History Podcasts | History Hit

 

 

History Hit podcasts

The History Hit network gives you access to a growing range of podcasts presented by and featuring historians at the forefront of research and debate.

Scroll down to listen to the most recent episodes from our network.

Dan Snow’s History Hit explores the deep history behind today’s headlines – giving you the context to understand what is going on today. Everything has a history, every challenge made easier by understanding its nature, its genesis. In a world of fast opinions, we put historians into the debate, women and men who bring real knowledge built over careers spent researching.

The Ancients, hosted by historian Tristan Hughes, is dedicated to discussing our distant past. Historians and archaeologists join Tristan to discuss specific themes from antiquity, from Neolithic Britain to the Fall of Rome.

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb presents Not Just the Tudors. Together with expert interviewees, she covers the sweeping range of the early modern period: everything from the Aztecs to witches, Velázquez to Shakespeare, Mughal India to the Mayflower.

Gone Medieval is hosted by historians Matt Lewis and Eleanor Janega, who shine a light on one of the most fascinating yet misunderstood periods of history: the Middle Ages. In each episode, experts lead listeners beneath the skin of captivating stories to uncover new insights.

In Betwixt the Sheets join historian, Kate Lister as she unashamedly roots around the topics which seem to have been skipped in history class. Everything from landmark LGBTQ+ court cases, to political scandal, to downright bizarre medieval cures for impotence.

In American History Hit, join Don Wildman twice a week for your hit of American history, as he explores the past to help us understand the United States of today. We’ll hear how codebreakers uncovered secret Japanese plans for the Battle of Midway, visit Chief Powhatan as he prepares for war with the British, see Walt Disney accuse his former colleagues of being communists, and uncover the dark history that lies beneath Central Park.

After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal joined History Hit’s award-winning podcast network in October 2023, hosted by actor, writer and historian Anthony Delaney and writer, broadcaster, historian Maddy Pelling. Together, the duo unpick history’s spookiest, strangest and most sinister stories – from the disappearance of HMS Terror to the origins of Halloween.

War historian and broadcaster James Rogers hosts our Warfare podcast, which opens up fascinating new perspectives on how conflict has shaped and changed our world. James teams up with fellow historians, veterans, and experts to reveal astonishing new histories of inspirational leadership, breakthrough technologies, and era defining battles.

Patented, hosted by Dallas Campbell, dives into stories of flukey discoveries, erased individuals and murky marketing ploys with the help of experts, scientists and historians.

Click on any of the listings below to listen to the most recent episodes from our network.

All Podcasts

40:20

The Rise of Christianity

25 December 2023

In the fourth century AD, the Christian faith exploded out of Palestine, overwhelming the paganism of Rome, converting the Emperor Constantine in...

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27:44

Christmas Day Strangler: the murder of Gwen Ellen Jones

25 December 2023

On Christmas Day 1909, Gwen Ellen Jones was murdered by William Murphy in the Welsh town of Holyhead. Anthony and Maddy tell the story with an...

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1:05:09

Rise of Hannibal

23 December 2023

He was one of the greatest enemies the Romans ever faced. An excellent general and a larger-than-life figure, he led an army across the alps and...

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28:58

Pythagoras' Utopia

23 December 2023

What comes to your mind when you think of Pythagoras, the ancient Greek polymath? Some might think of the Pythagorean theorem, a foundational...

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22:02

The Festive Fetish: Santaphilia

22 December 2023

They say he comes once a year... ahem.

Santa is back! To a lot of people that's no bad thing at all, and we're not just talking about the...

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58:53

Sex & Sparta

21 December 2023

This episode contains graphic references to sex, infant mortality, and sexual assault.

While Spartans are often thought of for their...

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54:11

Tudor Ghosts and Angels

21 December 2023

To this day, the presence of angels is synonymous with the Christmas story and the momentous events associated with the Nativity. For the...

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37:24

What Food Did Medieval People Eat?

21 December 2023

In times of plenty, we stuff ourselves. When the food runs out, we're basically stuffed. How did people in medieval Britain share the riches...

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34:41

Georgian Christmas

21 December 2023

Pantomimes, pleasure gardens, bare-knuckle boxing and political upheaval. Christmas in the 18th and early 19th centuries was a very different...

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31:00

President James K. Polk: Lies, Warmongering & the Myth of Success

20 December 2023

Is this the only president to have achieved all of their campaign promises? James K. Polk, the 11th Commander-in-Chief successfully led the nation...

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31:57

Charles Dickens' Christmas Ghosts

20 December 2023

Like Ebenezer Scrooge on Christmas Eve, we are visited by three Dickensian ghosts today. One rattling chains, one made out of dark memories, and...

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40:11

The Middle Ages in 5 Facts

20 December 2023

Where is the grave of King Arthur? What was the worst year in human history? Who were the most fractious royal siblings? What were the origins of...

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24:45

Saint Nicholas

19 December 2023

It's that time of year when the beloved Santa Claus comes around once again. But the celebrated image of this prolific gift-giver is based on an...

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47:58

King Arthur's Sex Life

19 December 2023

The words "the man, the myth, the legend" can easily apply to King Arthur.

Today we're looking past the round table, the sword in the stone,...

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39:07

The Amish: Origins and Society

18 December 2023

Simple living, plain dress and pacifism. This is not a lifestyle typical of the United States. So how did the Amish come to be in America? Where...

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37:53

Palmer the Poisoner: Victorian England's Doctor of Death

18 December 2023

In a century of poisoners, William Palmer stands out as the prince of them all. Charles Dickens called him "the greatest villain that ever stood...

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32:32

Medieval Humour at Christmas

18 December 2023

Just like us, medieval people loved a bit of entertainment at Christmas. But what did they consider funny? How did humorous stories...

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33:25

How the Elizabethan World Shaped Shakespeare

18 December 2023

We think of Shakespeare as a man out of time. His stories and characters, his capturing of human nature, and his exquisite use of language,...

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42:39

Fighting Hitler's U-Boats

18 December 2023

The Second World War is remembered for its colossal battles in the air, on land and at sea. But perhaps the most terrifying were those waged UNDER...

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57:03

Sparta vs Athens: The Greek World War

16 December 2023

Marked by shifting alliances, chaotic power struggles, and devastating consequences - the Peloponnesian War was a conflict for the ages. Fought...

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42:00

17th Century Sci-Fi Writer & 'It Girl': Margaret Cavendish

15 December 2023

Margaret Cavendish was extraordinary for any time, let alone the 17th century.

She was a trailblazer in fiction, writing and publishing what...

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