OK, so I’ve got Revolutions, the excellent podcast by Mike Duncan going, but I’m trying to draw that out by listening to a single episode per week.
I’ve also listened to Hardcore History a bit, so I have that on occasion.
What else am I missing? I’m looking for lively history here, to pass the time on my commutes or when I bike ride for fitness. Interesting, little-known stuff, well told.
Please don’t recommend Stuff You Should Know. I want to like that podcast so much, but those guys fumble around so badly and so often that it induces history nerd rage in me. Either they’re dumb guys, which is sorta bad, or they’re smart guys pretending to be dumb for mass consumption, which to me is worse.
Before Revolutions Duncan did The History of Rome, which is terrific. A fan picked up where he left off with The History of Byzantium, which takes a little while to find its stride but it’s still running and is quite good now. The BBC puts out History Extra as an adjunct to a magazine they publish. The episode quality varies by subject matter, interviewer, and location/audio quality (they frequently interview authors and historians), but it’s sometimes fantastic. The British History Podcast is uk history as told by a Portland hipster, which makes it sound worse than it is - it’s actually fun and frequently funny but your mileage may vary. Stuff You Missed in History Class also varies by subject matter and is sort of uneven, but can be good and often covers obscure, interesting stuff. In Our Time, another BBC podcast, often covers history. Pretty highbrow (it’s a host plus 3 guests each week and the guests are usually faculty at UK universities who specialize in whatever the week’s topic is) but it’s usually really great if this sounds appealing to you.
Very curious to see other advice. As you can probably tell I enjoy History podcasts ;-)
Since that went over so well, I’m going to drop a few more choices in your lap.
First, the Mike Duncan original. The History of Rome. starting with the mythological beginnings, going until 476, and a fantastic narrative in between. This is a no brainer since you’re liking his current show.
Second, one that picks up where THoR ends, The History of Byzantium. A different voice, but Robin does a fantastic job of continuing where Mike left off. In fact that is explicitly his purpose. He started the show as a way to continue the story of the Roman Empire until its final, inglorious, end. Currently they are in the 820’s.
A third choice, and this may be my favorite of the lot aside from Revolutions, The British History Podcast. Jamie Jeffers does a tremendous job, and has a wonderful voice. The story of the British Isles from prehistory (very briefly) through Roman occupation, then the successive waves of invasion. Right now they are right in the unification period of Alfred the Great. Well researched, and a sense of humor. Plus he also does a great job of telling what is known fact, what is likely political propaganda (of the time), what is likely pure fantasy, and what we simply have no idea. It is fascinating to see how history is shaped by the retelling, and he does a great job explaining the limits of what we actually know.
There are a few others I listen to, but those are the hands down best. But feel free to check out When Diplomacy Fails (the early shows are a bit rougher), The History of Hannibal, and the History Podcasters show. The last one is a collaborative project that updates irregularly. They have a whole bunch of history podcasters that contribute, and if any in particular stand out or interest you, it is a fantastic sampler platter. Just like those record label mix albums you listened to in days of yore.
Ha! Appreciate the input. I saw the History of Byzantium podcast actually as a recommendation based off History of Rome, so it’s good to see double validation for checking it out.
History of Rome is very good. It starts off a little rough, which is expected for someone just starting in podcasting and even more so considering that he started fairly early (2010?) in the evolution of podcasts. It’s still a great podcast overall though. I’m a big fan of the BBC’s Great Lives podcast. It’s a discussion between three people (the host, the guest and an expert) about the life of some important person in history.
Someone mentioned the podcast of the Byzantine Empire. I could be wrong but if it’s the 12 Byzantine Rulers, that was actually Mike Duncan’s inspiration to do the History of Rome podcast not the other way around.
Shame you can’t get on board with Stuff You Should Know. I really love that podcast. The rapport between the two hosts is fantastic. They cover a huge range of topics so they can’t be expected to get everything absolutely correct.
You are, sadly, wrong in this. The History of Byzantium is distinct, and later, than 12 Byzantine Rulers. It is a currently in production series that covers the whole story of Byzantium, starting from the fall of the West in 476. The person doing that is Robin Pearson. IT actually just had Mike on for its 100th episode.
I have the link earlier in my other post, give it a look see.
Man. I so wish I could, but they’re so sloppy, and it seems almost willful and it drives me nuts. I’m listening to the episode on Operation Mincemeat, and it’s a fascinating story about decoying the Third Reich into believing an invasion is coming through Greece…
…and then after all this buildup they go through for how the dead body that would be used as a decoy was found, and prepared and wonderful detail about getting him there, you get to this horrid “The dog ate my homework” moment.
