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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.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.

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. 

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

Dan Snow's History Hit

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 moments in modern history as the BBC's Chief International Correspondent. She's followed the events in Afghanistan for decades and joins Dan to explain the rise of the Taliban from the chaos of the Soviet invasion in the 1980s, through their brutal rule in the 1990s, the impact of American and British intervention after 9/11 and explains how they returned to Kabul in 2021, plunging Afghanistan into another era under their grip. 

Her new book, which explores this history through the lens of the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul, where both international journalists and the Taliban stay, depending on who is running the country. It's called 'The Finest Hotel in Kabul: A People's History of Afghanistan'

Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore

Dan Snow's History Hit is now available on YouTube! Check it out at: https://www.youtube.com/@DSHHPodcast

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.

You can also email the podcast directly at ds.hh@historyhit.com.

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

The Rise, Fall and Rise of the Taliban

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 the early fourth century, it was thriving, and over the next hundred years, it exploded, spreading across the entire Roman Empire before becoming its official religion. What enabled it to take such a strong hold so quickly and so steadfastly? 

Dan is joined by author, broadcaster and historian Professor Alice Roberts to examine how Christianity out-organised and outlasted the Roman Empire. 

Alice's new book is called 'Domination: The Fall of the Roman Empire and the Rise of Christianity'.

Produced by James Hickmann, Mariana Des Forges and edited by Matthew Wilson and Dougal Patmore.

Dan Snow's History Hit is now available on Youtube! Check it out at: https://www.youtube.com/@DSHHPodcast

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.

We'd love to hear your feedback - you can take part in our podcast survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on.

You can also email the podcast directly at ds.hh@historyhit.com.

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

How Did Ancient Romans become Christians?

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 negotiated with kings, standardised regulations, created outposts across Europe, blockaded ports and even went to war to protect its trading interests.

In this episode, Dan is joined by Dr Justyna Wubs-Mrozewicz, associate professor of medieval history at the University of Amsterdam, to discuss the League's unique structure, operations, and legacy. Together, they examine its innovative and flexible approach to trade, politics, and conflict management. Also, how the Hansa functioned without becoming a formal nation-state and its lasting imprint on European history and economics.

To discover more about Justyna's work, please visit: https://premodernconflictmanagement.org/ or her personal page https://justynawubs-mrozewicz.blogspot.com/

Produced by Dougal Patmore and James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.

This was originally released as a subscriber-only episode in August 2025

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.

We'd love to hear your feedback - you can take part in our podcast survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on.

You can also email the podcast directly at ds.hh@historyhit.com.

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

What was the Hanseatic League?

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 had ever seen, covering around a quarter of Earth's land surface and ruling over 458 million people - that's a lot of influence. Dan is joined by journalist and author Sathnam Sanghera to measure the impact the British Empire has had on our world, for better and worse. 

Sathnam's new book for kids is called 'Journeys of Empire'.

Produced by James Hickmann, McKenna Fernandez and edited by Matthew Wilson and Dougal Patmore. 

Did you know you can watch this episode on YouTube? Check it out at https://www.youtube.com/@DSHHPodcast

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.

You can also email the podcast directly at ds.hh@historyhit.com.

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

How Did the British Empire Build the Modern World?

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. King Herod even appears as an unlikely and unlikeable character in the Christmas tale; the king who ordered the execution of children in an effort to kill Jesus. But did this really happen?

Dan is joined by Seth Schwartz, professor of Classical Jewish Civilisation at Columbia University, to explore the life of this ancient king and the Hellenistic world in which he ruled.

Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.

This episode was first released in December 2023.

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.

We'd love to hear your feedback - you can take part in our podcast survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on.

You can also email the podcast directly at ds.hh@historyhit.com.

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

King Herod

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 delicious Christmas fare from ages past. They make wassail - an ancient alcoholic punch - and mince meat pies as they talk about the Pagan rituals, Medieval feasts and Victorian traditions that dictate what we put on our Christmas dinner tables.

