The Rest Is History
Episodes
380. Captain Cook: History’s Greatest Explorer (Part 1)
22 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The greatest sea explorer of all time, James Cook was born to a humble Yorkshire family, and first stood out for his talents as a cartographer for the...
379. Baghdad: The Arabian Nights (Part 4)
18 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The setting for so many of the Arabian Nights, like the stories of Sinbad the Sailor, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, or Aladdin, Baghdad during the I...
378. Baghdad: The Golden Age (Part 3)
15 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Baghdad was a place of fabulous sophistication and teeming multitudes, where terrible things could happen, but great wonders could also be found… Du...
377. Baghdad: Crossroads of the Universe (Part 2)
11 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
“No city in the world will ever rival it for prosperity...“ Baghdad, originally a Christian village in Iraq, was chosen by the Abbasid Caliph Al-M...
376. Baghdad: The Forging of Islam (Part 1)
08 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A story of great myth and of huge historical significance, the foundation of Baghdad is a fundamental episode in the development of Islam. The Umayyad...
375. Hitler and the Mitford Sisters
04 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Mitfords were the most glamorous aristocrats on the London scene in the 1920s, with at their head Diana, the most beautiful woman in London, who w...
374. The Battle of Cable Street: Fascism Defeated
01 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
“You will never catch Sir Oswald admitting to anti-semitism - all he does is embody it!” Following the violent scenes at Kensington Olympia, the B...
373. Oswald Mosley: Fascist Leader
27 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The fascists in Britain have found a leader known across the country: the sinister yet complex Oswald Mosley. Following stints as an MP for both the T...
372. The Birth of British Fascism
24 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The cultural roots of fascism swirled around Britain at the turn of the 20th century, as medieval nostalgia, an obsession with hygiene, anti-semitism,...
371. The 1973 Chilean Coup: General Pinochet Seizes Power (Part 2)
21 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The U.S. have given up on ousting the socialist President Allende through democratic means, and shift to a more militaristic approach, in the form of ...
370. The 1973 Chilean Coup: Allende, Nixon and the CIA (Part 1)
20 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the midst of the Cold War, the 1973 coup against the socialist Chilean president Salvador Allende, led by General Pinochet with the support of Rich...
PAX: War and Peace in Rome’s Golden Age (Extract)
18 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In anticipation of the U.S. release of PAX, here’s the book’s introduction for you to enjoy, read by its author, our very own Tom Holland… Avail...
369. The Colosseum: Rome's Arena of Death
17 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
“Are you not entertained?!” The emblem of Rome, the Colosseum was the unsettling but glamorous home of Roman violence, used for gladiatorial bou...
368. The History Behind Hogwarts: Ancient Schools and Revolting Students
13 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
“To be a boy at one of these schools was to be alternately tyrant and slave.” More gruesome even than the Battle of Hogwarts, 18th century British...
367. The Real Harry Potter: Magic, Empire and Beastly Bullies
10 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Eclectic traditions, obscure codes and cryptic ancient languages: the world of Harry Potter has captivated the imagination of children from all backgr...
366. The Architect of Modern China
06 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
“Let us advance courageously, to change the backward condition of our country, and turn it into a modern and powerful socialist state!” Deng Xiaop...
365. Le Marquis de Sade: Sex and Violence
03 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The father of sadism and a prophet of totalitarianism, the Marquis de Sade was a French aristocrat and writer, an uncompromising and unashamed liberti...
364. Sixties Fashion: Swinging London (Part 2)
30 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In a swirling world dominated by miniskirts, feather boas, posh photographers, youth culture, Jimi Hendrix and the Beatles, London has been transforme...
363. Sixties Fashion: The Teenage Revolution (Part 1)
27 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Sixties is one of the only moments in history when Britain could claim to be the epicentre of world fashion, and in this episode Tom and Dominic d...
362. The Taj Mahal: Love and Death
23 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
“The mutual affection and harmony between the two had reached a degree never seen between a husband and wife…” The Taj Mahal, built by the Mugha...
