Dad and Me Love History

Japan isolated itself from other countries for centuries. In the land of the samurai, tradition and honour were central. Guns were seen as dishonourable – until they weren’t. We see how Japan only changes its capital city via anagram (this could be next: Yo-ok-t?). So we investigate the remarkable Meiji modernisation period of a century or so ago, which launched Japan as a superpower – and prepared Japan to be a world-...

We look at the rise of the Nazis and how they created and ruled what they called Germany’s “Third Reich”.

When Hitler became ‘Chancellor’ - that means prime minister - Germany was still a democracy. How did Hitler and the Nazis turn a country with elections and a variety of political parties (groups) into a dictatorship where the Nazi party had eliminated all other groups, giving themselves total power? 

A beacon of hope, the Statue of Liberty has welcomed millions of immigrants to the United States and to a new life. The statue overlooks New York harbour, close to Ellis Island immigration centre: if the USA is a land of immigrants, Ellis Island is where those immigrants landed. 

Built by France for the USA, there was some debate about which city the statue should be placed in. Then there was how to pay fo...

We investigate the special operations that occurred ahead of the D-Day landings of over 130,000 Allied troops on the Nazi-controlled beaches of northern France 

We look at the role of special troops who parachuted into Nazi-occupied France ahead of the D-Day beach landings. With help from a very special expert guest, we focus on a mission for US Army Rangers at a headland near the beaches, called Pointe du...

The history of the women’s game – from China to Britain, the US, Australia and Europe.

Released with our recordings from the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, we bring you not only the history but the vibes too – all sprinkled with plenty of dad jokes from James! At the end of today’s episode (after our outro theme song), you’ll hear some World Cup extras, a bonus dad joke from James, and an outtake or two. For...

Today’s episode comes from Washington DC, where we investigate why the capital was positioned there. And then, for our big question, we debate who wins the title of greatest US President ever! 

We are delighted to be joined by special guest Patrick Lau, who works for the US government in Washington, has a Masters’ degree in political science and is a history buff! He is also a former high school student wh...

Today’s episode comes from the Imperial War Museum, London, where we investigate: Odette, the spy; Roy and Bob’s great escape at sea; Daisy’s story of imprisonment in Hong Kong.

We are delighted to be joined by co-host Benji – and we are amazed by how he happens to find his own family history in the museum.

At the end of today’s episode (after our outro theme song), you’ll hear the questions (...

We are joined by two wonderful guests from the town of Gander in remote Newfoundland, Canada, where locals showed amazing kindness to people from all over the world, following the terrible events of 9/11. We only briefly mention the planes that crashed into the twin towers: we focus on the heart-warming humanity that followed.

This true story is sweeping the wor...

Our special guest tells us all about why King George VI was called ‘Bertie’ and why his daughter should never have become Queen!

THIS EPISODE IS PARTICULARLY RECOMMENDED AS SUITABLE FOR OUR YOUNGER LISTENERS!

In this royally mad episode – which features a record number of majestic jokes – we are joined by a very special guest. Children’s author Susan Webb, who wrote ‘Bertie: The Best Stuttering King’, reveals what you should know a...

Listen and learn from a 16-year-old master historian – and hear some incredible interviews!

Today we are joined by a very special high school kid: historian Jaxon Hekkenberg. Jaxon is doing remarkable things, teaching us all how we can save history. You’ll hear clips from just a few of the incredible interviews Jaxon has carried out. There are no graphic descriptions – just listen out for incredible stories from veterans from BOTH ...

Dad and Me investigate ‘internment’ in America, the UK, Australia, Hong Kong and beyond.

Internment was when ordinary men, women and children were imprisoned because they – or their parents – were born in an enemy country, and the country they lived in thought they might secretly help the other side. Listen out for our best ‘prison’ jokes! And don’t forg...

Dad & Me Love History presents a New Year Special Episode, where we go back through the archives and play you highlights from our original recordings of Dad (& Me) jokes, from Ancient Romans to African Moors to the invention of cars! This includes some previously unpublished material.

Read industry reviews of Dad’s World War II novels, A Chance Kill and ...

Following the origins of sugar takes us around the world, through 10,000 years of sweet but sticky history. Sugar was like oil or gold for a while - so in-demand that people in power got greedy and the powerless suffered as slavery expanded.

On the sweeter side, listen out for Dad’s best bad Dad jokes yet! Do let us know (via Facebook/Twitter/Instagram) ...

Why poppies? What’s the Last Post? [HINT: it’s nothing to do with sending mail before Christmas!] Why keep remembering a battle your side loses? What does ANZAC mean?

This re-release of a special extended episode is a lot more serious than our usual fun-filled shows, but there’s lots to learn for kids and adults! We talk to veterans about Veterans Day/Remembrance Day/ANZAC Day. 

We go to an ANZAC...

We investigate the Cold War: when did it happen? What happened during the Cold War? Why did it happen? And how? Between the USA and the USSR, things were very cold, whereas over in Korea and Vietnam things got hot-hot-hot!

Listen out in the extras for James's Cold War joke - did Dad understand it? After the outtakes, there's a bonus couple of minutes about who invented the 'cold war' - we discover the famous writer who invented the...

The invention of the car made a major change in the way people got around. We discover that the history of the car goes back to Leonardo and that electric cars have been around for ages! James brings you his research on the history of electric cars, and you'll hear his best car jokes!

How are some questions to see how well you understood today’s episode:

1. Over 500 years ago, who made designs for a mechanical, wind-up car?
2. What ...

Ahead of the para events at Tokyo 2020 (in 2021), we investigate the history of the Paralympic Games. Our special Paralympian guest is two-time swimming medalist Peter Hill. Long before it became a Paralympic sport, Peter was also involved in the early development of murderball (yes, that’s a real sport), and he’s dabbled in many more para-sports.

How are some questions for after you listen to today’s episode:

1. What’s my favour...

Today, we’re looking at why the Ancient Olympic Games began and why – after many centuries – they were stopped. And why, over 1,500 years after being stopped, did they restart?

We are delighted to be joined by Mark Selleck from the hit podcast series Casting through Ancient Greece. Mark digs deep to unearth the truth behind the ancient Olympic Games, and James and Dad – who once visited the Olympics Museum in Switzerland – bring us...

Today, we’re looking at how the Allied side – that includes the US, UK and Australia – broke the enemy’s secret codes during World War II. We see how Alan Turing and General MacArthur were central to wartime code-breaking, on different sides of the world. We are joined by a special guest, author David Dufty, who wrote ‘The Code Breakers of Central Bureau’ and ‘Radio Girl’. And we have Dad’s best Dad jokes about spies!

Here are some...