

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

Apr 21, 2022 • 43min
Victoria: A Greedy Queen
Warning: There are adult themes, explicit language and references of disordered eating and diets in this episode.Did you know that before Queen Victoria married Albert she was a well-known party animal, who could easily stay up until 5am, drunk on a concoction of red wine and whiskey?Or that she was notorious for being able to eat seven or eight courses in half an hour, and had a penchant for mutton curries and the freshest fruit?Kate is joined Betwixt the Sheets by food historian Dr Annie Gray to discuss Victoria’s very indulgent habits which spilled out into all areas of her life…including the bedroom.You can find Annie’s incredible book, The Greedy Queen: Eating with Victoria, here.Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Annie Coloe.If you'd like to learn more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download the History Hit app please go to the Android or Apple store.We need your help! If you would like to tell us what you want to hear as part of Dan Snow's History Hit then complete our podcast survey by clicking here. Once completed you will be entered into a prize draw to win a £100 voucher to spend in the History Hit shop.
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Apr 20, 2022 • 32min
The History of the RNLI
Since its foundation in 1824, the volunteers of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution have been braving the most savage of elements at sea to rescue sailors in distress. Their work has saved the lives of an estimated 143,000 people and helped many, many thousands more. Funded entirely by charitable donations and staffed primarily by volunteers it is a much loved national institution in the UK and Ireland.Today, Dan is joined by Mark Wordsworth who spent over a decade as a volunteer crewmember and now serves on the board of the RNLI council. Mark and Dan explore how the RNLI came to be founded, its history and some of its most notable rescues. They also discuss the organisations' ethos, which was set out by its founder Sir William Hillary, and how that continues to shape its work today.If you would like to make a donation to the RNLI you can do so here.If you'd like to learn more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download the History Hit app please go to the Android or Apple store.We need your help! If you would like to tell us what you want to hear as part of Dan Snow's History Hit then complete our podcast survey by clicking here. Once completed you will be entered into a prize draw to win a £100 voucher to spend in the History Hit shop.
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Apr 19, 2022 • 29min
Operation Mincemeat: The Deception that Changed WWII
It’s 1943. The Allies are determined to break Hitler’s grip on occupied Europe and plan an all-out assault on Sicily, but they face an impossible challenge - how to protect a massive invasion force from a potential massacre. It falls to two remarkable intelligence officers, Ewen Montagu and Charles Cholmondeley to dream the most inspired and improbable disinformation strategy of the war - centred on the most unlikely of secret agents: a dead man.In today's episode, Matt Lewis sits in for Dan to discover the behind the scenes history of the new movie Operation Mincemeat with director John Madden and historian Ben McIntyre on whose book the film is based. A fascinating listen whether you've seen the movie or not!Operation Mincemeat is in cinemas across the UK now.If you'd like to learn more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download the History Hit app please go to the Android or Apple store.We need your help! If you would like to tell us what you want to hear as part of Dan Snow's History Hit then complete our podcast survey by clicking here. Once completed you will be entered into a prize draw to win a £100 voucher to spend in the History Hit shop.
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Apr 18, 2022 • 21min
Josephine Baker: Entertainer and Spy
On November 30th, 2021, Josephine Baker, the French-American performer, second world war resistance hero, and activist became the first Black woman to enter France’s Panthéon mausoleum of revered historical figures. As one of the most remarkable figures of the 20th century, Baker risked her life working for the resistance during the second world war, smuggling documents between music sheets and using her fame to open doors and access information.Monique Y. Wells is the co-founder of Entrée to Black Paris and a contributor on Paris’ Black history and culture. Monique joins Dan to discuss the life of Josephine Baker - the iconic entertainer of the Jazz Age who became one of the unsung heroes of the war effort.If you'd like to learn more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download the History Hit app please go to the Android or Apple store.We need your help! If you would like to tell us what you want to hear as part of Dan Snow's History Hit then complete our podcast survey by clicking here. Once completed you will be entered into a prize draw to win a £100 voucher to spend in the History Hit shop.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
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Apr 17, 2022 • 27min
A Short History of Pirates
Swashbuckling, murder and robbery on the high seas! We're bringing back the fan favourite episode on Dr Rebecca Simon's 'Pirate Queens: The Lives of Anne Bonny & Mary Read' from our archive.She takes Dan through a dramatic history of piracy in the Caribbean and the Atlantic World. She tells the extraordinary stories of pirates Anne Bonny, Mary Read as well as captains Blackbeard, Jack Rackham and the notoriously sadistic Charles Vane. She also gives Dan the lowdown on pirate treasure.If you'd like to learn more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit (make hyperlink with: History Hit) - subscribe today!To download the History Hit app please go to the Android or Apple store.We need your help! If you would like to tell us what you want to hear as part of Dan Snow's History Hit then complete our podcast survey by clicking here (link: Dan Snow's History Hit Podcast Survey). Once completed you will be entered into a prize draw to win a £100 voucher to spend in the History Hit shop.See acast.com/privacy (make hyperlink with : Acast Privacy Policy - An Independent Podcast Company | Acast) for privacy and opt-out information.
