Bedste History Hit-podcasts (2024)

1
The Trial of Charles I 44:55

21h ago44:55

44:55

In the mid-17th century, King Charles I of England was put on trial for treason against the sovereign state. Such a process involved a singular determination by Parliament to find a way, through due legal process, to try the one they saw as a man of blood, to ensure that he paid the price for his faults and failings, but not through extrajudicial s…

1
President Ulysses S. Grant: The Myth of the Butcher 50:10

1d ago50:10

50:10

How does a heroic general of the Civil War become one of the lowest rated Presidents (at least until recently)? To discuss Grant's commitment to reconstruction, civil rights, and the crushing of the Ku Klux Klan, Don is joined by Professor Anne Marshall. Anne is a historian of the Nineteenth century U.S. South and the Civil War in historical memory…

1
We Want It That Way Edition Part 1 1:04:02

4d ago1:04:02

1:04:02

When you hear “boy band,” what do you picture? Five guys with precision dance moves? Songs crafted by the Top 40 pop machine? Svengalis pulling the puppet strings? Hordes of screaming girls? As it turns out, not all boy bands fit these signifiers. (Well…except for the screaming girls—they are perennial.) There are boy bands that danced, and some th…

1
What is Zionism? 44:08

2d ago44:08

44:08

Dan delves into the complex history of Zionism, exploring its multifaceted origins and the various ideological strands that have shaped it over the years. From its early beginnings in the 19th century to its pivotal role in the establishment of the State of Israel. With expert insight and analysis from Peter Bergamin, lecturer at the University of …

1
Ulysses S. Grant & the Civil War 40:26

6d ago40:26

40:26

Strategic brilliance? Relentless determination? Unbeatable leadership and cooperation with Lincoln? How did Ulysses S. Grant distinguish himself in the Civil War? Don speaks to Cecily Zander, a historian specializing in the Civil War era and the American West. Together, they discuss Grant's rise to General, his role in the war and why he has been k…

1
Plagues 21:36

6d ago21:36

21:36

From a plague in Athens during the Peloponnesian War in 430 BCE, to another in 540 that wiped out half the population of the Roman empire, down through the Black Death in the Middle Ages and on through the 1918 flu epidemic (which killed between 50 and 100 million people) and this century's deadly SARS outbreak, plagues have been a much more relent…

1
Hollywood Spy: The British WW1 Hero Who Helped Japan Attack Pearl Harbour 25:28

7d ago25:28

25:28

Frederick Rutland was one of Britain's finest naval pilots and a celebrated hero of the First World War. And yet in the interwar period, he would become a turncoat, feeding information to Japanese intelligence whilst living undercover in the glitz and glamour of 1930s Hollywood. Joining Dan to discuss Rutland's life is Ronald Drabkin, author of 'Be…

1
HMS Wager: Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder 54:24

8d ago54:24

54:24

Join Dan as he narrates the harrowing story of the HMS Wager and its crew's descent into mutiny and survival against all odds. Set against the backdrop of the War of Jenkins' Ear, the Wager, a British warship, was part of a secret squadron sent to attack Spanish holdings in the Pacific but, tragedy struck as the ship was wrecked off the desolate co…

1
The Rise & Fall of Al Capone 50:34

9d ago50:34

50:34

Al Capone is one of the most notorious gangsters in US history. His story of rags to riches, set against the backdrop of the prohibition era, is worthy of the many movies that it has inspired. Violent mobster, genius businessman or semi-professional baseball player, who was the real Al Capone? To find out, Don speaks to Claire White, Director of Ed…

1
Nazis, the CIA & Psychedelics 25:33

9d ago25:33

25:33

This is the untold story of how Nazi experiments with psychedelics influenced CIA research and the War on Drugs. From covert mind control programs to experiments with 'truth serums', we trace the connection between the Third Reich's sinister scientific experiments and later US drug policy. To explain this wild post-war history, Dan is joined by the…

1
NATO: 75 Years Deterring Armageddon 29:53

13d ago29:53

29:53

It comprises more than half of the world's defence spending, but what is the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation? How has the United States influenced it from its inception to today? And how, during its 75 years, has it impacted the United States in return? Don is joined by Peter Apps, journalist and Reuters global defence commentator. From the sign…

1
The Mary Celeste: Ghost Ship 37:52

13d ago37:52

37:52

In 1872 the ghost ship Mary Celeste is found sailing across the Atlantic without a single crew member left onboard. Theories over what happened on the Mary Celeste range from insurance fraud to a violent mutiny... this week, Maddy and Anthony discuss what they think happened to the ship's crew. Edited by Tom Delargy. Produced by Freddy Chick. Senio…

