History Hit Podcasts

How Sexy Was Shakespeare?

There's a bit of interest around Shakespeare at the minute - can we call this the Paul Mescal effect?

The Bard’s work featured many...

How Much Power Does the President Have?

Ever since independence, a question has hovered over the government of the United States. How much power should the President have? Not too much,...

The Secrets Hidden In Tudor Art

Why are diamonds black, and how does a triangle show power in Tudor portraits? From Henry VII’s shrewd statecraft to the glittering reign of...

The First Europeans In Japan

When Portuguese merchants ran aground on the Japanese isle of Tanegashima in 1543, two worlds collided - Europeans encountered Japan for the first...

Banshees: Herald of Death

Today we're delving back into the After Dark vaults to revisit our episode on Banshees...

Siobhan McSweeney (Derry Girls) joins Anthony...

What was the Hanseatic League?

The Hanseatic League was a medieval trading network that stretched across Northern Europe. Formed in Northern Germany in the 12th century, it was...

The Ice Age

Think of the Ice Age and tales of ferocious sabre-toothed tigers and giant megafauna likely spring to mind - but what do we know about prehistoric...

Assassins and Templars

The heart of the Assassin’s Creed franchise is the deadly rivalry between the brotherhoods of Assassins and Templars. These were real groups in...

How Hot Was Lord Byron?

How 'mad, bad and dangerous to know' was Lord Byron really?

We know the Romantic poet had a bit of a reputation, but how true was it? And...

How Did Fossils Change America?

When fossils were discovered in the US during the 19th Century, it altered American understandings of science, religion, race and more. So what...

Ghosts of Henry VIII's Palace

We’re re-running this episode because it’s one of our favourites — and it’s worth another listen!

The ghost of Catherine Howard,...

The Minoan Labyrinth

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey immerses players in the mythology of Ancient Greece. In particular, they can walk in the footsteps of Theseus through...

Princes in the Tower

The unsolved mystery of what happened to the Princes in the Tower - Edward V and Richard, Duke of York - is possibly English history’s greatest...

How Did the British Empire Build the Modern World?

Tobacco, sugar, rum, cotton, rubber, tea, coffee, spices, industry, borders, slavery, war - all things spread across the globe thanks to the...

Medieval Winter Ghosts

Come closer, warm yourself by the fire, and don't look too closely at the shadows playing at the edges of the room. Dr. Eleanor Janega explores...

How Has Porn Changed Through History?

With Christmas around the corner and everything being oh-so wholesome, we thought we would offer an episode from the archives of something not-so...

Lincoln: The First Presidential Assassination

Today we're delving into the archives and revisiting Don and Michael Kauffman's conversation on the Assassination of Abraham Lincoln...

On...

King Herod

Appointed by the Romans as king of Judaea, King Herod's reign was defined by great architectural projects and canny diplomacy. But he could also...

The Ancient Open-Air Library of Jabal Ikmah

Assassin's Creed Mirage: Valley of Memory transports players to the medieval Abbasid caliphate. One place in particular that is recreated in the...

Did Oliver Cromwell Ban Christmas?

In 1647 Christmas vanished by the decree of the Puritans who ruled Britain. But not everyone complied. Families lit candles behind closed doors,...

Dark Truth About Sweeney Todd

Sweeney Todd - the demon barber of Fleet Street who beheads people and then sends their bodies through a trapdoor to be made into pies. It's just...