History Hit Podcasts

The Battle of Bull Run

On July 21, 1861, Confederate and Union forces met for the first time in full-scale battle at Bull Run Creek, near Manassas, Virginia. By the end...

Henry VIII's Brothers in Armour

Henry VIII loved the spectacle of a tournament to show off. In addition to jousting displays with François I of France, Henry and the Holy Roman...

The Circus Maximus

What was the most popular sporting spectacle in ancient Rome? Gladiator bouts? Beast hunts? It was in fact chariot racing! For centuries the...

Final Days of Anne Boleyn

Today we’re exploring the grim and heroic final days of the Anne Boleyn, the thousand day queen.

We are joined by the one-and-only Dr...

Nefertiti: The Greatest Ancient Egyptian Queen?

Ancient Egyptian rulers, incest, the Nazis and female empowerment, all in one episode! 'But how?' You say. 'What story could possibly bring all of...

Tom Crean: The Unsung Irish Hero of the Antarctic

He was one of the last men to see Antarctic Explorer Robert Scott alive and was Shackleton's right-hand man on the Endurance expedition. So why...

A Stonemason's Secrets

Medieval churches are among our most enduring links with the Middle Ages. But it's not always easy to understand what parts of a church to look...

Inside the Witch Trials: Pendle | The Child Who Condemned Her Family

People in the 17th century were at spiritual war with the devil. 

It was a time of huge upheaval. What became known as the witch...

Elections Explained: A History of Voting

We have a constitutional right to vote in the United States ... don't we? Find out in this first episode of American History Hit's series,...

Oliver Cromwell: Massacres & Manoeuvres

How did Oliver Cromwell navigate the many forces ranged against him and rise to the pinnacle of his power?  From the execution of Charles I,...

Marie Antoinette: The Cake-Loving Queen

Today, we’ll study someone who was both a cause and a victim of the French Revolution: the cake-promoting queen, Marie Antoinette.

In...

Ménage à Murder: 1920s Love Triangle Killers

Edith Thompson was the model 1920's flapper girl. Her husband Percy was more suburban. When young Freddy Bywater entered the marriage home, things...

Ernest Shackleton

Dan charts the life, successes and failures of the charismatic and chaotic Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton. In late 1914, Shackleton led 27...

The Edomites

The Edomites are in the Old Testament, an ancient people who lived around Petra, Jordan before the Nabateans and before Petra was even created....

Orgasms & Skincare According to a Medieval Nun

Hildegard of Bingen, the 12th century nun, was a certified genius and a true polymath.

From her many side hustles to her skincare...

How to Build a Castle

Castles in Medieval Britain didn't just serve a military purpose, they were central to the social and cultural life of society. In the second...

Scotland & England's Union

The union between the nations of Great Britain goes back to 1707. On each side of the border, statesmen started to realise that a closer...

Outlaws: John Dillinger | Public Enemy Number One

What does it take to be the first person named as 'Public Enemy No.1' by the US Bureau of Investigation?

In this episode, we're going to...

Anubis and the Underworld

Tristan Hughes and his guest Dr. Joyce Tyldesley OBE are heading to the Underworld for the final installation of The Ancients exploration of the...

Bodies in the Walls: Postwar London's Darkest Crime

John Reginald Christie was the most notorious murderer of his era. On the outside he was every inch the Old Fashioned Englishman, respectable...

Elizabeth I's Conjuror: John Dee

A trusted advisor to Queen Elizabeth I, Dr. John Dee was an astronomer, mathematician, astrologer, and navigator with ties to the...