The Black Hole of Calcutta: Myth and Reality

The Rise of Colonialism: How Europe Divided the World — Fexingo History · Jul 10, 2026 · 7m · transcript

In June 1756, the Nawab of Bengal Siraj-ud-Daulah captured Calcutta from the British East India Company. That night, according to a famous account by John Zephaniah Holwell, 146 British prisoners were locked in a tiny guardroom called the Black Hole, and by morning only 23 survived. But how much of that story is true? In this episode, Lucas and Luna sift through the evidence—examining Holwell's own evolving narrative, the size of the room, the number of prisoners, and contemporary Indian sources that tell a different story. They explore why the Black Hole became a propaganda tool that…