Dan Snow's History Hit

Chichén Itzá

06 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

One of the new Seven Wonders of the World, Chichen Itza is home to monumental pyramids, temples, and is a treasure trove of archaeological findings. B...

Marco Polo

05 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

You may have heard the many myths about the life and exploits of Marco Polo- was he really the one who brought ice cream and spaghetti from his travel...

The Legacy of Rome

04 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rome has attracted aspiring conquerors and leaders for millennia, not just as a great metropolis, but as an idea. It has long been a symbol of militar...

Rise of the Tudors

03 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Join Dan as he rollicks through the tumultuous life and rise to power of Henry Tudor, the man who would ultimately become King Henry VII of England. S...

Secret Origins of the SAS

30 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In 1974, a pioneer of the SAS and master of military deception, Dudley Clarke, passed away. His death went almost entirely unnoticed by the British pu...

Ivan the Terrible

29 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The name Ivan the Terrible is synonymous with brutality and ruthlessness. While Western scholars insist that the first crowned Tsar of all Russia did ...

Charlie Chaplin

28 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Golden Age of Hollywood was a place of pioneers, storytellers, ideas, westward expansion, money, politics and scandal- the story of Hollywood is t...

How Brutish were our Ancestors?

27 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Was life for our ancient ancestors brutish and short or did they exist as noble savages, free and living in harmony with nature and each other? Many o...

WWII Britain: The Home Guard's Silent Assassins

23 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

WWII Britain's Home Guard wasn't a bumbling dad's army but in fact included factions of highly trained silent killers and spies hiding out in secret b...

Chairman Mao

22 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Leader of the Chinese Communist Party from 1949 until his death in 1976, Chairman Mao reshaped the nation's course of history, founding the People's R...

Elizabeth I's War with Ireland

21 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Queen Elizabeth I, Gloriana, victor over the Spanish and patron of the arts ushered in a Golden Age for England. But she was also Queen of Ireland, an...

The Ancient Greek Computer: The Antikythera Mechanism

20 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the recent Indiana Jones: The Dial of Destiny movie, the Antikythera Mechanism is used for time travel but in reality it was actually more of a cel...

Battle of Gettysburg

16 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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

The Rise of the Taliban

15 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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

Scottish Clans

14 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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

Archimedes and the Siege of Syracuse

12 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 laid s...

Surviving Hitler and Stalin

09 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Lord Daniel Finkelstein recounts stories from his parents' remarkable lives. His mother Mirjam Wiener survived the Nazi concentration camps, and his f...

Genghis Khan

08 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Genghis Khan roughly translates to 'Universal Ruler', a fitting name for the most famous nomadic conqueror to have ever lived. He was born as Temüjin...

Attila The Hun

07 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Known to the Romans as the 'Scourge of God', Attila the Hun brought chaos to the world around him. He and his armies plundered, pillaged and looted th...

The Great Train Robbery

06 Aug 2023

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...

Ragnar Lothbrok: Viking Legend

02 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The ninth-century Danish king and warrior Ragnar Lothbrok became notorious again most recently through the TV series The Vikings. But what do we know ...

History's Greatest Commanders

01 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In war, leadership matters. Poorly trained or outnumbered armies have often been led to victory by the sheer brilliance of their leaders. Celebrated o...

Good King Wenceslaus

31 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Who was the real good King Wenceslas? The Duke of Bohemia who was made famous by the Christmas carol was also a pivotal figure of European history. He...

North vs South: How Korea Was Divided

30 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The divided Korean peninsula is the last remnant of the Cold War: South Korea is a vibrant democracy, a strong market economy, and home to a world-ren...

Oppenheimer: What If America Never Dropped the Atomic Bomb?

26 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The new Oppenheimer movie has everyone asking questions about the atomic bombs dropped on Japan in 1945 - were two bombs necessary? Would the war have...

The Fall of Mussolini

25 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Benito Mussolini, the Italian fascist dictator met a gruesome end during the final days of World War II when he and his mistress were executed and hun...

Warrior Women: Boudicca to Ukrainian Snipers

24 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

From Boudicca to Ukrainian snipers, battlefields have always contained a surprising number of women.Today Kate is joined Betwixt the Sheets by Sarah P...

