Part 2/4. At their most powerful, the Inca had the largest empire in the world. Lasting just one century from the mid-15th century, it stretched across the South American continent from the Amazon to the Pacific. The Inca developed ingenious ways to grow food in some of the world's most extreme climates, they managed to convert disparate tribes to their way of life without violence (mostly) and yet they didn't have money, wheels, or even a written language. How did they do it?

Join Dan as he traverses Peru's Sacred Valleys while he and his expert guests trace the rise of the mighty Inca Empire.

Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore.

The Rest of the Series:

Episode 3: Inca Gods and Human Sacrifices

Episode 4: The Fall of the Inca Empire

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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 Empire

Episode 3: Inca Gods and Human Sacrifices

Episode 4: The Fall of the Inca Empire

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We'd love to hear from you- what do you want to hear an episode on? You can email the podcast at [email protected].

You can take part in our listener survey here.

On the 16th of February, 2024, the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service announced that opposition leader Alexei Navalny had died. He had been imprisoned in the far-flung "Polar Wolf" penal colony, built in the city of Kharp on the ruins of a Stalin-era labour camp.

Dan is joined by Alexander Watson, Professor of History at Goldsmiths, University of London. He lays out the history of exile and the treatment of political prisoners in the Soviet Union and details the vast Gulag system to which tens of millions of Soviets were sent.

Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.

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You can take part in our listener survey here.

Life in Tudor England was risky. In addition to the outbreaks of plague, the threat of poverty and the dangers of childbirth, there were social risks - of not fitting in, of social death. How was a person supposed to behave? And what were the dangers involved? 

In this episode of Not Just the Tudors, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb finds out about the art of surviving by 'blending in', with teacher and writer Toni Mount, author of How to Survive in Tudor England. 

This episode was produced by Rob Weinberg.

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On the 19th of May, 1919, an Ottoman general stepped ashore at the Black Sea port city of Samsun. This marked the beginning of the Turkish War of Independence, and ultimately the end of the Ottoman Empire. The man's name was Mustafa Kemal, the soldier, statesman and reformer who would create the Republic of Turkey out of the rubble, and become its first president.

Dan is joined by Marc David Baer, Professor of International History at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He talks us through the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the rise of the man who became known as Atatürk.

Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.

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Abraham Lincoln began his life in a log cabin in Kentucky, the son of poor pioneers. He would end it as President of the United States, having steered the Union through the turbulent years of civil war.

Dan is joined by Adam Smith, Professor of US Politics & Political History at the University of Oxford and host of the podcast The Last Best Hope. Adam takes us through Lincoln's life, one of the most remarkable statesmen of the last 200 years.

Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.

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In 1943, just as the Second World War was raging across the globe, the British government launched a top-secret mission to the Antarctic. Code-named Operation Tabarin, its goal was to gather scientific data in some of the harshest conditions on the planet and reaffirm British sovereignty in the region.

Dan is joined by Camilla Nichol, CEO of the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust, and Klaus Dodds, Professor of Geopolitics at Royal Holloway. Camilla and Klaus explain how this secret wartime operation, driven by scientific endeavour and geopolitics, set the scene for Antarctic research right up to the present day.

Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.

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Dr Eleanor Janega and Matt Lewis uncover the stories of the protagonists and events that led up to the Battle of Hastings. There’s Harold Godwinson, the Anglo-Saxon Lord who became the king of a people only recently brought together; Harald Hardrada, a legendary Viking warrior seeking to rebuild the North Sea Empire to which he believes himself heir; and William the Conqueror, descended from pagan Vikings, now the Christian Duke of Normandy. The lives of millions of people for centuries to come will be inextricably linked to their actions in that fateful year of 1066.

In this first episode, Eleanor finds out more about Harold Godwinson from Professor Levi Roach.

This episode was produced by Rob Weinberg.

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The gods and goddesses of Ancient Greece have been written about for thousands of years. From their home atop Mount Olympus, they reigned over the land, sea and sky. The course of human history was shaped by the whims and wishes of these deities, and the Furies were no exception.

On today's episode, Dan is joined by classicist and author Natalie Haynes, who tells us all about the goddesses of vengeance.

Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore.

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Why was Georgian Britain's penal code so bloodthirsty when it came to homosexuality? Was Britain unusually cruel in this regard? And does this animosity persist to the present day? For LGBT+ History Month, we hear the story of James Pratt and John Smith, the last two men executed for homosexuality in Britain.

Dan is joined by politician and historian Christ Bryant MP, who takes us back to 1830s Britain and puts us at the centre of this controversial trial.

Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Anisha Deva.

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We'd love to hear from you! You can email the podcast at [email protected].

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