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History Hit

Historian Dan Snow investigates the 'how' and 'why' of history's defining moments.

From the Colosseum of Ancient Rome and the battlefields of Waterloo to the tomb of Tutankhamun, Dan journeys across the globe to share the greatest stories from the past that help us understand the present.

New episodes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

You can get in touch with us at ds.hh@historyhit.com

A podcast by History Hit, the world's best history channel and creators of award-winning podcasts The Ancients, Gone Medieval, and Betwixt the Sheets.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. 

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dan Snow's History Hit

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 episode, Dan is joined by the hosts of the After Dark podcast, Dr Anthony Delaney and Dr Maddy Pelling, to explore some of the historic rites and beliefs surrounding death and mourning in Ireland. Anthony explains the role of 'keening women' - once persecuted by the government and the church - who would wail and lament at the graveside (and air any mistakes the deceased may have made) as well as the procession down the 'corpse road' and the customs of covering mirrors and opening the window at the point of death.

Warning: this episode has an instance of explicit language.

If you want more Halloween listening from Dan, Anthony and Maddy, you can check out this episode on The Origins of Halloween here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6MEO4AI9cbO0PtEH5l4zyZ

Produced by Freddy Chick and edited by Matthew Wilson and Dougal Patmore

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

We'd love to hear your feedback - you can take part in our podcast survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on.

You can also email the podcast directly at ds.hh@historyhit.com.

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ancient Irish Funeral Traditions

Across early modern Europe, fear spread like wildfire; between the 15th and 17th centuries, tens of thousands were accused, tortured, and executed as witches. At its centre was a man named Heinrich Kramer, whose infamous book, Malleus Maleficarum, or The Hammer of Witches, fanned the flames of hysteria and codified centuries of misogyny.

Dan is joined by economic journalist Duncan Weldon to explore how a changing climate and the rise of independent, unmarried women made for easy scapegoats in a time of fear — and how the printing revolution helped spread these dangerous ideas faster than ever before. What does this moment in history tell us about how societies look for someone to blame? And how much has humanity really changed since then?

Duncan's new book is called 'Blood and Treasure: The Economics of Conflict from the Vikings to Ukraine'

Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

We'd love to hear your feedback - you can take part in our podcast survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on.

You can also email the podcast directly at ds.hh@historyhit.com.

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What Caused Europe's Witch Hysteria?

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 Independence, and ultimately the end of the Ottoman Empire. The man's name was Mustafa Kemal, the soldier, statesman and reformer who would create the Republic of Turkey out of the rubble, and become its first president.

Dan is joined by Marc David Baer, Professor of International History at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He talks us through the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the rise of the man who became known as Atatürk.

Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

We'd love to hear your feedback - you can take part in our podcast survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on.

You can also email the podcast directly at ds.hh@historyhit.com.

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Atatürk: Fall of the Ottoman Empire

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 brutal suppression of dissent and controversial decisions, we explore whether Elizabeth’s legacy is one of power and stability or one marked by bloodshed and negligence.

Renowned historian Anna Whitelock joins us to delve into the duality of Elizabeth’s reign.

Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore and Matthew Wilson.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

We'd love to hear your feedback - you can take part in our podcast survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on.

You can also email the podcast directly at ds.hh@historyhit.com.

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elizabeth I: Evil or Genius?

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 and 17th centuries. Dan is joined by historian Dr Alanna Skuse to look at healthcare in Renaissance England, from healing the humours and blood letting to cross animal blood transfusions, skin grafts that involved attaching the face to the upper arm and the notorious treatments of patients at Bedlam, Britain's most famous psychiatric hospital. But not all treatments were bizarre or gruesome; in fact, early practitioners had some pretty progressive ideas around holistic health, the benefits of nature, sleep and friendship.

Alanna shares astonishing stories of treatments, patients and practitioners from her new book 'The Surgeon, the Midwife and the Quack: How to Stay Alive in Renaissance England'

Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore

We'd love to hear your feedback - you can take part in our podcast survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on.