361. The Lost Library of Alexandria
20 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
One of the greatest institutions of the ancient world, the Library of Alexandria was the embodiment of ultimate learning, and a “repository of every...
360. Fear City: New York in the 1970s
16 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
“A cloud of black, acrid smoke hung over the area. It was a scene from a warzone, a battlefield - it was a scene from the end of the world…” New...
359: Martin Luther King's Dream
13 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
"Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.” Arguably the most celebrated speech of the 20th century, Martin Luther King Jr.’s address in fr...
358: Viking Sorcery
09 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Warning! This one isn’t for the faint-hearted... A naked, torch-carrying man, who would walk backwards around a funeral pyre, with his fingers cover...
357: Historical Love Island: The Sequel
06 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
“There’s a lot of severed heads at this villa!” The great TV sensation of the summer returns on The Rest Is History, as Tom and Dominic are once...
356: The Blood-Drinking Bride of Christ
02 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A woman of immense influence on medieval Christendom, Catherine of Siena was one of the first female Doctors of the Church, who married Christ in her ...
355: Roman Apocalypse: Pompeii 79 AD
30 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mount Vesuvius' eruption in the autumn of AD79 remains one of the deadliest and best-known in history. The plume of super-heated volcanic gases spewed...
354: Paris 1968: The Return of De Gaulle (Part 2)
27 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Charles de Gaulle was a war hero in the First World War, and, having refused to accept his government’s armistice with Nazi Germany, became the voic...
353: Paris 1968: The Students' Revolt (Part 1)
24 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
May 1968 saw underlying tensions reach a climax in France, resulting in a period of civil unrest coloured by rioting, general strikes, and the occupat...
352: Amsterdam: Kings, Canals, and Coffee Houses (Part 2)
20 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A city which played a fundamental role in the Dutch Golden Age and in the birth of the Dutch monarchy, Amsterdam has also stood in the avant-garde of ...
351: Amsterdam: Miracles, Money, and Mud (Part 1)
17 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A city built on water, Amsterdam has often set the tone of European modernity. It first gained prominence as a miraculous centre for pilgrimage, and t...
350: The Triumph of George Washington (Part 4)
13 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
With the French and Spanish siding with George Washington’s revolutionaries, the game is up for the British, and it seems time for them to cut their...
349: The Birth of the United States (Part 3)
10 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
“O ye that love mankind! Ye that dare oppose, not only the tyranny, but the tyrant, stand forth!” The U.S. Congress votes for independence on the ...
348: The Boston Tea Party (Part 2)
06 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
“Last night three cargos of tea were emptied into the sea. This morning a man of war sails. This is the most magnificent movement of all. There is a...
347: The American Revolution (Part 1)
03 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
“America, late the strength, now the foe to Britain, dismembered, torn, I fear forever lost to England, whence she sprung.” The American Revolutio...
346: The Mystery of the Holy Grail
29 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
“Who drinks the water I shall give him, will have a spring inside him welling up for eternal life.” A deeply mysterious object which doesn’t app...
345: Raiders of the Lost Ark
26 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The most important object in the universe, but also a somewhat invisible presence in the Bible, the Ark of the Covenant has fuelled stories for millen...
344: Oppenheimer: The Witch Hunt (Part 2)
23 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Following the use of the atomic bomb in Japan and the end of the Second World War, Oppenheimer pushes for an international approach to nuclear power. ...
343: Oppenheimer: The Father of the Atom Bomb (Part 1)
22 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
“Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.” This was J. Robert Oppenheimer’s reaction to the first atomic bomb test in July 1945, marking ...
342: The Trials of Oscar Wilde: Downfall and Prison (Part 2)
19 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It’s 1895, and with the libel case brought against the Marquess of Queensbury having collapsed, Oscar Wilde is now arrested and charged with committ...
