrial Revolution in the Eighteenth Century brought mass production and mechanisation to jobs that previously had been done by hand and as Britain became a technological and economic powerhouse she produced two-thirds of the world's coal and over half the world's iron. It made the nation rich, but for thousands of people working like ants in the factories, it was a new and mind-numbing form of poverty.

The Worst Jobs In History: Industrial Jobs

Years 9-10, 11-12 History, Business and economics, Personal and social capability

The Industrial Revolution in the Eighteenth Century brought mass production and mechanisation to jobs that previously had been done by hand and as Britain became a technological and economic powerhouse she produced two-thirds of the world's coal and over half the world's iron. It made the nation rich, but for thousands of people working like ants in the factories, it was a new and mind-numbing form of poverty.

This week plucky Tony Robinson continues his look at The Worst Jobs in History with a rundown on the worst royal jobs. As Tony takes on the work traditionally done at court we learn of the miserable lot of food tasters, whipping boys, falconers, and laundry women who beat Elizabethan laundry with paddles similar to cricket bats.

The Worst Jobs In History: Royal

Years 9-10, 11-12 History, Business and economics, Personal and social capability

This week plucky Tony Robinson continues his look at The Worst Jobs in History with a rundown on the worst royal jobs. As Tony takes on the work traditionally done at court we learn of the miserable lot of food tasters, whipping boys, falconers, and laundry women who beat Elizabethan laundry with paddles similar to cricket bats.

Tony Robinson takes another look at the men and women of earlier times who were prepared to do some of the back-breaking and soul destroying jobs that made our world what it is today in a new series of The Worst Jobs in History.

The Worst Jobs In History: Urban Jobs

Years 9-10, 11-12 History, Business and economics, Personal and social capability

Tony Robinson takes another look at the men and women of earlier times who were prepared to do some of the back-breaking and soul destroying jobs that made our world what it is today in a new series of The Worst Jobs in History.

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Ancient Discoveries travels to Egypt to discover the mysteries of the mummified crocodiles of Kom Ombo. They X-ray an ancient mummy that has held a secret for 2000 years, and reveal the lengths that people will go to to ritualise death. New discoveries at the site of the world famous terracotta army in China reveal incredible insights into the mind-state of the great first emperor of China and his people and what they believed about death. From automatic booby-trap crossbows to reanimated ghost soldiers. In Britain, forensic scientists solve a year old murder using 15th-century forensic science, as well as hundreds of mini-detective blowflies. And using virtual reality techniques doctors will now look inside the body of a victim during a live crucifixion to discover horrific new truths about the suffering on the cross.

Ancient Discoveries: Rituals of Death

Years 9-10, 11-12 History, Ancient History, Science

Ancient Discoveries travels to Egypt to discover the mysteries of the mummified crocodiles of Kom Ombo. They X-ray an ancient mummy that has held a secret for 2000 years, and reveal the lengths that people will go to to ritualise death. New discoveries at the site of the world famous terracotta army in China reveal incredible insights into the mind-state of the great first emperor of China and his people and what they believed about death. From automatic booby-trap crossbows to reanimated ghost soldiers. In Britain, forensic scientists solve a year old murder using 15th-century forensic science, as well as hundreds of mini-detective blowflies. And using virtual reality techniques doctors will now look inside the body of a victim during a live crucifixion to discover horrific new truths about the suffering on the cross.

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Years 9-10, 11-12 Design and technologies, Modern history, History

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A Canadian regiment tasked with capturing the Ardenne Abbey in France are instead captured by a notorious Nazi unit. What came after was a massacre that violated every agreed convention of war.

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Nuclear Nightmare: Cuban Missile Crisis

Years 9-10, 11-12 Modern history, History

Explore how three human beings grappled with the most dangerous two weeks in human history, when events, many outside their control, threatened to ignite a nuclear holocaust that could have ended human civilisation. Showing how extraordinarily close we came to self-destruction, the inside story of the Cuban Missile Crisis is a critical reminder of just how much power and responsibility lies with the president of the United States and other leaders with access to nuclear weapons. And how much personality counts when things spiral out of control. On the brink of a nuclear war, who would you want in the White House? Bringing to life the three central figures in the crisis - President John F Kennedy, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev and Cuban leader Fidel Castro - the film explores the roles each played during these most dangerous of all times. Shot on location in Russia, Cuba and the US, it features revealing interviews with key witnesses from inside the Kremlin, the White House and Cuba, along with revelations from recently declassified top secret documents. After watching Nuclear Nightmare: Inside the Cuban Missile Crisis, you will never think about nuclear war and our commanders-in-chief in quite the same way again.

