Dan Snow's History Hit

Robert Bruce Lockhart was one of the most extraordinary and unconventional agents of the 20th century. A British diplomat, spy, and propagandist, his life was one of scandal and deception - from the jungles of Malaysia to the streets of Moscow, he bore witness to some of history's most pivotal moments. He even took part in a plot to kill Vladimir Lenin and bring down the Communist regime.Today we're joined by James Crossland, Professor of International History at Liverpool John Moores University and author of 'Rogue Agent'. James tells us how this gifted yet flawed character went from a teenage upstart to a crucial Cold War intermediary and a master of psychological warfare.Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off for 3 months using code ‘DANSNOW’.We'd love to hear from you - what do you want to hear an episode on? You can email the podcast at ds.hh@historyhit.c

On the 1st of October 1949, a huge crowd gathered in Tiananmen Square. In the shadow of Beijing's imperial Forbidden City, they listened as Mao Zedong, Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, proclaimed the birth of the People's Republic of China. The trials and tribulations of the Chinese people were over, he told them, and their liberation from the shackles of imperialism had finally arrived.To mark the 75th anniversary of the creation of the PRC, we're joined by Dr Jeremiah Jenne, an expert in Late Imperial and Modern China. He explains how the nation transitioned from imperial rule to Chinese Socialism and all about the key characters whose opposing visions for China's future created so much chaos along the way.Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off for 3 months using code ‘DANSNOW’.We'd love to hear from you - what do you want to hear an episode on? You

On the drizzly, grey morning of 30th April 1980, six heavily armed gunmen stormed the Iranian Embassy in London. They charged through the front door and took 26 people hostage, including embassy staff and a policeman. A nail-biting six-day siege ensued, culminating in an explosive SAS raid - broadcast live to the world - that thrust the secretive special forces unit into the limelight.For this story, Dan is joined by best-selling historian Ben Macintyre, author of 'The Siege'. From outside the embassy itself, they retrace the footsteps of the people involved in this gripping hostage crisis.Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off for 3 months using code ‘DANSNOW’.We'd love to hear from you - what do you want to hear an episode on? You can email the podcast at ds.hh@historyhit.com.You can take part in our listener survey here.

Mansa Musa's wealth is a thing of legend. It's impossible to know exactly how much he was worth, but he himself spread rumours that gold grew like a plant within the Mali Empire. When he embarked on a storied pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324, he gave away so much gold in Egypt that the value of the ore depreciated. But there was much more to the ninth Mansa of Mali than his great wealth - under his reign the empire prospered as a trade hub between West Africa and the Mediterranean World and a centre of Islamic culture and learning.Dan is joined by Sirio Canós-Donnay, an archaeologist specialising in the pre-colonial states of West Africa. She charts the course of the Mali Empire from its founding by the legendary warrior-king Sundiata Keita, to the zenith of its power under Mansa Musa.Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.We'd love to hear from you - what do you want to hear an episode on? You can email the podcast at ds.hh@historyhit.com.You can take part in our listener survey here.

Dan explains the bloody Battle of Stalingrad alongside exclusive, never before heard frontline accounts from the German soldiers who were there. They shed light on the agonising final moments of the men trapped in the ruins of Stalin's city, and the circumstances that brought them there in the first place. To watch the exclusive History Hit Original documentary 'Stalingrad: The Last Letters', sign up for History Hit HERE. Use code 'DANSNOW' for 50% off for 3 months.Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.We'd love to hear from you - what do you want to hear an episode on? You can email the podcast at ds.hh@historyhit.com.You can take part in our listener survey here.

Al Murray, host of WWII podcast We Have Ways of Making You Talk joins Dan to tell the story of the most catastrophic 24-hours the British military faced in the Second World War. Known as ‘Black Tuesday’ the battle of Arnhem was a daring but doomed attempt to secure a vital bridgehead across the Rhine in order to end the war before Christmas 1944.Al takes Dan through a moment by moment retelling of those 24 hours, the key characters, what went right, what went wrong and where bad decisions were made and opportunities squandered.His new book is called ‘Arnhem Black Tuesday’Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off for 3 months using code ‘DANSNOW’.We'd love to hear from you - what do you want to hear an episode on? You can email the podcast at ds.hh@historyhit.com.You can take part in our listener survey here.

