History Hit Podcasts

Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn

This is the story of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn as you've never heard it before. From their childhoods and courtship through to their union and...

Inventing Fire: the First Spark of Humanity

Fire is the unsung hero of human evolution. We could not have turned into the big-brained, deep-thinking animals we are on raw food alone. The...

President Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, so how did it work out when he became the leader of this nation that...

Sex In Old Age: Myths, Toys & Desire

As taboos go, sex between two consenting adults should not be up there as one of them.

And yet! When we talk about sex in old age many...

My Great-Grandfather's War: Lt-Gen Thomas Snow & The Somme

Dan explores his great-grandfather's part in the First World War. Lieutenant-General Thomas Snow was a senior officer in the British Army who...

Three Mile Island: Nuclear Accident in Pennsylvania

It's the worst accident in US commercial nuclear power history. In March 1979, the Unit 2 reactor at Three Mile Island nuclear generating station...

Henry VIII’s Fool, Will Somer

In some portraits of Henry VIII there appears another, striking figure. This is Will Somer, the king’s fool, a celebrated wit who could raise...

Holy Roman Empire

Voltaire famously wrote that the "The Holy Roman Empire was in no way holy, nor Roman, nor an empire.” But Dr. Eleanor...

The Origins of the Popes

The popes of Rome emerged from the humblest of beginnings. The first was a fisherman, charged with spreading the word of God under the watchful...

The Great Mosque

The Great Mosque was positioned in the center of Baghdad, with numerous smaller mosques dotted around the various neighborhoods. A place of daily...

Rise and Fall of High Heels

For most of their history, High Heels were resolutely masculine. The most manly of manly footwear. How did they turn into burning icons of...

Harappan Civilisation

The Harappan civilisation, also known as the Indus Valley civilisation, was an ancient urban civilisation that thrived in the Indus River valley...

The Middle Ages in Five Facts

Where is the grave of King Arthur? What was the worst year in human history? Who were the most fractious royal siblings? What were the origins of...

Hate Mail: A Scandalous History

From tip-off letters about the gun powder plot to village quarrels that lead to jail time - today we’re going Betwixt the Sheets to find out...

President James Madison

His life is one of firsts for the United States. Having contributed to the Federalist Papers, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, in 1812...

The Roman Legionary

When you picture ancient Roman Soldiers, an image of battle-hardened warriors equipped with iron breastplates, large rectangular shields and...

Margaret Cavendish: 17th Century Revolutionary

In an age when literature was dominated by men, Margaret Cavendish wrote passionately about gender, science and philosophy. She published under...

Wars of the Roses: Jack Cade’s Rebellion Explained

It’s one of the most dramatic stories you might never have heard. Featuring a seaborne assassination, a vengeful manhunt and London Bridge in...

Sunglasses

What do all incredibly cool people have in common? They wear Sunglasses. Whether you're Miles Davis or Audrey Hepburn, James Dean or Bob Dylan,...

The Great Caterpillar Outbreak of 1782

In the spring of 1782, it wasn't the American Revolutionary War that had Londoners worried. The city and nearby countryside had been covered in...

Anne of Bohemia

Dr. Eleanor Janega continues Gone Medieval’s special series of podcasts about Medieval Queens with a look at Queen Anne of Bohemia, the first...