1
Kensington Palace: Serving the Royal Court 28:15

14d ago28:15

28:15

Kensington Palace was the centre of court life in 18th-century Britain. It was the principal London residence for the Royals, as well as a lavish venue for hosting monarchs and world leaders. But behind this very public world existed an entirely obscured one, made up of a small army of people who kept the royal show on the road. Dan is joined by Mi…

1
George Washington 38:11

15d ago38:11

38:11

As Commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, George Washington was a central feature of the American Revolutionary War. He was also the first President of the nascent United States, and his ethics permeated the nation's constitution. Dan is joined by Craig Bruce Smith, Associate Professor of History at the National Defense University specialising…

1
The Real Great Gatsby 25:38

16d ago25:38

25:38

A wealthy man in his early 30s. An army man. A German immigrant. A bootlegger. A lover. Who was Jay Gatsby? And if he was based on a real person, what do we know about them? To delve into one of the most famous fictional characters of the 20th century (from one of Don's favourite authors, F Scott Fitzgerald) Don speaks to Joe Nocera. Joe is the hos…

1
The Amelia Earhart Mystery Solved? 29:13

16d ago29:13

29:13

What happened to the pioneering pilot, Amelia Earhart? In 1937, while attempting to circumnavigate the globe by aircraft, Earhart and her navigator went missing. Some 87 years later, new evidence has emerged - a grainy image of what looks like a plane, thousands of feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean. To talk about Earhart and this discover…

1
Gotcha Covered Edition Part 2 46:19

18d ago46:19

46:19

Cover songs once had a simple playbook: Artists would faithfully rerecord a song—note for note and word for word. They might modernize the instrumentation. If they were feeling radical, they’d punch up the vocals a bit. Now it’s hard to say what a cover is anymore. If Ariana Grande turns “My Favorite Things” into “7 Rings,” does that qualify? When …

1
President Andrew Johnson: Reconstruction & The First Impeachment 45:49

19d ago45:49

45:49

Three quarters of a million people dead in the Civil War. A country separated in to two. How do you join it back together? Do you punish the secessionists? How do you grapple with the question of enslavement? And who do you choose to be at the controls? When Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in 1865, his Vice President, Andrew Johnson, became Presid…

1
2. The British Empire: The Raj and Indian Independence 58:36

20d ago58:36

58:36

This is the story of the British Empire in India. Over two episodes, we'll chart India's history from the birth of the Mughal Empire until the Partition of India. Joining us is Shrabani Basu, a journalist, historian and author of books including Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen's Closest Confidant. In this second episode, Dan and Shrab…

1
1. The British Empire: Mughals & the East India Company 40:54

21d ago40:54

40:54

This is the story of the British Empire in India. Over two episodes, we'll chart India's history from the birth of the Mughal Empire until the Partition of India. Joining us is Shrabani Basu, a journalist, historian and author of books including Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen's Closest Confidant. In this first episode, Dan and Shraba…

1
D.B. Cooper & the 70s Hijacking Craze 41:40

22d ago41:40

41:40

On 23 June 1972, a man boarded American Airlines Flight 119 in St Louis. He sat most of the way to Tulsa before donning a wig and a pair of gloves in the restroom, taking out a gun and handing a member of the cabin crew a note. 'Don't panic. This is a ransom hijacking.' To find out more about this man, what he hoped to gain from his crimes, and how…

1
The English Navigator Who Became a Samurai 55:45

23d ago55:45

55:45

In the year 1600, a bedraggled English sailor and his sick and dying crewmates anchored off the coast of Kyushu, Japan. His name was William Adams, and over the next two decades, he would rise through the ranks of Japanese society to become the first Western samurai. As a close advisor to the revered shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, Adams was a first-hand w…

1
The Salem Witch Trials 40:52

23d ago40:52

40:52

More than 200 accused, 20 executed and a village plagued with hysteria. Were the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 and 1693 the work of superstition, a power struggle, fungus or actual witchcraft? What makes them stand out in the history of witch trials? In this episode, Don speaks to Jessica Parr from Northeastern University about the alleged crimes, per…

1
Did the Cold War Ever End? 56:27

26d ago56:27

56:27

Would the Cold War have happened if the nuclear bomb was never created? How did Gorbachev, Reagan and Thatcher reduce tensions between the East and West? And, according to one of the Russian authorities' most wanted journalists, how are echoes of the Cold War felt today? 'Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War' is a new, 9-part Netflix documentar…

