Dan Snow's History Hit

When the Second World War finally ended 80 years ago, there was a mixed reaction in Britain. Today, we hear about these varying responses, from elation and celebration to reticence and restraint.

For the final episode of our 'D-Day to Berlin' series, we're joined by Lucy Noakes, author of 'The People's Victory: VE Day Through the Eyes of Those Who Were There'. She takes us through the street parties and festivities, as well as t...

A hero to some, and a villain to others, the seventh president of the United States was a populist firebrand who reshaped America and left a legacy that still echoes today. In this episode, Dan dives into the life and times of Andrew Jackson from his birth in a cabin on the frontier to his mission to 'drain the swamp' of Washington elites. He's remembered for defying the courts, expanding U.S. territory and for his abhorrent treatm...

80 years ago, as the war in Europe drew to a close, the world began to come to terms with the horrors of the Third Reich. This is the story of the Nuremberg Trials, the first of their kind, that would decide the fate of Nazism's worst criminals. It's also the story of the millions of people who were displaced by the chaos of conflict. For them the war would did not end with victory in Europe, and dragged on for years to come.

We...

Warning: this episode contains discussion of suicide.

Berlin, April 1945: After nearly 12 years, the "Thousand-Year Reich" is crumbling. Isolated in a bunker beneath the city, as Soviet forces close in on them, Adolf Hitler and his inner circle face the end.

Today we're joined by Frank McDonough, a historian of the Third Reich and author of The Hitler Years series. Frank unpacks for us the final days of the Nazi dictator, and...

It started with an inconsequential piece of military intelligence, scrawled on a piece of paper and left in a waste paper basket. But over the next decade, the infamous Dreyfus affair would mutate into a scandal that shook nineteenth-century France and stunned the world.

Ruth Harris is a Professor of History at the University of Oxford and author of 'The Man on Devil's Island'. She joins us to explain what a Jewish artillery off...

Warning: this episode contains discussion of suicide.

In August 1944, German soldiers burst into the Florentine villa of Robert Einstein, cousin of the renowned physicist, Albert Einstein. As both a Jew and an Einstein, Robert had already gone into hiding, but his wife, daughters and extended family remained at home. What followed was a 12-hour nightmare that culminated in a brutal war crime.

With us is Thomas Harding, author...

Popes have shaped the history of the world. The Catholic Church has had a Pope for two thousand years, the first- tradition dictates- was St Peter, the fisherman turned disciple of Jesus. Pope 'Leo the Great' stared down Atilla the Hun at the gates of Rome while Pope Innocent III made it his mission to convert the Anglo-Saxons and spread Christianity across Europe.

In this episode, Dan is joined by Jessica Wärnberg, author of Ci...

On 19th April, 1775, just over 250 years ago, the opening salvos of the American Revolutionary War were fired at the battles of Lexington and Concord. Elite British Redcoats went head-to-head with the famed provincial Minutemen in bloody skirmishes across the Province of Massachusetts Bay. Ultimately, the British were forced to retreat, and the provincial victory galvanised colonial support for the cause of independence.

In toda...

Warning: this episode includes discussion of subjects like suicide and sexual assault that some listeners may find disturbing.

80 years ago, the Soviets launched their final assault on the German capital. Having swept across Eastern Europe with the Wehrmacht fleeing before them, this was to be the final, apocalyptic battle that marked the collapse of the Nazi regime.

Joining us is one of the great military historians, Anthony...

Warning: This episode contains detailed discussion of the Holocaust and genocide, which some listeners may find upsetting.

80 years ago, British troops liberated the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. The horrors they witnessed would haunt them for the rest of their lives.

Bestselling author and journalist Thomas Harding joins us to revisit this harrowing day, describing the camp's unimaginable conditions and the fates of the ...

How could the unsinkable ship… sink? In this dramatic moment-by-moment account, Dan tells the dramatic tale of the Titanic from the moment of impact with the iceberg to the first steps of survivors in New York. He's joined by world-leading expert Tim Maltin to bust the many infamous myths and provide insight you probably won't have heard before. Together they pore over the records, the testimonies of survivors and the science of ho...

By April 1945, Soviet forces stood at the gates of Berlin. From the summer of 1944, Hitler's armies had suffered a series of cataclysmic defeats that had left them shattered and desperately trying to hold on in front of the capital of the Third Reich. But how the Soviets' been able to bring the once mighty German Army to the brink of total defeat, and did the Wehrmacht have one last throw of the dice to save the Nazi regime?

In ...

Have trade tariffs ever worked? Dan explores a cautionary tale from the turn of the 20th century when Britain's Conservatives' flirtation with tariffs led to huge political upheaval and a truly disastrous electoral defeat. In this historical deep dive, Dan is joined by Duncan Brack, an expert analyst and policy advisor, as they discuss the historical implications and public sentiment surrounding tariffs as the world grapples with a...

Founded by Peter the Great, the city of Saint Petersburg was built to rival the majesty of any capital in Europe. Its splendour made it a hub of Russian culture, and its geography made it a focal point for industry. It's factories would jump-start the revolutions that ushered in the Soviet era, and in the wake of a devastating Nazi siege, the recovering city would birth the man who lead Russia into the 21st century - Vladimir Putin...

This is the story of the legendary Samurai - how did they go from provincial bodyguards to revered warriors? Why did they transform from ancestral soldiers to office workers? And will we ever see them again?

Dan is joined by Christopher Harding, a cultural historian of Japan, India and East-West connections. Chris explains the long history of the Samurai and the potential renewal of the Samurai spirit in Japan's future.

Produ...

Dan Snow picks up his dramatic tale of the exploits of Francis Drake- this time the story of the Spanish Armada. From his astonishing raids on Spanish assets in the New World to his exploits as Queen Elizabeth I's 'war dog', Drake's adventures laid the groundwork for England's maritime ambitions. Dan recounts Drake's unyielding quest for glory, which forever changed the course of naval warfare, navigating the highs and lows of his ...

Dan tells swashbuckling tales of Francis Drake on the Spanish Main. Francis Drake was England's first imperial warrior forged in the crucible of the 16th-century naval engagements against Spain. This episode covers Drake's early life, his transformation from a passionate Protestant to a relentless scourge of the Spanish, and his legendary feats of seamanship as he led England's first successful circumnavigation of the globe. Dan na...

How instrumental was Roosevelt in the Allied victory? He'd guided America through the Great Depression, he changed American society and his post-war vision shaped the world we see today. He knew WWII would be won through alliances, not bloodshed and America's entry into the war changed the game completely.

To examine how and why, Dan is joined by Dr Graham Cross from Manchester Metropolitan University and Professor of Strategic ...

He was responsible for the fastest trains in history. He built innovative new hospitals for Florence Nightingale. His vessels shattered records for crossing the Atlantic and he enabled the laying of the first transatlantic cables. He is probably the greatest engineer in human history. But what toll did his greatness take on his health and personal life? To explore the life and times of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Dan is joined by biog...