Does Churchill deserve the legacy he has? He took the reigns from a foundering Chamberlain and proved himself to be the man the country needed. But of course, he is not a man without controversy or contradiction. In the second episode of The Leaders series, Dan and Professor Phillips O'Brien look at Churchill's biggest strategic moves of the war & how he went from a ridiculed outsider to an energising orator. Phillips O'Brien is a Professor of Strategic Studies at the University of St Andre...
Mar 07, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Ep 1598•Transcript available on Metacast 80 years ago this week, American forces unexpectedly discovered an intact bridge across the river Rhine - the last natural defence of the crumbling Third Reich. They mounted a ferocious assault and after a bloody battle with the determined German defenders, were able to capture it, and push into the German heartland. In the latest episode of our 'D-Day to Berlin' series, Dan is joined again by John C. McManus. John explains how the American assault played out, and how it helped to hasten the end...
Mar 05, 2025•31 min•Ep 1597•Transcript available on Metacast Could Germany have won the war if not for Hitler's hubris? Dan is joined by Professor Phillips O'Brien to explore Hitler's biggest decisions during WWII and how he shaped the course of the war. They examine his decision to invade Poland, the Soviet Union and his response to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour. With a deep dive into Hitler's background, rise to power and personal motivations as well, this episode gives insight into how individual leaders can influence the trajectory of history. ...
Mar 03, 2025•56 min•Ep 1596•Transcript available on Metacast Why, despite knowing the devastation it causes, do humans insist on starting wars? Countless battles have littered the pages of our shared human story. Powerful leaders, hungry for glory and conquest, have always relied on conflict to achieve their goals. To understand the persistence of violent conflict in the human story, Dan is joined by Richard Overy, one of the great military historians and author of 'Why War?'. This was originally released as a History Hit subscriber-exclusive episode. Pro...
Feb 28, 2025•34 min•Ep 1594•Transcript available on Metacast Why do we, as humans, allow such individuals to hold such power over us? And at what cost? Our world is shaped by choices—some calculated, some reckless, most irreversible. From Kennedy and Khrushchev stepping to the brink of nuclear annihilation to Putin’s recent invasion of Ukraine, leaders have made decisions that have altered the course of humanity. Never was this more true than in the Second World War—the deadliest conflict in human history. WWII transformed the world, reducing ancient...
Feb 27, 2025•53 sec•Transcript available on Metacast This is the story of the incredible rise and fall of Mary, Queen of Scots. She was queen of Scotland, she was queen of France, and she could have been queen of England. She led armies, lived as a fugitive, became embroiled in love affairs and spent nearly two decades in jail. Dan is joined by the great Kate Williams, a presenter, historian and professor at Reading University, to take us through the twists and turns of Mary's tumultuous life. Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmor...
Feb 26, 2025•42 min•Ep 1593•Transcript available on Metacast Soho was once a thriving melting pot of speakeasies, sex work and organised crime. From razor gangs of the 1920s to money laundering, the area has always been a hotbed for thieves, conmen, drug dealers, and shady goings-on… but it's also provided fertile ground for revolution, ground-breaking jazz, rock n roll and countercultural movements. Joining Dan to discuss the extraordinary history of London’s most notorious neighbourhood in the 1920s is sex historian and host of the Betwixt the Sheets po...
Feb 24, 2025•30 min•Ep 1592•Transcript available on Metacast From the small corgis that drove cattle to Smithfield market to the Dalmatians that protected carriages from highwaymen, humans and dogs have relied on each other for millennia. Historian and dog-lover Mike Loades joins Dan to trace the history of our close relationship with dogs. They discuss the first proto-dogs, the bloodhounds that hunted down William Wallace and the little lap dog that hid under Mary Queen of Scots' skirts during her beheading (allegedly.) You can see History Hit's 'H...
Feb 21, 2025•26 min•Ep 1591•Transcript available on Metacast The Nazi doctor who committed heinous experiments on prisoners of Auschwitz was harboured by a network of Nazi supporters in Argentina after the war. As an SS officer and physician, he conducted horrific tests on prisoners, particularly twins, in pursuit of pseudoscientific racial theories. His name has become synonymous with Nazi war crimes. After World War II, Mengele evaded justice, escaping to South America. He lived in Argentina for years under an assumed identity, avoiding capture despite ...
Feb 19, 2025•44 min•Ep 1590•Transcript available on Metacast Dan explains how Canada has resisted many American attempts at annexation since the Revolution in 1775. From the tariff tensions of 1911 to President Trump's recent remarks about making Canada the 51st state, this episode delves deep into the various moments over the last 250 years when American leaders have eyed their northern neighbour for expansion. Dan examines the American invasions during the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 and explains how Canada's resistance and unique circumstance...
Feb 17, 2025•45 min•Ep 1589•Transcript available on Metacast 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 w...
