#48 A Man Obsessed With Canals & The Rescued Victorian Slave Turned Explorer (Duke Francis Egerton & Florence Baker)

Welcome back to Mostly Unsung, the comedy history podcast where hosts Annie and Andrea uncover the forgotten people, surprising stories, and historical characters that somehow never made it into the textbooks. Every Wednesday we bring you two bite-size historical biographies packed with fascinating facts, social history, and a healthy dose of humour.If you enjoy funny history podcasts, British history, Victorian history, and stories about remarkable people who changed the world, you’re absolutely in the right place.First up, Annie dives into the life of Francis Egerton, the man often credited with kick-starting Britain’s canal revolution. In the middle of the Industrial Revolution, this ambitious aristocrat helped transform transport, trade, and industry with the creation of the famous Bridgewater Canal. Coal, engineering innovation, and some seriously bold thinking helped reshape the economy. Think less peaceful narrowboat holiday and more industrial history drama.Then Andrea heads much further afield with the incredible story of Florence Baker, one of the most fascinating and often overlooked women in the history of Victorian exploration. Her life reads like an adventure novel beginning with a dramatic childhood, before travelling across continents and becoming the partner of famed explorer Samuel Baker on expeditions through Africa in search of the sources of the Nile. Courageous, resilient, and far more capable than society expected.Expect Victorian adventure, industrial innovation, British social history, and a few laughs along the way as we bring these two extraordinary lives back into the spotlight.If you love history podcasts, forgotten women in history, exploration stories, and the strange characters who shaped the modern world, join us every Wednesday for another episode of Mostly Unsung.For this episode Andrea used these sources:https://explorersweb.com/great-explorers-florence-baker/https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/Florence-Lady-Baker/https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2020/may/31/florence-baker-polyglot-slave-girl-turned-explorerhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_BakerFor this episode Annie used these sources:https://www.britannica.com/biography/Francis-Egerton-3rd-Duke-of-Bridgewaterhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Egerton,_3rd_Duke_of_BridgewaterWhere you can find us:https://www.instagram.com/mostlyunsung/https://www.facebook.com/share/16J4vuMy1h/https://www.tiktok.com/@[email protected] you next Wednesday!