For years gladiators have been legendary figures of the Ancient World; the stuff of Hollywood blockbusters like Spartacus, or Gladiator. But our knowledge has been based largely on speculation - until now. Timewatch have secured exclusive access to the biggest archaeological gladiator research project of all time. As it approaches its conclusion, Gladiator CSI reveals the secrets of how gladiators lived, fought and died, not from speculation but from forensic science. In the 1990s a survey for the ancient course of the Holy Procession Path between the temple of Artemis (one of the seven Wonders of the World) and the city of Ephesus in Turkey came upon an unexpected find: a mass burial site. But most of the cadavers did not bear the signs of death from natural causes. Instead, they seem to have met a violent end. In 2002 two forensic anthropologists went to investigate: this was a gladiator graveyard. Although the corpses of gladiators had been found before, they tended to be isolated examples. In this graveyard, no less than 67 were buried. The amount of data was unprecedented. Employing two of the world's leading forensics anthropologists as our two crime scene investigators, this is the story of their investigation. Their research makes ground-breaking conclusions probing popular myths about gladiators: Is the currently fashionable thesis that although gladiators fought vicious contests, they rarely battled to the death, really true? Were the losers of gladiatorial contests really dispatched in the arena by the turning of the emperor's thumb? Were gladiators treated as no more than animals, with no provision for their health or well-being? Spanning two centuries, our 67 corpses reveal great technological changes in fighting equipment and wounds from weapons that were hitherto thought only to be the stuff of myth (like the cubic fore dent).

Gladiator Graveyard

Years 11-12 Ancient history, History

For years gladiators have been legendary figures of the Ancient World; the stuff of Hollywood blockbusters like Spartacus, or Gladiator. But our knowledge has been based largely on speculation - until now. Timewatch have secured exclusive access to the biggest archaeological gladiator research project of all time. As it approaches its conclusion, Gladiator CSI reveals the secrets of how gladiators lived, fought and died, not from speculation but from forensic science. In the 1990s a survey for the ancient course of the Holy Procession Path between the temple of Artemis (one of the seven Wonders of the World) and the city of Ephesus in Turkey came upon an unexpected find: a mass burial site. But most of the cadavers did not bear the signs of death from natural causes. Instead, they seem to have met a violent end. In 2002 two forensic anthropologists went to investigate: this was a gladiator graveyard. Although the corpses of gladiators had been found before, they tended to be isolated examples. In this graveyard, no less than 67 were buried. The amount of data was unprecedented. Employing two of the world's leading forensics anthropologists as our two crime scene investigators, this is the story of their investigation. Their research makes ground-breaking conclusions probing popular myths about gladiators: Is the currently fashionable thesis that although gladiators fought vicious contests, they rarely battled to the death, really true? Were the losers of gladiatorial contests really dispatched in the arena by the turning of the emperor's thumb? Were gladiators treated as no more than animals, with no provision for their health or well-being? Spanning two centuries, our 67 corpses reveal great technological changes in fighting equipment and wounds from weapons that were hitherto thought only to be the stuff of myth (like the cubic fore dent).

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Explores the bloody truth behind Australia's worst mass murder, investigating horrifying tale of one of the world's most terrifying and gruesome shipwreck stories of all time. In 1629, the pride of the Dutch fleet was on its way to the East Indies when it hit a coral reef off the coast of Australia and sank. Some of the 300 passengers and crew drowned but most managed to swim to the nearby cluster of uninhabited islands. For the survivors, it was the equivalent of crash landing on the moon. They were stranded thousands of kilometres from any known civilisation, on alien land with little hope of rescue. The survivors probably thought their situation couldn't get any worse. In fact, their nightmare was just beginning.

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Years 7-8, 9-10 History, Personal and social capability

In one of Sydney's great convict buildings, Peter Garrett discovers an ancestor at the forefront of social welfare in the colony. He'll also unearth the secret life of his grandmother who worked in a forgotten area of first Contact - the Lock Hospitals in Western Australia. More than a century later, Peter follows his grandmother to remote Bernier Island, where Indigenous Australians suspected of having venereal disease were taken by force.

