Dan Snow's History Hit
Episodes
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 ...
History Legends: Mary Beard
03 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is the third of our History Legends podcasts, featuring Mary Beard.Subscribe to History Hit and you'll get access to hundreds of history ...
History of Gaming
02 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Tristan Donovan joined me on the podcast to talk about the history of gaming.Subscribe to History Hit and you'll get access to hundreds of history doc...
Andy McNab on the SAS
01 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
From the day he was found in a carrier bag on the steps of Guy's Hospital in London, Andy McNab has led an extraordinary life. As a teenage delinquent...
Best of 2020 Part Two
31 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Part Two: a compilation of the best podcasts of 2020.Subscribe to History Hit and you'll get access to hundreds of history documentaries, as well as e...
St Paul's, the Blitz and THAT photo
29 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
80 years ago today the Second Great Fire of London was unleashed by sustained German bombing during one of the fiercest nights of the Blitz. On this p...
History Legends: Eric Foner
28 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Eric Foner joined me on the podcast to talk about Reconstruction, the attempt to reimagine the American Republic following the Civil War.Subscribe to ...
Dan's Dickensian Christmas
27 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dan Snow is treated to a range of Dickensian Christmas delights courtesy of historian Pen Vogler, from mince pies to Charles Dickens' favourite punch....
History Legends: Michael Wood
26 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Michael Wood joined me on the podcast to talk about his career as a historian.Subscribe to History Hit and you'll get access to hundreds of history do...
Best of 2020 Part One
25 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A compilation of the best podcasts of 2020. Part one highlights historians talking about history.Subscribe to History Hit and you'll get access to hun...
The 1914 Christmas Truce (part 2)
24 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Part Two of our special podcast mini series on the famous Christmas Truce. On Christmas Eve 1914 many sectors of the Western Front in France and Belgi...
The 1914 Christmas Truce (part 1)
23 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On Christmas Eve 1914 many sectors of the Western Front in France and Belgium fell silent. Troops from all sides put down their weapons and sang carol...
When Parliament Cancelled Christmas
22 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On 19 December 1644 the English Parliament banned Christmas. EXACTLY 376 years later to the day, Boris Johnson announced that this year the celebratio...
Hannibal: Crossing the Alps
21 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In 218 BCE, Hannibal Barca's Carthaginian army, accompanied by horses and elephants, completed one of the most audacious military marches of ancient M...
Soviet Spy in the Cotswolds with Ben Macintyre
20 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Ben Macintyre joined me on the podcast to talk about Ursula Kuczynski, one of the greatest spies of the 20th Century.Subscribe to History Hit and you'...
History Hit Presents 'The Christmas Truce'
19 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Christmas Truce was one of the most miraculous episodes in the history of warfare, and History Hit have a major new podcast and film dropping next...
Britain's Black Power Movement
19 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Leila Hassan Howe and Amanda Kirton joined me on the podcast to talk about the history of the Black Power movement in Britain.Subscribe to History Hit...
The Violence of the Suffragettes
18 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Today we remember the suffragettes as a peaceful movement, but in the years before the First World War, the WSPU launched one of the most shocking ter...
Sicily '43
17 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
James Holland joined me on the podcast to discuss the allied invasion of Sicily on the 10th July 1943.Subscribe to History Hit and you'll get access t...
Ethiopia: All You Need to Know
16 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Richard Reid joined me on the podcast to talk about the history of Ethiopia.Subscribe to History Hit and you'll get access to hundreds of history docu...
How Dogs Became Man's Best Friend
14 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Mike Loades joined me on the podcast to talk about the history of dogs, and they are intertwined with human history.Subscribe to History Hit and you'l...
Adolf Hitler: The War Years
13 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
At the beginning of 1940 Germany was at the pinnacle of its power. By May 1945 Hitler was dead and Germany had suffered a disastrous defeat. Hitler ha...
How Slavery Built Modern Britain
12 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Padraic Scanlan joined me on the podcast to talk about how Britain rose to global power on the backs of enslaved workers. Modern Britain has inherited...
Disinformation and the White Helmets in Syria
11 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Chloe Hadjimatheou joined me on the podcast to talk about the death of James Le Mesurier, the man who co-founded the White Helmets, a Syrian civil def...
Spartacus: Life or Legend?
10 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
‘I’m Spartacus!’ In the field of epic film making, the 1960 historical drama ‘Spartacus’, is legendary. Directed by Stanley Kibrick, adapted...
Big Data and History
09 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dan Hoyer and Peter Turchin joined me on the podcast to talk about the new transdisciplinary field of Cliodynamics, which uses the tools of complexity...
Mary Queen of Scots with Kate Williams
08 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dan Snow and Kate Williams talk about the rise and fall of Mary Queen of Scots.Subscribe to History Hit and you'll get access to hundreds of history d...
Diary of an MP's Wife
07 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sasha Swire joined me on the podcast to talk about her diary, written during the Cameron years. Her husband was an MP and junior minister at the time....
Charles Dickens
06 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In today's episode, I was joined by John Mullan, Lord Northcliffe Professor of Modern English Literature at University College London. He has publishe...
Ghost Hunter!
04 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Kate Summerscale has written one of the Sunday Time books of the year exploring the world of poltergeists and ghosts in the build up to the Second Wor...
Sylvia Pankhurst
03 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel Holmes joined me on the podcast to discuss the life of British suffragette and socialist Sylvia Pankhurst. Sylvia found her voice fighting mili...
The Nuremberg Trials: 75th Anniversary
02 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Tom Bower joined me on the podcast to discuss the history and legacy of the Nuremberg Trials.Subscribe to History Hit and you'll get access to hundred...
Rebel Anthropologists Who Challenged Everything
01 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Charles King joined me on the podcast to talk about a group of cultural anthropologist who fundamentally transformed conceptions of 'normality' in the...
Was Winston Churchill Racist?
30 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The former Prime Minister has faced a renewed controversy as people are calling for his statues to be removed due to his racist views. We are joined b...