Podcast Episodes

The Great Fire of London

Episode 1565

In the early hours of September 2, 1666, a small fire broke out on the ground floor of a baker's house in Pudding Lane. In five days that small fire would devastate the third largest city in the West…

Published on 1 year ago

The Fall of Constantinople

Episode 1564

May 1453 saw the siege that would lead to the fall of the Eastern Roman Empire. It was the culmination of an age-long struggle between Christianity and Islam for control of the Eastern Mediterranean.…

Published on 1 year ago

The Origins of Istanbul

Episode 1563

Today we dig into the history of Istanbul, the city at the crossroads of East and West. Across thousands of years, the city has survived the rise and fall of empires, weathered sieges and Crusades, a…

Published on 1 year ago

Charles Dickens' Christmas

Episode 1562

Just as Scrooge wanders London's streets on a cold Christmas night, Dan Snow follows the ghosts of Charles Dickens' past to discover the city that inspired his greatest works. With London-born tour g…

Published on 1 year ago

Folk Christmas: Yule, Solstice & Ancient English Traditions

Episode 1561

Folktales around the fire, gooding & mumping and the terrifying Hooden Horse are just some of England's winter folk traditions from history. In this episode, Dan explores the unlikely and often dark …

Published on 1 year ago

How the Mongols Changed the World

Episode 1559

After the death of Chinggis Khan, the founder and first Emperor of the Mongol Empire, the land became the largest contiguous empire in history.

The Horde, the western portion of the Mongol empire, was…

Published on 1 year ago

Georgian Christmas

Episode 1558

Pantomimes, pleasure gardens, bare-knuckle boxing and political upheaval. Christmas in the 18th and early 19th centuries was a very different affair from the peaceful family celebration of the Victor…

Published on 1 year ago

The Cod Wars

Episode 1557

In the long and lamentable history of human conflicts, the Cod Wars have to be among the most bizarre. And what was the catalyst for them? You guessed it - fish. These 20th-century confrontations pit…

Published on 1 year ago

The Syrian Civil War: How It Started

Episode 1556

Dan is joined by the Defence Editor for The Economist, Shashank Joshi, to explore the origins of the brutal Syrian civil war that has left the country in ruin and with an uncertain future. They unrav…

Published on 1 year ago

Henry VIII's Tudor Christmas

Episode 1555

Tudor Christmas was a time for revelry and fun. Henry VIII and his court celebrated the full 12 days of Christmas in excess, with tables ladened with roast swan, suckling pig and venison pasties, amo…

Published on 1 year ago