History Hit Podcasts

Elizabeth I & the Sultan of Morocco

Elizabeth I and Sultan Ahmad al-Mansur of Morocco shared a common goal of empire building, despite their cultural, political and religious...

Ireland's First Witch: Medieval Murderer? (Part 2)

(Part 2/2) Anthony returns to his hometown of Kilkenny to conclude the tale of the first person to be executed for witchcraft in Ireland. Set 700...

The Eight Tigers: Imperial Eunuchs

The infamous eunuchs of the Ming imperial court are the primary villains of Assassin’s Creed Chronicles China. The Eight Tigers were a real...

Surviving the Great War: Medics in the Trenches

Warning: this episode contains graphic details of injuries.

The brutal nature of the First World War presented frontline medical personnel...

Hanukkah & the Maccabees

It's perhaps the best known Jewish festival of the year, but what exactly are Hanukkah's origins, and why was it first celebrated?

On...

Anne of Cleves | Secret Lives of the Six Wives

Anne of Cleves gets a pretty raw deal in the history books.

She's often accused of being ugly, after Henry VIII claimed the painting he had...

Crusades Against Heretics

The Albigensian Crusade was a blood-soaked military campaign, as the church desperately attempted to purge heresy across Christendom in the early...

Fascism in America

The rise of fascism in America in the 1920s & 30s looked just like the rise of fascism in Germany at the same time- scapegoating, the...

Pearl Harbor: The Man Who Spied For Japan

On 7th December, 1941, the Japanese Imperial Navy struck the United States. In an action which killed 2,403 Americans and destroyed 21 US warships...

Origins of the Wheel

It is one of the most pivotal inventions in human history - the wheel.

New research suggests that the wheel was first created by prehistoric...

William III & the Persecution of Sodomites

**Warning: This episode contains explicit descriptions of sexual acts and the use of historic terminology that does not align with current...

History's Greatest Ghost Hunters: the Warrens

Ghost hunting couple Ed and Lorraine Warren transformed twentieth century America into an enchanted land dotted with haunted houses, cursed...

Roman Saturnalia

Episode 1 in our 'Origins of Christmas' series. This Roman winter festival laid the foundations for many of our Christmas customs today- feasting,...

Battles, Kings, and Conquests: A Journey Through Medieval England

Dr. Eleanor Janega invites co-host Matt Lewis to discuss his exciting new book, 'The History Hit Guide to Medieval England.' Matt reveals the...

History of Celibacy

What did Queen Elizabeth I gain from being thought of as celibate? Why was property so essential to the Christian church embracing celibacy? And...

UFOs in the US

Alien spacecraft, phenomena from another dimension, ghosts, demons of satan, a trick of light - whatever you might believe UFOs to be, they have a...

Ireland's First Witch: Medieval Murderer? (Part 1)

(Part 1/2) 700 years ago, in 1324, the first person to be executed for witchcraft in Ireland died in Kilkenny. This is the story of a successful...

The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China is both older and newer than you might think, with mysteries and controversies buried in its foundations. To help shed a...

Majestic Mughals: From Akbar to Shah Jahan

Beginning with the reign of Emperor Akbar and continuing through to Shah Jahan, India's Mughal Empire enjoyed fabulous wealth and stable...

Churchill & FDR: The Origins of the 'Special Relationship'

Today we explore one of history's most consequential relationships - that of Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt, a pivotal alliance that...

The First South Americans

The prehistoric archaeology of South America is fascinating and constantly developing.

Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr. Tom Dillehay to...