History Hit Podcasts

Vietnam: Conscientious Objection in a Warzone

During the Vietnam War, 170,000 men received conscientious objector deferments. In this episode, we speak to one of them.

Sidney Morrison...

Crystal Palace and the Great Exhibition

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate takes players to Victorian London. This was an age of massive social change through technological innovation and...

Hammersmith Ghost: How to Murder a Poltergeist

Can it be murder if you think you're killing a ghost? In 1804 the London suburb of Hammersmith was being terrorised by a ghost. One man set out to...

Cardinal Wolsey

No advisor was more important to King Henry VIII than Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. He captured Henry's attention with his brilliance and became his...

How Did the American Revolution Start?

On 19th April, 1775, just over 250 years ago, the opening salvos of the American Revolutionary War were fired at the battles of Lexington and...

The Praetorian Guard: Rise to Power

From Gladiator to Rome Total War to I, Claudius, today the Cohortēs praetōriae are one of the most distinctive military units of Imperial Rome....

Crown of Thorns

What if one of the most iconic symbols of suffering and triumph in Christian history isn't what you think it is? Matt Lewis is joined by Dr. Faith...

The Battle of Berlin with Sir Antony Beevor

Warning: this episode includes discussion of subjects like suicide and sexual assault that some listeners may find disturbing.

80 years ago,...

The Truth About Paul Revere's Ride

Paul Revere's Midnight Ride is a legend of the American Revolutionary War - galloping through the Massachusetts' dark to warn Sam Adams, John...

History's Worst F*ckboys: Casanova

Can you imagine being SO smooth-talking and seductive your surname becomes an actual noun in the dictionary to describe someone who has a...

John the Baptist

From the wilderness of ancient Judea to the pages of the New Testament, John the Baptist is one of the most compelling and mysterious figures in...

Cortés and the Aztecs

When Hernán Cortés and his men first laid eyes on the gleaming white pyramids of Tenochtitlan, they thought they were mountains of silver. How...

Wales' Darkest Folklore

Wales is set apart from a lot of countries, with one of its folk tales - the Red Dragon - featuring in its flag. 

What are the mythical...

The Liberation of Bergen-Belsen

Warning: This episode contains detailed discussion of the Holocaust and genocide, which some listeners may find upsetting.

80 years ago,...

Nell Gwyn: Celebrity Mistress of King Charles II

How did a working class illiterate woman become King Charles II's favourite mistress?

Nell Gwyn was an incredibly talented comedy actor who...

Ibn Fadlan: An Arab Among Vikings

**This podcast contains descriptions of sexual violence, enslavement and human sacrifice**

"I have never seen more perfect physical...

Vietnam: The My Lai Massacre

How did a US Army mission in Vietnam end with the massacre of up to 500 people?

In this episode, Don is joined by Christopher Levesque to...

Succession 1625: James I to Charles I

March 2025 marks the 400th anniversary of the death of King James VI and I, and the succession of his son Charles I. Crowned King of Scotland at...

The Age of Invention: The Beginning of the Modern World?

Assassin's Creed Syndicate incorporates technology into its gameplay and story more than any other game in the series. Its setting in Victorian...

Ireland's Darkest Folklore

*TW: This episode contains discussions and themes of infertility.*

Fairies have long been part of Irish folkloric history, with its...

The Sinking of the Titanic

How could the unsinkable ship… sink? In this dramatic moment-by-moment account, Dan tells the dramatic tale of the Titanic from the moment of...