History Hit Podcasts

Gossip, Scandal and High Society

Throughout the first half of the twentieth century, Henry ‘Chips’ Channon documented British high society in eye-watering detail. His diaries...

The Dynasty that Transformed Southern India

Histories of India usually concern themselves with events and invasions in the subcontinent’s North, while the rest of India’s rich story is...

Boob Jobs

Who had the very first boob job? Why were women injecting liquid paraffin into their chests? And, how has the procedure developed over...

Great Scientists We've Forgotten to Remember

We are told that modern science was invented in Europe, the product of great minds like Nicolaus Copernicus, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and...

Discovering Hampton Court

Many of the private and public dramas in the life of Henry VIII took place at Hampton Court Palace. Begun in 1514 for Cardinal Wolsey, Hampton...

The First CIA Mission to Afghanistan

In September 2001, Al-Qaeda had struck and America was aghast. Eight brave CIA officers set the pace, being the first Americans to step foot on...

The Death of King George V: A Royal Murder Mystery

Just before midnight on January 20, 1936, King George V died at Sandringham, in Norfolk, England. The scandal of King George V’s reign would not...

Tanks

Tanks defined 20th century conflict — they conjure to mind images of Tiananmen Square or the Soviet Army rolling into a liberated Berlin. But...

Saint George

The 23rd of April marks Saint George's Day - but who are we actually celebrating? Is there any truth behind the myth of the man who slew the...

Global Middle Ages with Peter Frankopan

The term “Middle Ages” is commonly used but really only applies to a Western European view of history. It was created at the beginning of the...

The Falklands War: An Argentinian Veteran's Perspective

The Falklands War, or the Guerra de las Malvinas? For today’s guest, it was the latter. Roberto Herrscher grew up singing the songs of the...

Victoria: A Greedy Queen

Warning: There are adult themes, explicit language and references of disordered eating and diets in this episode.

Did you know that before...

Victoria: A Greedy Queen

Warning: There are adult themes, explicit language and references of disordered eating and diets in this episode.

Did you know that before...

Milton's Paradise Lost: An Epic Poem

In 1667 - 355 years ago this month - a young London publisher called Samuel Simmons printed a very important book - John Milton's Paradise Lost....

Food in the Greco-Roman World

When we think of the modern Mediterranean, delicious and vibrant food is one of the first things that come to mind. But how much has the regional...

Nature in Abandoned Places with Cal Flyn

From ghost towns to nuclear exclusion zones, what happens when nature reclaims derelict spaces?

Award-winning writer Cal Flyn is On...

The History of the RNLI

Since its foundation in 1824, the volunteers of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution have been braving the most savage of elements at sea to...

Voices of Waterloo

On Sunday 18 June 1815 60,000 men were slaughtered in the Battle of Waterloo. Napoleon Bonaparte's French army was finally defeated by an almighty...

The Origin of Zero

Nada, naught, nil, zip, zilch, zero. Whatever you call it, it's hard to imagine the world without it. Zero is the basis for all modern computing...

Operation Mincemeat: The Deception that Changed WWII

It’s 1943. The Allies are determined to break Hitler’s grip on occupied Europe and plan an all-out assault on Sicily, but they face an...

Voodoo & Vodou

Warning: This episode includes strong language and some adult themes.

What comes to mind when you see the word voodoo? Most people tend to...