Nazi's Most Wanted: Assassin Hannie Schaft

23 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Known among the Nazis as "the girl with the red hair," Hannie Schaft was a resistance fighter so deadly that Adolf Hitler personally ordered her captu...

Oppenheimer

19 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On a summer morning in 1945, a device known simply as 'Gadget' was detonated. An enormous explosion tore a crater into the New Mexico desert, melting ...

Black Boxes: Recording Airplanes' Final Moments

18 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

They can survive in lava for half an hour and accelerations of 3,400 Gs. Their beacons can be detected 20,000 feet beneath the waves. Most shocking of...

Prigozhin: The Fate of Russian ‘Favourites’

17 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Russian history is defined by the rise and fall of favourites. Peter the Great had Menshikov, and Nicholas II had Rasputin. It's part of the architect...

Napoleon

16 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Did Napoleon really come from nothing and conquer everything? The release of the trailer for Ridley Scott's new epic biopic film has created hot debat...

The Picts: Scourge of Rome

12 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Emerging around the 3rd century CE and later designated official adversaries of the Roman Empire, the Picts wreaked havoc across the northern fringes ...

Russia & USA: The 100-Year Cold War

11 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Cold War was defined by the antagonism between two world superpowers: the United States and the Soviet Union. They relied on proxy wars, espionage...

The North Pole Scandal

10 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the autumn of 1909, the American explorer Frederick Cook arrived in Copenhagen, claiming to have become the first person to reach the North Pole. H...

Operation Mincemeat

09 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The most audacious deception operation of WWII. On the 30th of April, 1943, the corpse of a 'Major Martin' washed up near the Spanish city of Huelva. ...

The Battle of Kursk

05 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dan explains Operation Citadel. In July and August of 1943, it was the last major attempt by the Nazis to turn the tide of the war in the East. Millio...

The Creation of the NHS

04 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

75 years ago this week, the National Health Service was born. Launched by Aneurin Bevan on the 5th of July, 1948, it revolutionised healthcare in the ...

California Gold Rush

03 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

From the rings on our fingers to coins in our pockets and, for a select few, the medals hanging around our necks. Gold is one of the most coveted meta...

The First Day of The Somme

02 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dan Explains the first day of The Somme which remains the bloodiest day in the history of the British army; a symbol of the senseless carnage of the F...

Toto Koopman: Socialite, Vogue Model and WWII Spy

28 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Toto Koopman was remarkable; she was a high society socialite who risked her life wining and dining with Italian blackshirts in order to gather inform...

Great Fire of London

27 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Why do we call the Great Fire of London in 1666 “great”? Was it because of the significant challenge it posed to authorities and residents as they...

Wagner vs Putin: A History of Russian Coups

26 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On the 24th of June, 2023, Yevgeny Prigozhin and his paramilitary group Wagner carried out what appeared to be an attempted coup in Russia. In a seism...

The 20th Century Arms Race

25 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The 20th century heralded a revolution in how wars are fought. From military strategy and planning to the weapons and equipment used on the ground, mo...

The Windrush Generation & Scandal

21 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The journey of the Empire Windrush that docked in Essex with 1,027 passengers & at least two stowaways on 22nd June 1948 has come to define a whole ge...

The Titanic Wreck

20 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In 1912 Titanic departed on her first and last voyage from Southampton, sinking over 2 miles to the bottom of the dark North Atlantic Ocean, around 40...

George VI and Elizabeth, Queen Mother

19 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This episode brings the marriage of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother to life, from the uproar of King Edward VIIIs abdication to t...

The Stonewall Uprising

18 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Pride month happens in June in commemoration of the Stonewall Uprising that took place in the summer of 1969 after police undertook a routine raid on ...

Origins of Scottish Independence

14 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For the first time in 18 years, the Declaration of Arbroath - an iconic document in the story of the struggle for Scottish independence in the 14th ce...

Wreck, Scandal & Mutiny on HMS Wager

13 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In 1740, the Royal Navy ship The Wager set sail for the Pacific to take part in the War of Jenkins' Ear. The unfortunate ship was separated from the f...

Ukraine's Dam Destroyed: Water as a Weapon

12 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On the 6th of June, 2023, an explosion tore through the Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine. A torrent of water cascaded downriver, flooding towns and villages, d...

