History Hit Podcasts

Louisiana's Ancient Mystery: Poverty Point

There are no other historic sites like this one on the planet. The concentric semi circles and mounds of Poverty Point in Louisiana are a mystery...

The First Spears

According to the work of today's guest, Dr Annemieke Milks, humans were using spears approximately 400,000 years ago. Thanks to fragments...

Cromwell, Boleyn & Aragon: A New Discovery

Experts at Hever Castle - the childhood home of Anne Boleyn - have made an extraordinary discovery. They’ve established that an ornate 1527...

Origins of Scottish Independence

For the first time in 18 years, the Declaration of Arbroath - an iconic document in the story of the struggle for Scottish independence in the...

Pencils: A Surprising History

Is the pencil an example of perfect design? What is the greatest pencil of all time? What does a fallen down tree in the Lake District have to do...

Wreck, Scandal & Mutiny on HMS Wager

In 1740, the Royal Navy ship The Wager set sail for the Pacific to take part in the War of Jenkins' Ear. The unfortunate ship was separated from...

Marco Polo

One of history’s great adventurers, Marco Polo’s accounts of his travels - dictated while in prison - were exceptionally widely read,...

Anne Lister: The First Modern Lesbian?

It’s a rare thing to hear first hand the experiences of marginalised people in history. So often their voices are silenced, and their histories...

Ukraine's Dam Destroyed: Water as a Weapon

On the 6th of June, 2023, an explosion tore through the Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine. A torrent of water cascaded downriver, flooding towns and...

The Lavender Scare: Being Gay in Washington DC

Why were gay federal employees seen as a national security threat during the 20th century? How might they in fact have been more of an asset? And...

Napalm

Napalm. One of the most controversial weapons of the 20th century, it's an incendiary substance that if it comes into contact with your skin, it...

Shakespeare’s First Folio: Politics, People & Printing

Shakespeare’s First Folio — the first book to contain 36 of his plays, 18 of which had not been in print before — was published in...

Chevalier: France's Revolutionary Maestro

Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges is perhaps the most accomplished classical musician that you've never heard of. A composer, soldier and...

Locks and the Great Lock Controversy

In Victorian England, a prisoner was promised their freedom if only they could pick a lock...

This week on Patented it's the history of...

Human Origins: Australopithecus

For millions of years, Australopithecus thrived in Africa's vast landscapes, laying the groundwork for the emergence of the Homo genus. Later,...

The Greatest Medieval Divorce Scandal

In 855, the Carolingian king Lothar II was married to the aristocratic Teutberga for political reasons. But there was a third...

Vietnam War & Australia

With discussions of the Vietnam War often focusing on the United States' role and position on the Asian continent, countries like Australia...

Victorian Pregnancy & Childbirth: The Untold History

Why did Victorian doctors recommend women to lie still in solitary confinement for days after giving birth? What was the 'sit up and cough'...

The Wright Brothers

Approximately 100 thousand flights take off and land each and every day. A months long journey on a boat is condensed to just a few hours with the...

Ravenna and the Fall of Rome

The fall of the Western Roman Empire stands as one of the most monumental moments in ancient history, symbolising the end of centuries of Roman...

Elizabethan 'Travel Liar': The Truth about David Ingram

In 1567, a sailor named David Ingram sailed from Plymouth with 400 others on a slaving expedition. The ensuing events read like a fantastic...