Dan Snow's History Hit

300 years of British Prime Ministers: Part 3

18 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the third episode of our series chronicling the history of British Prime Ministers we travel from one of the Most famous occupants of the office, W...

Irish Independence

16 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On 18th April 1949, the Republic of Ireland Act came into effect which saw Ireland become a republic and leave the Commonwealth. 2021 also marks the 1...

JFK's Darkest Hour: The Cuban Missile Crisis

16 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In October 1962 the world came very close to annihilation during the Cuban Missile Crisis. During the autumn of 1962, a U2 reconnaissance aircraft pro...

Life and Death in Medieval England

15 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We often hear about the kings and queens of medieval England, but what was life like for the ordinary person? From knights to peasants to barbers, Dan...

British Seapower in the 1900s

14 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

During the changes and troubles of the 20th century, officials in Britain faced a huge question: how could they maintain imperial power? Dr Louis Hale...

The End of Sex Disqualification?

13 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The First World War saw unprecedented numbers of women enter the workplace and help pave the way for women to be given greater rights and responsibili...

Yuri Gagarin: The First Human to Leave Our Planet

12 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On April 12th 1961 the Soviet Union shocked the world by launching the first man into space; Yuri Gagarin. Strapped to the top of a gigantic ICBM Gaga...

300 years of British Prime Ministers: Part 2

11 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing our series looking at British Prime Ministers this episode tackles the period following the Battle of Waterloo all the way up to Winston Ch...

Prince Philip

09 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Abandoned by his parents, exiled from his home, a veteran of Second World War battles, an author, the founder of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF),...

The Xiongnu: History's First Nomadic Empire?

09 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Between the 3rd century BC and the 1st century AD, the Xiongnu inhabited the area surrounding Mongolia. They influenced the later Hun Empire, and had ...

What Britain Did to Nigeria

08 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When we think of the British Empire we often think of India, Pakistan, Singapore, Burma or perhaps South Africa but an often underrepresented part of ...

Catherine the Great

07 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Catherine the Great came from minor German nobility to become Empress of Russia and one of the most extraordinary women of the eighteenth century. Dan...

30 Years since the Kurdish Uprising

06 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the aftermath of the First Gulf War, groups rose up against Saddam Hussein's regime in a bid to win independence from Baghdad with devastating resu...

Will This Be the New Roaring 20s?

05 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Our impressions of the Roaring 20s are a time of economic growth, social change and in some cases wild debauchery, but were the Roaring 20s really a t...

300 years of British Prime Ministers: Part 1

04 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We're heading back to the Eighteenth century as 300 years ago Sir Robert Walpole became the first prime minister. In this first episode of our Prime M...

Violence Against Women in Victorian London

03 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the 1880s and 1890s Whitechapel, in London, become notorious for its violence especially towards women but what lessons can be drawn from this peri...

The Truth About Easter

02 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In one of the most popular episodes from our archive, Dan is joined by Francesca Stavrakopoulou to discuss the history and myths that surround Easter....

Hitler's Atlantic Wall

01 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Atlantic Wall is one of the biggest construction projects in history a line of formidable defences stretching from the Pyrenees to the Norwegian A...

Music and Humans

31 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today we take music for granted but humans have a unique relationship with the musical form which reaches back far into our ancient past. In this epis...

Operation Jubilee: A Pinch Raid at Dieppe?

30 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On 19 August 1942, a six thousand strong combined Allied landing force took part in a raid on Dieppe, Northern France. Sixty-seven percent of these be...

The Man Who Dropped the First Bomb on Iraq

29 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

30 years ago Maj. Gen. Greg "the beast" Feest dropped a bomb from his F-117 stealth bomber destroying an Iraqi command bunker which began the air war ...

Boudica: Britain's Warrior Queen

28 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This episode from our sibling podcast The Ancients is all about that hero of British folklore; Boudica. Her leadership of the Iceni in an uprising aga...

Icelandic Volcanoes and Us

27 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This explosive episode is all about the effects of Icelandic volcanoes on us all. In 1783 a massive eruption of Lakagígar volcano nearly forced the a...

The Suez Canal

26 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The creation of the Suez Canal was the culmination of a dream stretching back to the pharaohs of connecting the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, but why ...

Greek War of Independence

25 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

200 years ago the banner was raised which marked the beginning of the Greek War of Independence that would lead to their freedom from the Ottoman Empi...

Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities with Bettany Hughes

24 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode from the back catalogue, Dr Bettany Hughes joins Dan to talk about her history of Istanbul which sits at the crossroads of Europe and ...

One Normal Family, 300 Years of History

23 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Every family has a history and delving into the history of one ordinary French family over three centuries provides a remarkable picture of deep socia...

French Resistance Super Spy

22 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today's podcast is about French Resistance spies! Dan is joined by the author Roland Phillips who has uncovered the story of Mathilde Carré who was c...

Napoleon: Captive on Saint Helena

21 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Saint Helena is one of the most remote inhabited islands in the world. Nearly a thousand mile from the nearest piece of land, this recently created vo...

The Census

20 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Here in the UK, it's census time! Today, I'm joined on the podcast by one of the nations favourite family historians Dr Michala Hulme who certainly kn...

The War in the East: Part 1 with Bill Frankland

19 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode taken from our archive, I talk to Dr Bill Frankland (19 March 1912 – 2 April 2020), a veteran of World War Two who lived through a J...

Another History of Ideas with David Runciman

18 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today, I am joined once again by Professor David Runciman to talk about the second series of his brilliant History of Ideas podcast. The series looks ...

St Patrick's Day

17 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We all have a story about St Patrick's Day and our guest on the podcast today, Adrian Mulligan has a few. Adrian is an Associate Professor of Geograph...

The My Lai Massacre

16 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On the 16th March 1968, the My Lai Massacre occurred in South Vietnam. 350-500 men, women, children and babies were brutally killed by US troops durin...

The Ides of March

15 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today's podcast is an episode taken from our sibling podcast The Ancients. In 4 BC, the Ides of March took on a new significance. Previously observed ...

Written Constitutions with Linda Colley

14 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On the podcast today we have the legendary Linda Colley to talk all about her new book examining the phenomenon of written constitutions. From Corsica...

Vikings in America

12 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Vikings were one of the great exploring peoples of the past. They travelled east along the rivers to the Silk Road, they explored west across the ...

History of Homelessness

11 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Throughout history homelessness has been given many names vagrancy, vagabonding, tramping. Indeed, homeless people have been seen in different lights....

When We Nearly Nuked the Moon

10 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Vince Houghton joins me on the podcast today to talk about some of the weirdest and craziest ideas put forward during the twentieth century. We're tal...

Michael Palin: Erebus and Terror

09 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this archive episode, Dan Snow wrangles with a Python! He talks to comedy legend Michael Palin about his book, Erebus The Story of a Ship. The book...

On This Day She

08 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

To help celebrate International Women's Day I am joined on the podcast by Tania Hershman, Ailsa Holland and Jo Bell founders of On This Day She. Women...

Eddie the Eagle

07 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

I am joined by an absolute legend on the podcast today; Eddie the Eagle. He became an overnight sensation during the 1988 Winter Olympics as the first...

The British Landscape: 12,000 years of history

06 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Nicholas Crane is a geographer, explorer, writer and broadcaster. He has written and presented four notable television series for BBC Two: Coast, Grea...

The Renaissance

05 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today on the podcast we're going to talk all about the Renaissance. We have all heard of it as a reawakening, a rebirth of European culture but what t...

What's Going on in Myanmar?

04 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Myanmar is currently experiencing one of its worst-ever periods of violence and civil unrest as the population protests against the recent military co...

Cheddar Man: Science and the Skeleton

03 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today's episode is from our brilliant sibling podcast The Ancients. Cheddar Man is the oldest almost complete skeleton of a Homo sapien ever found in ...

French Resistance Heroine Heading to the Oscars?

02 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Joining me on the podcast today are Alice Doyard and Anthony Giacchino to discuss their film Colette: The french resistance fighter confronting fascis...

Queens of Jerusalem

01 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In today's episode of the podcast, I am joined by Katherine Pangonis a historian specialising in the medieval world of the Mediterranean and Middle Ea...

The Gulf War: 30 Years On

28 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On this day thirty years ago a ceasefire was declared bringing ground operations in the first Gulf War to an end. An overwhelmingly powerful coalition...

Lockdown Learning: The 19th Century Medical Revolution

26 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The 19th century saw the world in the grip of the industrial revolution, a firepower revolution on the battlefield and a communications revolution wit...

The Doolittle Raid

25 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we're talking about one of the great stories of American military history; The Doolittle Raid. In 1942 after the humiliation assault on Pearl H...

