Dan Snow's History Hit
History Hit
300 episodes
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.
More about the show
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.com
A podcast by History Hit, the world's best history channel and creators of award-winning podcasts The Ancients, Gone Medieval, and Betwixt the Sheets.
History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™
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Episodes page 2 of 6
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The Seven Deadly Sins
Greed, Lust, Pride, Sloth, Gluttony, Envy, Wrath! You might be surprised to learn the true history of the Seven Deadly Sins doesn't start in the bible. Rather, they were first thought up by a Greek monk in the 4th…
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Investigating the Nazi Massacre at Rumbula
An underground Nazi weapons factory and stash of 77-year-old Denazification files. What is it really like to discover that your grandfather was a member of the SS? In 2023, journalist Lorenz Hemicker joined us to tell…
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How Did Japan Become A Superpower?
In the 19th century, Japan's samurai era ended, and the country transformed from a secluded feudal society into a modern industrial superpower. From sweeping political reforms to rapid industrialisation, this is the…
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The Scandalous Life of Lord Byron
WARNING: This episode includes discussion of sexual abuse and explicit language. He appalled and titillated Regency polite society in equal measure. Lord Byron was a poet, a lover, a rebel, a romantic, an appalling…
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Bloody Mary
In 1553, Mary Tudor became the first woman to sit on the English throne - a reign of just five years, that history has remembered almost exclusively through the lens of her enemies. But today, we revisit the story of…
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The Black Prince
He was one of medieval England’s most formidable warriors. Today we hear how Edward of Woodstock - the Black Prince - earned that reputation, tracing his rise during the Hundred Years’ War and exploring the nature of…
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The Assassination of Trotsky
This is the true story of the plot to kill Stalin's greatest enemy. It involves ice axe, a bloody study in Mexico City, and a betrayal years in the making. At its centre is Ramón Mercader, a Soviet-trained agent who…
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Churchill's Secret Army
Trap doors under toilets, hidden radio rooms in the back of wardrobes, secret bases behind waterfalls....Dan investigates an extraordinary network of secret resistance cells set up during Britain's "darkest hour". In…
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The Siege of Acre: The Last Battle of the Crusades
The desperate, violent last stand that ended two centuries of crusading in the Holy Land. We hear how, outnumbered, divided and desperate, the Christian defenders decided to fight to the bitter end against the Mamluk…
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Eleanor of Aquitaine
Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the most powerful figures of the medieval world: twice a queen, a crusader, a rebel and the architect of an empire. Through her marriages to Louis VII of France and Henry II of England,…
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The Knights Templar vs the Order of Assassins
During the crusades, there was a legendary rivalry between two extraordinary medieval orders: the Assassins and the Templars. Separating myth from history, we uncover their beliefs, covert operations and lasting…
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The Commanders: The Best of the Rest
For the final episode in our 'Commanders' series, we've drawn on your suggestions to pay tribute to the commanders who didn’t make our main episodes, but left a lasting mark on the Second World War. Joining us is…
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How and Why the Crusades Started
This is your guide to almost two centuries of holy war - from start to finish. We untangle faith, politics and myth, and reveal how the Crusades reshaped Europe, the Middle East and relations between Islam and…
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The Soviet Marshal Georgy Zhukov
Marshal Georgy Zhukov was undoubtedly one of the Second World War's most formidable figures. Rising from humble peasant origins, Zhukov became the archetype of the Soviet warrior. He commanded vast armies of millions…
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The Real Peaky Blinders
Today, we step beyond the slow-motion swagger and into the gritty, complex reality of the Peaky Blinders. Who were the gangsters behind the myths? And what was life actually like in the backstreets of late 19th and…
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Japan's WWII Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto
Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto was the mastermind of the “sneak attack” on Pearl Harbour that dragged the United States into the Second World War. His strategy stunned the Allies and allowed the Japanese military to make…
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The Rise of Putin and the 1999 Apartment Bombs
In September 1999, just weeks after 46-year-old Vladimir Putin became Russia’s prime minister, a series of apartment bombings ripped through Russian cities, killing hundreds as they slept and plunging the country into…
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Dwight D. Eisenhower
As Supreme Commander, Eisenhower spearheaded the successful Allied invasions of North Africa, Italy and Western Europe. He's consequently one of the most celebrated leaders of the Second World War - but how much of…
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The Battle of Gettysburg
In July 1863, the quiet town of Gettysburg became the site of one of the most decisive clashes of the American Civil War. Over three intense days, Union and Confederate forces fought across fields, hills and ridges in…
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Can Air Power Alone Topple Governments?
