THESE PAGES ARE NO LONGER BEING UPDATED. THEY ARE HERE AS REFERENCE TO THE A HISTORY OF THE WORLD PROJECT WHICH RAN THROUGHOUT 2010.

Radio 4 audience stories

Click on the links below to see the objects featured in the trails on Radio 4. You can also listen again to each contributor talking about their object - look for the link under the main image on each page.

You can also find all the British Museum objects from the Radio 4 series A History of the World in 100 Objects on our list of the 100 objects.

Featured objects



  1. Hartley Pit Poster
    Hartley Pit Poster
    Irene Godfrey
  2. First World War bullet
    First World War bullet
    Molly Bihet
  3. Motorway Paperweight
    Motorway Paperweight
    Simon Palmour
  4. Yoruba Diviner's Sash
    Yoruba Diviner's Sash
    Jamoke Fashula
  5. William I Penny
    William I Penny
    Tony Sweatman
  6. Dansette Major Record Player
    Dansette Major Record Player
    Andrew Lowe
  7. Anti Slavery Pipe
    Anti Slavery Pipe
    Derek Best
  8. Royal Letter from Princess Elizabeth
    Royal Letter from Princess Elizabeth
    Geri Stephenson
  9. Cobbler's Hammer
    Cobbler's Hammer
    Robert Walters
  10. Elgar's Trombone
    Elgar's Trombone
    Sue Addison
  11. Stuka Ring
    Stuka Ring
    Ray Lee
  12. Troubles Brooch
    Troubles Brooch
    Brian Willis
  13. Music book
    Music book
    Joan Hill
  14. Transistor radio
    Transistor radio
    Graham Stapleton
  15. Farmer's Badge
    Farmer's Badge
    Mary Singleton
  16. Spitfire Model
    Spitfire Model
    William Davis
  17. Edwardian Chair
    Edwardian Metamorphic Chair
    Sue Harrod
  18. Oaks Bible
    Oaks Bible
    David Hardwick
  19. Granny's Jar
    Granny's Jar
    Caroline Kerley
  20. Athletics programme
    Athletics programme
    Angela Bryant
  21. Rice Box
    Rice Box
    Angela Joyce
  22. Merchant Seaman's Seachest
    Merchant Seaman's Seachest
    Barbara Chapman
  23. Music festival poster
    Music festival poster
    Colin Ward
  24. Ethiopian gold cross
    Ethiopian gold cross
    Margaret Hall
  25. Lifeboat's drinking water vessel
    Lifeboat's drinking water vessel
    Edmund Crichton
  26. Cecil Sharp's pipe
    Cecil Sharp's pipe
    Eric Foxley

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