Chevalier: France's Revolutionary Maestro

11 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges is perhaps the most accomplished classical musician that you've never heard of. A composer, soldier and cha...

The British Empire

07 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The British Empire was one of the most influential and far-reaching empires in history. Dan and his guest journalist and author Sathnam Sanghera remem...

Hiding Anne Frank

06 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Warfare, host James Patton Rogers is joined by Tony Phelan and Susanna Fogel, creators of the new TV series A Small Light, which ex...

D-Day: Britain and America's 'Special Relationship'

05 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The 6th of June, 1944 was the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany and the pinnacle of the 'special relationship' between Britain and the United Stat...

The Ejector Seat

04 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An ejector seat propels a human at speeds reaching 200 miles in less than a second. It can save a life... or snap a neck. John Nichol remembers pullin...

Love and Lust in WWII

31 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Though rarely spoken about, love, lust and sexuality were key to many soldiers' experiences of the Second World War. Veterans might allude to them in ...

Murder in the Roman World

30 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Ancient Romans are often thought of as ahead of their time. They invented concrete, sophisticated road systems and even underfloor heating.But the...

Why Empires Fall

29 May 2023

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...

5. Story of England: Modern Warfare

25 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

From the First World War to the Cold War, conflict in the 20th century has been crucial in shaping England as we know it. This is the final episode of...

4. Story of England: Industrial Revolution

24 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Modern England as we know it started in the industrial heart of Ironbridge in Shropshire- now a verdant gorge that once was black with smog, fire and ...

3. Story of England: Tudor Feuds, Explorers and Fanatics

23 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Tudors were the dynasty that had it all- power, family feuds, sex and scandal. Dan couldn't do a history of England without a hearty helping of ou...

2. Story of England: Medieval Invaders

22 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Great Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, bloodshed at the battle of Hastings, Bubonic Plague and Roland the celebrity flatulist. As dawn breaks, Dan walks the beac...

1. Story of England: Stone Age to Roman Days

21 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dan begins his ultimate historical road trip at the mysterious plinths at Stonehenge in the South-West of England. Dan uncovers how the stones arrived...

Henry III vs. Simon de Montfort

17 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

After speaking to Gone Medieval in April 2022 about the first volume of his magisterial biography of Henry III, David Carpenter promised Matt Lewis th...

Britain's WWII Lumberjills

16 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Second World War placed a tremendous strain on Britain's natural resources. One of the most important materials for fuelling the war effort was wo...

Nazi Codebreaking with Betty Webb

15 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Betty Webb is the last known living veteran who worked on both German and Japanese codes at Bletchley Park and Dan got an invite to her 100th birthday...

The Haitian Revolution and King Henri Christophe

14 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the summer of 1791, thousands of enslaved people in Saint Domingue, as Haiti was then known, cast aside their shackles and revolted against French ...

Dan Explains: The Dambusters Part 2

10 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On the night of the 16th May, 1943, Operation Chastise commenced - 133 RAF airmen in their iconic Lancaster bombers took off from England, bound for G...

Dan Explains: The Dambusters Part 1

09 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On the night of the 16th of May, 1943, 133 RAF airmen in their iconic Lancaster bombers took off from England, and headed for Germany. Armed with spec...

Ruling as a Renaissance Queen

08 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The 16th century in Europe was an age of great Queens. But just because they were in charge, didn't always mean they were powerful or safe; it was tou...

Knossos

07 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The legend of the Minotaur and its labyrinth has captivated us for centuries, but is there any evidence of it really existing?In this episode, Tristan...

Tocqueville: The Search for Liberty, Equality & Democracy

03 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In 1831, the French aristocrat Alexis de Tocqueville left the troubled continent of Europe and set sail for America. Travelling in the shadow of the F...

Lord Byron: Incest, Adultery & Daddy Issues

02 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

*WARNING there are adult words and themes in this episode*How debaucherous do you have to be to be remembered as the original bad boy? How mad, bad an...

J.R.R. Tolkien and the First World War

01 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth is perhaps the most captivating fantasy world ever created. His mythology and folklore continues to influence the work o...