341: The Trials of Oscar Wilde: Sex and Scandal (Part 1)
15 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
“The truth is rarely pure and never simple.” As his most popular work, "The Importance of Being Earnest", hints at, Oscar Wilde’s life was a com...
340: Hadrian and Antinous
12 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A mysterious death on the Nile, an unconventional love affair, a Roman-Greek hero turned God - the story of Hadrian and Antinous is full of intrigue. ...
339: Ireland: The Easter Rising, 1916 (Part 4)
08 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Easter Rising began in Dublin's General Post Office on Easter Monday, 24th April 1916, with Patrick Pearse’s dramatic proclamation of the Irish ...
338: Ireland: Home Rule, Mutiny - and Civil War? (Part 3)
05 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The year is 1912. The bitter arguments about Home Rule for Ireland are reaching boiling point. But with Ulster in uproar, the Tories encouraging mutin...
337: Ireland: Union, Famine and Parnell (Part 2)
01 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
At the start of the 19th century, the kingdoms of Britain and Ireland were officially 'united' with the Acts of Union. Historian Paul Rouse continues ...
336: Ireland: Celts, Conquest and Cromwell (Part 1)
29 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
“In every generation the Irish people have asserted their right to national freedom and sovereignty; six times during the past three hundred years t...
335: The Freemasons: History's Greatest Conspiracy Theory
25 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A grubby, secretive cabal of devil worshippers that run the world, or a fraternity of like-minded individuals who enjoy eccentric rituals? Freemasonr...
334: Athens and the Birth of Democracy
22 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What did "demos" really mean to the Athenians? Why were women such a crucial part of Athenian democracy? And who was the Tom Wamsgams of Athens? Join ...
333: The Republic of Britain: Life under Cromwell
18 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's 1649 and a new republic has been declared, the Commonwealth of England. It's an age of 17th century republicanism, difficult policies in Ireland,...
332: King Solomon's Mines
15 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In 1885, H. Rider Haggard’s brother offered him a wager: five shillings if he could write a book half as good as Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treas...
331: American Witches
11 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It’s 1647, and in New England, where puritan settlers live in fear of God’s wrath and a hostile indigenous population, there are rumours coming fr...
330: Herodotus: The Birth of History
08 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Born on the Western edge of an empire that stretched all the way to India, Herodotus was a Greek historian of the 5th century BC. His major work The H...
329: Coronations: Chaos, Ceremony and Empire (Part 3)
06 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What was the most calamitous coronation of all time? Which ceremony does Tom think is the most boring topic he's ever discussed on the podcast? How wi...
328: Coronations: Sex, Holy Oil and Civil War (Part 2)
05 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Whether it’s London descending into a riot, a bad hangover with Samuel Pepys, or a royal lacking discretion… Charles III will certainly be hoping ...
327: Coronations: The Deep History (Part 1)
04 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The roots of the coronation ritual are fabulously ancient: certain elements of the ceremony are vestiges from the later Roman Empire, others have thei...
326: The Year of Revolutions: 1848
01 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Few years in European History saw as much change and turmoil as 1848: across the continent, from Vienna to Paris to Palermo, mass protests took place,...
325: Fall of Saigon: Apocalypse Now (Part 2)
27 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
“It is 105 degrees in Saigon, and rising.” This announcement, made through U.S. Armed Forces radio on a spring morning in 1975, is the cue for all...
324: Fall of Saigon: The Nightmare Begins (Part 1)
24 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's 1975, and in the final act of the Vietnam War, the U.S. have ordered all remaining civilian and military personnel to be withdrawn from South Vie...
323: History's Greatest Dogs
20 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rin Tin Tin, born on the Western Front in 1918, became one of the biggest movie stars of the silent film era. Greyfriars Bobby gained his fame for gua...
322: East Germany: Life Behind the Iron Curtain
17 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The German Democratic Republic was born in the ashes of the Second World War, and described itself as a socialist “workers’ and peasants’ state”...
