History Hit Podcasts

Walter Raleigh’s Quest for El Dorado

Sir Walter Raleigh remains one of the most famous men of the Elizabethan era. He was a true Renaissance man - a statesman, soldier, writer,...

Why Are We Drawn to Dictators?

Is liberal democracy facing an existential crisis? A 2023 poll conducted by the Open Society Barometer found that faith in democracy among young...

True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty (Part 1)

Violence, sex, betrayal, death and ... SHIPS! This is the story of how a voyage that began with scientific aims and a regimented daily routine...

The Atomic Bomb & Civil War Cigars: Greatest 'What Ifs' from History

We think of history as a neat chain of predictable events; but what if the truth is far wilder than that? Today, we're talking about the pivotal...

Origins of the Silk Road

The Silk Road was a pivotal ancient exchange network that connected the grassy steppes of Asia and the Middle East with the western world. The...

Genghis Khan to Tamerlane: Mongol Empire Reborn

The Mongol Empire that rose in the early 13th century was fractured and in crisis by the mid-14th. But then a new warlord arose who sought to...

History of Geishas

What does it mean to be a geisha? How does someone become one? And how do they differ from sex workers?

The geisha world is famously very...

Teddy Roosevelt: The Making of the Rough Rider President

Theodore Roosevelt is arguably the most masculine president in American history. So how was he influenced by the women around him? And how was he...

The Roman Auxiliary

Auxiliaries were some of the most important troops in the all-conquering Roman Army. Unlike legionaries, their more heavily-armoured and widely...

Origins of the Normans

Because of William the Conqueror’s victory at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, the Normans have remained a familiar and important name in British...

Execution of Charles I

In 1649, Charles I had his head chopped off for treason. It's a unique, divisive moment in English history. Was Charles a tyrant or a martyr? Was...

From Tudor to Stuart: Regime Change

In 1603, Queen Elizabeth I died and King James VI of Scotland, became King James I of England.  Elizabeth was a hard act to follow for the...

The Battle of Okinawa

Please note, this episode contains discussion of suicide.

On 1 April 1945, as the Second World War in Europe was reaching its end, one of...

Drunk Victorians: Moral Panic & Meat Wine

Glass of meat wine, anyone? That's right, the Victorians loved a glass of meaty wine.

They loved drinking so much that it became a moral...

The Original Kamikaze: The Mongol Invasions of Japan

At the height of the Mongol Empire, Kublai Khan set his sights on the island of Japan. He launched two enormous invasions of that nation in 1274...

Diving Tudor Shipwrecks

In the 16th and 17th centuries, sailing was a tool of warfare and empire, of conquest and discovery, of trade and travel. But vessels were...

1811 Ratcliffe Highway Murders: Birth of True Crime

Horror struck the East End of London twice in December 1811. Two brutal sets of murders within a few days of each other. It became ground zero for...

The Kamikaze Hunters

Please note, this episode contains discussion of suicide.

In 1945, after lengthy delays, the Royal Navy sent a powerful fleet into the...

The Real Hamilton: Founding Father

Who really was Alexander Hamilton, and what do we actually know about his life?

A Founding Father, he fought in the Revolutionary War,...

The Kamikaze Pilots

Please note, this episode contains discussion of suicide. 

By October 1944, the Japanese were in real trouble. The Allies had made...

The Beaker People

The Beaker People were a Bronze Age culture that revolutionised prehistoric Britain. They were responsible for introducing Bronze Age technology...