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 [email protected] A podcast by History Hit, the world's best history channel and creators of award-winning podcasts The An ...
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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, Researchโฆ
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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 empiresโฆ
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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 Cโฆ
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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 wouโฆ
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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. Cโฆ
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Was this the worldโs first empire? To uncover the story of ancient history's most formidable powers, Dan is joined by Yale Universityโs Professor Eckart Frahm to explore Assyriaโs military machine, its sophisticated communication networks and the monumental architecture that defined its dominance. But what caused this ancient superpower to fallโandโฆ
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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 compleโฆ
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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 Silkโฆ
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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 tooโฆ
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Captain Cook
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1:21:51Dan 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, scienโฆ
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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, returnsโฆ
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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 Hitlerโs defensive Atlantic Wall and a base from which he hoped to invade Britain. Under German occupation, islโฆ
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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 histoโฆ
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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, polโฆ
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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. Toโฆ
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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 wโฆ
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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 โฆ
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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 remโฆ
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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 โฆ
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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 Hitโฆ
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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 oโฆ
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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 nigโฆ
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Popes have shaped the history of the world. The Catholic Church has had a Pope for two thousand years, the first- tradition dictates- was St Peter, the fisherman turned disciple of Jesus. Pope 'Leo the Great' stared down Atilla the Hun at the gates of Rome while Pope Innocent III made it his mission to convert the Anglo-Saxons and spread Christianiโฆ
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How Did the American Revolution Start?
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1:18:47On 19th April, 1775, just over 250 years ago, the opening salvos of the American Revolutionary War were fired at the battles of Lexington and Concord. Elite British Redcoats went head-to-head with the famed provincial Minutemen in bloody skirmishes across the Province of Massachusetts Bay. Ultimately, the British were forced to retreat, and the proโฆ
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Warning: this episode includes discussion of subjects like suicide and sexual assault that some listeners may find disturbing. 80 years ago, the Soviets launched their final assault on the German capital. Having swept across Eastern Europe with the Wehrmacht fleeing before them, this was to be the final, apocalyptic battle that marked the collapse โฆ
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Warning: This episode contains detailed discussion of the Holocaust and genocide, which some listeners may find upsetting. 80 years ago, British troops liberated the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. The horrors they witnessed would haunt them for the rest of their lives. Bestselling author and journalist Thomas Harding joins us to revisit this harโฆ
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The Sinking of the Titanic
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1:22:51How could the unsinkable shipโฆ sink? In this dramatic moment-by-moment account, Dan tells the dramatic tale of the Titanic from the moment of impact with the iceberg to the first steps of survivors in New York. He's joined by world-leading expert Tim Maltin to bust the many infamous myths and provide insight you probably won't have heard before. Toโฆ
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By April 1945, Soviet forces stood at the gates of Berlin. From the summer of 1944, Hitler's armies had suffered a series of cataclysmic defeats that had left them shattered and desperately trying to hold on in front of the capital of the Third Reich. But how the Soviets' been able to bring the once mighty German Army to the brink of total defeat, โฆ
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Have trade tariffs ever worked? Dan explores a cautionary tale from the turn of the 20th century when Britain's Conservatives' flirtation with tariffs led to huge political upheaval and a truly disastrous electoral defeat. In this historical deep dive, Dan is joined by Duncan Brack, an expert analyst and policy advisor, as they discuss the historicโฆ
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Founded by Peter the Great, the city of Saint Petersburg was built to rival the majesty of any capital in Europe. Its splendour made it a hub of Russian culture, and its geography made it a focal point for industry. It's factories would jump-start the revolutions that ushered in the Soviet era, and in the wake of a devastating Nazi siege, the recovโฆ
