Expand your historical knowledge with our curated list of the “Best History Podcasts.”
Without knowing the historical background of something, you cannot make informed conclusions about it. Here is a list of the best history podcasts for anyone wishing to supplement their media intake with historical nonfiction, whether they are history majors in college or want to broaden their worldview.
Many consider Doug Kaye’s IT Conversations the first podcast to air from 2003 until 2012. A year after the show’s debut, journalist Ben Hammersley wrote about it for The Guardian, giving the medium its name: “But what to call it? Audioblogging? Podcasting? GuerillaMedia?” We’re pleased to inform you that the blog you’re reading is not called the best of history audio blogs. 😉 .
That’s some podcast history, but you’re here for best history podcasts, not podcast history. And, given the abundance of high-quality broadcasts in the category, what makes a history podcast stand out?
Regardless of topic or format, I respond that every show on this list makes good editorial decisions. Some shed light on previously overlooked periods of history, while others provide new perspectives on our most infamous historical events. Regardless of methodology, each of these history podcasts provides listeners with deep insights into our past at a comfortable pace.
Best History Podcasts of 2024
Those who do not study history are said to be doomed to repeat it—or perhaps they are just missing out on some pretty beautiful stories. These best history podcasts examine the strange, complex, and fascinating people and events that have affected our world in large and small ways. Here is the list of the best history podcasts below:
1. Revolutions
Revolutions seldom require an explanation. But, for a show about upheavals, revolutions, and discontent, writer and host Mike Duncan delivers these complex historical occurrences with the zeal of your neighbour praising their new driveway pavement—and it works.
Revolutions is worth listening to after 10 seasons and over 100 episodes because it isn’t brash or reductive. It may appeal precisely because it differs from today’s reactionary news cycle. This broadcast will appeal to anyone who appreciates Stephen West’s podcast Philosophize This! for its consistent tempo, nuance, and attention to detail. Even if you don’t have a favourite philosopher, Revolutions may inspire you to join a political uprising. (My example is the French Revolution.)
2. Dan Snow’s History Hit
Dan Snow, a British historian, has produced historical television and radio programs for over two decades. Dan Snow’s History Hit, his most recent endeavour, is a masterclass in making history accessible to the general audience. The podcast manages to be both current and historical, making you question if Snow is attempting to have his cake and eat it, too. However, the format has proven popular due to rapid turnaround times and a backlog of pre-recorded episodes. How else could he have released a show about Queen Elizabeth II on the day she died? Dan, congratulations.
Snow isn’t a household name in the United Kingdom — he’s no Lucy Worsley, but who is?—But he’s a regular fixture on the history television circuit. There is, indeed, a scenario. But his podcast has lasted since 2015 because it is highly researched and easily digestible. With episodes that are roughly 20 minutes long, History Hit is ideal for a coffee break or while cooking dinner. Just make sure to prevent all plague occurrences while carving the chicken.
3. You Must Remember This
You Must Remember was named one of our top podcasts of 2018. This takes listeners through Hollywood’s hedonism, controversy, and buried history. Karina Longworth, the show’s host, has exposed bits of Hollywood lore that are not always exactly how we remember them.
With recent films like Babylon and Hail, Caesar!, it’s evident that Hollywood is just as interested in its myths and scandals as we are, so the fact that Longworth is a film critic and author adds weight to You Must Remember This. In his recent roundup of the greatest film podcasts, Matt Seaton defined the episode as a collection of “podcast essays” that “unfold like stories.” The result? It is a painstakingly researched exploration of Hollywood legends that persist with each successive generation.
With recent films like Babylon and Hail, Caesar!, it’s evident that Hollywood is just as interested in its myths and scandals as we are, so the fact that Longworth is a film critic and author adds weight to You Must Remember This. In his recent roundup of the greatest film podcasts, Matt Seaton defined the episode as a collection of “podcast essays” that “unfold like stories.” The result? It is a painstakingly researched exploration of Hollywood legends that persist with each successive generation.