Feb 14, 2025•52 min•Ep 1587•Transcript available on Metacast This is the story of Suleiman the Magnificent's attempt to conquer Malta, the headquarters of a Catholic military order that had become a thorn in his side. They were known as the Knights Hospitaller, and the siege to come would pit Grand Master Jean de Valette and his force of outnumbered defenders against an elite Ottoman army. For this, we're joined by Marcus Bull, author of 'The Great Siege of Malta'. Marcus takes us through this tale of siege warfare and explains how luck as much as skill h...
Feb 12, 2025•45 min•Ep 1586•Transcript available on Metacast 80 years ago, on the rocky volcanic island of Iwo Jima, the vicious battle for the Pacific reached ever bloodier crescendos. As Allied forces crossed the Rhine in Europe, American Marines won a costly victory on Iwo Jima in their island-hopping campaign towards the Japanese mainland. For the latest instalment of our 'D-Day to Berlin' series, we're joined by Timothy Heck, an artillery officer in the US Marine Corps Reserve and a supervisory historian with Naval History and Heritage Command. Tim e...
Feb 10, 2025•42 min•Ep 1585•Transcript available on Metacast For centuries, Nostradamus has been hailed as the man who saw the future—his cryptic quatrains allegedly foretelling everything from the French Revolution and the rise of Hitler to the 9/11 attacks and the Covid-19 pandemic. But how much is true, and how much is myth? Joining Dan in this episode to unravel the true history of the French soothsayer is John Hogue, a renowned Nostradamus scholar. Together they explore Nostradamus' life as a plague doctor, the occult during the Renaissance, his most...
Feb 07, 2025•31 min•Ep 1584•Transcript available on Metacast Episode 2/2. In 1642, England was torn apart by a fierce struggle. Royalist armies, loyal to the defiant King Charles I, clashed with the forces of Parliament, igniting a violent civil war that would decide the fate of the monarchy and the nation. In this second episode, we hear about some of the bloodiest battles between Roundheads and Cavaliers, the leaders who came to the fore during these trying years and how the two sides eventually arrived at a shaky truce. For this, Dan is joined by Minoo...
Feb 05, 2025•49 min•Ep 1583•Transcript available on Metacast Episode 1/2. King Charles I's decision to rule without Parliament was just one of the many reasons that England found itself embroiled in a bloody civil war. In this first episode, we learn how subtle religious and political differences upset the balance of power in England, and plunged the kingdom into chaos. For this, Dan is joined by Minoo Dinshaw, author of 'Friends in Youth: Choosing Sides in the English Civil War'. He explains this tumultuous period from the perspective of Bulstrode Whitel...
Feb 03, 2025•50 min•Ep 1582•Transcript available on Metacast Every day Rudolf Höss oversaw the killing of thousands of people at the death camp and then went home and acted like a doting father to his family. Höss was brought in by top Nazis to pioneer the industrialisation of the mass murder of Europe's Jews and others. He lived in a house that shared a wall with Auschwitz, metres from the crematorium, where he and his family enjoyed a happy domestic life - his wife once described their life at the house as 'paradise'. The house was home to a Polish fami...
Jan 31, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Ep 1580•Transcript available on Metacast By the early 1990s, the Colombian city of Medellín was at the centre of the world's largest drug empire. The fearsome Medellín Cartel, led by the notorious drug lord and narcoterrorist Pablo Escobar, brought murder and mayhem to the city and the world for nearly two decades. In this episode, Dan is joined by the men portrayed in the critically acclaimed series Narcos , ex-DEA agents Javier Peña and Steve Murphy. They tell us the true story behind the rise and fall of the infamous Pablo Escobar. ...
Jan 29, 2025•30 min•Ep 1579•Transcript available on Metacast On January 27th 1945, the Red Army liberated the concentration camp at Auschwitz unveiling its almost unspeakable horrors to the world. The concentration camp system began almost immediately after Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in 1933. It was an integral part of the Nazi regime's rapid dismantling of German democracy. Within weeks, the first concentration camp, Dachau, was opened to imprison political opponents, marking the start of a vast and brutal system of camps across Germ...
Jan 27, 2025•59 min•Ep 1578•Transcript available on Metacast What is the history of the Panama Canal and why does Trump think he can 'take it back'? Dan is joined by Professor Julie Greene to delve into the long backstory of this 50-mile waterway that changed the world. Its journey from concept to completion was fraught as many nations sought to build it over several centuries, with the US eventually taking up the costly task in the 1900s. During the decade-long construction, many workers, mostly from the Caribbean, suffered awful working conditions and w...