Anti-government Violence in America

24 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Leah Sottile joins me today to talk all about domestic terrorism and anti-government groups in the USA. In particular, we talk about the armed standof...

Remembering the Alamo with W. F. Strong

23 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode taken from our archive, I headed out to Texas in 2016 to discuss the Battle of the Alamo and what its legacy means for modern Texas. I...

John of Gaunt: THE Royal Ancestor

22 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Helen Carr joins me today to discuss John of Gaunt: son of Edward III, younger brother to the Black Prince, uncle of Richard II and father of Henry IV...

In Conversation with David Baddiel

21 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode taken from our archive, David Baddiel talks to Dan about the Second World War, Trump's Mussolini-isms, and why Jim Callaghan makes com...

Brexit History Showdown with Robert Tombs

20 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Five years after the announcement of the Brexit referendum I am joined on the podcast by Robert Tombs, author of The Sovereign Isle: Britain In and Ou...

Vikings: River Kings

19 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today, I am joined by Cat Jarman bio-archaeologist and author of a new book all about how the Vikings spread east, often utilising the rivers of centr...

Frostquake

18 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the winter of 1962-63, the UK experienced a different kind of lockdown as freezing temperatures and ten weeks of snow kept people trapped at home i...

Besieging Masada

17 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Dramatically placed on a plateau with drops of 400m to the east and 90m to the west, Masada translates from Hebrew as fortress. It became just that wh...

Love Lives: From Cinderella to Frozen

16 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We cover all the big topics on the podcast including weapons of mass destruction, climate change, great power rivalry and the struggle for democracy a...

Hitler and Stalin

15 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

I am joined by Laurence Rees, the best selling author, who has met more people that had direct contact with both Hitler and Stalin than any other hist...

Living Through the Dresden Firebombing with Victor Gregg

13 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Victor Gregg is a veteran of World War Two and the Dresden Bombings, and travelled with Dan to visit Dresden a couple of years ago for a documentary. ...

Lockdown Learning: The Rise of USA

12 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For Lockdown Learning this week I am joined by Dr Fabian Hilfrich, head of American History at Edinburgh University. He takes us through from the late...

The 18th Century Precedent for Trump's Impeachment

11 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As the impeachment trial of Donald Trump got underway in the USA the 18th-century case of Warren Hastings, the former Governor-General of Bengal was c...

Empire with Sathnam Sanghera

10 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Journalist and author Sathnam Sanghera joins me on the podcast to talk about his latest book Empireland which examines how much of what we think of as...

Historical Novels with Ken Follett

09 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today, I am joined by best-selling author Ken Follett to discuss his latest book The Evening and the Morning. We also talk about his love of history a...

China 1949: Year of Revolution

08 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In 1949 Mao Zedong led the Chinese Communist Party to victory in the long and bloody Chinese Civil War. The impact of this victory was felt not just w...

Sutton Hoo

07 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The release of The Dig has brought the story of the Sutton Hoo dig to the forefront of people’s minds of late. The real hero of that story though is...

Emily Davison with Kate Willoughby

06 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, originally released in 2018, Dan talks to actor, activist, and "part-time suffragette" Kate Willoughby about Emily Davison, the cente...

Lockdown Learning: Interwar Europe

05 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For this episode of Lockdown Learning Professor Richard Toye joined me on the podcast to talk about the interwar period and answer the key questions&n...

The History of Social Media with Kara Swisher

04 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Facebook was founded on the 4th of February 2004 and began as a tool to stay in touch with friends and family, but has ended up being a place where yo...

The AIDS pandemic

03 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of the podcast, I’m joined by Tash Walker and Adam Zmith, hosts of The Log Books podcast, to discuss the Aids pandemic of the 1980s ...

Edges of Empire: Rome's Northernmost Town

02 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Roughly two miles south of Hadrian’s Wall lie the remains of Roman Corbridge, the northernmost town of the Roman Empire. The site’s archaeology is...

How the Establishment Resisted the Abolition of Slavery

01 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Michael Taylor joined me on the podcast to discuss the resistance of the British establishment to the ending of the slave trade. Hosted on...

Elvis: Destined to Die Young

31 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Sally Hoedel joined me on the podcast to talk about the turbulent life and career of Elvis Presley, King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Hosted on Acast....