Operation Market Garden was an ambitious Allied airborne offensive to secure a quick victory in WWII. It failed disastrously.The plan was to capture key bridges in the Netherlands via a frank plan to outflank German defences and bring an early end to the conflict. But the Allies hadn’t anticipated the extent of German resistance. Dan is joined for the first episode in this two-part series by military historian Mike Peters as they delve into the planning, the chaotic execution, and what exactly went wrong.Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.Listen to Pegasus Bridge: The First Assault of D-Day to hear more about the role of the airborne forces during D-day:https://shows.acast.com/dansnowshistoryhit/episodes/pegasus-bridge-the-first-assault-of-d-dayEnjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off for 3 months using code ‘DANSNOW’.We'd love to hear from you - what do you want to hear an episode on? You can em

Jesse Owens' victories at the 1936 Berlin Olympics made him an international sports hero, and a symbol of the civil rights movement. His friendship with the German long jumper Carl 'Luz' Long also stood as an outward act of defiance against Adolf Hitler, and fuelled condemnation of the racial ideology of the Third Reich. However, his life away from the Olympics is less widely understood, as are the challenges that he faced back in the United States.Today we're joined by David Lee Morgan Jr., a sportswriter and author of the children's book series 'Black Trailblazers in Sports'. Dan and David outline the context of Owens' storied Olympic wins and ask why a man received as a hero abroad was treated like a second-class citizen at home.Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code DANSNOW sign up at https://historyhit.com/subscription/We

Have you ever wondered what it would take to live in Viking Britain? When they arrived and settled in the British Isles, Viking settlers didn't just face a violent death at the hands of disgruntled locals. They had to contend with vicious weather, famine and disease, as well as simply navigating a new and unfamiliar world.Today we're joined by Eleanor Barraclough, a cultural historian and broadcaster. She explains exactly what it would have been like to survive and thrive in Viking Britain.Produced by Mariana Des Forges and James Hickmann, and edited by Dougal Patmore.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code DANSNOW sign up at https://historyhit/subscription/We'd love to hear from you- what do you want to hear an episode on? You can email the podcast at ds.hh@historyhit.com.You can take part in our listener survey here.

Sir Walter Raleigh's life was a turbulent one, to say the least. The Elizabethan statesman and explorer climbed to the top rung of Queen Elizabeth's court; he founded the ill-fated Roanoke colony in North America; he was imprisoned in the Tower of London for various offences against the crown - not once, but three times. Ultimately, he was beheaded outside the Palace of Westminster. But perhaps his most outlandish exploits were two failed expeditions to find the legendary city of gold, El Dorado.Mathew Lyons joins us to tell us about what Raleigh was like, and why he undertook these expeditions to find a lost city in the jungles of South America. Mathew is the author of 'The Favourite: Ralegh and His Queen'.Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code DANSNOW sign up at https://historyhit/subscription/We'd love to hear from you - wh

In the shadowy halls of Dublin Castle, 1907, a daring heist shook the British Empire. Four days before King Edward VII's royal visit, the priceless Irish Crown Jewels vanished without a trace. Sir Arthur Vicars, the somewhat incompetent Ulster King of Arms, found himself at the centre of the scandal that threatened to expose dark secrets lurking in Ireland's high society. As Scotland Yard tried to unravel the mystery, suspicion fell on the charismatic Francis Shackleton, brother of the famed explorer...To this day the jewels have never been found. But now, Dan wants to try and find them, with your help. If you've ever come across any information relating to this story - an old newspaper article, a story from a relative or friend... we want to hear from you! Please write to us at ds.hh@historyhit.com.Maybe Dan Snow's History Hit can solve the case once and for all.Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly

Part 1/4. Dan takes the podcast to the Peruvian Andes as he follows in the footsteps of intrepid American explorer Hiram Bingham who revealed Machu Picchu to the world.At the turn of the 20th century, Bingham heard rumours of a fabled lost city in the clouds that revealed the power and brilliance of the Inca and their vast empire that once spanned a continent from the Amazon rainforest to the Pacific coast. With the help of expert guests, Dan tells the story of Hiram Bingham's discovery and reveals the mysteries hidden within the walls of Machu Picchu.Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore.The Rest of the Series:Episode 2: The Rise of the Inca EmpireEpisode 3: Inca Gods and Human SacrificesEpisode 4: The Fall of the Inca EmpireEnjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code DANSNOW sign up at https://historyhit/subscription/We'd love to hear from you- what do you w

As the world closed in on the Third Reich in the final chapter of World War Two, a desperate Adolf Hitler turned to his so-called 'Revenge Weapons' for salvation; cutting-edge armaments specifically designed to terrorise civilian populations and break their morale. His hope was that breaking the spirit of the Allies would reverse the course of a war that Germany was clearly losing.Joining us is historian Murray Barber, author of 'V2: The A4 Rocket from Peenemünde to Redstone'. Murray tells us all about the most infamous of these weapons, the fearsome V1 and V2 rockets - did they actually have any impact on the course of the war, and how did they shape events later in the 20th century?Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off for 3 months using code ‘DANSNOW’.We'd love to hear from you - what do you want to hear an episode on? You can email the podcast at ds.hh@hi

