Dan Snow's History Hit

How Did the British Empire Build the Modern World?

25 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tobacco, sugar, rum, cotton, rubber, tea, coffee, spices, industry, borders, slavery, war - all things spread across the globe thanks to the British E...

King Herod

22 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Appointed by the Romans as king of Judaea, King Herod's reign was defined by great architectural projects and canny diplomacy. But he could also be cr...

A History of Christmas Food

18 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Porpoises, beaver tails, boar's head and puffins are just some of the exquisite dishes on medieval tables during the festive season. In this episode, ...

The Origins of the Royal Navy

15 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Henry VIII wanted to have the most powerful Navy in Europe; he also didn't want to have to travel very far to get it. Around 1512, he built a colossal...

America's Invasion of Canada

11 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dan narrates the remarkable story of how George Washington's newly established Continental Army tried to conquer Canada in the brutal winter of 1775. ...

The Bombing of Guernica

08 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The aerial bombardment that rained down on the Spanish city of Guernica in 1937 was one of the most shocking atrocities of the Spanish Civil War. Dan ...

Sitting Bull and the Battle of Little Bighorn

04 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Battle of the Little Bighorn - also known as the Battle of the Greasy Grass - was one of the most dramatic and important clashes in American histo...

How to Survive the Age of Sail

01 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What was life really like aboard the great wooden ships of the Age of Sail? Dan joins After Dark hosts Anthony and Maddy to step aboard these creaking...

The Assassination of JFK

27 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Anyone alive at the time remembers the day President John F. Kennedy was shot dead in Dallas, Texas, on November 22 1963. In this episode, Dan provide...

John F. Kennedy: Myths vs Reality

24 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

John F. Kennedy was a man of charm, power, and contradictions. Behind the public image of the heroic president lay a figure plagued by pain, haunted b...

The Spanish Armada

20 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In 1588, Spain’s mighty armada sailed to invade England and change the balance of power in Europe. Dan explains why Philip II launched the Armada, d...

Nuremberg: The Trial of Göring

17 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Warning: This episode contains discussion of suicide.When the Nuremberg Trials began in November 1945, Hermann Göring was the highest-ranking Nazi to...

The Black Death

13 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Could the plucked backside of a chicken really cure the plague? If that question has ever crossed your mind, then this episode is for you. Today, we’...

The Battle of Passchendaele

10 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In partnership with Findmypast, Dan narrates the extraordinary story of the Western Front at its most unforgiving. Passchendaele became a byword for t...

Rome's African Emperor: Septimius Severus

06 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We dive into the life and legacy of the North African-born ruler who rose through the ranks to seize the imperial throne. We discover how Severus tran...

The First Day of the Somme

03 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In partnership with Findmypast, Dan narrates the extraordinary story of the bloodiest day of the First World War. The first day of the Somme saw units...

Ancient Irish Funeral Traditions

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever been to an Irish wake? If so, you may have heard of the ancient tradition of keening or the superstition of the 'hungry grass'. In this ...

What Caused Europe's Witch Hysteria?

29 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Across early modern Europe, fear spread like wildfire; between the 15th and 17th centuries, tens of thousands were accused, tortured, and executed as ...

Atatürk: Fall of the Ottoman Empire

27 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On the 19th of May, 1919, an Ottoman general stepped ashore at the Black Sea port city of Samsun. This marked the beginning of the Turkish War of Inde...

Elizabeth I: Evil or Genius?

23 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Elizabeth I is often celebrated as one of the greatest English monarchs - but should she be? From her commanding portraits and grand speeches to her b...

How to Survive in Renaissance England

21 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Quacks, wise women, barber surgeons and private madhouses - just some of the options available if you were to find yourself in ill health in the 16th ...

Richard II vs Henry IV

19 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we dive into the dramatic tale of two men whose rivalry changed the course of English history. We unravel the complex relationship between King...

How Did the Industrial Revolution Change the World?

16 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Was the Industrial Revolution the most important event in human history? Dan is joined by economist and journalist Duncan Weldon to explore why exactl...

The Germans Who Rebelled Against the Nazis

14 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we journey back to Berlin in the summer of 1943, where a clandestine gathering of Germany’s elite quietly plots to resist Hitler’s regime. ...

