History Hit Podcasts

TITANIC: A Night to Remember

Depicted countless times in art, television and film, the night of the 14th of April 1912 has haunted and fascinated us for over a century. This...

The Invention of Military Drones

Today, James is the guest on our NEW sister podcast Patented, hosted by Dallas Campbell. Together, they talk us through the century-long history...

The Treadmill

Before they found their way into gyms, treadmills had a much darker history. In the 19th Century, they could most commonly be found in...

TITANIC: The Unsinkable Ship

On April 10th, 1912, RMS Titanic cast off from Southampton, England, on her maiden voyage. The largest of its kind, full of grandeur and the most...

Forgotten Women of the Crusades

Little has been known up until now about the involvement and power of women during the Crusader period. When Saladin's armies besieged Jerusalem...

How to Party like an Ancient Greek

In Ancient Greece, the symposium was no ordinary after-dinner drinking party, but one in which the Hellenic men of society got together to wine,...

Francesca Caccini: Composer to the Medicis

Francesca Caccini (1587-c.1641) is one of the forgotten women of classical music. She was an exceptional singer and instrumentalist, but above...

Operation Amherst

On the 7th April 1945, 702 French members of the Special Air Service parachuted into the Netherlands to recapture Dutch canals, bridges and...

The Objects That Made Britain

What can art tell us about a country's history? Well, a lot! In today's episode, Dan is joined by Art Historian Temi Odumosu and popular historian...

The Ear Trumpet

Ear Trumpets are seen as old fashioned and clumsy, mostly deployed in pop culture for comic effect as a snarky shorthand for how old and...

The Rise of Marius: Third Founder of Rome

Gaius Marius (157 BC – 86 BC) was one of the first warlords of the late Roman Republic, a general and statesman who held the office of...

The Rise of Genghis Khan

Genghis Khan is still considered one of the most famous and most feared warrior kings in history. But his name still divides opinion. To some, he...

The Falklands War: Turning Points

As a mist set in and the sea began to swell, British and Argentine warships circled one another off the coast of the Falkland Islands. Yet hidden...

Resisting the Third Reich

Across the whole of Nazi-ruled Europe, the experience of occupation was sharply varied. As a result, resistance movements during World War II...

The Tudors in Portraits

Visitors to the Holburne Museum in Bath are having a close encounter with the most familiar faces in English history. A stunning exhibition,...

The Moving Forest with Ben Rawlence

If you are listening to this in the UK, the spot where you are standing was almost certainly once forest. 

Ben Rawlence joins Jimmy to...

Before Rome: The Truth About Late Iron Age Britain

Roman connections with Britain stretch back to (at least) the mid 1st century BC. But what has archaeology revealed about the Late Iron Age...

Recreating the Viking World in Assassin's Creed: Valhalla

Assassin's Creed: Valhalla has brought the Viking Age to life in stunning detail, and now the game is even being used as an educational...

Monks: Medieval Masters of Invention

In medieval times it was monks who were the masters of invention. They were the most educated members of society who saw scientific and...

Tuskegee Airmen: A WW2 Pilot's Story

The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African-American military aviators in American military history. They faced discrimination and segregation at...

Cold War Submarine Warrior

Eric Thompson has had his finger literally on the nuclear button. He joined the Royal Navy submarine service in the early days of the Cold War. He...