It's easy to imagine that the past was lived in black and white, but of course it wasn't. This landmark series uses modern colouration techniques to present a history of America in colour, for the first time. Decade by decade, this ambitious series puts the colour back in history, and brings the history back to life. From jazz-age speakeasies to the attack on Pearl Harbor, from the Great Depression to Elvismania, iconic images of America are vibrantly brought to the screen. To make this landmark series, filmmakers spent 6000 hours painstakingly scouring obscure archives, dusting off forgotten family vaults, and tracking down dedicated private collectors to find the 27 miles of film they needed - much of it not seen for nearly a century. The result is a feast for the eyes, and brings a fresh excitement to the seminal images of our time.

America in Colour

Years 11-12 Modern history, History

It's easy to imagine that the past was lived in black and white, but of course it wasn't. This landmark series uses modern colouration techniques to present a history of America in colour, for the first time. Decade by decade, this ambitious series puts the colour back in history, and brings the history back to life. From jazz-age speakeasies to the attack on Pearl Harbor, from the Great Depression to Elvismania, iconic images of America are vibrantly brought to the screen. To make this landmark series, filmmakers spent 6000 hours painstakingly scouring obscure archives, dusting off forgotten family vaults, and tracking down dedicated private collectors to find the 27 miles of film they needed - much of it not seen for nearly a century. The result is a feast for the eyes, and brings a fresh excitement to the seminal images of our time.

London - what put this city on the map? This program will search out and examine the clues that reveal the century that made the London we know today. On a fascinating journey back in time this film will take us to the very heart of the city and a period unlike any other in its history, the 17th century.

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Years 9-10, 11-12 History

London - what put this city on the map? This program will search out and examine the clues that reveal the century that made the London we know today. On a fascinating journey back in time this film will take us to the very heart of the city and a period unlike any other in its history, the 17th century.

Mike Munro's real surname is not Munro: it's Kenniff. The notorious Kenniff brothers were the last of Australia's 'wild colonial boys' roaming remote north Queensland at the turn of the century, stealing cattle and horses with the confidence and skill of organised criminals. Their careers culminated in a showdown in the Carnarvon Ranges that left one policeman and a civilian dead. Their victims' bodies were found burned and chopped into pieces. Patrick and James Kenniff were caught and tried for wilful murder - but they maintained their innocence to the bitter end. What turns thieves into brutal mutilators? Was there reasonable doubt that they didn't do the deed? Mike Munro needs to know - this isn't just a question about the nature of crime and punishment, this story is deeply personal. The Kenniff's were Mike's ancestors and the cause of shame for his family through generations. The Lawless team embark on a factual and forensic analysis of the crime to search for answers, and Mike meets descendants from the other side of the story. Against the backdrop of a brutal event, this case marks a pivotal point in the history of our evolving laws and nationhood, and this investigation makes for an extraordinary personal journey for host Mike Munro.

Lawless: The Real Bushrangers: The Kenniffs

Years 11-12 History

Mike Munro's real surname is not Munro: it's Kenniff. The notorious Kenniff brothers were the last of Australia's 'wild colonial boys' roaming remote north Queensland at the turn of the century, stealing cattle and horses with the confidence and skill of organised criminals. Their careers culminated in a showdown in the Carnarvon Ranges that left one policeman and a civilian dead. Their victims' bodies were found burned and chopped into pieces. Patrick and James Kenniff were caught and tried for wilful murder - but they maintained their innocence to the bitter end. What turns thieves into brutal mutilators? Was there reasonable doubt that they didn't do the deed? Mike Munro needs to know - this isn't just a question about the nature of crime and punishment, this story is deeply personal. The Kenniff's were Mike's ancestors and the cause of shame for his family through generations. The Lawless team embark on a factual and forensic analysis of the crime to search for answers, and Mike meets descendants from the other side of the story. Against the backdrop of a brutal event, this case marks a pivotal point in the history of our evolving laws and nationhood, and this investigation makes for an extraordinary personal journey for host Mike Munro.

We celebrate the lives of those who soared the highest. From Doris Day to Errol Flynn, we uncover what drove them and why the world loved them. Contributions from contemporary commentators and current Hollywood glitterati will bring each icon's legacy up to date as we relive their most magical motion picture moments and explore the personalities behind the names.