4. Stuff The British Stole
Stuff The British Stole is a thought-provoking look at the British propensity to steal what isn’t theirs. The show, hosted by Marc Fennell, explores Britain’s lengthy history of obtaining historic antiquities using all of the editing tactics of a true-crime exposé. It’s as if Wondery pursued the British Museum rather than Dr. Death.
Fennell’s tone is unusual, especially for an Australian podcast. Like so many other nations, Australia is confronting its Indigenous history, and separating itself from the British narrative is an unavoidable part of that process. Of course, this is not my biggest beef with Stuff The British Stole. Please feel free to criticize us as much as you want. It’s the dreadful background music that bothers me. If you can get past the poor instrumentals, Fennell presents crucial topics worth debating. This is a relevant look at a colonial legacy in desperate need of serious assessment.
5. In Our Time
Forget about King Charles. Melvyn Bragg is the undisputed patriarch of the British people. Do you still not believe me? Bragg has hosted In Our Time since 1998, with over 900 episodes. Let the record indicate that Charles III has only been in power for a fraction of that time, yet he has received far less respect.
In Our Time is a British radio show and podcast hosted by Bragg and broadcast live on BBC Radio 4. It’s an intellectual roundtable discussion on themes ranging from Marie Antoinette to Social Darwinism to Early Chinese History. They’ve probably covered any nerdy topic you can think of. If I can’t persuade you of the joys of listening to three academics, argue about the true meaning of a 1543 palimpsest, perhaps my assertion that this podcast got me through my university years will. Long live Bragg’s reign!
6. Throughline
What would an educational podcast list be without an NPR show? Enter Throughline here. This is a history podcast on often marginalized and hotly debated historical events, with a critical eye on issues ranging from the mundane to the controversial.
In an interview with Podcast Review, the hosts of NPR’s Throughline acknowledged that the show has been accused of being both apolitical and overly political. The hosts, Rund Abdelfatah and Ramtin Arablouei viewed this as a compliment. “It was like, if we’re getting it from both sides, then I think we did a good job.” Looking back, it’s clear why this show has been so successful. Abdelfatah and Arablouei never veer from the topic of monopoly or the modern white power movement.
7. 1619
1619 was named one of the top podcasts of 2019. Returning to the concert a few years later, it’s difficult to overlook why it made such an impression. The title relates to August 20, 1619, when a ship carrying enslaved Africans arrived on the Virginia coast. The New York Times’ 1619 Project presents an ambitious analysis of slavery in the United States 400 years later. The first edition of this podcast starts with host Nikole Hannah-Jones standing in New England, looking back over the Atlantic towards Africa. 1619 is an intimately spoken and meticulously researched account of history still passed down today.
8. Hardcore History
Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History is this list’s most well-known history podcast. It’s most definitely an acquired taste. But that hasn’t stopped it from establishing a cult following because of its intricately nuanced plot and gorgeous artwork.
Hardcore History is not for the faint of heart. Each episode lasts almost five hours, and Carlin uses that time to construct an interesting, highly contextualized portrayal of some of the darkest eras in world history. Though Carlin emphasizes that he is a “fan of history, not a historian,” he makes complicated events feel real through witty dialogue, frequently flipping ideas on their heads and challenging listeners to explore issues from different perspectives. Though Carlin’s reverence for historical detail frequently trades linguistic sensibility, the program remains a genre mainstay.
9. BackStory
Did you know that Herman Melville was inspired to write Moby-Dick by a real-life albino whale named Dick Mocha? BackStory’s four historians do, and they’re happy to tell you about it. (See: “Thar She Blows: The History of Whales and America.” If that isn’t enough cetacean material for you, there’s also “Thar She Blows Again.”
Many of the episodes are esoteric—the history of the number 13 in America, the cultural history of UFOs, for example—but they also address more serious issues such as incarceration, opioid addiction, and immigration. The weekly episodes, which are meticulously researched and properly paced (typically 30 minutes to an hour long), provide subtle primers on some of the most fascinating elements of American history.
