Dan Snow's History Hit

Nicholas Winton masterminded an effort that saved the lives of 669 Jewish Children from Czechoslovakia on the eve of World War Two. There's a new movie out called 'One Life' telling the incredible story of Nicholas - 'Nicky' - a man people called the 'British Schindler' and stars Anthony Hopkins, Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Flynn.

In 1938 Nicky was planning to go on a skiing Vacation in Switzerland but cancelled his trip to set up a rescue operation for children at risk of persecution. He arranged their transportation to safety in Britain. His efforts and the Kindertransport, set up by the British Government, saved the lives of 10,000, mostly Jewish, children across Europe.

In this episode, Dan tells a story of meeting Nicky, shares his interview with Helena Bonham Carter whose own family helped Jews escape the Nazis in WW2 and speaks to Herman Rothman and Henry Glanz who escaped the Nazis on the Kindertransport.

Discover the past with exclusive history documentaries and ad-free podcasts presented by world-renowned historians from History Hit. Watch them on your smart TV or on the go with your mobile device. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code DANSNOW sign up now for your 14-day free trial.

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The Taj Mahal is one of the most iconic and romanticised buildings on earth. Commissioned by a Mughal ruler to mark the passing of his beloved wife, it is thought that this monumental marble mausoleum was built by some 20,000 stone carvers, masons and artists. Perhaps 1,000 elephants were used in its construction, and materials were brought from as far away as Sri Lanka, Tibet and China.

Joining Dan today is Mehreen Chida-Razvi, an art historian at the University of SOAS who specialises in the art and architecture of Mughal South Asia. Mehreen explains how the terrible grief of Shah Jahan led to the creation of a world wonder and discusses what the Taj Mahal means to modern India.

Produced by Mariana Des Forges and James Hickmann, and edited by Dougal Patmore.

Discover the past with exclusive history documentaries and ad-free podcasts presented by world-renowned historians from History Hit. Watch them on your smart TV or on the go with your mobile device. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code DANSNOW sign up now for your 14-day free trial.

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

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Vladimir Lenin died just over 100 years ago, on the 21st of February, 1924. The Russian revolutionary leader fought in no battles, spent much of his time in libraries and was in his 40s before he held high public office. Yet he managed to take over one of the world's largest empires and set the wheels of Communism in motion, a turning point that continues to shape our world today.

Dan is joined by Victor Sebestyen, a journalist and historian of Eastern Europe and author of Lenin: The Dictator. Victor explains how Lenin went from an insignificant Bolshevik conspirator to one of the most consequential people of the 20th century.

Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.

Discover the past with exclusive history documentaries and ad-free podcasts presented by world-renowned historians from History Hit. Watch them on your smart TV or on the go with your mobile device. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code DANSNOW sign up now for your 14-day free trial.

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

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How prepared was Britain for a Nazi invasion? The common perception is of a country woefully unprepared for war; hastily assembled defences manned by characters from 'Dad's Army', and a government unfit for the task at hand. But in reality, a top-secret training programme was underway to turn civilian volunteers into ruthless resistance fighters, saboteurs and assassins.

Dan is joined by historian Andrew Chatterton, author of 'Britain's Secret Defences', to discuss how Hitler's invasion of Britain might have been countered.

Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore.

Discover the past with exclusive history documentaries and ad-free podcasts presented by world-renowned historians from History Hit. Watch them on your smart TV or on the go with your mobile device. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code DANSNOW sign up now for your 14-day free trial.

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

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In this episode, we remember Mike Sadler the last of the original SAS men who recently died at the age of 103. Major Sadler was the navigator for the regiment’s founder David Stirling, guiding raiding columns for hundreds of miles behind enemy lines in North Africa.