The Battle of Agincourt

30 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Battle of Agincourt looms large in the English historical and cultural imagination, this explainer wades through the mythology to help listeners r...

Mary, Queen of Scots on Film: The Historians’ Verdict

26 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What do you get when you bring together five top historians to debate Mary, Queen of Scots on film? History with the gloves off - our second special e...

Assassins vs Templars: The Crusades

25 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This is the first episode of a special series that we made in collaboration with Ubisoft, the developers of the Assassins's Creed franchise. In Assass...

Commando Training in Scotland

24 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The commandos have become a byword for elite raiding and cutting-edge military operations. They were set up during the Second World War in June 1940, ...

The History of Coronations

23 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As preparations for the Coronation of King Charles III get underway, you're going to see words everywhere like 'anointing,' 'enthronement,' ...

Empire State Building

19 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When it was completed in 1931, the Empire State Building became the tallest building in the world. While it has long been surpassed, it is still one o...

Britain's Maritime History

18 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Is it even possible to imagine what Britain would have been without seafaring? Braving the waters beyond our harbours can be traced back eight and a h...

The Mystery of the Frogman Lionel Crabb

17 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On the night of the 19th of April, 1956, the decorated navy diver Lionel Crabb went missing. A veteran of the Second World War, Crabb had been sent on...

The Koh-i-Noor Diamond

16 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The enormous Cullinan Diamond will be on display at Charles III Coronation, but the diamond that's missing - the Koh-i-Noor - is the one that everyone...

The Spy Behind the Iron Curtain

12 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This episode contains high-speed chases, modified cars and a mission to uncover secret enemy technology. It's everything you'd find in a James Bond mo...

Vikings in Spain

11 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When we think of Vikings, we tend to picture them in the colder climates of Northern Europe, and not so much in the warmer regions of Spain and the Me...

The Katyn Massacre

11 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dan explains what happened in the spring of 1940 when the Soviet secret police executed over 22,000 Polish prisoners of war at three secluded sites in...

The Assassination that Ended South African Apartheid

09 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The assassination of Chris Hani was a pivotal moment in the dismantling of South African apartheid. On the 10th of April, 1993, he was shot dead as he...

The Rise and Fall of Saddam Hussein

05 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Perhaps one of the best-known modern dictators, Saddam Hussein ruled Iraq for nearly 30 years before eventually being overthrown in 2003 by the US Coa...

Massacre on the Slave Ship Zong

04 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Please note, this episode contains descriptions of racial violence that some listeners may find disturbing.In November 1781, a British slave ship carr...

Operation Paperclip: America's Nazi Scientists

03 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the aftermath of the Second World War, the Allied Powers sent research teams into the ruins of the Third Reich to cherry-pick the best German engin...

The Rise of Zelenskyy

02 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Volodymyr Zelenskyy's meteoric rise to power has been packed with drama and action. His journey has taken him from a Russian-speaking, aspiring diplom...

Septimius Severus

30 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Given his incredible career, you'd perhaps expect the name of Roman Emperor Septimius Severus to be better known. Born in North Africa in 145AD, he ro...

The Space Shuttle

29 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Over a period of 30 years, NASA's Space Shuttle program contributed to some of space exploration's most important achievements, as well as some of its...

Scott's Last Days in the Antarctic

28 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Captain Robert Falcon Scott died in his tent in Antarctica in March 1912 during his failed effort to become the first person to reach the South Pole. ...

HMS Victory

27 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

During the Battle of Trafalgar, the men on the gun decks of HMS Victory felt the heat of fire from above and from below; they dodged enemy cannon ball...

How to Prepare for Nuclear War

26 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

With Putin's war in Ukraine raging on, the threat of a nuclear conflict feels as real as ever. But since the Iron Curtain fell, our understanding of w...

Cooking for Churchill: Georgina Landemare

24 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Clear soup, Irish stew and steamed puddings - this was the war work of Georgina Landemare, the Churchills' longest-serving cook.Throughout the war yea...

The Great Storm of 1703

23 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A Stuart time capsule has emerged from beneath the sand after 320 years. In early December 1703, barometers across South-Eastern England plunged as a ...

Islam vs Christendom

22 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As two of humanity's great religions, Islam and Christianity have shaped much of the world's history. Empires across the globe have risen and fallen u...