A deadly bomb. A death in a police station. A secret kept from the public.

In 1969, an explosion in Milan killed 17 people. The police accused a group of anarchists, but the story was not that simple.

In part one of this three-part mini-series on "Gli Anni Di Piombo" (The Years of Lead), we look at how this tragedy started one of the darkest times in Italian history.

• Italy modernising fast, but divided and tense.
• 12 December 1969: bomb at Milan’s Piazza Fontana.
• Seventeen dead, eighty-eight injured; shock across Italy.
• Coordinated Rome bombs; no claim; anarchists blamed.
• Anarchist Giuseppe Pinelli dies after police questioning; controversy.
• Pietro Valpreda arrested; weak evidence; years before acquittal.
• Evidence pointed to far-right group Ordine Nuovo.
• Suspected cover-ups by police and secret services.
• Strategy of tension; suspected Gladio links; extent unclear.
• Impact: fear, ordinary victims, start of the Years of Lead.

Full interactive transcript, subtitles and key vocabulary available on the website: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/piazza-fontana

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On 20 July 1944, a bomb ripped through a meeting room in Hitler’s Wolf’s Lair.

This episode tells how Operation Valkyrie *almost* managed to kill Adolf Hitler, and the vicious crackdown that came afterwards.

• The Wolf’s Lair meeting on 20 July 1944
• Claus von Stauffenberg’s injuries and role in the plot
• Setting one bomb; briefcase placed near Hitler
• Explosion at Wolf’s Lair; Hitler survives due to briefcase moved
• Operation Valkyrie: reserve army plan blaming SS
• A mixed group’s reasons to remove Hitler
• Coup starts; Goebbels phones Hitler; Remer switches sides
• Bendlerblock firefight, arrests, executions of plotters
• Brutal crackdown: show trials, thousands arrested, many executed
• Haunting “what if”: ways the plot almost succeeded

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In part one of a three-part mini-series on the theme of "university", we go on a whirlwind tour of the history of universities, from medieval student guilds in Bologna to the modern day.

• The University of Bologna nears its thousand-year anniversary.
• Why universities emerged: stability, trade, rediscovered texts, Church needs.
• Student guilds hired teachers; papal charters granted privileges, recognition.
• Medieval curriculum and university specialisations in law, theology, medicine.
• Renaissance humanism broadened studies beyond law and theology.
• Scientific Revolution made universities producers of new knowledge.
• Humboldt model united teaching and research in modern universities.
• Post-war expansion massified higher education around the world.
• Today: many universities, 250 million students; degrees often required.
• UK participation reaches 50%; rising costs and student debt.

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What does happiness really mean, and can it be measured?

In this episode, we move from Aristotle’s eudaimonia to brain scans, surveys, big data, and what truly lifts our mood.

It asks why money only helps so much, why social ties matter, and how trust shapes national well-being.

• Pleasure versus purpose happiness: Aristotle and flourishing
• Subjective well-being: life satisfaction, positive and negative emotions
• Surveys measure happiness; beware the memory and peak-end rule
• Experience sampling measures happiness in the moment
• Findings: happiest socialising, exercising, flow; least during commuting, illness
• Money boosts happiness, then flattens at higher incomes
• Social connections increase happiness; loneliness harms, especially during Covid
• Household size and eating alone trends in happiness
• Trust in others, institutions, and wallet return beliefs
• Caring for others versus expecting care from others

Full interactive transcript, subtitles and key vocabulary available on the website: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/science-of-happiness

Read the World Happiness Report here: https://www.worldhappiness.report/

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In part one of our three-part series on "Tyrants of the Roman Empire," we'll meet Caligula, the notorious Roman emperor known for his cruelty and excess.

Once hailed as a promising leader, Caligula's reign quickly devolved into a nightmare, filled with public executions and humiliations.

• Caligula's chilling dinner party threat
• Caligula's background and rise to power
• Tiberius's influence on young Caligula
• Public approval and the initial Golden Age
• Caligula's mysterious illness and recovery
• Shift to cruelty and public humiliations
• Caligula's obsession with divinity
• Extravagant projects and bizarre military orders
• Assassination by his own guard
• Legacy of despotism and unchecked power

Full interactive transcript, subtitles and key vocabulary available on the website: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/caligula

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The Department of Governmental Efficiency, otherwise known as DOGE, was a radical plan to cut government waste and reduce spending.

Where did the idea come from? How did it work? And crucially, did it do what it set out to do?

• Background to DOGE: Department of Governmental Efficiency
• Controversial email to federal employees
• Elon Musk's influence and Twitter comparison
• Restructuring of USDS into DOGE
• DOGE's cost-saving objectives and claims
• Layoffs and budget cuts in various departments
• Criticism over foreign aid cuts and their impact
• Accounting errors and inflated savings claims
• Public protests and Musk's departure
• Future of DOGE and its divisive legacy

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Was Ross Ulbricht a visionary pioneer or a dangerous criminal?

In part one of our series on "Young American Outlaws", we explore the rise and fall of the Silk Road and how Ulbricht's life sentence, followed by a 2025 presidential pardon, sparked fierce debate over freedom, technology, and the role of government.

• Ross Ulbricht's LinkedIn clue
• The concept behind The Silk Road
• Cryptocurrency's role in anonymity
• The structure of The Silk Road
• Unexpected listings and control issues
• Federal agents' Silk Road investigation
• The arrest of Ross Ulbricht
• Charges and the trial
• Sentencing and pardoning
• The wider debate on personal freedom

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Ever wondered how the (podcast) sausage is made?

In this slightly "meta" episode, I reveal the step-by-step process to make an episode of English Learning for Curious Minds.

• Choosing podcast topics: interest, timelessness, and neutrality
• Avoiding controversial topics and current affairs
• Researching topics through books, articles, and data
• Writing full scripts for natural conversation flow
• Using a variety of vocabulary for diverse learners
• Rewriting scripts after initial recordings
• Aiming for 20-minute episodes, 2,500-3,000-word scripts
• Incorporating AI tools for brainstorming and editing
• Results from our 2025 listener survey
• Thank you!

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Keywords: Learn English, vocabulary, lessons, idioms, aprende inglés, idiomas, aprender inglês, apprendre l'anglais, imparare l’inglese, ingilizce öğren,英語を習う, تعلم الإنجليزية