*feel free to reference the table of contents for the best history podcasts, or read this article for more information about each history podcast
You can study the past to understand the present and predict the future.
Humanity evolves its tools & technology swiftly, while humanity evolves slow. People of the far past are the same as the people today, just with different tools.
The ancient Romans, Greeks, and Byzantines are the same mankind that exists today, except they had different technology; not inferior technology, because that would imply we have a mastery over their technology.
Books are a staple in understanding history; you can also listen to history podcasts, of which many give an equal to, if not better education on history.
Below are the “best” history podcasts you can listen to.
We are evaluating the best history podcasts based on:
- Popularity
- Longevity/length
- Production quality
- Diversity of content
- Focus on subject matter(as opposed to side-focuses like politics, self-promotion, alternative topics, etc.)
- unopinionated or minor opinions
- Individual creators as opposed to corporate podcasts
- Clarity of speech
- Depth of content – preferring the most depth
- Activity & freshness
A history podcast can also be on YouTube, so we are blurring the lines a bit between the best History podcasts and the best history courses/channels on YouTube that are audio-focused.
Most history podcasts will publish a podcast version, as well as a YouTube audio and/or video version.
We are listing interesting episodes for each podcast below and defaulting to YouTube episodes if available. All the podcasts on this list are available using whatever podcast app you like.
- If you have Android, we recommend Podcast Addict because you can make notes, save sections, bookmarks, etc; all for free.
- If you have Apple, the native podcast application is acceptable.
Below are our picks for the top history podcasts. This list is in no order. We included 8 direct history podcasts and 2 “extra credit” podcasts that feature history but are not defined as a history podcast. Let us know what history podcasts we missed and we will update this.
The Best History Podcasts
Hardcore History
YouTube | Twitter | | Patreon | Substack
Hardcore History is one of the most known history podcasts created by former radio broadcaster, Dan Carlin. Carlin is not a trained historian, but is deserving of an honorary PhD and a title of historian for the body of work he has produced since launching Hardcore History in 2006.
Calling Hardcore History a podcast is almost an insult as most episodes are 4+ hours long, and are often part of a series that can be as long as 6 or 7 episodes. Every HH episode or series is closer to a history book with commentary, as opposed to a podcast.
Dan Carlin makes history audiobooks, publishes them for free, and calls them podcasts.
The only downside of this style of production–and it is a small downside–is how long it takes for the episodes to come out, which is often months between. However, keep in mind the amount of research and work Carlin puts into this; there is simply no way to maintain a vigorous output when your history podcast episodes are at a minimum, 3 hours long.
Carlin generously provides recent episodes of his podcast for free and sells older episodes for $2.99. You can also buy his entire catalog for only $79.99. Considering that his episodes are longer than most audiobooks which cost upwards of $20, $2.99 is a very generous offering.
Notable hardcore history episodes:
The Rest is History
The Rest is History is an excellent addition to the best history podcasts because both hosts, Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook, are historians. Holland and Sandbrook, in addition to being historians and history podcasters, are both published authors specializing in different aspects of history.
Tom Holland Books:
- Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World
- Pax: War and Peace in Rome’s Golden Age
- Rubicon (popular)
Dominic Sandbrook Books:
- Never Had It So Good: A History of Britain from Suez to the Beatles
- Adventures in Time: Alexander the Great
- Adventures in Time: Fury of The Vikings
The Rest is History has a wide and diverse amount of history they cover. They tend to release multiple episodes each week with each episode being roughly 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Often they release series that drop episodes in the same week, and conclude rather quickly, in a good way. Their 6 part series on the French Revolution started on July 28th, and ended on August 4th–so you aren’t left waiting for the conclusion of a series.
They’ll step outside of traditional historical topics and have some fun, like their short two-part series on the “war on beards”, where they discuss historical and cultural moments where beards were outright outlawed or looked down upon.
One of the greatest features of The Rest is History is the excellent rapport the hosts have. They are frequently laughing and having a great time; you feel like you’re having dinner or drinks with two friends who happen to be historians.
Notable The Rest is History Podcast Episodes episodes:
- The French Revolution | Part 1 | Marie Antoinette
- Lord Byron: Mad, Bad & Dangerous To Know | Part 1
- Henry IV | The Usurper King | Part 1
The History of Rome
The History of Rome ran from 2007 to 2012 and is still in the top 25 in the podcast charts for history podcasts. Created by Mike Duncan, who has another podcast on this list, Revolutions, The History of Rome spans the entire history of Rome, from Remus’
& Romulus’s founding to the fall of Rome, across 179 episodes.
Mike Duncan Books:
The series is complete and ready to binge. You can find it on your favorite podcast app.
Considering that a book or audiobook series covering the entire history of Rome could cost hundreds of dollars, the free cost of The History of Rome podcast is a monumental value.
Thanks to Mike Duncan for this epic body of work available to all.
Notable The History of Rome Podcast episodes:
Hardcore History Addendum
The Hardcore History Addendum is another podcast created by Dan Carlin that serves as a companion podcast to Hardcore History.
The Hardcore History series often takes many months to make an episode because of how thorough a job Carlin does in understanding and orating whatever historical topic he has chosen.
