8 Best History Podcasts of 2021

Updated: Jan 2022


Dan Carlin's Hardcore History

By Dan Carlin  

History  

12 Episodes

Started: Oct 2015

Latest: 3 months ago

In "Hardcore History" journalist and broadcaster Dan Carlin takes his "Martian", unorthodox way of thinking and applies it to the past. Was Alexander the Great as bad a person as Adolf Hitler? What would Apaches with modern weapons be like? Will our modern civilization ever fall like civilizations from past eras? This isn't academic history (and Carlin isn't a historian) but the podcast's unique blend of high drama, masterful narration and Twilight Zone-style twists has entertained millions of listeners.

Best Episodes of Dan Carlin's Hardcore History:

Show 67 - Supernova in the East VI

When do spirit, tenacity, resilience and bravery cross into madness? When cities are incinerated? When suicide attacks become the norm? When atomic weapons are used? Japan's leaders test the limits of…

Throughline

By NPR  

History  Society & Culture  Documentary  

166 Episodes

Started: Jan 2019

Latest: Few days ago

The past is never past. Every headline has a history. Join us every week as we go back in time to understand the present. These are stories you can feel and sounds you can see from the moments that shaped our world.

Best Episodes of Throughline:

Bayard Rustin: The Man Behind the March on Washington (2021)

Bayard Rustin, the man behind the March on Washington, was one of the most consequential architects of the civil rights movement you may never have heard of. Rustin imagined how nonviolent civil resis…

Revisionist History

By Pushkin Industries  

Society & Culture  

83 Episodes

Started: Jun 2016

Latest: Week ago

Revisionist History is Malcolm Gladwell's journey through the overlooked and the misunderstood. Every episode re-examines something from the past—an event, a person, an idea, even a song—and asks whether we got it right the first time. From Pushkin Industries. Because sometimes the past deserves a second chance. iHeartMedia is the exclusive podcast partner of Pushkin Industries.

Best Episodes of Revisionist History:

The Revisionist History Holiday Sampler

Sharing special previews of Pushkin’s show Bad Women: Ripper Retold and this month’s Pushkin+ episode, ‘The Dog-tor WIll See You Now’   You know the story: In 1888, five female prostitutes were brutal…

BackStory

By BackStory  

History  Education  

259 Episodes

Started: Sept 2015

Latest: Year ago

BackStory is a weekly public podcast hosted by U.S. historians Ed Ayers, Brian Balogh, Nathan Connolly and Joanne Freeman. We're based in Charlottesville, Va. at Virginia Humanities. There’s the history you had to learn, and the history you want to learn - that’s where BackStory comes in. Each week BackStory takes a topic that people are talking about and explores it through the lens of American history. Through stories, interviews, and conversations with our listeners, BackStory makes history engaging and fun.

Best Episodes of BackStory:

331: The End of the Road: BackStory and the History of Finales in America

On this final episode of BackStory, Nathan, Brian, Joanne and Ed explore different kinds of finales throughout American history. They also consider what it’s like being a part of their own finale and …

In Our Time: History

By BBC Radio 4  

History  

300 Episodes

Started: Jan 2000

Latest: Week ago

Historical themes, events and key individuals from Akhenaten to Xenophon.

Best Episodes of In Our Time: History:

The Hittites

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the empire that flourished in the Late Bronze Age in what is now Turkey, and which, like others at that time, mysteriously collapsed. For the next three thousand years …

1001 Heroes, Legends, Histories & Mysteries Podcast

By Jon Hagadorn Podcast Host  

History  Arts  Books  

339 Episodes

Started: Dec 2014

Latest: Few days ago

Where History Comes Alive! A fast-paced, well-researched weekly podcast covering a wide range of historical events, persons, places, legends, and mysteries, hosted by Jon Hagadorn. 1001 Heroes Podcast is a proud part of the 1001 Stories Podcast Network, which includes 1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales Podcast, 1001 Radio Days, and 1001 Stories For the Road Podcast. The network enjoyed over 5 million listens in the past year from a worldwide audience. SUPPORT OUR SHOW BY BECOMING A PATRON! www.patreon.com/1001storiesnetwork. Thank you!

Best Episodes of 1001 Heroes, Legends, Histories & Mysteries Podcast:

THE 1900 GALVESTON HURRICANE THE WORST NATURAL DISASTER IN AMERICAN HISTORY (PT 1)

In 1900 the port city of Galveston, Texas was the 3rd largest city in Texas, boasting a population of 38,000 people, and they were doing so well with business that they had earned the nickname "the Wa…

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