History Hit Podcasts

Wernher Von Braun: Nazi Father of Rocket Science

Wernher von Braun launched America's space programme, and took Apollo 11 to the moon. He was also a Nazi member who served in the SS, and...

Sex Work in Pompeii

This episode contains some strong language references to sexual content.

Pompeii is shrouded in myths and legends about it's vibrant, after...

Superstitions: Witch Marks, Touching Wood & Lucky Pants

Many of them pre-date modern religions and defy what science tells us about the world - from saluting magpies, to wearing lucky pants. Yet why do...

The Sword & Its Cultural Significance

If one object stands out as synonymous with the Medieval period, it's probably the sword.

In this episode of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis talks...

WW2 Heroes: Unheard Stories

As we get closer to the 80th anniversary of Operation Overlord and the D-Day Landings, we're beginning to witness the passing of 'living memory'...

Attila the Hun: Terror of Rome

Returning to one of the most infamous names in history, what happened to Attila the Hun after the devastation he caused in the Balkans - and where...

Elizabeth I's Censored Annals: A Major Discovery

Did King James VI of Scotland plot to assassinate Elizabeth I? Did she name him as her successor? For centuries, dozens of pasted-over passages in...

President John Adams

Sequels are always hit and miss. So what must it have been like to be the second President of the United States, following the man who originated...

Battle of Gettysburg

The first three days of July 1863 saw the bloodiest single battle of the American Civil War. This clash between the Unionist and Confederate...

Digital Calculators

What did humans do before calculators? How big was the very first electronic calculator? And what do monkey bones have to do with the...

The Rise of the Taliban

Is it possible that the Taliban of today are more fanatical than before? American and Coalition troops recently fought a bitter, 20-year war...

Polyamory: From Mormons to 60s Counterculture

The polyamory movement has a long and interesting history. It takes in Pilgrims meeting Native American Indians, Mormons having their take on it,...

Sex: The Medieval Rules

Sex. It’s everyone’s favourite subject. But has it been that way since the Middle Ages? The repressive instincts of some medieval churchmen...

Scottish Clans

It is believed clans started to emerge in Scotland around 1100AD and were originally the descendants of kings – if not of demigods from Irish...

The Texas Chicken Ranch: Famous Brothel to Broadway

When it closed in 1973, the Texas Chicken Ranch was the oldest continually operating brothel in the United States. Why was this brothel able to...

Baghdad Soundwalks | Trailer

Baghdad Soundwalks guides you through the history, intrigue and drama of medieval Baghdad, the setting for Assassin's Creed Mirage. Join our hosts...

Christopher Wren

Best known for St. Paul’s Cathedral, Christopher Wren was the greatest architect Britain has ever known. But he was so much more: he applied his...

Putin's Rise to Power

Serving continuously as either Prime Minister or President since 1999, Vladimir Putin's leadership of Russia has always dominated the geopolitical...

Gladiators of Pompeii

This episode contains some references to graphic violence.

Gladiators are one the most enduring symbols of Ancient Rome, and Pompeii is no...

Oppenheimer: Inventor of the Atomic Bomb

Robert Oppenheimer was the father of the atomic bomb - a weapon of unprecedented power, which, when dropped on Japan, would end WWII and would...

Archimedes and the Siege of Syracuse

Dan tells the story of Archimedes, the ancient Greek inventor whose weapons of war protected the town of Syracuse from a Roman army. The Romans...