“So Josh, when did the sub finally get the body kind of launched to where it needed to go?”
“Um…February? 1943? Maybe March? April? I didn’t write it down.”
“Let’s just say ‘Spring’ then.”
If the show was just Chuck, it’d be pretty great. It seems like you get at least one Josh “I didn’t write it down” or “I don’t remember this key thing that’s important to the subject we’re discussing” moment each episode. Josh seems like that most perfect combination of stupid, unprepared, and trying to hide those first two conditions that just shouldn’t be happening on a widely distributed and promoted podcast.
Oh, and if I may give a recommendation of my own but for history of a bit different sort, but after two episodes…well, it’s going to be a bit before I get to Rome and Byzantium, because I’m hooked on this podcast.
It’s called “You Must Remember This”, and it’s written, hosted, and narrated by Karina Longworth, who’s a Hollywood history star in her own right, having written about film extensively for LA Weekly and The Village voice, along with books on Meryl Streep, George Lucas. It’s a “secret history” of Hollywood, particularly during the 1960s and 1970s it seems. Patton Oswalt tweeted out effusive praise for her 12-part series on Charles Manson, so I had to give a listen.
Now let me say this. I’ve seen both versions (the original with Steve Railsback and the remake from about 12 years ago) of Helter Skelter umpteen times. I’ve read Bugliosi’s book a number of times. I’m reeaaaaaal familiar with the case.
So in the first two episodes of her series, I’ve already learned stuff about the case I didn’t know before.
So that’s cool.
But what’s really selling me on it is Longworth’s telling. It’s like having this hilarious, whip-smart but kind of catty goth girl dishing out the story like she’s hepping you to the best gossip story in school. She’s witty and disarmingly direct and so, so good. I don’t think I’m interested in some of the other subject matter she covers elsewhere in the podcast…but I’m absolutely going to give it a listen anyway, because I love a well-told story, especially if it really happened.
For more shortform podcasts covering mainly the 19th and 20th centuries, I’d recommend The Memory Palace and 99% Invisible. The latter is technically a design podcast, but most of its episodes are historical and all are fascinating.
The BBC turn many of their radio documentaries into podcasts, and there are some really good ones on history, for instance The History of the World in 100 Objects and Germany: Memories of a Nation.
They’re not technically podcasts, but The Great Courses audio lectures fill exactly the same niche. They get university professors to cover a topic over, usually, 36-48 lectures. The quality is generally very high, although it varies based on the topic and talker. There are enough reviews to get a good sense of the strengths and weaknesses of each one.
I’d put forward My History Can Beat Up Your Politics, especially if - like Trigger - you are a politics nerd. Bruce Carlson is not the most spectacular narrator and his production-values (in terms of sound quality) are middling at best, but he seems to thoroughly research his subject matter.
The schtick of the podcast is that the author takes some current-day political wackiness and brings up something from long-ago US history to pretty much show that this is all stuff we’ve suffered through before.
I gotta third or fourth or whatever the British History Podcast. I’m about halfway through, and it’s been consistently good all the way. The episode list looks daunting, but they’re mostly short and punchy episodes (15-30 minutes each give or take, though there are a few long-form episodes here and there) so it’s not as much of a time commitment as it looks like…certainly not like some of those fucking 4-hour Hardcore History marathons.
She needs to win whatever the podcasting equivalent of an Oscar is for the Charles Manson series. And both the MGM series and her current series on the Blacklist are incredibly good too.
No matter where you live, I can highly recommend The Seattle Files. Because before it was a bastion of liberalism, Seattle was a den of corruption, vice, and whatever iniquity is. The podcast is hosted by Chris Allen, one of Seattle’s funniest improv guys, and he has guests from the Seattle comedy community. Basically, he researches the hell about a Seattle history topic, and then he tells the guest about it. The level of actual comedy varies – occasionally a guest has really hilarious comments, but often they’re just asking interesting questions – but I’ve found most of the episodes really interesting.
I particularly enjoyed the Linda Hazzard (Seattle’s first female serial killer–or miracle doctor?), Frederick Trump (the Donald’s grandfather, who built the family fortune on whorehouses and opium dens around Seattle) , and Francis Farmer (actress with some mental health issues) episodes.
Ahh, I guess I’m more forgiving than you. I still enjoy most episodes including that one on Operation Mincemeat. It inspired me to listen to the audiobook of the same name, written just a few years ago. I would highly recommend listening to it or reading the book itself (Operation Mincemeat by Ben Macintyre). It’s fascinating stuff and gives you a ton more to chew on than that single podcast (obviously). Since you’re looking for podcasts, I would give the audiobook a try, perhaps from your online library?
