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

57:59

The Cyrus Cylinder

25 May 2023

An ancient clay artefact that dates back to the 6th century BCE, the Cyrus Cylinder is often considered one of the most important documents in...

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58:42

4. Story of England: Industrial Revolution

24 May 2023

Modern England as we know it started in the industrial heart of Ironbridge in Shropshire- now a verdant gorge that once was black with smog, fire...

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37:02

Inventing Disneyland: The First Themepark

24 May 2023

Giant mouse ears at the ready, we're off to Disneyland! Hop on board and travel with us inside Walt Disney's mind (for better or for worse). We...

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52:04

3. Story of England: Tudor Feuds, Explorers and Fanatics

23 May 2023

The Tudors were the dynasty that had it all- power, family feuds, sex and scandal. Dan couldn't do a history of England without a hearty helping...

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45:34

The Real Queen Charlotte

23 May 2023

Queen Charlotte is back in the spotlight, thanks to the new Bridgerton spin-off series looking into her life and marriage to King George...

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27:42

How the Mediterranean Created Wealth

23 May 2023

What does archaeology tell us about how regions in the Mediterranean built their wealth between the 10th and 12th centuries? How did...

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59:51

2. Story of England: Medieval Invaders

22 May 2023

Great Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, bloodshed at the battle of Hastings, Bubonic Plague and Roland the celebrity flatulist. As dawn breaks, Dan walks the...

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35:06

America Prepares for War: FDR & WW2

22 May 2023

Was the USA already a superpower when it joined the Second World War? How did it turn from an isolationist nation to a force ready for...

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40:27

Obscene Jokes in the Early Modern Period

22 May 2023

In the 16th Century, rude jokes and scatological humour were just as much a feature of life as they are today. Between 1529 and 1539, a Swiss...

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1:08:47

WW2: Last Letters of Resistance Fighters

22 May 2023

It's 1943, you're part of the French resistance, and you've been sentenced to death. You're allowed to write one last letter before you're shot by...

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50:40

1. Story of England: Stone Age to Roman Days

21 May 2023

Dan begins his ultimate historical road trip at the mysterious plinths at Stonehenge in the South-West of England. Dan uncovers how the stones...

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35:08

Rise and Fall of Encyclopedias

21 May 2023

The 15th edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica, published in 1974, cost $32 million to create. The largest investment in publishing history. And...

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55:41

Hanging Gardens of Babylon

21 May 2023

A legendary, ancient architectural wonder, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon are one of the most famed wonders of the Ancient world. Described as...

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30:55

Sudan: Why Is There A Conflict?

19 May 2023

Fighting has broken out in Sudan following years of power struggle between the country's military leadership: General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head...

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45:40

Molly Houses

19 May 2023

It’s hard to imagine London’s gay scene before vibrant night spots like Heaven and G.A.Y, but come back with us to the 18th Century to find...

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35:40

Medieval Warfare: Deception and Trickery

19 May 2023

Deception and trickery have always been a universal feature of warfare and the wars of the Middle Ages were no exception - from the Battle of...

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40:48

Serial Killer Family on the Frontier

18 May 2023

Between 1871 and 1872, Labette County, Kansas became a source of mystery. Several people have gone missing on their journey west and a few bodies...

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44:03

Poverty Point: Centre of Ancient America

18 May 2023

An ancient, colossal site in Northeastern Louisiana, Poverty Point is a mystery amongst archaeologist and anthropologists a like. Dating back...

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20:41

Anne Boleyn & Katherine of Aragon: Rival Queens?

18 May 2023

History has painted Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn in two very different hues: one wife, one mistress; one Spanish, one French; one committed...

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43:47

Henry III vs. Simon de Montfort

17 May 2023

After speaking to Gone Medieval in April 2022 about the first volume of his magisterial biography of Henry III, David Carpenter promised Matt...

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37:09

Inventing Bond: Wiretapping

17 May 2023

We live in a world where everything is bugged. We all know we are being monitored. The surprising thing is that this is nothing new.

From...

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