Did you know you can watch this episode on YouTube? Check it out at https://www.youtube.com/@DSHHPodcast

 Annie's book is called 'At Christmas We Feast'

Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore

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.

We'd love to hear your feedback - you can take part in our podcast survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on.

You can also email the podcast directly at ds.hh@historyhit.com.

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

A History of Christmas Food

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 river from his Greenwich Palace, where he set about building the biggest ships the world had ever seen. 

Today, you can still find the telltale signs of the history that took place here if you know where to look. Dan joins London tour guide and friend of the podcast, Rob Smith, to trace the beginnings of Britain's Navy and tell the curious tales of early life in the dockyard, the mega ships, the disastrous failures and incredible innovations that made Britain a naval superpower in the 16th century and beyond. 

If you'd like to take a tour with Rob, you can check out his events here: https://footprintsoflondon.com/live/guides/rob-smith/

Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore

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.

We'd love to hear your feedback - you can take part in our podcast survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on.

You can also email the podcast directly at ds.hh@historyhit.com.

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

The Origins of the Royal Navy

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 would surely welcome them as liberators, as they themselves fought off the yoke of British rule. Many imagined that these two vast territories were destined to unite into a single continental power. But what followed was a disastrous, freezing, chaotic nightmare.

Written by Dan Snow, produced by McKenna Fernandez, and edited by Matthew Wilson and Dougal Patmore. 

Did you know you can watch this episode on YouTube? Check it out at https://www.youtube.com/@DSHHPodcast

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.

We'd love to hear your feedback - you can take part in our podcast survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on.

You can also email the podcast directly at ds.hh@historyhit.com.

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

How America Invaded Canada

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 London - explain why this Basque town was targeted, how the attack unfolded and what it meant for civilians on the ground. They explore the political motives behind the raid as well as its enduring impact on Europe and trace how Guernica became a symbol of the horrors of modern warfare.

Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.

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.

We'd love to hear your feedback - you can take part in our podcast survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on.

You can also email the podcast directly at ds.hh@historyhit.com.

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

The Bombing of Guernica

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 Armstrong Custer and the 7th Cavalry charged into a vast encampment of Lakota and other tribes — and were utterly destroyed by the superior native forces who fought to defend their sacred lands from the encroaching United States.

In this episode, Dan is joined by former National Parks historian Paul Hedren to explore how this battle came to define the struggle between the U.S. government and the Plains tribes, what led to Custer’s fatal mistake, and how the Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho achieved a stunning, if fleeting, victory.

Paul's new book is called 'Sitting Bull's War: The Battle of the Little Bighorn and the Fight for Buffalo and Freedom'.

The terminology to use when exploring and discussing Indigenous and native peoples, history, and culture is sensitive and complex. You can find out more on language use here: https://americanindian.si.edu/nk360/informational/impact-words-tips

Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore.

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.

We'd love to hear your feedback - you can take part in our podcast survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on.

You can also email the podcast directly at ds.hh@historyhit.com.

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

Sitting Bull and the Battle of Little Bighorn

Born in Lyme Regis in 1799, Mary Anning was a pioneering palaeontologist and fossil collector whose story continues to inspire so many scientists to this day. The Jurassic Coast on the south coast of England is one of the richest locations for fossil hunting in the UK, if not in the world. During the early 19th century Mary Anning, and her brother Joseph, made a living discovering and selling fossils to tourists and scientists alike. Although uneducated and poor Mary's knowledge and skills became much sought after by palaeontologists of the period and she made some remarkable discoveries particularly around fossilised dinosaur poo! Despite her contribution to science Mary, as a woman and Dissenter, was often not given the credit she deserved in her lifetime. In this episode, Emma Bernard Curator of Palaeobiology, Natural History Museum, joins Dan to celebrate the life and achievements of this pioneering fossil hunter.

You can also watch History Hit's new film Mary Anning: The Forgotten Fossil Hunter

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

Mary Anning: Palaeontology's Forgotten Pioneer

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