1
Atlantis 22:16

27d ago22:16

22:16

The fictional island of Atlantis has intrigued and eluded us for millennia. First mentioned in the works of Plato, it's a story that captures our collective imagination - and yet it's almost certainly false. Dan is joined by Stephen Kershaw, author of "A Brief History of Atlantis: Plato's Ideal State". We're going to see if there are any grains of …

1
Persia: Rise of the Sasanians 51:34

28d ago51:34

51:34

The Sasanians are renowned as one of Rome's most feared enemies. Founded in third-century Persia by an Iranian noble called Ardashir, their dynasty oversaw the growth of a mighty empire that brought down the Parthians and survived into the early Middle Ages. But how did one family oversee the rebirth of Persia as a Mesopotamian heavyweight? In this…

1
The History of the RNLI 22:46

29d ago22:46

22:46

In the tempestuous waters of the 18th century, a revolutionary idea emerged from the depths of despair and necessity: the lifeboat. Born from the genius of Lionel Lukin in 1785, the invention redefined maritime rescue. Amidst the roaring seas, innovations flourished and a new institution was set up. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) wh…

1
Irish in America: Poverty to Power 47:01

29d ago47:01

47:01

At least 23 of the Presidents of the United States can have their ancestry traced back to Ireland. So why did this diaspora come to America? What was their reception like? And how have they reached the top of the power structure so regularly? We are finding out in this episode with historian Kevin Kenny, Professor of History and Glucksman Professor…

1
Warfare in Ancient Greece 49:15

30d ago49:15

49:15

How did warfare work in Ancient Greece? The weapons and armour of the Greek hoplite are legendary, as are the warrior cultures of city-states like Sparta. But how would a Greek battle have played out on the ground? Dan is joined by Roel Konijnendijk, Darby Fellow in Ancient History at the University of Oxford and an expert in warfare in the Greek w…

1
Gotcha Covered Edition Part 1 57:09

1M ago57:09

57:09

Cover songs once had a simple playbook: Artists would faithfully rerecord a song—note for note and word for word. They might modernize the instrumentation. If they were feeling radical, they’d punch up the vocals a bit. Now it’s hard to say what a cover is anymore. If Ariana Grande turns “My Favorite Things” into “7 Rings,” does that qualify? When …

1
Lincoln: Love, Loss & Legacy 42:36

1M ago42:36

42:36

President and Commander-in-Chief at a major turning point in American History? Victim of a violent and public assassination? How do you remember Abraham Lincoln? Most likely it isn't for his role as a son, husband, friend and father. In this final episode of our Lincoln series, we're going to dig into Lincoln's personal life, upbringing, relationsh…

1
Boudica: Queen of the Iceni 42:04

1M ago42:04

42:04

She's the warrior queen who took on the mighty Roman Empire, but who really was Boudica? Separating facts from the myths we've read can be tricky, but thankfully Kate is joined by the wonderful Emma Southon, author of A History of the Roman Empire in 21 Women, to find out the truth and explore our most reliable sources. What happened when Boudica l…

1
Infiltrating the IRA: Murder & Espionage in Northern Ireland 47:49

1M ago47:49

47:49

With Operation Kenova back in the headlines, we look to the story of Frank Hegarty, an IRA member turned British informant whose assassination led to the largest murder investigation in British history. Dan is joined by Henry Hemming, the bestselling author of Four Shots in the Night. Henry unravels this tale of espionage, murder, and justice, and …

1
The Rise & Fall of the Ku Klux Klan 30:16

1M ago30:16

30:16

A far-right hate group known the world over, the Ku Klux Klan emerged in the aftermath of the Civil War. So why did it emerge? Where did it get its name from? And how has its size, focus and influence changed in the years since? To demystify this terrorist organisation, Don spoke to Professor Kristofer Allerfeldt from the University of Exeter, Engl…

1
Oppenheimer vs Einstein 44:23

1M ago44:23

44:23

Today we're talking about two 20th century titans, the physicists J. Robert Oppenheimer and Albert Einstein. Their scientific achievements changed the world, and yet they were sceptical of one another. In the 1930s, Oppenheimer had described Einstein as 'completely cuckoo' - later in his life, Einstein would say that he admired Oppenheimer as a man…

