History Hit Podcasts

Henry VIII: What You Really Need to Know

The truth about Henry VIII may surprise you. This second episode of Not Just the Tudors' Tudor Dynasty mini-series provides you, in a...

Who was Al-Jahiz?

In a time bound by rigid social and class divides, knowledge and the pursuit thereof often bridged the gap between lowly beginnings and a prolific...

Remembrance Day: Searching for My Father the WWII Pilot

John Watts never knew his father. He was conceived days before his father, Wing Commander Joseph Watts, was killed on a bombing mission over...

The Man Who Hanged Nazis: Albert Pierrepoint

For Albert Pierrepoint, execution was a family affair. His father and uncle were hangmen and from the 1940s until the late 1950s Albert was...

Persephone: Queen of the Underworld

This episode contains references to death and sexual assault.

Persephone is Queen of the Underworld in Ancient Greek...

Love, Lust & Fighting in World War II

It can be hard to comprehend the magnitude of historical events, with World War Two a prime example of this.

By 1945, some 3 million British...

President Martin Van Buren

The 'Little Magician', the 'Sly Fox' or - to our expert guest - a 6.5/10 president. We're onto President number 8, Martin Van Buren.

Don is...

Ghost Fetishes: From Ancient World to Victorians

What is spectrophilia? Well, it's a fetish for ghosts (as well as mirrors), so being turned on by anything lurking in the non-physical realm. What...

The Medieval Boleyns

From the fields of Norfolk to the royal court - via city commerce, local government, liberal education and numerous wedding bells - the Boleyns...

Hitler's Third Reich

3/4. In this special 4-part series, we look back at the life of Adolf Hitler. With the help of Frank McDonough, a leading historian of the Third...

The Illyrians: Pirates of the Adriatic

Inhabiting the Balkans in antiquity, the Illyrians played a vital role in Ancient History. From their renowned reputation as skilled craftsmen,...

Witchcraft: Everything You Need to Know

In this episode of Not Just the Tudors, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb pays a visit to historians Dr. Anthony Delaney and Dr. Maddy Pelling, who are...

The Rise of Hitler

2/4. In this special 4-part series, we look back at the life of Adolf Hitler. With the help of Frank McDonough, a leading historian of the Third...

Hitler's Early Years

1/4 In this special 4-part series, we look back at the life of Adolf Hitler. With the help of Frank McDonough, a leading historian of the Third...

Henry VII

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb kicks off four special episodes about the Tudor Dynasty with a look at its founding father King Henry VII. Seen as an...

Who was Arib al’Mamuniyya?

Sold into slavery from a young age, this medieval rockstar Arib al’Mamuniyya went on to impress the Caliphs, and become a famed poet and...

Origins of the Loch Ness Monster

What lurks beneath the dark waters of Loch Ness? The legendary monster? A piece of Celtic folklore? A warning of the Nazis' rise to power? A...

JFK Special 1. | The Irish Woman Who Built The Dynasty

This November marks 60 years since President John F Kennedy was assassinated. 

His name is associated with history defining events, but...

How The Vikings Turned Christian?

Denmark's King Harald Bluetooth was among the first Scandinavian rulers to officially embrace Christianity in the early 10th century. Norway...

Pocahontas: The True Story

Despite her being a household name, how much do we really know about Pocahontas? Where did she come from? How old was she? And what was her real...

Vikings in America

What is a Viking? Did they really make it to the United States? And if so, how far did they get?

Don speaks to Martyn Whittock about the...