History Hit Podcasts

Origins of the Vietnam War

In 1969, at the height of US presence, there were over half a million Americans in Vietnam.

But why were they there in the first place? When...

Normal Women with Philippa Gregory

Did women really do nothing to shape England’s culture and traditions through centuries of turmoil, plague, famine and religious reform? In...

The Venerable Bede

Bede, whose name towers over early medieval English literature, is often referred to as the “father of English history.” He calculated the...

Gladiators in Britain

When you think of Gladiators you tend to think of Roman Amphitheatres, Hollywood films, and probably not Colchester in the UK. But thanks to the...

England's Greatest Monarchs with David Mitchell

David Mitchell joins Dan in today's episode to ask the all-important question - who was England's greatest monarch? From the 'overrated' William...

Achilles

This episode contains themes of a sexual nature

Achilles is one of the greatest heroes in Greek mythology. The son of Peleus, a Greek King,...

Sex: The Medieval Rules

Given that the medieval period covers the best part of 1000 years, there's a fair amount of sexual myth and beliefs to get through.

How...

Suleyman the Magnificent

The Lion House is a riveting new book from journalist and historian Christopher De Bellaigue, written like a novel that tells the dramatic story...

The American Buffalo with Ken Burns

'It's one of those threads you pull on and immediately you're connected to the whole fabric of American history.'

The American Buffalo,...

The Habsburgs

How did an obscure Swiss family grow in power to gain control of the Holy Roman Empire in the 15th century? How did they manage to then take in a...

How Shakespeare Depicted Race

In the same way that Shakespeare’s women characters were performed by boys in female costume, African, Middle Eastern, Hispanic and Jewish roles...

The Palace of the Golden Gate

Alongside the Great Mosque, the palace was the first structure built in Baghdad. Let’s imagine this…

You’re a new visitor, you’ve...

The Caravanserai

Let’s take a jaunt to an ancient structure that made all of medieval Baghdad possible, the caravanserai or funduq. Originally built by the...

The Dead Sea Scrolls: Jesus, John the Baptist & Essenes

Part 2/2. Of unknown authorship, the Dead Sea Scrolls - also known as the Qumran Scrolls - are some of the most important ancient documents ever...

Julius Caesar's Sex Life

"I came. I saw. I conquered".

Perhaps the most famous Julius Caesar quote of all time. But after hearing all about his bedroom antics, it...

President James Monroe

Serving from 1817 to 1825, James Monroe's presidency was only the fifth presidency of the United States. Monroe's time in power saw the...

Mysterious Anglo-Saxon Bone Chests with Cat Jarman

In 1642, a Parliamentarian army smashed up Winchester Cathedral, including ten beautiful, 7th century mortuary chests, that housed the mortal...

Anne Boleyn & Catherine Howard's Uncle, Thomas Howard

Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, is often vilified as one of the Tudor century's most unpleasant characters. His was a family marked by...

Roman Emperors with Mary Beard

When examining the role of the Emperor within the Roman Empire, it is often easier to focus on the individual rather than the role itself. With...

Roman Emperors with Mary Beard

What did it take to become a Roman emperor? Pliny the Elder wrote that a ruler should be generous, victorious in battle and a father to his...

Things vs. Humans: the spiteful behaviour of inanimate objects

If you can never connect to a printer, if furniture jumps out to stub your toe, if when you do the dishes the water jumps out the sink to soak you...