When it comes to our perception of pirates, Treasure Island has a lot to answer for. They didn't make their enemies walk the plank, they didn't keep parrots as pets, and they didn't bury their treasure. But that doesn't mean the golden age of piracy wasn't an era of swashbuckling rogues and sword fights on the high seas... In the first episode of our 'Pirates' mini-series, Dan explores the facts behind the fiction behind the likes of Blackbeard and Captain Kidd with Sophie Nibbs, the curator of ...
Jun 29, 2025•38 min•Ep. 1655
Crusading hero, battlefield legend...absentee ruler? Dan explores the myth and reality behind England’s Warrior King. From storming Sicily to conquering Cyprus and striking fear into the heart of Saladin on crusade, Richard’s legend has loomed large for centuries, fuelled by Victorian storytellers and patriotic lore. But how much of it is true? Medieval historian Richard Huscroft joins Dan to separate fact from fiction. Was Richard I a noble warrior, a king who abandoned his realm, or is it more...
Jun 26, 2025•35 min•Ep. 1654
Swashbuckling rogues with a disregard for authority surging across the oceans, the smell of salt and gunpowder in their nostrils... looking for treasure on desert islands. Just like Dan, we're sure you've also grown up reading pirate stories and watching adventure films. But, what if we told you that most of what you know about pirates isn't quite true? This July, Dan is teaming up with the National Maritime Museum Greenwich to unravel the fact from the fiction and tell you the extraordinary sto...
Jun 25, 2025•2 min
The Great Exhibition of 1851 was something to behold for the 6 million Victorian patrons who travelled to London's Hyde Park to see it. It was a triumphant showcase of the most extraordinary achievements of the Victorian age from industry, culture and engineering - gathered from all four corners of the globe. As visitors walked the 8 miles of exhibitions, they would have seen everything from the sublime to the absurd: the world’s largest diamond, a contraption to predict the weather using leeche...
Jun 24, 2025•37 min•Ep. 1653
In this episode, we hear about one of Europe’s most devastating conflicts - the Thirty Years’ War. From 1618 to 1648, the continent was torn apart by religious strife, shifting alliances, and ruthless ambition. What began as a Bohemian rebellion exploded into a brutal struggle that reshaped borders, broke empires, and left millions dead. We're joined by Peter Wilson, a professor of history at the University of Oxford and author of ‘The Thirty Years War: Europe’s Tragedy’. He takes us from the wa...
Jun 22, 2025•44 min•Ep. 1652
In the heart of the Pacific Ocean, over 2,000 miles from the nearest continent, lies one of the world’s most iconic archaeological treasure troves - Rapa Nui, known to the outside world as Easter Island. Famed for the towering stone faces of the moai , the island has undergone extraordinary transformations since it was first settled. Joining us to explain the island's fascinating history is James Grant-Peterkin, a cultural historian and someone who has lived and worked on the island for over 20 ...
Jun 19, 2025•41 min•Ep. 1650
Dan is joined by his dad, veteran broadcaster Peter Snow, to tell the incredible story of the clash between Napoleon Bonaparte and the Duke of Wellington on June 18, 1815. This showdown - packed with heroic last stands, strategic genius, and catastrophic missteps - shattered Napoleon’s dreams of empire. This episode marks exactly 10 years of Dan Snow's History Hit, and in it, Dan and Peter reflect on the very first episode of the podcast they did together and everything that has come since. Prod...
Jun 17, 2025•53 min•Ep. 1649
Tensions between Iran and Israel have escalated with a recent Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities and retaliation from Iran. The two countries openly carried out attacks on each other for the first time last year, in April and October, after a years long shadow war. But have Iran and Israel always been at odds? Dan is revisiting this episode from April 2024 with Maziar Bahari, an Iranian-Canadian journalist and filmmaker who founded the news website IranWire; Bahari explains how these t...
Jun 15, 2025•36 min•Ep. 1648
Humans are everywhere. How did we get from the savannahs of Africa across to the most northern reaches of Alaska and Greenland, to the outbacks of Australia and the islands of the Pacific millennia ago? How did we master fire, figure out how to craft tools and survive the Ice Ages? In this episode Dan is joined by Professor Chris Stringer, Research Leader in Human Evolution at London's Natural History Museum, to talk about how Homo Sapiens managed to outlive other human cousins like Neanderthals...
Jun 12, 2025•39 min•Ep. 1647
For thousands of years, ancient cuneiform - the script of the ancient Mesopotamians was lost to time, until being dramatically rediscovered in the 19th century by an adventurous group of unlikely Victorians. A dashing archaeologist, an officer turned diplomat and a reclusive clergyman raced to decipher it and unlock the secrets of long-lost empires. Joining us is Joshua Hammer, a former war correspondent and author of 'The Mesopotamian Riddle'. Produced by Mariana Des Forges and James Hickmann, ...
