I’ve always loved history.

I took it all through high school as part of my HSC, and then continued into university, when I didn’t even need it to complete my degree.

Sadly, despite maybe five years of classes on subjects like modern Russian history and the Cuban Missile Crisis, a lack of flexing those brain muscles has let the lessons I learned gently waft off into the ether.

When I listen to The Memory Palace, however, fascinating episodes of history seem to be tattooed into my memory forever.

The way host, Nate Dimeo, gracefully and quietly narrates his stories, it’s actually relaxing to let his scenes of time wash over you, rather than trying to force yourself to absorb them.

Episodes traditionally explore generally unknown chapters of the past – whether it be stories of the unsung women that helped to map the stars in the sky (episode 60: 400,000 Stars), chilling Halloween stories of “vampires” (episode 41: Mary, Mary and Mercy), or the story of how one of the most important inventions of modern history was the elevator brake (episode 52: Six Stories).

And Dimeo is a brilliant story teller (he’s also a writer on Parks & Recreation), who weaves what could very easily have been forgotten fabrics of history into gorgeous and rich tapestries full of intriguing characters  and presented in a format that’s ideal for modern consumption (most eps are between five and 10 minutes in length).

Despite it’s first “official” season just being announced to start airing from June 24, you can already subscribe and listen to classic episodes of The Memory Palace on itunes, or listen to episodes via the website – thememorypalace.us

Here’s a fantastic ep to get you started: