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40 episodes

Dan Snow's History Hit, page 2

by History Hit · English

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 [email protected] 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™ 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.

All episodes, page 2

Was Henry VIII England's Most Evil King?

Why people remain fascinated by Henry VIII—his “cult of personality,” glamorous early reign, catastrophic foreign wars, and especially the “King’s Great Matter” (divorce from Catherine of Aragon,…

20 Aug 2026 · 49m · 20 chapters

The Making of Osama bin Laden

The episode traces Osama bin Laden’s rise from a privileged Saudi childhood to the creation of al-Qaeda, culminating in the early al-Qaeda attacks (1998 embassy bombings, USS Cole) and setting up the…

17 Aug 2026 · 1h 7m · 25 chapters

Marco Polo and The Court of the Great Kublai Khan

Marco Polo’s journey to the Mongol court of Kublai Khan, the disputed accuracy of The Travels, and what historians think he likely did and why his account mattered for Europe’s understanding of Asia.

13 Aug 2026 · 37m · 10 chapters

The Naval Revolution: Triumph and Disaster

The episode “The Naval Revolution: Triumph and Disaster” retraces the 1908 peacetime collision and uses HMS Tiger to explain a broader “naval revolution.” Topic: how torpedo technology and fast…

10 Aug 2026 · 37m · 10 chapters

The Fall of the Ancient Maya

The episode traces the Maya “collapse” as a long, multi-cause transition, then zooms in on Belize cave rituals—especially Akhtung Chapak (Centipede Cave)—to show how drought, politics, trade…

6 Aug 2026 · 55m · 20 chapters

The Rise of the Ancient Maya

Episode 1 of a miniseries on the Ancient Maya, focused on Belize and the rise of the civilization through the growth of the Caracol city-state, its agriculture and water management, Maya…

3 Aug 2026 · 58m · 21 chapters

Was Caesar's invasion of Britain a disaster?

Whether Julius Caesar’s 55 and 54 BC invasions of Britain were disasters or strategic successes, and how logistics, Roman military engineering, and British resistance shaped outcomes.

30 Jul 2026 · 34m · 18 chapters

The Blitz Beyond London

The podcast episode “The Blitz Beyond London” argues that the Blitz was not just a London event from Sept 1940 to May 1941, but a nationwide, war-long pattern of bombing that shattered industrial…

27 Jul 2026 · 43m · 13 chapters

A Short History of The Airport

The episode traces the evolution of airports from early airfields and wartime aerodromes to modern Heathrow—covering passenger experience, airport architecture, air traffic control, and the rise of…

23 Jul 2026 · 48m · 21 chapters

The Mycenaean World

The Late Bronze Age “Mycenaean world” (c. 1500–1200 BC) that underlies the Odyssey, focusing on Mediterranean sea trade, elite diplomacy, Mycenaean society, the Bronze Age collapse around 1200 BC,…

20 Jul 2026 · 40m · 11 chapters

BONUS: The Complete Map of the Odyssey

A “complete map” walkthrough of Odysseus’ Odyssey across the Mediterranean, using real-world geography and competing scholarly theories for where episodes might have occurred, from Troy to Ithaca.

17 Jul 2026 · 52m · 16 chapters

The Real St George and the Dragon

The episode retells the St George and the Dragon legend, then traces what parts are historically grounded and how the dragon-slaying motif evolved across Christianity and medieval culture.

16 Jul 2026 · 30m · 11 chapters

The Real History Behind The Odyssey

The episode explains the “real history” behind Homer’s Odyssey, arguing it’s not straightforward history of the Trojan War but a layered cultural document reflecting the late Bronze Age (c.

13 Jul 2026 · 53m · 20 chapters

A Day in the Life of a Gladiator

A historically grounded look at Roman gladiators’ daily reality—origins of gladiatorial combat, training, economics, diet, arena schedule, weapons/types, survival odds, and how the institution…

9 Jul 2026 · 36m · 12 chapters

What Happens in The Odyssey?

Retells the Odyssey chronologically from the end of the Trojan War, focusing on Odysseus’ voyage home and what happens when he finally reaches Ithaca, with occasional discussion of possible…

6 Jul 2026 · 1h 9m · 21 chapters

The Birth of America Explained

How the Declaration of Independence (1776) emerged from British colonial policy, revolutionary political ideas, and popular persuasion—and how its universal claims still shape U.S.

2 Jul 2026 · 56m · 15 chapters