1
The Financial Crashes that Changed the World 39:53

1M ago39:53

39:53

Over the last turbulent century, the global economy has suffered the shockwaves of recessions and depressions, bubbles and unchecked investor euphoria. And with the UK's spring budget announced this week, we ask the question - have we learnt from the economic mistakes of the past? In this episode, Dan is joined by Linda Yueh, Fellow in Economics at…

1
Lincoln & the Civil War 44:16

1M ago44:16

44:16

Inaugurated into the thick of secession and assassinated just weeks after Confederate surrender, there is no separating the story of Abraham Lincoln from the Civil War. So in this second part of our series on Lincoln, Don speaks to Adam Smith about Lincoln's leadership of the Union army during the war. Adam is a professor at the University of Oxfor…

1
4. Machu Picchu: The Fall of the Inca Empire 29:22

1M ago29:22

29:22

Part 4/4. The Spanish conquistadors arrived in Peru in 1526 in a bloody pursuit of gold and riches; it was the beginning of the end for the Inca. The Inca were unable to comprehend the Spanish weapons of war, foresee their underhanded tactics or resist the deadly diseases they brought with them. In the final episode, Dan and his expert guests trace…

1
3. Machu Picchu: Inca Gods and Human Sacrifices 44:02

1M ago44:02

44:02

Part 3/4. Juanita the Ice Maiden is one of the most famous mummies in the world. She was found in 1991 by anthropologist Johan Reinhard lying out in the sun on top of a dormant volcano in the Peruvian Andes. Found almost perfectly preserved, she was bludgeoned to death as a human sacrifice. Dan is joined by Johan who tells the story of her discover…

1
2. Machu Picchu: The Rise of the Inca Empire 39:00

1M ago39:00

39:00

Part 2/4. At their most powerful, the Inca had the largest empire in the world. Lasting just one century from the mid-15th century, it stretched across the South American continent from the Amazon to the Pacific. The Inca developed ingenious ways to grow food in some of the world's most extreme climates, they managed to convert disparate tribes to …

1
1. Machu Picchu: The 'Lost City' 42:45

1M ago42:45

42:45

Part 1/4. Dan takes the podcast to the Peruvian Andes as he follows in the footsteps of intrepid American explorer Hiram Bingham who revealed Machu Picchu to the world. At the turn of the 20th century, Bingham heard rumours of a fabled lost city in the clouds that revealed the power and brilliance of the Inca and their vast empire that once spanned…

1
The Last Ship of the Atlantic Slave Trade 37:31

1M ago37:31

37:31

In July 1860, half a century after the importation of captive slaves was banned under federal law, a ship docked in Alabama carrying around 110 enslaved people. To find out who was still engaging in the Atlantic slave trade, how these people were forced onto the Clotilda and what happened to them after landing in the United States, Don speaks to Ha…

1
Lincoln the President 54:58

2M ago54:58

54:58

When it comes to US Presidents, it’s not easy to agree on much these days. But one thing that has remained consistent is the man widely considered to be the best president in history: Abraham Lincoln. In this first episode of our three part series, we're finding out about Lincoln's rise to power and key policies as the President of the United State…

1
History of Gulags 29:13

2M ago29:13

29:13

On the 16th of February, 2024, the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service announced that opposition leader Alexei Navalny had died. He had been imprisoned in the far-flung "Polar Wolf" penal colony, built in the city of Kharp on the ruins of a Stalin-era labour camp. Dan is joined by Alexander Watson, Professor of History at Goldsmiths, University of…

1
New Series! Machu Picchu Coming 4th March 1:00

2M ago1:00

1:00

Following in the footsteps of explorer Hiram Bingham, Dan embarks on an incredible adventure through the cloud forest of the Andes to reveal the mysteries of Machu Picchu and the mighty Inca civilization. In this series he takes listeners to Peru's city in the clouds, chronicling the way this extraordinary citadel was unveiled to the world at the t…

1
How to Survive in Tudor England 36:24

2M ago36:24

36:24

Life in Tudor England was risky. In addition to the outbreaks of plague, the threat of poverty and the dangers of childbirth, there were social risks - of not fitting in, of social death. How was a person supposed to behave? And what were the dangers involved? In this episode of Not Just the Tudors, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb finds out about the a…

1
American History Tellers 4:16

2M ago4:16

4:16

The Cold War, Prohibition, the Gold Rush, the Space Race. Every part of your life - the words you speak, the ideas you share - can be traced to our history, but how well do you really know the stories that made America? We'll take you to the events, the times and the people that shaped our nation. And we'll show you how our history affected them, t…

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