Dan Snow's History Hit

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.

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Also known as Custer's Last Stand or the Battle of the Greasy Grass, the Battle of Little Bighorn was a pivotal moment in the story of the American West. In 1876 General George Custer's US army faced a devastating defeat at the hands of the native Lakota Sioux and Cheyenne tribes. The native warriors fought defiantly to protect their ancestral lands after the US government reneged on a treaty promising them the Black Hills in South Dakota when gold was discovered there.

Historian and author Angie Newell joins Dan to tell the story of the Battle of Little Bighorn; how legendary leaders Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse came face to face with some of the most formidable generals in the US army in a bloody and dramatic battle on the Great Plains.

Angie's new book is called 'All I See is Violence', a fictional retelling of the Battle of Little Bighorn. It follows the Cheyenne warrior, Little Wolf, as she fights to maintain her people’s land and heritage as General Custer leads a devastating campaign against the native tribes. 

Produced by Mariana Des Forges, 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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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 

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

Dan tells a story as dramatic, unlikely and exciting as any ever penned by an author about one of Britain's greatest sailors. Thomas Lord Cochrane was a naval commander with an illustrious career in the Napoleonic Wars who once strapped himself to a floating bomb, in a rising storm, in the dead of a moonless night to take out a French fleet. Another time, he convinced an enemy force to surrender to a navy that didn’t exist. Napoleon dubbed him 'The Sea Wolf'.

In part 1 of this 3-part series, Dan delves into Cochrane's early life and career starting out as a young man discovering a penchant for the sea, adventure and war.

The whole series is available now for paying subscribers- you can sign up for the Apple app or at the link below.

The rest of the series will be available for all listeners from Monday 8th January.

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

You can take part in our listener survey here.

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

The Romanov family were the first imperial dynasty to rule Russia, reigning from the early seventeenth century until the Russian Revolution of 1917. Including such illustrious names as Peter the Great, Catherine the Great and Alexander I, they oversaw dramatic changes to the fabric of Russian society and culture. Through conquest and expansion, they carved out a Russian Empire and propelled their nation into great power status. The myth and memory of the Romanovs still permeate Russian identity and history today.

Dan catches up with Orlando Figes, distinguished historian and an expert on Romanov Russia whose acclaimed books, including A People's Tragedy: The Russian Revolution, 1891 - 1924, help to shed light on this crucial portion of Russian history.

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].

You can take part in our listener survey here.

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