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This is the story of the legendary Samurai - how did they go from provincial bodyguards to revered warriors? Why did they transform from ancestral soldiers to office workers? And will we ever see them again? Dan is joined by Christopher Harding, a cultural historian of Japan, India and East-West connections. Chris explains the long history of the Sโฆ
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Francis Drake (Part 2)
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1:20:22Dan Snow picks up his dramatic tale of the exploits of Francis Drake- this time the story of the Spanish Armada. From his astonishing raids on Spanish assets in the New World to his exploits as Queen Elizabeth I's 'war dog', Drake's adventures laid the groundwork for England's maritime ambitions. Dan recounts Drake's unyielding quest for glory, whiโฆ
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Francis Drake (Part 1)
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1:21:04Dan tells swashbuckling tales of Francis Drake on the Spanish Main. Francis Drake was England's first imperial warrior forged in the crucible of the 16th-century naval engagements against Spain. This episode covers Drake's early life, his transformation from a passionate Protestant to a relentless scourge of the Spanish, and his legendary feats of โฆ
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THE LEADERS: Roosevelt
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1:05:37How instrumental was Roosevelt in the Allied victory? He'd guided America through the Great Depression, he changed American society and his post-war vision shaped the world we see today. He knew WWII would be won through alliances, not bloodshed and America's entry into the war changed the game completely. To examine how and why, Dan is joined by Dโฆ
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He was responsible for the fastest trains in history. He built innovative new hospitals for Florence Nightingale. His vessels shattered records for crossing the Atlantic and he enabled the laying of the first transatlantic cables. He is probably the greatest engineer in human history. But what toll did his greatness take on his health and personal โฆ
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Was Hirohito really as passive as history has painted him? Emperor Hirohito stood at the head of Japanโs war machine, yet after 1945, both the Japanese and the Americans painted him as a powerless observer. But is passivity just as bad as collusion? In this episode, Dan is joined by Christopher Harding, lecturer in Asian History at the University oโฆ
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In 711 an Arab and Berber army crossed the Strait of Gibraltar and invaded the Iberian Peninsula. Seven years later, their conquests had birthed the Muslim kingdom of al-Andalus. This marked the beginning of roughly 8 centuries of Moorish rule, during which al-Andalus became a conduit for the transmission of knowledge between the Islamic world and โฆ
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THE LEADERS: Stalin
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1:01:03Was WWII actually Stalin's War? He's a man whose name is synonymous with absolute power, the epitome of ruthless ambition, his story is one of both triumph and unspeakable cruelty. A man whose brutality matched any of the Axis leaders....who worked with Hitlerโฆ.yet in the end ...aligned himself with the Allies. As a result, he came out of the war oโฆ
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The urban cultures of ancient Mesopotamia formed the foundation for so much of our modern world. Nowhere exemplifies this better than the city of Babylon, which was the cultural seedbed for the Greek and Roman civilisations that in turn left such lasting legacies. On this episode, Dan is joined by Amanda Podany, professor emeritus of history at theโฆ
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THE LEADERS: Mussolini
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1:02:03Once a political heavyweight with dreams of a new Roman Empire, Mussolini's journey from a rebellious socialist youth to the fascist leader of Italy is a story of ego, brutality and ultimately incompetence. In this third instalment of The Leaders series, Dan is joined again by Professor Phillips O'Brien, author of 'The Strategists'. They examine Muโฆ
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The Jim Crow era is one of the darkest periods in American history. The country was divided by laws, customs and etiquettes that demeaned African Americans and segregated them from white Americans. But how exactly did this era begin? And was post-Civil War America always destined for racial segregation? To answer this question we're joined by Aaronโฆ
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The Great Sphinx of Giza is probably the most recognisable statue in the world but itโs also one of the most mysterious...with conflicting stories about who built it and why have circulated since ancient times. These include tales of what lies insideโฆ To bust some of these myths, we're sharing this episode of Echoes of History, the podcast that delโฆ
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THE LEADERS: Churchill
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1:03:53
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1:03:53Does 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 & โฆ
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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 'Dโฆ
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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 backgrโฆ
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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 Richardโฆ
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Why do we, as humans, allow such individuals to hold such power over us? And at what cost? Our world is shaped by choicesโsome calculated, some reckless, most irreversible. From Kennedy and Khrushchev stepping to the brink of nuclear annihilation to Putinโs recent invasion of Ukraine, leaders have made decisions that have altered the course of humaโฆ
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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 profโฆ
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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-onโฆ but it's also provided fertile ground for revolution, ground-breaking jazz, rock n roll and countercultural movements. Joiningโฆ
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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 โฆ
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