321: Hundred Years' War: A Storm of Swords (Part 4)
13 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Black Prince has gained lands in Aquitaine and Gascony through his brutal and thorough attacks. But faced with financial difficulties, sickness, a...
320: Hundred Years' War: The Black Prince (Part 3)
10 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As the spectre of the Black Death haunts Europe, a more tangible foe terrorises the French king and his subjects: the Black Prince, Edward of Woodstoc...
319: Hundred Years' War: Triumph of the Longbow (Part 2)
06 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
State of the art military technology. Blind battle commanders. Iconic kingly lines. Tom and Dominic continue to delve into the 100 Years' War, as they...
318: Hundred Years' War: A Game of Thrones (Part 1)
03 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dynastic turmoil, inconvenient treaties with Scotland, tales of knights, longbows and the golden age of chivalry. In a time of chaos across Europe, En...
317: African Amazons
30 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A story spanning modern-day Ghana, Angola, and Benin, historian Luke Pepera joins Tom and Dominic to discuss the tradition of African queens, female w...
316: The First Abolitionist
27 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's 1718, an English Quaker lands in Barbados. He is soon horrified to discover the treatment of people working the plantations there. Treatment the ...
315: Atlantis: Legacy of the Lost Empire (Part 2)
23 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
From claims that the alphabet was originated by Atlantians, Francis Bacon using the story as a model of utopia, to the Nazis co-opting Atlantis as the...
314: Atlantis: The Legend (Part 1)
20 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Majestic palaces, untold riches, and indeterminable power... the story of Atlantis is a tale as old as time. But is there really any truth behind the ...
313: Climate Apocalypse
16 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Have humans always been haunted by fears of a climate apocalypse? Or is that a modern phenomenon? Is there a continuity from the Curse of Akkad to the...
312: Reagan, Iran-Contra and the Cold War (Part 3)
13 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Warmonger or nuclear disarmer? Ronald Reagan’s presidency survived an assassination attempt, the AIDS epidemic and the Iranian hostage crisis. He po...
311: Reagan: The Road to the White House (Part 2)
09 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
His Hollywood career drying up, Ronald Reagan works both for the Screen Actors Guild and General Electric in the 1950s. Building connections with the ...
310: Ronald Reagan and the American Dream (Part 1)
06 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ronald "Dutch" Reagan was born in 1911 to a humble family of Illinois, his father an FDR-loving democrat, his mother a notable member of the local Chr...
309: Columbus: Villain or Hero? (Part 4)
02 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Christopher Columbus caused debate in his own time, and remains a controversial figure today: some argue he initiated both the Atlantic slave trade an...
308: Columbus: Death in the Caribbean (Part 3)
27 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Columbus returns to the remnants of his first voyage to the "Indies", having convinced Isabella and Ferdinand to fund a larger second trip. Desperate ...
307: Columbus: A New World? (Part 2)
23 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Having convinced the Catholic Monarchs to fund his journey across the Atlantic, Columbus sets sail with three ships, a crew with dubious loyalties, an...
306: Columbus: The Adventure Begins (Part 1)
20 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A controversial figure both now and in his time, Tom and Dominic discuss Columbus and his drive for discovery, power and status. They look at Columbus...
305: The Fall of the Roman Republic
16 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this second episode on perhaps the most notorious assasination in world history, Tom and Dominic look at the bloody and chaotic aftermath of the de...
304: The Murder of Julius Caesar
13 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
“He was trapped - he couldn’t get up. There was blood everywhere. The faces were coming closer, the knives rose and fell. And then, to his relief,...
303: The Bloodiest Crusade
09 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Thought by some as the first genocide in Europe, the Albigensian Crusade was the bloodiest crusade in history. Following the Mystery of the Cathars an...
302: The Mystery of the Cathars
07 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Was the Catholic Church Europe’s first revolutionary group? How are the Cathars linked to the genesis of genocide? Where does the term crusade come ...