With the Iran war still unfolding, we ask the question: Can air power alone topple a government? From the First World War onward, military strategists have argued that bombing from the air could break a nation’s will…
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Bernard Montgomery
Celebrated for his victories in North Africa and Europe, Bernard Montgomery built a reputation for meticulous planning and caution that many soldiers admired. But his record was not without controversy, from tense…
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Edward VIII & Wallis Simpson: A Royal Scandal
In this episode, we explore the dramatic love story between King Edward VIII and the twice-divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson - a romance that shook the British monarchy to its core. Set against the backdrop of…
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Erwin Rommel
In the sands of North Africa, Erwin Rommel became a battlefield legend. His bold manoeuvres and audacious tactics captured the imagination of friend and foe alike. But how did he become that commander? Does he deserve…
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The Forbidden City
At the heart of Beijing sits the Forbidden City, one of the greatest architectural achievements in human history. It's the largest palace complex on Earth. Constructed in the early 15th century as the hidden heart of…
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The Trial of Charles I
More than 350 years ago, something unprecedented happened in Britain: a reigning king was arrested, put on trial, and executed. You may have seen many news outlets refer to this historic event, given the current news…
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Royal Siblings, Scandals and Crises
The arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew (who denies any wrongdoing and is innocent until proven guilty), has encouraged news outlets to look at the precedent of royals falling foul of the law.…
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The Peasants' Revolt
In 1381, after plague, famine and war had pushed England to the brink, a final blow sparked an extraordinary uprising. This episode explores the Peasants’ Revolt, not as a chaotic riot, but as a coordinated challenge…
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The First Vikings in Iceland
From icy seas to fire-lit longhouses, Dan heads to Iceland to trace the birth of one of the world’s most unique medieval cultures — at the very edge of the known world. He joins experts across the country to discover…
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The Scandalous Private Life of Charles II
He had at least 14 known mistresses and a hoard of illegitimate children; Charles II's private life was as politically charged as it was scandalous. He presided over the Restoration court, a world of excess, intrigue,…
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The Great Famine
In the late 19th century, Ireland suffered a potato blight that became a mass catastrophe. Today, we explore the conditions that left millions vulnerable, and assess the role of the British government in shaping the…
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The Ruthless Samurai Who Conquered Japan
Today, we dive into the chaotic final act of Japan’s Warring States period, and hear about the three warlords who brought it to an end. Oda Nobunaga, the ruthless innovator who shattered the status quo on the…
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Whaling
The history of whaling is complicated. At its height in the 18th and 19th centuries, whaling was a global enterprise built on perilous voyages, long seasons at sea, and a fierce chase for oil and baleen that…
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Joan of Arc Explained
Teenage peasant, visionary commander, convicted heretic, national saint - Joan of Arc's life reads like a legend. Today, Dan digs past that legend to understand who Joan really was, and why her story still provokes…
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The Dambusters Raid Explained
In May 1943, the RAF launched one of the Second World War’s most audacious missions: the Dambusters Raid. Today, we follow the raid as it unfolded, hearing about the remarkable people involved and examining its lasting…
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The Battle of Bosworth
In August 1485, the would-be king Henry Tudor went head-to-head with King Richard III - the final, decisive battle of the Wars of the Roses. Only one of these men would leave the battlefield alive, and this bloody…
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The Top Assassination Attempts on Hitler
What does it take to kill a dictator? In this episode, we explore the most dramatic assassination attempts on Adolf Hitler. From Georg Elser, the lone-wolf carpenter who built a bomb by hand, to the Polish…
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A History of Iran
How does Iran's history underpin today's unrest? Dan traces more than 2,500 years of Iran's story — from the first Persian empires through conquest, dynasties, and revolution — to understand how power, identity, and…
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U.S. Interventions in Latin America and Beyond
For over 200 years, American presidents have repeatedly justified intervention as 'protection' - from the Monroe Doctrine of the 1820s, Teddy Roosevelt at the turn of the 20th century, to Richard Nixon and George H.W.…
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A history of (American) occupation in Greenland
This isn't the first or even second time the U.S has made moves to procure Greenland in the last 160 years. President Donald Trump has stepped up his rhetoric, now saying that the use of US military is ‘always an…
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The Rise, Fall and Rise of the Taliban
The Taliban’s return to power in August 2021 shocked the world. But, it was not an abrupt collapse — it was decades in the making. Lyse Doucet has spent her career reporting from the world's war zones and at the key…
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How Did Ancient Romans become Christians?
Around 50 CE, a small group of travellers began to preach that a Jewish man, crucified by the Romans, had risen from the dead. Teaching love, forgiveness and eternal life, this new faith quickly gained followers. By…
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What was the Hanseatic League?
The Hanseatic League was a medieval trading network that stretched across Northern Europe. Formed in Northern Germany in the 12th century, it was an economic powerhouse of the age. Over the next five centuries, it…
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How Did the British Empire Build the Modern World?
Tobacco, sugar, rum, cotton, rubber, tea, coffee, spices, industry, borders, slavery, war - all things spread across the globe thanks to the British Empire. At its height in 1922, it was the largest empire the world…
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King Herod
Appointed by the Romans as king of Judaea, King Herod's reign was defined by great architectural projects and canny diplomacy. But he could also be cruel and paranoid, with scandal and family intrigue marring his rule.…
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A History of Christmas Food
Porpoises, beaver tails, boar's head and puffins were just some of the exquisite dishes on medieval tables during the festive season. In this episode, food historian Annie Gray joins Dan in his kitchen to cook up some…
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The Origins of the Royal Navy
Henry VIII wanted to have the most powerful Navy in Europe; he also didn't want to have to travel very far to get it. Around 1512, he built a colossal Naval dockyard on the southern banks of the Thames in London up…
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How America Invaded Canada
Dan narrates the remarkable story of how George Washington's newly established Continental Army tried to conquer Canada in the brutal winter of 1775. The American Revolutionary forces believed their northern neighbour…
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The Bombing of Guernica
The aerial bombardment that rained down on the Spanish city of Guernica in 1937 was one of the most shocking atrocities of the Spanish Civil War. Dan and David Brydan - historian of Modern Spain at King's College…
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Sitting Bull and the Battle of Little Bighorn
The Battle of the Little Bighorn - also known as the Battle of the Greasy Grass - was one of the most dramatic and important clashes in American history. In June 1876, on the rolling plains of Montana, Colonel George…
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How to Survive the Age of Sail
What was life really like aboard the great wooden ships of the Age of Sail? Dan joins After Dark hosts Anthony and Maddy to step aboard these creaking vessels and uncover who served at sea, what drove them to enlist,…
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