Jun 10, 2025•38 min•Ep. 1646
Following the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945 some of its most egregious war criminals sought to escape justice by fleeing Europe, most famously to South America. The escape routes they used, established by Nazi sympathisers, came to be known as 'ratlines'. The escaping Nazis had helped from an unexpected source; senior figures within the Catholic Church. The story of SS officer Walter Rauff exemplifies how these networks operated and the subsequent lives of the escapees. Rauff was responsible fo...
Jun 08, 2025•46 min•Ep. 1645
The Romans built an empire that reshaped the world through brutal wars, brilliant strategy, and even the power of the pen. From the blood-soaked battlefields to the marble halls of Rome, a few towering figures stand out: Pompey, Scipio, Augustus, Trajan, Marcus Aurelius... but who truly deserves the title of the Greatest Roman of All Time? Many would say Julius Caesar — the bold general who crossed the Rubicon and shattered the Republic. To find out if he truly deserves the title, Dan is joined ...
Jun 05, 2025•57 min•Ep. 1643
The dawn of the age of European exploration in the 16th century was absurdly dangerous. Crews on the ships of Christopher Columbus, Vasco De Gama and Ferdinand Magellan often sailed blind into uncharted waters, battling hurricanes and deadly reefs. With crude navigation tools, rotting food, and disease-ridden ships, survival was never guaranteed. Crews were pushed to their limits—physically, mentally, and morally. Some were deceived into the journey, and others driven by blind hope. In this epis...
Jun 03, 2025•46 min•Ep. 1642
Was this the world’s first empire? To uncover the story of ancient history's most formidable powers, Dan is joined by Yale University’s Professor Eckart Frahm to explore Assyria’s military machine, its sophisticated communication networks and the monumental architecture that defined its dominance. But what caused this ancient superpower to fall—and why so suddenly? Produced and edited by Dougal Patmore Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release eve...
Jun 01, 2025•49 min•Ep. 1641
A dive into the history behind today's tensions. In this episode, Dan is joined by historian and journalist Andrew Whitehead to explain the historical context behind the ongoing conflict between India and Pakistan over the Kashmir region, stemming from the partition of India in 1947 to the present day. They examine the political and cultural complexities of this contested and heavily militarised region. Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore Sign up to History Hit for hundreds o...
May 29, 2025•45 min•Ep. 1640
Genghis Khan reshaped the world with brutal force and brilliant organisation. He began life in exile and rose to be a powerful nomadic warrior who united the disparate Mongol tribes to create the largest contiguous empire in history. Dan is joined by economic historian Duncan Weldon to explain how his empire revolutionised global trade via the Silk Road and changed the tactics of global warfare for centuries to come. They discuss how he unified vast territories with a common legal code, develope...
May 27, 2025•34 min•Ep. 1639
Warning: this episode contains descriptions of violence against children and suicide. The Battle of Okinawa was the final, climactic battle of the war in the Pacific. The largest naval fleet in human history assembled to support the amphibious invasion of the island. But the Americans would learn the hard way that the Japanese intended to fight tooth and nail to protect their home soil. The gruelling battle that ensued would influence the decision to drop the atomic bombs on Japan and ultimately...
May 25, 2025•40 min•Ep. 1638
Dan tells the extraordinary tale of Captain James Cook. Born a labourer's son, he would rise to become one of history's greatest explorers. He went about as far as it was possible to go, sailing the Pacific Ocean and arriving on the shores of Australia and New Zealand. For these voyages, he assembled an A-Team of maritime explorers - marines, scientists, and a Polynesian explorer who had memorised the constellations of the stars. So what trials did he face on these epic voyages? Which peoples di...
May 22, 2025•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 1636
Assassin's Creed: Shadows gives players the chance to visit the imperial capital of medieval Japan. But today, we're heading to a mountain lying just northeast of the capital: Mount Hiei, a sacred site that was protected by a powerful army of warrior monks. Dr Chris Harding, Senior Lecturer in Asian History from the University of Edinburgh, returns to help Matt Lewis understand what life was like on Mount Hiei during the late Sengoku period; its role in the story of Japanese unification; and wha...
May 20, 2025•38 min•Ep. 1635
The only British territory ever occupied by the Nazis was the Channel Islands. From 1940 to the end of the war, the Germans turned Jersey, and some of the islands around it, into an impenetrable fortress. It became a key strategic part of Hitler’s defensive Atlantic Wall and a base from which he hoped to invade Britain. Under German occupation, islanders suffered under a repressive regime… Some were even sent to internment camps in Germany. In return, thousands of prisoners of war were brought o...
