The Rest Is History
Take a deep dive into History’s biggest moments with Tom Holland & Dominic Sandbrook. Explore the stories of History’s most brutal rulers, deadly battles, and world-changing events. From the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, the Nazi conquest of Europe, and Hitler’s evil master plan for world domination, to the French Revolution, the sinking of the Titanic, or the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, Tom and Dominic bring the past to life with gripping storytelling and expert analysis, as they unpack the high-drama moments that shaped our world. Join The Rest Is History Club: Unlock the full experience of the show – with exclusive bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to every series and live show tickets, a members-only newsletter, discounted books from the show, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at therestishistory.com. For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.
Episodes
January 25, 2026 • 75 mins
Why and how was the American Embassy stormed in 1979, at the height of the Iranian Revolution? Did America respond when large numbers of American civil servants were taken hostage? And, would a science fiction film called Argo save the only 6 Americans able to escape…?
Join Dominic and Tom, as they discuss the defining event of the Iranian Revolution: the invasion of the American Embassy on the 4th of November 1979, when Americ...
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January 21, 2026 • 69 mins
What set off the final uprisings of the Iranian Revolution, against the last Shah of Iran, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi? Would President Jimmy Carter and America back the Shah’s forbidding opponent, the firebrand, Ayatollah Khomeini? And, why would the Revolution prove to be one of the most pivotal events in recent history?
Join Dominic and Tom, as they discuss the final fall of Iran’s last Shah, America’s response, and the rising powe...
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January 18, 2026 • 77 mins
Why did the Iranian Revolution erupt in 1979? What was the nature of the relationship between President Carter and the ostentatious Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi? And, who was the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, a man whose militant vision for Iran would see it drastically remade?
Join Dominic and Tom, as they launch into one of the most dramatic stories of all time, with such far reaching consequences, that they still reverberate acr...
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January 14, 2026 • 62 mins
What were the harsh conditions of Joan of Arc’s imprisonment, at the hands of her English captors? How did Joan’s trial unfold, and with what was she charged? And, would Joan confess at the last moment in order to save her own life…?
Join Tom and Dominic as they discuss the terrible culmination of the life of Joan of Arc, as she endured imprisonment, stood on trial for her life, fought bravely for herself and the angelic voices ...
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January 11, 2026 • 63 mins
How was Charles VII, with the help of Joan of Arc, able to fight his way to Reims to be crowned in the ancient seat of French kings? Why was she able to continually defeat the formidable soldiers of England, in battle? And, how was Joan’s legendary ascent finally brought shatteringly down, as she fell into the hands of her dreaded English enemies…?
Join Tom and Dominic as the discuss the apex of Joan of Arc’s many triumphs, he...
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January 7, 2026 • 55 mins
How did a young, uneducated peasant girl dressed in men’s clothing, Joan of Arc, plan to crown the son of the mad and feeble Charles VI, the King of all France, and save them from the English? What happened when she met with the Dauphin? And, what happened when, in April 1429, Joan of Arc finally road to war, dressed in a suit of white armour, and clasping her mighty sword…?
Join Tom and Dominic as they charge into the very hear...
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January 4, 2026 • 69 mins
What are the origins of the legendary Joan of Arc, the famous French maid who saved France from the English during the Hundred Years’ War, dressed all the while in men’s clothes? Why is hers one of the most remarkable stories of all time? And, was she really under divine influence when, as only a teenager, she demanded to be taken from her humble French village to Charles of Valois, the would-be King of France, in order to save the...
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December 31, 2025 • 73 mins
Was Richard Wagner a revolutionary artist who reshaped music forever, or an egotists mired in scandal, whose dangerous ideas were inseparable from the operas he created? How did the legendary worlds encapsulated in his bombastic music - featuring gods, heroes, and monsters - become entangled with politics and power? And, did Wagner inspire Hitler and the Nazis…?
Join Tom and Dominic at the Royal Albert Hall, featuring the renown...
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December 28, 2025 • 79 mins
What are the complex origins of Russia’s most renowned composer, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky? What inner conflicts and private contradictions lay behind his romantic music, and how did these struggles shape it? And, what dark secrets lie hidden beneath Tchaikovsky’s sweeping, lyrical melodies…?
Join Tom and Dominic at the Royal Albert Hall, featuring the renowned Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Oliver Zeffman, as they play th...
