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
35:48
Life Lessons From Historical Women
23 August 2024When women's stories aren't being flat-out ignored from the history books, they can often be sidelined.
Well not here! Joining Kate today is...
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39:33
William Marshal: Knight & Crusader
23 August 2024William Marshal was one of the most famous and influential figures in English medieval history, rising from a lowly start to becoming the knight...
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46:26
The Terracotta Warriors
22 August 2024The world was astonished when 8000 terracotta soldiers were unearthed in 1974 by Chinese farmers digging a well; the warriors opened a window to...
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48:00
President William Howard Taft: The Reluctant Politician?
22 August 2024Sandwiched between Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson is our 26th President of the United States, William Howard Taft. Did he have the...
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44:40
Origins of Beer
22 August 2024It's one of the most popular alcoholic drinks in the world. But did you know that beer is also one of the world's oldest beverages, with a history...
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38:20
Medici Popes: Power over Piety
22 August 2024Fueled by ambition and the desire to extend their influence, the House of Medici saw the papacy not only as a religious post but a political one. ...
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53:25
Salem Witch Trials: Interrogation & Torture
22 August 2024The second part of our story on the Salem Witch Trials. Anthony Delaney takes Maddy Pelling inside the courtroom as unbelievable stories of...
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42:54
The First Emperor of China
20 August 2024Dan heads to China to discover the incredible story of Qin Shi Haungdi, the man who built the mysterious Terracotta Warriors, the Great Wall and...
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17:34
The Battle of Clontarf
20 August 2024On Gone Medieval we like to celebrate the best stories - and storytellers - of history, so today Dr.Eleanor Janega showcases the brilliant podcast...
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44:43
Renaissance Beauty: Snails, Cat Poo & Fatal Make-Up
20 August 2024Why did Renaissance women say the Lord's prayer while removing pubic hair?
If you're like us you definitely want to know the answer to this,...
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26:19
Lafayette: The Marquis and the American Revolution
19 August 2024Why did an aristocratic French man fight for American freedom? How influential was Lafayette? And what did he do on his return visit to the United...
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47:55
Salem Witch Trials: Hysteria & Accusations
19 August 2024First of two episodes on the Salem Witch Trials. We begin the story as accusations are made throughout the town of Salem and a climate of fear...
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43:00
How Indigenous Americans Discovered Europe
19 August 2024We have long been taught that modern global history began when the 'Old World' encountered the 'New', when Christopher Columbus 'discovered'...
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30:07
The Cocaine Craze in Victorian Britain
18 August 2024Many things may come to mind when you hear the word 'cocaine' - and we'd wager that the last thing on that list would be the Victorians. But as it...
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36:53
The First Cats
18 August 2024Cats! These much loved furry friends have brightened people’s lives for millenia. And it was the same in ancient times. They were pets. They...
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42:17
Sex Work in 18th Century Paris
16 August 2024Paris was a wild place in the 18th century.
It was the Age of the Enlightenment, cafe culture was exploding along with the world of ballet...
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37:34
Crusader Criminals
16 August 2024Please be aware that this episode mentions sexual violence
Amongst the countless crusaders who travelled to the Holy Land, there were...
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56:25
The Real Society of the Snow: I Survived the Andes Flight Crash
15 August 2024Warning: this episode includes descriptions of human suffering and cannibalism.
High in the remote Andes mountains, a Uruguayan rugby team...
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28:47
Kamala Harris: An Unprecedented Candidacy?
15 August 2024Cleopatra, Catherine the Great, Boudicca, Margaret Thatcher, Angela Merkel: what do these women have in common? They were all leaders of their...
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7:18
American History Hit: 200 Episodes On
15 August 2024Host Don Wildman has a message for listeners old and new, marking 200 episodes of American History Hit.
American History Hit first started...
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58:44
The Parthenon: Wonder of Athens
15 August 2024It is the most famous monument of ancient Greece. Its remains standing tall above modern Athens today, more than 2,000 years old. The Parthenon. A...
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