Silver Screen Stars: Errol Flynn

Years 9-10, 11-12 Media arts, History

We celebrate the lives of those who soared the highest. From Doris Day to Errol Flynn, we uncover what drove them and why the world loved them. Contributions from contemporary commentators and current Hollywood glitterati will bring each icon's legacy up to date as we relive their most magical motion picture moments and explore the personalities behind the names.

It's easy to imagine that the past was lived in black and white, but of course it wasn't. This landmark series uses modern colouration techniques to present a history of America in colour, for the first time. Decade by decade, this ambitious series puts the colour back in history, and brings the history back to life. From jazz-age speakeasies to the attack on Pearl Harbor, from the Great Depression to Elvismania, iconic images of America are vibrantly brought to the screen. To make this landmark series, filmmakers spent 6000 hours painstakingly scouring obscure archives, dusting off forgotten family vaults, and tracking down dedicated private collectors to find the 27 miles of film they needed - much of it not seen for nearly a century. The result is a feast for the eyes, and brings a fresh excitement to the seminal images of our time.

America In Colour

Years 11-12 Modern history, History

It's easy to imagine that the past was lived in black and white, but of course it wasn't. This landmark series uses modern colouration techniques to present a history of America in colour, for the first time. Decade by decade, this ambitious series puts the colour back in history, and brings the history back to life. From jazz-age speakeasies to the attack on Pearl Harbor, from the Great Depression to Elvismania, iconic images of America are vibrantly brought to the screen. To make this landmark series, filmmakers spent 6000 hours painstakingly scouring obscure archives, dusting off forgotten family vaults, and tracking down dedicated private collectors to find the 27 miles of film they needed - much of it not seen for nearly a century. The result is a feast for the eyes, and brings a fresh excitement to the seminal images of our time.

Before Ned Kelly, it was Ben Hall who was the 'rock star' of Australian bushranging, leading a short but prolific three year crime spree across NSW in the wake of the gold rush. His criminal career comes to a bloody end when he is shot by police in a hail of bullets close to a place known as Billabong Creek on the outskirts of Forbes. But Ben Hall's death is shrouded in controversy. The official police account says that Hall was a dangerous criminal, lawfully killed while trying to escape, while the legend goes that Hall was shot in his sleep and the victim of a brutal police cover up. Now for the first time, the Lawless team undertake an analysis of Hall's bloody demise at the hand of authorities. At a time when our fledgling nation was striving for law and order, this investigation reveals the extraordinary measures enacted by authorities in NSW in an effort to become a civilised society. The death of Ben Hall exposes how justice was served in the times of the colonial era.

Lawless: The Real Bushrangers: Ben Hall

Years 11-12 History

Before Ned Kelly, it was Ben Hall who was the 'rock star' of Australian bushranging, leading a short but prolific three year crime spree across NSW in the wake of the gold rush. His criminal career comes to a bloody end when he is shot by police in a hail of bullets close to a place known as Billabong Creek on the outskirts of Forbes. But Ben Hall's death is shrouded in controversy. The official police account says that Hall was a dangerous criminal, lawfully killed while trying to escape, while the legend goes that Hall was shot in his sleep and the victim of a brutal police cover up. Now for the first time, the Lawless team undertake an analysis of Hall's bloody demise at the hand of authorities. At a time when our fledgling nation was striving for law and order, this investigation reveals the extraordinary measures enacted by authorities in NSW in an effort to become a civilised society. The death of Ben Hall exposes how justice was served in the times of the colonial era.

Trade has a civilising effect - promoting wealth, cooperation and trust. Nowhere was this truer in the ancient world than in the Indus Valley - between modern-day India and Pakistan - home to the first civilisation in Asia. Archaeologist Uzma Rizvi reveals this was a civilisation built upon the production and exchange of precious stones and copper-based ornaments. As demand for these goods grew, the trade network expanded and civilisation flourished.

First Civilisations: Trade

Years 11-12 Ancient history, History

Trade has a civilising effect - promoting wealth, cooperation and trust. Nowhere was this truer in the ancient world than in the Indus Valley - between modern-day India and Pakistan - home to the first civilisation in Asia. Archaeologist Uzma Rizvi reveals this was a civilisation built upon the production and exchange of precious stones and copper-based ornaments. As demand for these goods grew, the trade network expanded and civilisation flourished.