The Battle of Jutland

12 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On 31st May, 1916, 250 warships and nearly 100,000 sailors converged in the North Sea for the world's first full-scale clash of dreadnought fleets. Ad...

Medieval Sex

09 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Warning: this episode contains explicit language.Medieval people weren’t prudish—far from it. Dan is joined by medieval historian Dr Eleanor Janeg...

Alexandria

07 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is the story of a city that laid the foundations for our modern world. Sitting at the intersection of East and West, Alexandria has been home to ...

The Spanish Civil War

05 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why did Spain spiral into civil war in 1936? Today, we delve into the grinding class conflicts and ferocious political divisions that split Spain in t...

The Battle of Agincourt

02 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Dan explains the dramatic story of the Battle of Agincourt when, against overwhelming odds, Henry V’s underdog English army emerged...

Magna Carta

30 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dan and leading medieval historians explain everything you need to know about Magna Carta...and the story is more dramatic than you might think. Magna...

The First Trains

28 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On 27 September 1825, a steam-powered marvel known as Locomotion No.1 made history, pulling passengers and coal from Shildon to Stockton-on-Tees in th...

The Battle of Hastings

25 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On 14 October 1066, the armies of William, the Duke of Normandy, and the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson clashed near Hastings in one of the most fa...

The Mongol Invasion of Europe

23 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In the 13th century, a force unlike any Europe had ever seen came thundering across the steppe. The Mongols had already carved out the largest land em...

Did the Trojan War Really Happen?

21 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Trojan War is one of the great foundational stories of Western literature - a tale of gods and heroes, betrayal and siege, immortalised by Homer i...

Anne Boleyn: Myths vs Reality

18 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The life of Anne Boleyn has intrigued audiences for centuries. Everyone knows something about her time as Queen of England, and of course, her betraya...

Emperor Augustus

16 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Augustus has often been hailed as Rome’s greatest emperor - he ended civil war, built an empire and declared a new age of peace. But behind the arch...

The Greatest Knight That Ever Lived: William the Marshal

14 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

William the Marshal’s story reads like a legend. Born a landless younger son, he rose through sheer skill and courage to become the greatest knight ...

Rommel's Defeat in North Africa

11 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we unravel the dramatic North African campaign of World War II. Discover how the Allies turned the tide against Rommel, why Tunisia’s fall wa...

The Troubles Explained (Part 2)

09 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From the late 1960s to 1998, Northern Ireland was gripped by "The Troubles" - three decades of bloodshed, resulting from competing visions for its fut...

The Origins of The Troubles (Part 1)

07 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From the late 1960s to 1998, Northern Ireland was gripped by "The Troubles" - three decades of bloodshed, resulting from competing visions for its fut...

The Battle of Bannockburn

04 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Scotland’s struggle for independence was marked by rebellion, betrayal, and remarkable victories. In this episode, we trace the story from William W...

Is Society About to Collapse?

02 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The climate crisis, the rise of AI and the cost of living - do you feel like our society is on the brink of falling apart? Dan is joined by Dr Luke Ke...

The Acropolis

31 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From dazzling festivals honouring the goddess Athena to the engineering marvels of the Parthenon, Dan and classical historian Steve Kershaw explore ho...

The Rise and Fall of Carthage

28 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we tackle the Punic Wars - three epic clashes between Rome and Carthage for control of the Mediterranean. From naval battles to Hanni...

The Tower of London

26 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dan takes listeners through 1000 years of Britain's history at the Tower of London, from its formidable kings to its most notorious prisoners. Dan div...

Knossos

24 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You probably know the Ancient Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, who lives in a labyrinth under Knossos on the island of Crete - was there ever r...

Emperor Nero

21 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Emperor Nero has gone down in history as the archetypal bad ruler - cruel, decadent, and perhaps even responsible for setting Rome ablaze. But how muc...

The Colosseum

19 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Join Dan in Rome as he unravels the dramatic story of the Colosseum and the gladiators who fought — and died — for glory. From the origins of glad...

Napoleon in Paris

17 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Napoleon Bonaparte dreamed Paris would be the 'capital city of the universe' and much of what we see - and love - about Paris is thanks to him. The lo...

Pompeii

14 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Warning: this episode contains explicit language and discussions of sex.Pompeii is a city frozen in time and shows us exactly how the Romans really li...

