The Calcutta Black Hole: Myth, Memory, and Empire

One of the most infamous events in early British-Indian history — the Black Hole of Calcutta — is also one of the most contested. In June 1756, after the Nawab of Bengal Siraj-ud-Daulah captured Fort William, 146 British prisoners were allegedly crammed into a tiny guardroom overnight; only 23 survived. But was the story real, or a propaganda tool to justify conquest? Lucas and Luna dig into what actually happened, how survivor John Zephaniah Holwell's account became a bestseller, and why historians now question the numbers. They trace how the incident was used to rally public support for the East India Company's military expansion — and how the memory of the Black Hole shaped British attitudes in India for generations. Along the way, they explore the physical layout of old Fort William, the role of the Armenian community, and the quiet rebuttals from Indian and revisionist historians. A nuanced look at how stories of atrocity get made, and unmade. #BlackHoleofCalcutta #JohnZephaniahHolwell #SirajUdDaulah #FortWilliam #Calcutta #Kolkata #EastIndiaCompany #BritishEmpire #Propaganda #Historiography #1756 #ColonialIndia #RobertClive #Armenians #RevisionistHistory #IndianHistory #FexingoHistory #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo