Is It True That...?

The Black Death was a catastrophe for Europe killing half of the population of the continent in the Middle Ages. But was it the worst pandemic ever? And how did it change the course of history?

Do we work more today than in the distant past? Hunter-gatherers often got by with little effort, and it was only with agriculture and industrial work that working hours exploded, so what might the future hold for our working lives?

For as long as we can remember, human beings have expressed belief in higher deities in art, rituals, and rules of behaviour. But is the idea in a higher power innately human? Or was it something we picked up along the way?

The Library of Alexandria was considered a treasure trove of knowledge - and its loss shows how fragile knowledge can be. What has been preserved over thousands of years has often been painstakingly preserved and copied. But whether on parchment, as a manuscript or on microchips - the decisive factor is how we use this heritage to build bridges between the past, present and future.

According to a widely believed story, the vibrator was the brainchild of male doctors who wanted to treat hysteria with orgasms. But behind this medical origin story lie not only bizarre errors but also aggression. Female pleasure was long considered dangerous, especially when women discovered it for themselves.

Advances in agriculture, hygiene and medicine have steadily increased average life expectancy throughout history. But even in the Stone Age, some people reached old age. Was life expectancy really much lower in the past?

Many believe that Hitler invented the Autobahn, boosting the German economy and solving unemployment in the process. But this is not actually true. So why do we think it is?

The steam engine marked the beginning of the fossil fuel era. But was it really this invention that triggered the Industrial Revolution? The search for answers takes us back to ancient times, to China, to Iceland... But never strays far from the coal mines of Great Britain.

A world without money? It is hard to imagine - but it did exist. But was bartering really the first form of exchange, with money gradually replacing it? And how did this happen?

What does what we wear reveal about our society? Who determines what is considered masculine or feminine? From Antiquity to the present day, this episode looks back at the history of trousers. Both practical and scandalous, how did trousers come to symbolise masculinity?