301: The Real Da Vinci Code
06 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Secret societies, Jesus' ancient bloodline, Catholic conspirators; all backed up by documents in the Bibliothèque Nationale. It must be true, mustn’...
300: The Real Downton Abbey
02 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Edwardian Britain: Domestic service is at its peak. However, as Britain modernises, things were about to change. Tom and Dominic are joined by Lucy L...
299: The Greatest Female Pharaoh
30 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
"One of the greatest rulers to have ever lived" - Tom Holland. But how much do you know about Hatshepsut? And how did she propel herself from regent t...
298: The Nazis: Total Power (Part 4)
26 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Hitler is chancellor, but he is not yet all-powerful. How does he go from becoming the leader of the Reichstag, to an unshackled dictator with nothing...
297: The Nazis: Hitler's Triumph (Part 3)
23 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Wall Street crashes. The German economy capitulates and governments start to fall. Backroom deals and political scheming come to the fore. Join Tom an...
296: The Nazis: The Beer Hall Putsch (Part 2)
19 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
German hyperinflation. The Beer Hall Putsch. Hitler’s trial. Join Tom and Dominic as they discuss the Nazis in the early 1920s as the Weimar Republi...
295: The Rise of the Nazis (Part 1)
16 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Where do the origins of Nazism lie? The Second Reich? Hitler’s time in Vienna? The First World War? Join Tom and Dominic in the first of their four-...
294: Lady Jane Grey: The Axe Falls (Part 2)
12 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
‘It had the alchemy of a bitter Tory leadership race’. Reigning for the shortest period of any British monarch, can Lady Jane even be considered...
293: Lady Jane Grey: The Nine Days' Queen (Part 1)
09 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Edward VI is dead - but who will succeed him on the throne? In the first of two episodes, Tom and Dominic discuss the succession question that sur...
292: The Shadow of the Holocaust
05 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In our second episode exploring the story of Rudolf Vrba, Jonathan Freedland joins Tom and Dominic again, to discuss the global reaction to the Vrba–...
291: The Man Who Escaped Auschwitz
02 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Tom and Dominic are joined by Jonathan Freedland to discuss the incredible story of Rudolf Vrba and Alfréd Wetzler, who escaped from Auschwitz in Apr...
290: 2022: A History
29 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Join Tom and Dominic for the final episode of 2022 in which they discuss the historical importance of this year. What will historians of the future re...
289: Drink
26 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For a festive special, Tom and Dominic are joined by author and alcohol historian Henry Jeffreys to discuss some Christmassy tipples, from sherry to p...
288: Jesus Christ: The History (Part 2)
22 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Join Tom and Dominic for the second of two episodes on 'Historical Jesus'. They discuss scepticism around his existence, the theories about resurrecti...
287: Jesus Christ: The Mystery (Part 1)
19 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
*The Rest Is History Live Tour April 2023*: Tom and Dominic are going on tour in April 2023 and performing in London, Edinburgh, and Salford! Buy your...
286: England: Beef and Liberty
18 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
England: Roast Beef and Liberty While it has now been dethroned by the mighty Tikka Masala and the moreish fish and chips, Britain's most iconic di...
285: Canada: Beaver Wars
17 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Canada: Beaver Wars Join Tom and Dominic as they discuss the illustrious history of the beaver. This story intertwines these small bundles of fur with...
284: Denmark: The Great Escape
16 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Denmark: The Great Escape In today's episode, Tom and Dominic look at the story of how the vast majority of Denmark's Jewish population survived the ...
283: Ecuador: Darwin's Adventure to the Galapagos
15 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ecuador: Darwin's Adventure to the Galapagos Join Tom and Dominic as they discuss Charles Darwin's time in Ecuador, where his observation of Finches, ...
282: Morocco: The Rif War
14 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Morocco: The Rif War In today's episode, Tom and Dominic discuss the Rif War, predecessor to the Spanish Civil War, set in 1920s Morocco, featuring Fr...