10. 99% Invisible
99% Invisible, hosted by Roman Mars, is focused on architecture and design—the mainly unseen, unconsidered components that define our world.
Check out episode 323 from September 2018, which dives into Sears’ $1,700 mail-order mansions, available in the 1908 catalogue, for a particularly Pop Mech-ish beginning. On the one hand, it’s an extreme version of IKEA furniture, but it also provides insight into the status of American homes, the economy, and craftsmanship before the Great Depression.
11. More Perfect
The subject of this Radiolab broadcast, presented by WNYC Studios and hosted by Jad Abumrad, is the United States Supreme Court, and the outcome is a difficult, distinctive lens through which to view all of American history.
Season three shakes things up with music inspired by each of the 27 ratified amendments to the Constitution—delectable, but it’s a better option to start with an episode from seasons one or two. Try “The Gun Show,” which details how the Second Amendment became a political flashpoint in the 1960s and 1970s, thanks to the Black Panthers and an NRA that had previously played a different role. Or “The Heist,” in which Jill Lepore, a historian, explains how Justice Felix Frankfurter’s papers were stolen.
12. The Memory Palace
It’s difficult to sum up Nate DiMeo’s The Memory Palace, which is hosted by Nate DiMeo, who was the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Artist in Residence from 2016 to 2017 and who has probably forgotten more amazing stories than most of us will ever know. Short episodes (typically 10 to 15 minutes long) are released every other week and are a mishmash of inventive, narrative narratives that make even the most mundane happenings vibrant and immediate.
Sometimes DiMeo chooses someone you probably know a little about, as in episode 102, which places you on a horse with President William Henry Harrison on the night of his inauguration (and the night he acquired pneumonia). Sometimes, it’s a relative unknown, such as lighthouse keeper Ida Lewis, who became well-known in Newport, Rhode Island, for her numerous rescues of stranded sailors (episode 132). Regardless, each episode of The Memory Palace is a creative jolt, a reminder of how rich and wonderful history can be.
13. 30 For 30
There are many political shows on this list, but if sports history is more your thing, listen to ESPN’s 30 for 30 podcast, which brings the same energy and emphasis as the television documentary series of the same name.
Begin with season three, episode four (“Six Who Sat”), which looks at two of the first women to compete in official marathons, such as the Boston and New York races, which had previously been off-limits to female runners. Or season one, episode two (“Yankees Suck), on the origins of that legendary saying.
In subsequent seasons, each episode is accompanied by a follow-up episode that includes behind-the-scenes information, more interviews, and reflections on the podcast’s creation.
14. In Our Time: History
Sometimes DiMeo chooses someone you probably know a little about, as in episode 102, which places you on a horse with President William Henry Harrison on the night of his inauguration (and the night he acquired pneumonia). Sometimes it’s a relative unknown, such as lighthouse keeper Ida Lewis, who became well-known in Newport, Rhode Island, for her numerous rescues of stranded sailors (episode 132). Regardless, each episode of The Memory Palace is a creative jolt, a reminder of how rich and wonderful history can be.
The Best History Podcasts – Our Recommendation
The podcasts listed above have a history of being recognized with awards and top hits on audio-sharing websites, so all of them are great. However, our recommendation is – 1619.
The best podcast about history for beginners?
Try You’re Dead to Me for a simple, condensed, easy-to-access podcast. This hilarious podcast combines comedy with information as host Greg Jenner compiles fantastic and bizarre tales from history. It’s the ideal lighter break during a busy day or a lengthy journey, covering a variety of eras and featuring special guests like Stephen Fry. Just hit play to discover some of history’s most significant figures, including Mary Seacole and Julius Caesar, while also laughing a lot.
I hope you’ve found some of the best history podcasts mentioned above worth making to your own podcast list. If you have more recommendations for our audience, do share them in the comments section below.
We hope you enjoyed exploring the past through our recommended “Best History Podcasts.” Tune in to unravel fascinating narratives and continue your journey through time!
