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
41:01
Suicide Drones: A History
7 July 2023Drone warfare has undoubtedly become a crucial component of contemporary military operations - with drone strikes in the Russia-Ukraine war often...
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19:53
The Crossfire of Gettysburg
6 July 2023Gettysburg is synonymous with the bloodiest battle in the history of the United States. But before it was the location of a battle and Lincoln's...
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44:38
The Lighthouse of Alexandria
6 July 2023The last monument to be added to the list of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Lighthouse of Alexandria (also known as the Pharos), was...
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56:56
Thomas More on Film: The Historians' Verdict
6 July 2023What do you get when you bring together five top historians to debate depictions of Thomas More on film and TV? History with the gloves off - our...
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47:48
The Battle of Kursk
5 July 2023Dan explains Operation Citadel. In July and August of 1943, it was the last major attempt by the Nazis to turn the tide of the war in the East....
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29:51
Rise and Fall of Cinema
5 July 2023What was the first cinema? When were the heydays of cinema-going and where are we now? How has the experience of going to the cinema...
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30:45
The Creation of the NHS
4 July 202375 years ago this week, the National Health Service was born. Launched by Aneurin Bevan on the 5th of July, 1948, it revolutionised healthcare in...
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45:07
Garter Knights & Kings' Graves: St George's Chapel, Windsor
4 July 2023There are few places more fascinating and evocative for Medieval enthusiasts than Saint George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.
In this episode...
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42:07
April Ashley: Paris Showgirl, Vogue Model & Trans Trailblazer
4 July 2023As the UK’s second person to go through gender reassignment surgery, April Ashley was a trans trailblazer, breaking new ground fearlessly and...
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39:26
California Gold Rush
3 July 2023From the rings on our fingers to coins in our pockets and, for a select few, the medals hanging around our necks. Gold is one of the most coveted...
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37:44
The Battle of Gettysburg
3 July 2023The first three days of July 1863 saw the bloodiest single battle of the American Civil War. This clash between the Unionist and Confederate...
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48:18
Elizabeth I's Musician: William Byrd
3 July 2023The most admired and influential composer during the reigns of Queen Elizabeth I and King James I, William Byrd died exactly 400 years ago on 4...
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28:59
Alan Turing & Bletchley Park
3 July 2023Alan Turing: pioneering mathematician, computer scientist, codebreaker. He played a crucial role in decrypting Nazi messages during the Second...
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48:12
The First Day of The Somme
2 July 2023Dan Explains the first day of The Somme which remains the bloodiest day in the history of the British army; a symbol of the senseless carnage of...
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32:45
Lion Man: The First Myth?
2 July 2023Discovered in a German cave, days before the Second World War broke out, the Lion Man statue remained an enigma for decades. A figurine that...
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39:45
Dogs: Domesticating Wolves, Inventing Breeds (& Killer Beavers)
2 July 2023How do we go from wolves to modern dogs? And where do Killer Beavers fit into the story?
Humans domesticated wolves long before any other...
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25:15
Wagner & Putin: The Russian Coup?
30 June 2023On the 24th of June 2023, amidst rising tensions within Russia, the Wagner mercenary group rebelled against the Russian Government. With news...
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26:15
Medieval Comedy: Minstrels
30 June 2023Every historian dreams of hitting gold in the archives. Matt Lewis’s guest Dr. James Wade of Girton College, Cambridge has done just...
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44:56
Women Warriors: From Boudicca to Ukrainian Snipers
30 June 2023From Boudicca to Ukrainian snipers, battlefields have always contained a surprising number of women.
Today Kate is joined Betwixt the Sheets...
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50:50
Stonewall
29 June 2023What made June 28 1969 a landmark occasion for LGBTQ+ rights?How was Stonewall different from the uprisings that had come before it? And why were...
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53:08
Shakespeare's Plays: The Power of Gestures
29 June 2023When we think of Shakespeare, we mostly think of language. But what about gesture and other forms of nonverbal communication - from thumb-biting...
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