On September 1st, 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Poland. Two days later, France and the United Kingdom declared war on the Third Reich. This was the beginning of what would become perhaps the most devastating clash in human history. By the end of the war, tens of millions of people had been killed, wounded or displaced, and the world order had been irrevocably altered. So how exactly did WW2 start?In this episode, Dan explains how and why the Second World War came about. He examines both the immediate triggers and the big substructural forces that pushed humanity into a devastating conflict that continues to shape our world today.Written and produced by Dan Snow, and edited by Dougal Patmore.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off for 3 months using code ‘DANSNOW’.We'd love to hear from you - what do you want to hear an episode on? You can email the podcast at ds.hh@historyhit.com.You can take part in our listener surve

In 61 CE, Boudica of the Iceni led a bloody revolt to end Roman rule in Britain. Roman historians tell us with great drama and flair that the grand finale is a huge battle between Boudica and the Roman governor, Suetonius. Tens of thousands of Celtic warriors went head-to-head with a small force of veteran legionaries to decide the fate of Roman Britain.Today we're joined by Caitlin Gillespie, a historian and author of Boudica: Warrior Woman of Roman Britain. She tells us the story of this revolt, the famed warrior queen who led it, and how it all ended.Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off for 3 months using code ‘DANSNOW’.We'd love to hear from you - what do you want to hear an episode on? You can email the podcast at ds.hh@historyhit.com.You can take part in our listener survey here.

2/2. The Battle of Britain was Hitler's first and potentially most important defeat. It defined the course of the war, forcing him to make a series of decisions that guaranteed his own destruction. In this two-part series, we'll trace this monumental story from the dark days of the defeat of France, through to the triumph of RAF Fighter Command in the skies above Britain.In Part 2 Dan takes us through the battle's crescendo, as British, Commonwealth and European pilots took to the skies time and again to contest Luftwaffe raids. He explains why Hitler decided to turn away from this attritional battle and direct his rage against London - and how that terrible decision affected the course of the war.Written and produced by Dan Snow, and edited by Dougal Patmore.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off for 3 months using code ‘DANSNOW’.We'd love to hear from you - what do you want to hear an episode on? You can email th

1/2. The Battle of Britain was Hitler's first and possibly most important defeat. It defined the course of the Second World War, forcing him to make a series of decisions that guaranteed his own destruction. In this two-part series, we'll trace this monumental story from the dark days of the defeat of France, through to the triumph of RAF Fighter Command in the skies above Britain.In Part 1, Dan takes us from the total defeat of the Allied armies on the European mainland through to the all-out air assault in the skies above Britain. He shares the exhilarating stories of pilots in their iconic fighter planes and outlines the crucial factors that would turn the tide in favour of the Allies.Written and produced by Dan Snow, and edited by Dougal Patmore.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off for 3 months using code ‘DANSNOW’.We'd love to hear from you - what do you want to hear an episode on? You can email the podcast

The world was astonished when 8000 terracotta soldiers were unearthed in 1974 by Chinese farmers digging a well; the warriors opened a window to the first dynasty of China unlike anything seen before.Dan travels to the mausoleum of the First Emperor Qin Shi Huang in China to discover what this clay army and his enormous mausoleum can tell us about life in the court of the First Emperor. Dan also goes in search of the mass graves of the workers who toiled to their deaths to build the mausoleum and traces the chaotic fall of the Qin and how the Emperor's pursuit of eternal life led to a gruesome and premature death.This episode was produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore. The translator was Ellen Xu and the fixer was Chao.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off for 3 months using code ‘DANSNOW’.We'd love to hear from you - what do you want to hear an episode on? You can email the podcast at ds

Dan heads to China to discover the incredible story of Qin Shi Haungdi, the man who built the mysterious Terracotta Warriors, the Great Wall and founded China. Dan travels to the First Emperor's magnificent mausoleum complex in Xian, once the Ancient capital, to trace his rise to total power, conquering the neighbouring states to create one mighty Chinese Empire. Qin Shi Huangdi was as visionary as he was tyrannical, often remembered for his brutal punishment methods that enabled him to centralise power. He's also remembered for his obsession with immortality and the astonishing lengths he went to try and secure it...This is the first episode in a two-part mini-series. Part Two was released on Friday 23rd.This episode was produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore. The translator was Ellen Xu and the fixer was Chao.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off for 3 months using code ‘DANSNOW’.We'd love t

Many things may come to mind when you hear the word 'cocaine' - and we'd wager that the last thing on that list would be the Victorians. But as it turns out, the Victorians were avid cocaine users, whether it be to remedy ailments and injuries, give them an edge in competitive sports or simply put a bit of pep in their step. A hundred years later, it is amongst the most criminalised substances on earth.Dr Douglas Small is a historian of medicine and author of Cocaine, Literature, and Culture, 1876-1930. He joins us today to take us through the deeper history of cocaine and explain how it went from a central feature of Incan cultural life to the defining party drug of the modern day.Produced by James Hickmann, and edited by Dougal Patmore and Max Carrey.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off for 3 months using code ‘DANSNOW’.We'd love to hear from you - what do you want to hear an episode on? You can email the podca