You can also email the podcast directly at ds.hh@historyhit.com.

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to Survive in Renaissance England

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 Richard II and his ambitious cousin, Henry Bolingbroke - later crowned Henry IV.

We're joined by Helen Castor, historian, broadcaster and author of ‘The Eagle and the Hart: The Tragedy of Richard II and Henry IV’. We discover how this seismic power struggle toppled a king.

Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.

We'd love to hear your feedback - you can take part in our podcast survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on.

You can also email the podcast directly at ds.hh@historyhit.com.

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Richard II vs Henry IV

Was the Industrial Revolution the most important event in human history? Dan is joined by economist and journalist Duncan Weldon to explore why exactly the industrial revolution started on the soggy archipelago of Britain and the impact of its entrepreneurs, politics, and empire had on the country and the rest of the world across the 18th and 19th centuries.

They trace a story of ambition and invention—but also upheaval, inequality and consequences and explain what happened and why it still matters.

Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Matthew Wilson and Dougal Patmore.

We'd love to hear your feedback - you can take part in our podcast survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on.

You can also email the podcast directly at ds.hh@historyhit.com.

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How Did the Industrial Revolution Change the World?

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. But there is a traitor in their midst...

We're joined by acclaimed journalist and author Jonathan Freedland, author of 'The Traitors Circle: The Rebels Against the Nazis and the Spy Who Betrayed Them'. He unravels the true story behind the Solf Circle - a group of courageous men and women who risked everything to oppose the Nazis from within.

Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

We'd love to hear your feedback - you can take part in our podcast survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on.

You can also email the podcast directly at ds.hh@historyhit.com.

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Germans Who Rebelled Against the Nazis

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. Admiral Jellicoe’s Grand Fleet was pitted against Admiral Scheer’s High Seas Fleet for what was supposed to be a decisive battle - but which ended with a less than certain outcome.

We're joined by Andrew Lambert, Laughton Professor of Naval History at King's College London, to hear all about the battle and whether it can be considered a German tactical success or a British strategic victory.

Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.

We'd love to hear your feedback - you can take part in our podcast survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on.

You can also email the podcast directly at ds.hh@historyhit.com.

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Battle of Jutland

Warning: this episode contains explicit language.

Medieval people weren’t prudish—far from it. Dan is joined by medieval historian Dr Eleanor Janega to explore sex, marriage, and desire in the Middle Ages. They delve into the beliefs around sodomy as “non-procreative sex”; pilgrimages as raucous release valves, raunchy art and love spells. They'll look at sex habits among the different classes, queer lives in monasteries, widows’ freedoms, abortion, STIs, and the risks of childbirth, and what purgatory had in store for the lustful. Along the way, they bust myths from chastity belts to teenage brides. A funny, frank, evidence-packed tour of how people got down—then worried about their souls.

Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Matthew Wilson and Dougal Patmore.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

We'd love to hear your feedback - you can take part in our podcast survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on.

You can also email the podcast directly at ds.hh@historyhit.com.

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Medieval Sex

As the Second World War neared its bloody climax, Allied bombers unleashed a devastating firestorm on Dresden. In just two days the historic city was reduced to rubble, and tens of thousands were killed. The question remains - was this a legitimate military operation, or an unjustifiable act of destruction?

For the latest episode in our 'D-Day to Berlin' series, we're joined by Sinclair McKay, author of 'Dresden: The Fire and the Darkness'. Aided by the words of Victor Gregg, a British POW who was in the city that fateful night, Sinclair unpacks one of the most controversial events of the Second World War.

Warning: This episode contains detailed discussion of events that some listeners may find upsetting.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

We'd love to hear your feedback - you can take part in our podcast survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on.

You can also email the podcast directly at ds.hh@historyhit.com.

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Bombing of Dresden

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