This is the story of a world where territories and own frontiers were built by the slave trade. A world where violence, subjugation and profit imposed their routes. The history of slavery did not begin in the cotton fields. It is a much older tragedy that has been going on since the dawn of humanity. From the seventh century on, and for over 1200 years, Africa was the epicentre of a gigantic traffic of human beings traversing the entire globe: Nubian, Fulani, Mandinka, Songhai, Susu, Akan, Yoruba, Igbo, Kongo, Yao and Somali. Over 20 million Africans were deported, sold and enslaved. This criminal system thrived, laying the foundations of empires around the world. Its scale was such that for a long time, it has been impossible to relate it comprehensively. And yet, it raises a fundamental question: How did Africa end up at the heart of the slavery routes?

Slavery Routes: Slavery's New Frontiers

Years 9-10, 11-12 History, Ethical understanding

This is the story of a world where territories and own frontiers were built by the slave trade. A world where violence, subjugation and profit imposed their routes. The history of slavery did not begin in the cotton fields. It is a much older tragedy that has been going on since the dawn of humanity. From the seventh century on, and for over 1200 years, Africa was the epicentre of a gigantic traffic of human beings traversing the entire globe: Nubian, Fulani, Mandinka, Songhai, Susu, Akan, Yoruba, Igbo, Kongo, Yao and Somali. Over 20 million Africans were deported, sold and enslaved. This criminal system thrived, laying the foundations of empires around the world. Its scale was such that for a long time, it has been impossible to relate it comprehensively. And yet, it raises a fundamental question: How did Africa end up at the heart of the slavery routes?

This is the story of a world where territories and own frontiers were built by the slave trade. A world where violence, subjugation and profit imposed their routes. The history of slavery did not begin in the cotton fields. It is a much older tragedy that has been going on since the dawn of humanity. From the seventh century on, and for over 1200 years, Africa was the epicentre of a gigantic traffic of human beings traversing the entire globe: Nubian, Fulani, Mandinka, Songhai, Susu, Akan, Yoruba, Igbo, Kongo, Yao and Somali. Over 20 million Africans were deported, sold and enslaved. This criminal system thrived, laying the foundations of empires around the world. Its scale was such that for a long time, it has been impossible to relate it comprehensively. And yet, it raises a fundamental question: How did Africa end up at the heart of the slavery routes?

Slavery Routes: Slavery's New Frontiers

Years 9-10, 11-12 History, Ethical understanding

This is the story of a world where territories and own frontiers were built by the slave trade. A world where violence, subjugation and profit imposed their routes. The history of slavery did not begin in the cotton fields. It is a much older tragedy that has been going on since the dawn of humanity. From the seventh century on, and for over 1200 years, Africa was the epicentre of a gigantic traffic of human beings traversing the entire globe: Nubian, Fulani, Mandinka, Songhai, Susu, Akan, Yoruba, Igbo, Kongo, Yao and Somali. Over 20 million Africans were deported, sold and enslaved. This criminal system thrived, laying the foundations of empires around the world. Its scale was such that for a long time, it has been impossible to relate it comprehensively. And yet, it raises a fundamental question: How did Africa end up at the heart of the slavery routes?

At the height of war, Roosevelt inspired millions with stirring visions of a new and better post-war world but it was a world he probably knew he would never see. He was commander in chief of the greatest military power the world had known, yet paralysis from polio mad him powerless to accomplish the most minor physical tasks. Set against the epic scale of World War II in 1944 and 1945. Professor David Reynolds presents an intimate biography of US President Franklin Roosevelt, revealing a man who was burdened by secrets about his failing health and strained marriage, that if exposed, could have destroyed his presidency. Enigmatic, secretive and with a complicated love life, America's wheelchair president was racing to shape the future before his past caught up with him.

The Wheelchair President

Years 9-10, 11-12 Modern history, History

At the height of war, Roosevelt inspired millions with stirring visions of a new and better post-war world but it was a world he probably knew he would never see. He was commander in chief of the greatest military power the world had known, yet paralysis from polio mad him powerless to accomplish the most minor physical tasks. Set against the epic scale of World War II in 1944 and 1945. Professor David Reynolds presents an intimate biography of US President Franklin Roosevelt, revealing a man who was burdened by secrets about his failing health and strained marriage, that if exposed, could have destroyed his presidency. Enigmatic, secretive and with a complicated love life, America's wheelchair president was racing to shape the future before his past caught up with him.

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