History Hit Podcasts

The Unknown Warrior

In the western nave of Westminster Abbey, nestled between illustrious tombs and beneath a slab of black Belgian marble, lies the body of an...

Prehistoric Japan

From the arrival of the first humans reaching the Japanese archipelago some 50,000 years ago to the enduring Jomon culture, Japan has a...

Defending a Castle

Gone Medieval continues to explore the life cycle of castles, today considering the role for which they were explicitly designed - as fortresses...

What Made You Ugly In The Ancient World?

When we think about Greek and Roman beauty, we think of marble statues of huge men with tiny...feet.

But what did it mean to be a beautiful...

Will This Be America's Closest Election Ever?

The 2024 US Presidential election is just around the corner, and it seems like the result is balanced on a knife's edge. As the polls continue to...

New York Morgue's Dark Secrets

The unclaimed dead of New York City's streets and rivers were brought to the New York Morgue in the second half of the nineteenth century. This...

The King's Witch Trial: North Berwick Witches

Maddy and Anthony have a new TV documentary out all about King James VI of Scotland's witch hunts, available on History Hit TV.

When James...

The Brutal Basque Witch Hunt

In 1609, some 80 people were executed for witchcraft in France's Basque region. It inspired a final push to eradicate witches by the Spanish...

Dead Sea Scrolls: The Copper Scroll

When they were discovered in the Qumran Caves in the mid-20th century, the Dead Sea Scrolls revolutionised our understanding of biblical history....

The Secret Origins of the SAS

In 1974, a pioneer of the SAS and master of military deception, Dudley Clarke, passed away. His death went almost entirely unnoticed by the...

Medieval Writers, Extraordinary Women

**This episode contains some strong language**

Few women had the luxury of writing down their thoughts and feelings during medieval times....

Inside the Witch Trials: Salem | Fear In A New World

We often think of the witch trials as something in the deep and distant past.

But, as we'll hear in today's episode, the attitudes and...

Elections Explained: The Man Who's Lost The Most

What causes a person to lose the Presidential election?

Henry Clay ran for the Presidency 3 times, and for nomination by his party 5 times,...

Titanic: The Doomed Ship (Part 1)

Part 1/2. Come on board the White Star Line's latest marvel, the splendour of the sea, the Titanic. Today we begin the story of the most ill-fated...

Africans in 17th Century England

In the 1640s, Black communities existed in London and in most of England's port cities, communities from which men would fight and die throughout...

Samhain: The First Halloween

Halloween is a tradition that only grows in popularity each year. Yet its origins are mysterious, shrouded by myth and...

2. Wars of the Roses: Rise of the Tudors

In the second episode of our Wars of the Roses series, Edward IV secures the English throne after his victory at the bloody Battle of Towton. But...

Pyrrhus: Warlord of Ancient Greece

It’s 279 BC. On a large plain in Southern Italy near the town of Asculum, a famous Greek warlord likened to Alexander the Great faces down the...

18th Century Dating: From Booty Calls to 'Bundling'

What was life like as a single person in the 18th century? What if you became pregnant out of wedlock?

In today's episode, Kate talks to...

Old Sarum: Stronghold of Norman England

Old Sarum was the earliest settlement of Salisbury in Wlitshire. While there are indications of a prehistoric settlement on the...

1. Wars of the Roses: England Divided

This is the first episode in a two-part series on the brutal, three-decade-long civil war that tore England in two. Today, we explore the complex...