The Surrender of Japan

12 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On the morning of August 15th, 1945, Emperor Hirohito's voice crackled over Japanese airwaves to announce the unthinkable - the surrender of Japan. To...

Edinburgh Castle

10 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From its origins as a Bronze Age settlement, to a battleground for Robert the Bruce’s men during the Wars of Independence, and a refuge for Mary, Qu...

The Great Train Robbery

07 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Did the "heist of the century" really happen the way the robbers say it did? In the summer of 1963, a gang of masked robbers executed a daring plan to...

Hiroshima: As It Happened

05 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode contains descriptions of graphic violence and may not be suitable for all listeners.On the morning of August 6th, 1945, a single American...

Notre Dame

03 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Join Dan Snow in the heart of Paris as he kicks off his summer series exploring Europe’s greatest historic sites. From a leafy Montmartre café to t...

5 Reasons the Allies Won the War

31 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What really tipped the scales in the Allies’ favour during World War II? In this episode, we break down five critical reasons behind the Allied vict...

Emperor Titus

29 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we explore the remarkable - and often overlooked - life of Emperor Titus. We uncover the dramatic events that defined his life and re...

Churchill vs Attlee: The Election That Changed Britain

27 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It was one of the most dramatic political upsets in British history. Just weeks after leading Britain to victory in Europe, wartime Prime Minister Win...

Is James I an Underrated King?

24 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We dive into the reign of the first Stuart monarch of England, his political savvy, and the controversies that shaped his rule. From the Gunpowder Plo...

War of the Worlds: Orson Welles' Alien Invasion Hoax

22 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In 1938, Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds radio broadcast stunned America. It was a defining moment in broadcast history - reports claimed it caused ...

Pirates: The Pirate Hunts

20 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As the Golden Age of Piracy drew to a close, the oceans turned into hunting grounds where pirates became prey. Dan tells the dramatic tale of the rise...

How did the Colonies win the American War of Independence?

17 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In 1775, American revolutionaries went to war with the British. Seeking independence from colonial ties, they fought more than 150 battles over eight ...

Christopher Wren

15 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Architect, astronomer, anatomist, and genius who rebuilt London after the Great Fire —Christopher Wren. His life is nothing short of extraordinary. ...

Pirates: Barbary Corsairs & The Bombardment of Algiers

13 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For centuries, the Barbary Corsairs captured ships and enslaved European Christians, turning the Mediterranean into a sea of fear and ransom. Backed b...

Boudicca: Myths vs Reality

10 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Boudicca, the warrior queen of the Iceni tribe, has become a symbol of resistance and British defiance. But what do we really know about her, and her ...

Why Do Empires Fall?

08 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For centuries, the Roman Empire commanded unparalleled control over the world around it. It expanded its borders through trade and conquest, sucking r...

Pirates: Piracy in the South China Seas

06 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Zheng Yi Sao was a pirate leader so formidable that she made Blackbeard and Captain Morgan look like amateurs. From humble beginnings as a sex worker ...

The Rise & Fall of Sparta

03 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we trace the rise and fall of ancient Greece’s most formidable warrior society - Sparta. This society's militaristic culture and battlefield ...

The Seven Years War

01 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Seven Years' War in the 18th century is often called the first world war - it was fought across Europe, North America, the Caribbean, Africa, and ...

Pirates: Myths vs Reality

29 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When it comes to our perception of pirates, Treasure Island has a lot to answer for. They didn't make their enemies walk the plank, they didn't keep p...

Richard the Lionheart

26 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Crusading hero, battlefield legend...absentee ruler? Dan explores the myth and reality behind England’s Warrior King. From storming Sicily to conque...

Pirates! NEW SERIES

25 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Swashbuckling rogues with a disregard for authority surging across the oceans, the smell of salt and gunpowder in their nostrils... looking for treasu...

The Crystal Palace

24 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Great Exhibition of 1851 was something to behold for the 6 million Victorian patrons who travelled to London's Hyde Park to see it. It was a trium...

Civil War in the Holy Roman Empire

22 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we hear about one of Europe’s most devastating conflicts - the Thirty Years’ War. From 1618 to 1648, the continent was torn apart...

The Mysteries of Easter Island

19 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In the heart of the Pacific Ocean, over 2,000 miles from the nearest continent, lies one of the world’s most iconic archaeological treasure troves -...