Jan 24, 2025•34 min•Ep 1577•Transcript available on Metacast J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth is perhaps the most captivating fantasy world ever created. His mythology and folklore continue to influence the work of writers, filmmakers, musicians and artists to this day. He first conceived of the idea during the First World War and built his world to examine the fear and courage, despair and hope that he witnessed. So how exactly did this brutal, bloody war help to shape Middle-earth? Dan is joined by John Garth, an award-winning Tolkien biographer and author...
Jan 22, 2025•32 min•Ep 1576•Transcript available on Metacast Dan tells the epic story of Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, whose daring voyages at the turn of the 16th century laid the foundations for the Portuguese Empire. From navigating treacherous waters to forging vital trade routes with India, da Gama's exploits reshaped the world’s economic and political landscape. Dan explores the ambition, challenges, savage conquests and exploits of the Portuguese across Asia and Africa that marked the beginning of Europe & Christianity's domination of the glob...
Jan 20, 2025•1 hr 20 min•Ep 1570•Transcript available on Metacast Charlemagne was king of the Franks and Emperor of the mighty Carolingian Empire. His unusually long reign saw him conquer vast swathes of Europe, and shape them into an empire that would inspire rulers for centuries to come. His efforts earned him the title of the "Father of Europe", and the consequences of his reign would be felt long after he was gone. Dan is joined by Matthew Innes, a Professor of History and Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Birkbeck, University of London. Matt takes us on a tour de...
Jan 20, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Ep 1575•Transcript available on Metacast Napoleon Bonaparte is a household name; a rare example of someone who is as well remembered by his supporters as by his enemies. His life is rich with dramatic irony. He was a key figure in the creation of the First French Republic, yet became a self-appointed Emperor. Surrounded by enemies, he secured peace in France through war abroad and was hated by the monarchies of Europe, who feared he would bring democracy to their lands. Dan was recently a guest on the Echoes of History podcast, h...
Jan 17, 2025•42 min•Ep 1573•Transcript available on Metacast It sounds outlandish that President-Elect Donald Trump has said he wants to buy Greenland but this isn't the first or even second time the United States has tried to acquire this arctic territory. Dan is joined by Professor Robert Rix from the University of Copenhagen to trace the long history of settlement in Greenland - from the Indigenous Inuit to the Norse colonisers and the American soldiers stationed there in the Second World War. Trump might want to buy Greenland, but it isn't necessarily...
Jan 15, 2025•34 min•Ep 1572•Transcript available on Metacast Roald Amundsen was surely one of history's greatest explorers. He beat Scott to the South Pole, and was the first person to reach the North Pole and to traverse the perilous Northwest Passage. His adaptability, meticulous precision and fearlessness propelled him to international fame in life and beyond. Today we're joined by Stephen R. Bown, author of 'The Last Viking: The Life of Roald Amundsen'. Stephen tells us all about this fascinating man, who died as mysteriously as he lived. Produced by ...
Jan 12, 2025•48 min•Ep 1571•Transcript available on Metacast What would it have been like to go on a medieval crusade? What dangers would you have faced on the gruelling journey to the Holy Land, and what would it have been like once you arrived? Dan and Matt Lewis, host of the 'Gone Medieval' podcast, discuss the logistical nightmares, deadly battles and harsh conditions faced by crusaders, and the brutal realities of these Church-sanctioned religious expeditions. Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Max Carrey. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of...
Jan 07, 2025•37 min•Ep 1569•Transcript available on Metacast In 9 AD, the rebel chieftain Arminius and his confederation of Germanic tribes ambushed three Roman legions in the Teutoburg Forest. For days the Romans were relentlessly stalked through the woods and pounced on by their pursuers. All told, up to 20,000 Romans were killed in the chaos, and only a handful were able to escape. The battle proved to be one of Rome's most devastating defeats, and left a scar in the Roman psyche for generations to come. In this Explainer episode, Dan explores the hist...
Jan 05, 2025•58 min•Ep 1568•Transcript available on Metacast In the dead of winter, 1944, the frozen forest of Ardennes erupted in chaos. In a desperate, last-ditch attempt to turn the tide of the war, Hitler threw his armoured divisions at the thinly spread Allied frontline. The battle that followed was the bloodiest fought by the Americans in the war, and their determined defence helped to seal the fate of Nazi Germany. For the latest instalment in our 'D-Day to Berlin' series, Dan is joined by Professor John C. McManus, author of 'Alamo in the Ardennes...
Jan 03, 2025•54 min•Ep 1566•Transcript available on Metacast In the early hours of September 2, 1666, a small fire broke out on the ground floor of a baker's house in Pudding Lane. In five days that small fire would devastate the third largest city in the Western world. Adrian Tinniswood is a historian, teacher and writer, as well as a consultant to the National Trust. Adrian joins Dan to explore the cataclysm and consequences of the Great Fire of London. Together, they piece together the story of the Fire and its aftermath - the panic, the search for sca...
Jan 01, 2025•29 min•Ep 1565•Transcript available on Metacast 
