History Hit Podcasts

A History of Auschwitz

On January 27th 1945, the Red Army liberated the concentration camp at Auschwitz unveiling its almost unspeakable horrors to the...

The Kingdom of Kush

Beyond the ancient Nile’s fertile banks lay a civilisation that rivalled Egypt in power and prestige—the Kingdom of Kush. This ancient empire,...

Sex Lives of Dinosaurs

What's the dinosaur equivalent of Netflix and chill? Were they capable of flirting?

In today's episode, Kate speaks with Dr. David Hone,...

The Rise and Fall of Al-Andalus

Matt Lewis is joined by Professor Brian A. Catlos to explore the nearly eight centuries of Al Andalus, Islamic Spain. From a daring invasion in...

The Panama Canal

What is the history of the Panama Canal and why does Trump think he can 'take it back'? Dan is joined by Professor Julie Greene to delve into the...

FDR & Stalin

They say that the enemy of your enemy is your friend, but did that apply to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his Soviet counterpart, Joseph...

Mysterious Murder of Juan Borgia

In June 1497, Juan - or Giovanni - Borgia, favoured son of Pope Alexander VI, was found brutally murdered in the River Tiber. Who committed this...

Babylon's Epic of Creation

The biblical story of creation is famous - but did you know an even older myth may have influenced it? Enter the Enuma Elish, Babylon’s own Epic...

Is the Devil Dead?

(2/2) What does the resurrection of a hanged woman have to do with the Devil? Did the Enlightenment kill Old Nick or is he still a part of our...

How WW1 Inspired The Lord of The Rings

J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth is perhaps the most captivating fantasy world ever created. His mythology and folklore continue to influence the...

Teutonic Knights

Who built the imposing castles of Poland and Lithuania?

Dr. Eleanor Janega is joined by archeologist Aleksander Pluskowski to discuss the...

Erotic Letters of Ancient Rome

Long before phones allowed for sexting, how did the Ancient Romans exchange their illicit thoughts and desires? And what did a Roman dick pic look...

Vasco da Gama and The Rise of the Portuguese Empire

Dan tells the epic story of Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, whose daring voyages at the turn of the 16th century laid the foundations for the...

Romans in America

Why was there once a fashion for styling your hair like Brutus, the most famous of Julius Caesar's assassins? Why are there so many neoclassical...

Suleiman the Magnificent

Assassin’s Creed Revelations lets us meet a young Suleiman before he became Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and long before he became “the...

Wolf Hall: Who's Who?

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb explores the lives of the cast of Tudor courtiers who appear in Wolf Hall, including Thomas Cromwell, Richard Rich,...

Final Days of Henry VIII

You could smell Henry VIII's rotting legs from three rooms by the end. He was in constant pain, barely able to move. Yet he never loosed his grip...

Charlemagne

Charlemagne was king of the Franks and Emperor of the mighty Carolingian Empire. His unusually long reign saw him conquer vast swathes of Europe,...

The Franks

How did the Franks rise to power in the fragmented Western Roman Empire?

Tristan Hughes explores the dramatic story of the Franks, from...

Gone Medieval Goes Wassailing

Matt Lewis, joined by Dr. Eleanor Janega, explores the Halstow Wassail—a modern iteration of an ancient tradition rooted deep in medieval...

Medieval Lesbians

How do you begin to look for examples of lesbians in the medieval period?

Even though it was deeply frowned upon by the powers that be, the...