Lockdown Learning: Russian Revolution

29 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Helen Rappaport, a specialist in Russian history, joined me on the podcast for the third episode of our lockdown learning series to talk about the Rus...

Pirates

28 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Rebecca Simon joined me on the podcast to talk about the Golden Age of Piracy within the British-Atlantic world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priv...

Survivors of Genocide

27 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For Holocaust Memorial Day Dan talks to people who have experienced and survived genocide. Four guests from four different parts of the world. Sophie ...

How the Irish Shaped Britain with Fergal Keane

26 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Fergal Keane joined me on the podcast to talk about the profound influence the Irish have had on Britain over many centuries. Hosted on Acast. See a...

Liberalism with Ian Dunt

25 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, I was joined by journalist Ian Dunt, a well known a commentator on politics and on Brexit. Ian is host of the 'Oh God What Now' podca...

Cold War Submarine Warrior

24 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Eric Thompson has had his finger literally on the nuclear button. He joined the Royal Navy submarine service in the early days of the Cold War. He ser...

Lucy Worsley on Queen Victoria

23 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

BAFTA winning historian and Joint Chief Curator of Historic Royal Palaces Lucy Worsley takes Dan on a tour of Kensington Palace, one of the principle ...

Lockdown Learning: The Middle Ages

22 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's Lockdown Learning episode, I was delighted to be joined by medieval historian Marc Morris. We discuss broad themes relating to the Midd...

Rediscovering Amazon Civilisations

21 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ella Al-Shamahi, explorer, paleoanthropologist, evolutionary biologist and stand-up comic, joined me on the podcast to talk about Amazon Civilisations...

Marissa Roth, Photojournalist

20 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Marissa Roth, Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist, joins me on the podcast to talk about her pictures of the 1992 LA riots and lifetime of war phot...

Indonesian Cave Art: A Dramatic New Discovery

19 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It’s a paradox for the ages, breaking news about people who lived and died thousands of years ago. This discovery is no different, because Adam Brum...

The Second Reich

18 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On 18 January 1871 as the Siege of Paris raged a couple of miles away King Wilhelm I of Prussia was proclaimed Emperor of the German empire in the Hal...

Impeaching the President

17 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

He's made history. Donald Trump has become the only President in US history to be impeached not once but twice. Three years ago Dan talked to Joshua M...

Lockdown Learning: The Tudors

15 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We're very pleased to bring you this special 'Lockdown Learning' episode of the podcast, featuring the brilliant Dr Anna Whitelock on the Tudor period...

Treason in America

14 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Constitutional law and legal history scholar Carlton Larson talked to Dan during Christmas about treason in the American legal system. How is it defin...

LGBTQ+ History: With the team from the Logbooks Podcast

13 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Tash Walker and Adam Zmith join me to talk about The Log Books Podcast, a history of LGBTQ+ life in the UK. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy f...

When the Brits Burnt the Capitol, with Peter Snow

12 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In 1814 a British expeditionary force landed in Maryland, marched on Washington, brushed aside an American army and stormed into the US capital. The B...

Bitcoin and Crypto: A History

11 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jamie Bartlett joined me on the podcast to talk about the history of the Bitcoin. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Goose Green: A Veteran Remembers

10 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

John Geddes joined the Parachute Regiment as a teenager in the late 1970s. Within a couple of years he was plunged into the Falklands War and the bloo...

2008 Financial Crash with Adam Tooze

09 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Dan speaks to economic historian Adam Tooze for the tenth anniversary of Lehman Brothers' collapse in this special podcast.Subscribe to History Hit an...

Insurrection in America

08 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As an armed mob broke into the US Capitol, Dan talked long into the night to his friend and star blogger known only as the Angry Staff Officer. He is ...

How Ancient Egypt Stayed Egyptian

07 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The length of time between the rule of Cleopatra and the erection of the Pyramids is the same as that between now and the birth of Jesus Christ. With ...

The Inquisition

06 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jessica Dalton joined me on the podcast to talk about the history of the Inquisition. We discussed the Roman Inquisition, the Spanish Inquisition, and...

The Partition of Ireland

05 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Patricia Clavin, Niamh Gallagher and Caoimhe Nic Dháibhéid joined me on the pod to discuss the history of the partition of Ireland.Subscribe to Hist...

The Tudor Crown Discovered in a Field?

04 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Metal detectorist Kevin Duckett made a remarkable discovery in a field in Northamptonshire. At first he thought it was a bit of squashed tin foil. In ...