Discover the past with exclusive history documentaries and ad-free podcasts presented by world-renowned historians from History Hit. Watch them on your smart TV or on the go with your mobile device. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code DANSNOW sign up now for your 14-day free trial 

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The Warring States period brought Japan to its knees. It was a time of turbulence and treachery, with rival warlords fighting bitterly for control of the land. But by the dawn of the 17th century, one of Japan's 'Great Unifiers' had emerged victorious - Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first ruler of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

On this episode Dan is joined by Christopher Harding, a cultural historian of India and Japan and author of The Light of Asia. Chris explains how this military government worked to restore order and stability to Japan, and why it eventually came to an end.

Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Ella Blaxill.

Discover the past with exclusive history documentaries and ad-free podcasts presented by world-renowned historians from History Hit. Watch them on your smart TV or on the go with your mobile device. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code DANSNOW sign up now for your 14-day free trial.

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In 430 BC, in the midst of the Peloponnesian War, the powerful city-state of Athens was struck down by a disastrous plague. Athenians fell sick with a dizzying array of symptoms, from fevers and vomiting to painful pustules that broke out all over people's bodies. In total it killed roughly a third of the city's population and caused a total breakdown in Athenian society.

Dan is joined by Alastair Blanchard, Deputy Head of the School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry at the University of Queensland. He explains the repercussions of this terrible epidemic and discusses some of its possible causes.

Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Ella Blaxill.

Discover the past with exclusive history documentaries and ad-free podcasts presented by world-renowned historians from History Hit. Watch them on your smart TV or on the go with your mobile device. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code DANSNOW sign up now for your 14-day free trial.

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

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2/3. Thomas Cochrane and his crew of the HMS Imperieuse embark on their greatest and most audacious scheme yet; Cochrane leads a flotilla of burning vessels and exploding bomb ships piled high with gunpowder into a fleet of Napoleon's forces off the coast of Biscay. The Battle of Basque Roads made Cochrane a national treasure but only for a while... when the truth about what happened that night reaches London, Cochrane finds himself up against enemies far worse than the French.

You can find episode 1 here: https://shows.acast.com/dansnowshistoryhit/episodes/1-thomas-cochrane-the-real-master-and-commander

Written by Dan Snow, produced by Mariana Des Forges, edited by Joseph Knight and sound designed & mixed by Dougal Patmore.

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

You can take part in our listener survey here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What made a working class woman from Edinburgh become such a threat to British intelligence services during the Second World War, that they tried her as a witch?

In today's episode, we're telling you the story of Helen Duncan, aka Hellish Brown, a medium who lays claim to being the last woman in England to be tried as a witch, culminating in her trial in 1944 under the 1735 Witchcraft Act.

Joining us is Jess Marlton, manager of Bodmin Jail where all sorts of paranormal events take place.

What made Duncan's performances so memorable? Why did her trial capture the public's imagination? And how does the 1735 Witchcraft Act live on today?

Let's go Betwixt the Sheets to find out.

This podcast was edited by Tom Delargy and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.

world-renowned historians from History Hit. Watch them on your smart TV or on the go with your mobile device. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code DANSNOW sign up now for your 14-day free trial.

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

You can take part in our listener survey here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

3/3. After a meteoric rise to fame, Cochrane finds himself in front of a court and stripped of his titles for fraud on the London Stock Exchange. Known for his ingenuity and schemes, Cochrane breaks out of prison before embarking on the adventure of a lifetime in South America. He's put in charge of the Chilean and then Brazilian navies, helping these mighty countries break free from Spain and establish their independence. But Cochrane wasn't just doing it out of a sense of justice, he charged a high fee for his services and ensured to pillage what he could along the way.  

In the final episode of the series, Dan recounts the later years of Cochrane's extraordinary life and how, even in his 70s, he was regarded as a liability by the Admiralty. 

Written by Dan Snow, produced by Mariana Des Forges, edited by Joseph Knight and sound designed & mixed by Dougal Patmore. 

You can find a link to episode 1 here: https://shows.acast.com/dansnowshistoryhit/episodes/1-thomas-cochrane-the-real-master-and-commander

Episode 2 here: https://shows.acast.com/dansnowshistoryhit/episodes/2-thomas-cochrane-the-real-master-and-commander

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

You can take part in our listener survey here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.