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December 24, 2025 • 58 mins
Did the Christmas Truce - which saw a number of unofficial ceasefires between the combatants of the First World War, during the Christmas of 1914 - really occur, or was it a myth? What is the real story behind this legendary event? And, did German and British soldiers really play football across no-man's land?
Join Dominic and Tom as they delve into the history behind one of the most famous and moving events of the First World ...
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December 21, 2025 • 95 mins
Who are the prime suspects for the identity of Jack the Ripper? Why did he suddenly halt his hellish killing spree, and never strike again? And, once and for all, who really was Jack the Ripper…?
Join Dominic and Tom as they reveal, with shocking melodrama, the true identity of one of the world’s most mysterious serial killers: Jack the Ripper…
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Hive. Know your power. Visit https://hivehome.com to find out more.
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December 17, 2025 • 70 mins
Why was Jack the Ripper’s final murder the most appalling of all? Who was the mysterious Mary-Jane Kelly, his unfortunate victim? And, what enduring impact would his crimes have upon the cultural climate of England, and the treatment of women?
Join Tom and Dominic as they reach the nightmarish crescendo of Victorian London’s darkest days, as Jack the Ripper’s killing spree culminates with his most horrifying murder so far.
...
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December 14, 2025 • 59 mins
How did Jack the Ripper manage to strike twice in the same night without getting caught? Did he have an accomplice? And, what chilling clues did the police discover in the wake of the murder…?
Join Dominic and Tom as they decode the next horrific phase of Jack the Ripper’s shocking killing spree, as they seek to reveal his identity once and for all.
_______
Hive. Know your power. Visit https://hivehome.com to find out more....
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December 10, 2025 • 66 mins
Who was Jack the Ripper’s second victim, and why was their murder considered the true starting point of his terrifying killing spree? How did the police investigation unfold? And, when and how did the Ripper strike again…?
Join Dominic and Tom as they travel further into the dark streets of Victorian London and follow Jack the Ripper’s depraved trail, as they unravel the truth behind the world’s most famous murderer.
Hive. Kn...
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December 9, 2025 • 55 mins
| This episode is available a week early for members of The Rest Is History Club |
What happens when fame, drugs, and genius collide? How did the Beatles survive John Lennon’s “more popular than Jesus” interview and the death of Brian Epstein? And, why did the band eventually break up?
Conan O’Brien returns with Tom to dive into the Beatles’ final years: rooftop gigs, groundbreaking records, and the inner conflicts that def...
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December 7, 2025 • 64 mins
Was Jack the Ripper the first serial killer of all time? Who was his first victim, and why was the murder so shocking? And, what did the Ripper phenomenon reveal about the anxieties of Victorian London?
Join Tom and Dominic as they delve into the darkest days of London’s long history, as Jack the Ripper’s terrible, grisly reign of terror begins...
Join The Rest Is History Club: Unlock the full experience of the show – with e...
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December 3, 2025 • 71 mins
With Adolf Hitler at the apex of his power during the Second World War, how did he move on Britain? How did Winston Churchill respond? And, would Britain’s airforce triumph over Hitler’s Luftwaffe in the legendary Battle of Britain?
Join Dominic and Tom as they reach one of the watershed moments of the Second World War, as the Nazis strive to eliminate Britain from the skies, before severing their crucial alliance with the Sovi...
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December 2, 2025 • 51 mins
How did four Liverpool teenagers become the most influential band on earth? What made their music and charisma irresistible to a generation? And, how did their ambition and timing spark a cultural revolution that still resonates today?
In the first of two special episodes, Tom is joined by Conan O’Brien to explore the Beatles’ meteoric rise: the personalities, the breakthroughs, and the explosive cultural impact that turned a lo...
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November 30, 2025 • 67 mins
How did the Battle of Dunkirk unfold in 1940? Why was it one of the key turning points of the Second World War for Hitler and his Nazi regime? And, how did the Allies manage to evade the jaws of annihilation at this crucial stage of the Second World War…?
Join Dominic and Tom as they march further into the Nazis at war, with Hitler’s forces closing in on the Allies at Dunkirk, before wreaking devastation upon the French.
Giv...
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November 26, 2025 • 66 mins
When Hitler’s eye fell on Norway and Denmark, how did he and the Nazis enact their terrible plan of conquest? How did the Allies respond to this western campaign? And, how did the French fare against the furious German attack…?
Join Dominic and Tom as they discuss the next bombastic phase of the Nazis at war.
Join The Rest Is History Club: Unlock the full experience of the show – with exclusive bonus episodes, ad-free liste...
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