The Battle of Waterloo

17 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dan is joined by his dad, veteran broadcaster Peter Snow, to tell the incredible story of the clash between Napoleon Bonaparte and the Duke of Welling...

Iran & Israel: Allies to Enemies

15 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tensions between Iran and Israel have escalated with a recent Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities and retaliation from Iran. The two countrie...

How Did Humans Take Over the World?

12 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Humans are everywhere. How did we get from the savannahs of Africa across to the most northern reaches of Alaska and Greenland, to the outbacks of Aus...

The Ultimate Mesopotamian Mystery

10 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For thousands of years, ancient cuneiform - the script of the ancient Mesopotamians was lost to time, until being dramatically rediscovered in the 19t...

How the Nazis Escaped Germany

08 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Following the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945 some of its most egregious war criminals sought to escape justice by fleeing Europe, most famously to Sou...

Julius Caesar

05 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Romans built an empire that reshaped the world through brutal wars, brilliant strategy, and even the power of the pen. From the blood-soaked battl...

Disasters in the Age of Discovery

03 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The dawn of the age of European exploration in the 16th century was absurdly dangerous. Crews on the ships of Christopher Columbus, Vasco De Gama and ...

The Rise and Fall of the Assyrian Empire

01 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Was this the world’s first empire? To uncover the story of ancient history's most formidable powers, Dan is joined by Yale University’s Professor ...

Why do India and Pakistan fight over Kashmir?

29 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A dive into the history behind today's tensions. In this episode, Dan is joined by historian and journalist Andrew Whitehead to explain the historical...

How Did Genghis Khan Change the World?

27 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Genghis Khan reshaped the world with brutal force and brilliant organisation. He began life in exile and rose to be a powerful nomadic warrior who uni...

The Battle of Okinawa

25 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Warning: this episode contains descriptions of violence against children and suicide.The Battle of Okinawa was the final, climactic battle of the war ...

Captain Cook

22 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dan tells the extraordinary tale of Captain James Cook. Born a labourer's son, he would rise to become one of history's greatest explorers. He went ab...

Mount Hiei: Home of Japan's Warrior Monks

20 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Assassin's Creed: Shadows gives players the chance to visit the imperial capital of medieval Japan. But today, we're heading to a mountain lying just ...

The Nazi Occupation of Jersey

18 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The only British territory ever occupied by the Nazis was the Channel Islands. From 1940 to the end of the war, the Germans turned Jersey, and some of...

Why is Timbuktu Famous?

15 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Synonymous for somewhere far away, Timbuktu has been mythologised by the stories of old European explorers. But in fact, for centuries it was in fact ...

The Glorious Revolution

13 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we hear all about the Glorious Revolution, a pivotal moment in British history that saw the overthrow of King James II and the accessi...

The Siege of Vienna

11 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In the summer of 1683, Vienna was under siege. A vast Ottoman army surrounded the city, poised to breach the walls and clear the way for Ottoman expan...

The History of Alcatraz

08 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Home to the likes of Al Capone and George 'Machine Gun' Kelly, Alcatraz was once the jewel in the American prison system. The wind-swept island fortre...

VE Day

06 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When the Second World War finally ended 80 years ago, there was a mixed reaction in Britain. Today, we hear about these varying responses, from elatio...

How did Andrew Jackson Change the U.S. Presidency?

04 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A hero to some, and a villain to others, the seventh president of the United States was a populist firebrand who reshaped America and left a legacy th...

Germany After Hitler

01 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

80 years ago, as the war in Europe drew to a close, the world began to come to terms with the horrors of the Third Reich. This is the story of the Nur...

The Death of Hitler

29 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Warning: this episode contains discussion of suicide.Berlin, April 1945: After nearly 12 years, the "Thousand-Year Reich" is crumbling. Isolated in a ...

The Dreyfus Affair: The Spy Scandal that Shook France

27 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It started with an inconsequential piece of military intelligence, scrawled on a piece of paper and left in a waste paper basket. But over the next de...

The Einstein Murders

24 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Warning: this episode contains discussion of suicide.In August 1944, German soldiers burst into the Florentine villa of Robert Einstein, cousin of the...

A History of Popes

22 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Popes have shaped the history of the world. The Catholic Church has had a Pope for two thousand years, the first- tradition dictates- was St Peter, th...