May 18, 2025•51 min•Ep. 1634
Synonymous for somewhere far away, Timbuktu has been mythologised by the stories of old European explorers. But in fact, for centuries it was in fact a key trading post on the edge of the Sahara and the centre of the Islamic Golden Age- home to some of the most important manuscripts in African history. Dan is joined by Kai Mora, an author and historian in African and African American Studies as she takes Dan on a tour of its history and explains how this city of gold, an ancient centre of learni...
May 15, 2025•31 min•Ep. 1633
In this episode we hear all about the Glorious Revolution, a pivotal moment in British history that saw the overthrow of King James II and the accession to the throne of William III and Mary II. For this we're joined by Professor Clare Jackson, a distinguished historian from the University of Cambridge. She joins us to delve into the religious, political, and military tensions of 17th-century Britain. Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Tim Arstall. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of ho...
May 13, 2025•47 min•Ep. 1632
In the summer of 1683, Vienna was under siege. A vast Ottoman army surrounded the city, poised to breach the walls and clear the way for Ottoman expansion into Central Europe. Inside the city, famine and fear took hold. But as the city teetered on the brink of collapse, a thunderous cavalry charge broke the Ottoman lines and shattered the siege. To tell us all about this mighty clash, we're joined by Martyn Rady, Professor Emeritus of Central European History at University College London and aut...
May 11, 2025•48 min•Ep. 1631
Home to the likes of Al Capone and George 'Machine Gun' Kelly, Alcatraz was once the jewel in the American prison system. The wind-swept island fortress was the final stop for the nation's most dangerous criminals and was thought to be escape-proof - at least, until one night in June 1962, when three men on an improvised raft slipped into the icy waters of San Francisco Bay, never to be seen again. President Donald Trump has said that he is determined to reopen this notorious prison, so today we...
May 08, 2025•37 min•Ep. 1629
When the Second World War finally ended 80 years ago, there was a mixed reaction in Britain. Today, we hear about these varying responses, from elation and celebration to reticence and restraint. For the final episode of our 'D-Day to Berlin' series, we're joined by Lucy Noakes, author of 'The People's Victory: VE Day Through the Eyes of Those Who Were There'. She takes us through the street parties and festivities, as well as the post-war challenges that began right after the war came to an end...
May 06, 2025•34 min•Ep. 1628
A hero to some, and a villain to others, the seventh president of the United States was a populist firebrand who reshaped America and left a legacy that still echoes today. In this episode, Dan dives into the life and times of Andrew Jackson from his birth in a cabin on the frontier to his mission to 'drain the swamp' of Washington elites. He's remembered for defying the courts, expanding U.S. territory and for his abhorrent treatment of Native Americans during his presidency. Revered by some as...
May 04, 2025•42 min•Ep. 1627
80 years ago, as the war in Europe drew to a close, the world began to come to terms with the horrors of the Third Reich. This is the story of the Nuremberg Trials, the first of their kind, that would decide the fate of Nazism's worst criminals. It's also the story of the millions of people who were displaced by the chaos of conflict. For them the war would did not end with victory in Europe, and dragged on for years to come. We're joined by Max Likin, author of '1945: A World at the End of War'...
May 01, 2025•31 min•Ep. 1626
Warning: this episode contains discussion of suicide. Berlin, April 1945: After nearly 12 years, the "Thousand-Year Reich" is crumbling. Isolated in a bunker beneath the city, as Soviet forces close in on them, Adolf Hitler and his inner circle face the end. Today we're joined by Frank McDonough, a historian of the Third Reich and author of The Hitler Years series. Frank unpacks for us the final days of the Nazi dictator, and debunks some of the myths around his death. Produced by James Hickmann...
Apr 29, 2025•38 min•Ep. 1625
It started with an inconsequential piece of military intelligence, scrawled on a piece of paper and left in a waste paper basket. But over the next decade, the infamous Dreyfus affair would mutate into a scandal that shook nineteenth-century France and stunned the world. Ruth Harris is a Professor of History at the University of Oxford and author of 'The Man on Devil's Island'. She joins us to explain what a Jewish artillery officer's wrongful conviction tells us about the deep divisions within ...
Apr 27, 2025•37 min•Ep. 1621
Warning: this episode contains discussion of suicide. In August 1944, German soldiers burst into the Florentine villa of Robert Einstein, cousin of the renowned physicist, Albert Einstein. As both a Jew and an Einstein, Robert had already gone into hiding, but his wife, daughters and extended family remained at home. What followed was a 12-hour nightmare that culminated in a brutal war crime. With us is Thomas Harding, author of 'The Einstein Vendetta: Hitler, Mussolini, and a True Story of Murd...
Apr 24, 2025•28 min•Ep. 1623