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Apr 14, 2022 • 29min
TITANIC: Survivors and Lost Souls
Part 3/3. News of Titanic's fate sent shockwaves around the world; stories and illustrations of that fateful night splashed across newspaper stands on every corner. One town was affected more than most: Southampton. It's said everyone in the Southern English port knew someone who had perished on the Titanic. In today's episode, Dan travels to the Southampton SeaCity museum to meet with Andy Skinner, Learning Engagement Officer and Titanic expert to discover what happened to survivors after the Carpathia arrived in New York and the effect on the town. You'll hear the stories of the crew who survived and had no choice but to go back out to sea, of artefacts rescued from the ship, like a watch that stopped at the moment its owner plunged into the freezing Atlantic and the fate of the unsinkable stoker' Arthur John Priest 'as Dan and the History Hit team search for his grave. Listen to part one of this series TITANIC: The Unsinkable Ship here and part two TITANIC: A Night to Remember here.This episode was produced by Mariana Des Forges. Mixed and mastered by Dougal Patmore. The Assistant Producer is Hannah Ward.If you'd like to learn more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download the History Hit app please go to the Android or Apple store.We need your help! If you would like to tell us what you want to hear as part of Dan Snow's History Hit then complete our podcast survey by clicking here. Once completed you will be entered into a prize draw to win a £100 voucher to spend in the History Hit shop.
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Apr 13, 2022 • 34min
TITANIC: A Night to Remember
Depicted countless times in art, television and film, the night of the 14th of April 1912 has haunted and fascinated us for over a century. This is a dramatic moment by moment retelling of the sinking of the Titanic in the freezing North Atlantic after the 'unsinkable' ship struck an iceberg. Hear the stories of what happened on the decks and in the lifeboats; those who survived and those who perished. Dan is also joined by renowned Titanic expert Tim Maltin to debunk and explain the many myths about the sinking and offers an explanation for what really went wrong that night.Listen to part one of this series TITANIC: The Unsinkable Ship here.If you want more Titanic, you can find Tim's books here.This episode was produced by Mariana Des Forges. Mixed and mastered by Dougal Patmore.If you'd like to learn more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download the History Hit app please go to the Android or Apple store.We need your help! If you would like to tell us what you want to hear as part of Dan Snow's History Hit then complete our podcast survey by clicking here. Once completed you will be entered into a prize draw to win a £100 voucher to spend in the History Hit shop.
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Apr 12, 2022 • 35min
TITANIC: The Unsinkable Ship
On April 10th, 1912, RMS Titanic cast off from Southampton, England, on her maiden voyage. The largest of its kind, full of grandeur and the most sophisticated technology for the time, Titanic was determined “practically unsinkable” in admiring reviews of the ship beforehand. The colossal tragedy of Titanic’s fate and the humanity of those who survived and those who perished on the luxury passenger liner has endured - their stories continue to resonate to this day.This year is the 110th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic and we’re marking it with a special mini-series. This is the first of three episodes in which we’ll bring you a dramatic chronicle of the story that has captivated people for over a century, testimony from the relatives of survivors and expert analysis of what really happened on the night of the 14th of April 1912.This episode was produced by Hannah Ward. Mixed and mastered by Dougal Patmore.With clips from: Titanic 1997 - Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox.If you'd like to learn more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download the History Hit app please go to the Android or Apple store.We need your help! If you would like to tell us what you want to hear as part of Dan Snow's History Hit then complete our podcast survey by clicking here. Once completed you will be entered into a prize draw to win a £100 voucher to spend in the History Hit shop.
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Apr 11, 2022 • 41min
How to Party like an Ancient Greek
In Ancient Greece, the symposium was no ordinary after-dinner drinking party, but one in which the Hellenic men of society got together to wine, recline and philosophise. They took various forms depending on the whim of the leader of the symposium - the symposiarch - but were exclusively male affairs (aside from the occasional courtesan or two).In this episode from The Ancients Tristan is joined by Michael Scott, Professor of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Warwick, to find out more about the soirée of booze, babes and slaves that was the Ancient Greek symposium.If you'd like to learn more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download the History Hit app please go to the Android or Apple store.We need your help! If you would like to tell us what you want to hear as part of Dan Snow's History Hit then complete our podcast survey by clicking here. Once completed you will be entered into a prize draw to win a £100 voucher to spend in the History Hit shop.
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Apr 10, 2022 • 26min
The Objects That Made Britain
What can art tell us about a country's history? Well, a lot! In today's episode, Dan is joined by Art Historian Temi Odumosu and popular historian James Hawes to discuss the cultural works they think reveal something vital about the history of Britain.James enthuses about the Staffordshire Hoard- the largest collection of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found and what it tells us about the tumultuous political situation of the 6th century. Meanwhile, Temi explains the impact of the autobiography 'The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano the African' on the abolitionist movement in 18th century Britain. It lay the foundations for new genres of literature and new ways of understanding the experiences of enslaved people.Both Temi and James appear in the new BBC series 'Art That Made Us' that through 1500 years and eight dramatic turning points presents an alternative history of the British Isles, told through art.James' accompanying book to the series is called 'Brilliant Isles'.If you'd like to learn more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download the History Hit app please go to the Android or Apple store.We need your help! If you would like to tell us what you want to hear as part of Dan Snow's History Hit then complete our podcast survey by clicking here. Once completed you will be entered into a prize draw to win a £100 voucher to spend in the History Hit shop.
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