History Hit Podcasts

Rise of the Assassins

This is a special episode from a series we made in collaboration with Ubisoft, the makers of Assassin's Creed.

In Assassins vs Templars,...

Afghanistan: How the Taliban Won

In August 2021, Afghanistan's capital city Kabul, was captured by the Taliban. With scenes of panic, anarchy, and chaos splashed across every...

Victorian Wardrobe Secrets

If someone from the future looked inside your wardrobe, what could they find out about your life? That you like going out to parties? Maybe your...

The Moon Landing

July 20th, 1969. Neil Armstrong descends from Lunar Module Eagle to the Moon's surface. A momentous moment in American, and human history....

Willoughbyland: England's Lost Colony

When Sir Walter Raleigh set out to South America to find the legendary city of El Dorado, he paved the way for a series of adventurers who would...

The Great Fire of Rome

In July 64AD, the Great Fire of Rome tore across the city, and ultimately burnt two thirds of Rome to ashes before it could be bought under...

The Spy Behind the Iron Curtain

This episode contains high-speed chases, modified cars and a mission to uncover secret enemy technology. It's everything you'd find in a James...

Inventing Bond: The Real Q

Well before Bond was lasering and limboing himself out of fictional situations, these were the questions faced by the British forces trying to...

Vikings in Spain

When we think of Vikings, we tend to picture them in the colder climates of Northern Europe, and not so much in the warmer regions of Spain and...

The Katyn Massacre

Dan explains what happened in the spring of 1940 when the Soviet secret police executed over 22,000 Polish prisoners of war at three secluded...

Bond Girls

‘Bond girl’ is quite a loaded term. Why aren’t they women? What makes them part of this homologous team? And what does it mean if they have...

Becoming an Anglo-Saxon King

Throughout April, Gone Medieval is your perfect companion for the forthcoming coronation of King Charles III. In this episode, Dr. Cat Jarman...

The Road to Civil Rights

Under segregation, African Americans' lives were severely limited. Restricted entry to public places, private businesses and public transport,...

The Secret History of Nuclear War

Why is it that nobody has used the absolute weapon, the nuclear bomb, since 1945? Was it ever likely that the American arsenal would be used...

Catherine Howard: Henry VIII's Fifth Wife

Catherine Howard was Queen Consort - and fifth wife - to Henry VIII for just 16 months before he had her executed for treason for committing...

The Assassination that Ended South African Apartheid

The assassination of Chris Hani was a pivotal moment in the dismantling of South African apartheid. On the 10th of April, 1993, he was shot dead...

Assassins vs Templars: The Assassins & The Crusaders

In 1192, Conrad of Montferrat was assassinated, the question was, did Richard I have anything to do with it? Then, 80 years later Lord Edward, who...

Athena: Goddess of Wisdom

This episode contains graphic references of a sexual nature.

Athena is the goddess of wisdom, tactical war and skilled craft in Greek...

Vasectomies

Why did Sigmund Freud want a vasectomy at 67 years old? Why were goat gonads all the rage in the 1920s? Who was the first person to get the...

Tournaments & Rebellion in Historical Fiction

The Second Baron’s War was a time of great unrest and upheaval in 13th century England. Fought just decades after the signing of Magna Carta, it...

AI At War: Killer Robots

What if we could take people completely out of the equation when planning military strikes? Lethal autonomous weapons systems use artificial...