History 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
45:04
Fritz Haber: Inventor of Poisonous Gas
6 August 2023Fritz Haber is an undisputed genius and is considered one of the most brilliant minds of the 20th Century. He’s an incredibly complex person,...
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43:53
Eleanor Aquitaine: The Life of a Medieval Badass
4 August 2023You would think that a woman who was queen several times, commanded armies and was possibly the most powerful woman in medieval Europe would need...
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56:21
Rommel: The Desert Fox
4 August 2023Known as the Desert Fox, Erwin Rommel was one of Germany's greatest military leaders. Having soared through the ranks after numerous victories...
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39:33
Magna Carta
4 August 2023One of the most important documents ever written, Magna Carta was sealed by King John after negotiations with...
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40:34
President George Washington
3 August 2023He was the victorious Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. As presiding officer of the Constitutional...
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38:50
Cyrus the Great
3 August 2023The ancient Persian ruler who founded the Achaemenid Empire, known for his benevolent governance and conquests - Cyrus the Great was a giant of...
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30:44
The African Samurai
3 August 2023How did an enslaved East African man become Japan’s first foreign samurai, and the only ever samurai of African descent? How did Yasuke catch...
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50:54
Ragnar Lothbrok: Viking Legend
2 August 2023The ninth-century Danish king and warrior Ragnar Lothbrok became notorious again most recently through the TV series The Vikings. But what do we...
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31:44
Inventing Hello Kitty
2 August 2023She’s the most famous cat’s in the world. She’s definitely the most expensive. She’s worth a cool $84.5 Billion. She’s none other than...
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1:05:36
History's Greatest Commanders
1 August 2023In war, leadership matters. Poorly trained or outnumbered armies have often been led to victory by the sheer brilliance of their leaders....
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42:50
Lube: A Slippery History
1 August 2023From the seaweed-strewn shores of Ancient China to the American army camps in the Middle East, lube has been on a long and slippery...
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41:53
Medieval Booze with Eleanor Janega
1 August 2023In this episode of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis welcomes his new co-host, historian Dr. Eleanor Janega. For her first episode, Eleanor and Matt kick...
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34:17
Good King Wenceslaus
31 July 2023Who was the real good King Wenceslas? The Duke of Bohemia who was made famous by the Christmas carol was also a pivotal figure of European...
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35:46
Robert E Lee: Life & Legacy
31 July 2023He is undoubtedly the most famous member of the Confederate forces. But it wasn't always set to be that way.
In this episode, Don speaks to...
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40:06
Gentileschi: Greatest Female Artist of the Baroque Age
31 July 2023Artemisia Gentileschi was the most celebrated female painter of the 17th century, as famous in her lifetime as Reubens or Van Dyke. But the...
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52:58
Robert Mugabe
31 July 2023A Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician, Robert Mugabe served as the country's Prime Minister and later as its President for 37 years. His...
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37:39
North vs South: How Korea Was Divided
30 July 2023The divided Korean peninsula is the last remnant of the Cold War: South Korea is a vibrant democracy, a strong market economy, and home to a...
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50:39
Chichén Itzá
30 July 2023One of the new Seven Wonders of the World, Chichen Itza is home to monumental pyramids, temples, and is a treasure trove of archaeological...
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37:59
Thermos Flask: A Hot and Cold History
30 July 2023Isn’t it mind-blowing that a thermos flask can keep your drink hot or cold for 8 hours, despite what’s happening in the climate around you? A...
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43:14
Victorian Abortion & Birth Control
28 July 2023We’re connected to the past in more ways than you might think.
For example, the 1861 Offences against the person Act is an abortion...
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34:51
WW2: The Deadliest Blitz?
28 July 2023When you think of the Blitz and the devastation enacted by the Luftwaffe during the Second World War, British cities like London or Coventry...
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