HH Addendum is meant to be a podcast that takes less research, and has shorter episodes so Carlin can Release episodes faster.
One key difference in Hardcore History Addendum is Carlin will bring on guests to talk about historical events they’re interested in. He even had Tom Hanks on to talk about how media influences history, like the movie Saving Private Ryan which Hanks starred in.
Notable Hardcore History Addendum Podcast episodes:
- Engineering victory with Elon Musk
- Wolf pack hunting with Tom Hanks
- The Vietnam War with Sir Max Hastings
Infamous America
Infamous America was created by Black Barrel Media, a small company, narrated by Chris Swimmer. Black Barrel Media produces another show on this list, Legends of The Old West, also hosted by Chris Swimmer.
Infamous America is a history podcast that focuses on the darker, lesser-known, scandalous events of American History. Infamous America is not a perpetual podcast but instead has seasons that focus on one specific unknown or “dark” aspect of American history, with bonus episodes you can subscribe and listen to for a small fee.
At present there are over 30 seasons of Infamous America providing plenty of historical podcast content to binge. The background music and overall audio production pulls you into the story, which plenty of reviewers report appreciating.
Notable Infamous America Podcast episodes:
The Ancients
The Ancients is a history podcast that focuses on ancient history, hosted by Tristian Hughs. Hughs is a fantastic orator and writer, having written the well-received, “The Perdiccas Years, 323–320 BC: Alexanders Successors at War”, focusing on who succeeded Alexander the Great after his death in Babylon in 323 BC.
Tristian lives and breathes ancient history. His Instagram account is a vast library of ancient history, worthy of a follow from all persons interested in ancient history.
The Ancients has a wide diversity of content, from the Ark of the Covenant, to the Roman special forces and beyond.
Notable The Ancients Podcast episodes:
Revolutions
Revolutions is the second podcast by Mike Duncan, who completed his epic series on Rome in 2012, concluding with 179 episodes.
Every season of Revolutions focuses on a historic theme, idea, or region, and most episodes cap at thirty minutes. Some seasons have ten episodes, other seasons have over 100 episodes and last for a lot longer.
Season 10 focuses on Communism, starting with the creation of the International Working Men’s Association, and ending with a treatise on the Soviet Empire. This history is told over the span of 105 episodes. Revolutions also does single episodes, like an episode for bonus subscribers on the tyrannosaurus rex, which does count as ancient history.
Notable Revolutions Podcast episodes:
Legends of The Old West
The Legends of The Old West history podcast covers legends, lore, and mythos of the short-lived American Wild West. The Wild West frontier period of American history lasted roughly 30 years, from 1865 to around 1895; most believe this time lasted much longer because of the mythos of the period, influenced by cinema.
This podcast is also brought to you by black barrel media, the company that brings you Infamous America. This podcast is also hosted by Chris Swimmer.
Each season focuses on one core Western story or legend of the Old West. Each season is usually between 5-8 episodes. Sometimes you can feel like you are in the old west due to the ambient sound effects Black Barrel Media is known for.
Notable Legacy of the old west Podcast episodes:
Extra Credit History Podcasts
The Last Podcast on The Left
The Last Podcast on The Left is a true crime, horror-comedy podcast hosted by Marcus Parks, Henry Zebrowski, and Ed Larson, started in 2011.
The hosts weave together humor with dark tales, making LPOTL an entertaining listen. With over a decade of running, LPOTL has grown into a full media brand with numerous podcast shows and even published books.
LPOTL Books:
- The Last Book on the Left: Stories of Murder and Mayhem from History’s Most Notorious Serial Killers
- The Last Comic Book On The Left
LPOTL is on this list as a bonus. Although branded as a horror/true crime podcast, they also cover topics outside of true crime, like their excellent 6-part series on the atomic bomb and the Manhattan Project.
LPOTL has excellent series’; they also do current events and internet hoaxes/memes, which the history podcast listener will want to skip, like the content around the mythos of Bigfoot. Since most historical podcasts do not cover offbeat history, like cults, and other less mainstream history topics, LPOTL has content you won’t find in other history podcasts.
The Last Podcast on The Left hosts do tend to reference their politics and current politics/culture in their episodes when discussing historic events, which is off-topic and makes many of the older episodes feel dated. However, this is usually limited, and not so distracting that it renders older episodes unlistenable or obsolete.
Notable Last Podcast on The Left episodes:
Combat Story
Combat Story is another bonus history podcast, hosted by Ryan Fugit, former Army pilot veteran and CIA officer. In Combat Story, Fugit interviews veterans from all countries and all times, making this a specific and interesting military history podcast.
Fugit will have current military guests, as well as guests who have served in Vietnam, Desert Storm, other wars from the past, and veterans from all around the world.
Beyond history, Combat Story also covers military strategy and statecraft, with episodes covering Navy Seal battle tactics, or discussing how Russia fits into geopolitics and the goals of foreign nations.
Notable Combat Story Episodes:
Above are 10 of the best history podcasts based on the criteria we laid out above. Feel free to let us know about noteworthy history podcasts.
We will update this list as more “best history podcasts” emerge.
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