Dan Snow's History Hit
History Hit
Historian Dan Snow journeys across the globe to tell the stories of history's defining moments. From the Colosseum in Rome to the Great Wall of China, the battlefields of Waterloo to the Tomb of Tutankhamun, join Dan as he explores the how and why of the greatest monuments, battles, heroes, villains and events that have shaped our world.New episodes on Mondays and Thursdays with bonus subscriber only episodes every other Friday.You can get in touch with us at ds.hh@historyhit.comA 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.
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Episodes
Mentioned books
18 snips
Mar 5, 2026 • 39min
Edward VIII & Wallis Simpson: A Royal Scandal
Kate Williams, historian and broadcaster known for her work on royal history, traces Edward VIII’s charm and modern prince persona. She recounts how his romance with Wallis Simpson spiraled into a constitutional crisis. The story touches on royal expectations, attempts at compromise, abdication, exile, and the couple’s controversial links with 1930s Europe.
27 snips
Mar 2, 2026 • 1h 7min
The Commanders: Rommel
Saul David, historian and author of Tunisgrad, gives a concise portrait of Rommel and his rise from Württemberg infantryman to famed commander. They explore his daring desert tactics, clashes over logistics, the push to Suez and El Alamein, his 1944 defensive plans for France, and the fraught collapse of his reputation and fate under the Nazi regime.
15 snips
Feb 26, 2026 • 1h 15min
The Forbidden City
Matthew Hu, a cultural heritage preservationist who guides the site’s architecture and symbolism, and Dr. Jeremiah Jenny, a historian of China who taught in Beijing, take listeners through the Forbidden City. They tour its construction, cosmic symbolism, ceremonial layout, palace life, dynastic coups, and survival through revolution and modern preservation efforts.
12 snips
Feb 23, 2026 • 42min
The Trial of Charles I
Rebecca Warren, a 17th-century British history scholar at the University of Kent, walks through the arrest, trial setup and legal knots of trying a reigning monarch. She recounts the courtroom drama in Westminster Hall, the political role of the New Model Army, and the tense final days leading to the king's execution.
12 snips
Feb 20, 2026 • 28min
Royal Siblings, Scandals and Crises
A brisk tour of royal sibling rivalries from Roman Britain to the Georgians and modern times. Short tales of imprisoned princes, fraternal rebellions, executions and abdications. Scandals include hunting accidents, ransoms, illicit affairs and violent uprisings. The episode highlights recurring patterns of ambition and how spare princes have destabilized monarchies.
Feb 19, 2026 • 43min
The Peasants' Revolt
Dr Eleanor Janega, medieval historian and co-host of Gone Medieval, explains 14th-century England's crisis. She covers the social and economic fallout of plague and famine. She outlines the poll tax that ignited unrest, profiles leaders like Wat Tyler and John Ball, and traces the march on London, record-burning, violent attacks and the brutal royal reprisals.
9 snips
Feb 16, 2026 • 40min
The First Vikings in Iceland
Gísli Sigurðsson, Icelandic historian and manuscript expert, explains the Book of Settlements and saga traditions. He traces settlement chronology and legal uses of the Landnámabók. Short scenes cover turf longhouses, daily life, the Althing assembly, and Iceland’s role as a springboard to Greenland and Vinland.
Feb 12, 2026 • 30min
The Scandalous Private Life of Charles II
Dr Kate Lister, historian and host of the Betwixt the Sheets podcast, explores the salacious side of Restoration England. She traces Charles II’s exile and return, the revival of theatres and social life, French influence on courtly pleasure, the politics of royal mistresses, scandals like Nell Gwyn and Barbara Villiers, and how sex, power, and reputation collided at court.
14 snips
Feb 9, 2026 • 40min
The Great Famine
Christine Kinealy, historian and founding director of Ireland's Great Hunger Institute, guides listeners through Ireland's colonial vulnerability and why the potato became essential. She traces the blight's biology, examines British policy choices and public works, and recounts emigration, coffin ships and the long political and demographic aftermath.
Feb 5, 2026 • 54min
How Did Three Samurai Warlords Unite Japan?
Chris Harding, cultural historian of Japan and East–West ties, guides a lively tour of late medieval Japan. He traces Oda Nobunaga’s brutal innovations, Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s meteoric social climb and reforms, and Tokugawa Ieyasu’s patient path to lasting rule. Short, vivid stories bring battles, betrayals and political engineering to life.
