Dan Snow's History Hit

Dan begins his ultimate historical road trip at the mysterious plinths at Stonehenge in the South-West of England. Dan uncovers how the stones arrived in Salisbury all the way from Western Wales and unravels the ancient burial practices of England’s early humans with English Heritage curator Heather Sabire. He hears how England was once populated by rhinos and elephants from the Natural History Museum’s Professor Chris Stringer. Passing through Old Sarum, the site of an Iron Age hillfort, Dan muses over what we have to thank those Latin invaders for in our daily lives, from our transport network to our baths. The day draws to a close as Dan prepares for the invasion of William the Conqueror at Pevensey, 100 miles east down England’s south coast.

Produced by James Hickmann and Mariana Des Forges. Edit and sound design by Dougal Patmore and artwork by Teet Ottin

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After speaking to Gone Medieval in April 2022 about the first volume of his magisterial biography of Henry III, David Carpenter promised Matt Lewis that he would pay the podcast a return visit when the second volume came out. Henry III 1258-1272: Reform, Rebellion, Civil War, Settlement picks up the story when Henry is 51 years old. He's been monarch for 42 years and might have been looking forward to a quieter twilight to his reign. But he was in for the rudest of awakenings. 

This episode was edited by Joseph Knight and produced by Rob Weinberg.

Listen to Henry III: England’s Longest Reigning King here: https://shows.acast.com/gone-medieval/episodes/henry-iii-englands-longest-reigning-king

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The Second World War placed a tremendous strain on Britain's natural resources. One of the most important materials for fuelling the war effort was wood - used to make everything from ammunition boxes to Spitfires, Britain's timber would be harvested at an unprecedented rate during the war. It was a forgotten army of women who stepped up to make this happen, felling trees through freezing winters, splitting logs in hazardous sawmills and managing entire forestry operations.

So what did this job entail? How risky was it, and how were these 'Lumberjills' considered by society at that time? Dan is joined by Joanna Foat, author of Lumberjills: Britain's Forgotten Army, to uncover the obscured world of the Women's Timber Corps.

Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.

You can take part in our listener survey here.

If you want to get in touch with the podcast, you can email us at [email protected], we'd love to hear from you!

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Betty Webb is the last known living veteran who worked on both German and Japanese codes at Bletchley Park and Dan got an invite to her 100th birthday party over the weekend. Codebreaking, secrets and dancing were all part of daily life at Bletchley Park, she joined Dan on the podcast back in 2021 to tell him all about her incredible time at the place that enabled the Allies to win WWII.

You can take part in our listener survey here.

If you want to get in touch with the podcast, you can email us at [email protected], we'd love to hear from you!

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In the summer of 1791, thousands of enslaved people in Saint Domingue, as Haiti was then known, cast aside their shackles and revolted against French colonial rule. The Haitian Revolution lasted for over a decade, and Haiti became the first independent country to be founded by former enslaved people.

Among the key leaders of the revolution was a man named Henri Christophe. Born an enslaved person, Christophe served in the American Revolutionary War, fought in the Haitian Revolution and became Haiti's first and only king. But what happened during the Haitian Revolution? And how did Christophe make himself king of the first free black nation in the Americas?

Dan is joined by Paul Clammer, author of Black Crown: Henry Christophe, the Haitian Revolution and the Caribbean's Forgotten Kingdom, to guide us through this extraordinary tale.

Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.

You can take part in our listener survey here.

If you want to get in touch with the podcast, you can email us at [email protected], we'd love to hear from you!

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On the night of the 16th May, 1943, Operation Chastise commenced - 133 RAF airmen in their iconic Lancaster bombers took off from England, bound for Germany. Armed with specially designed 'bouncing bombs', the highly trained crews were tasked with destroying key installations in Germany's industrial heartland, the Ruhr Valley. It was an audacious mission of unprecedented precision, from which over a third of the airmen would never return. The Dambusters Raid, as it came to be known, is remembered as one of the greatest feats of daring and airmanship in the Second World War. In this two-part Explainer, and with the help of the late, great RAF veteran 'Johnny' Johnson, Dan delves into the true story of this historic operation.

Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.

You can take part in our listener survey here.

If you want to get in touch with the podcast, you can email us at [email protected], we'd love to hear from you!

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On the night of the 16th of May, 1943, 133 RAF airmen in their iconic Lancaster bombers took off from England, and headed for Germany. Armed with specially designed 'bouncing bombs', the highly-trained crews were tasked with interrupting German industry by destroying three enormous dams in the Ruhr Valley. It was a risky mission of unprecedented precision, from which over a third of the aircrew would never return. The Dambusters Raid, as it came to be known, is remembered as one of the greatest feats of daring and airmanship in British military history. In this two-part Explainer, and with the help of the late, great RAF veteran Johnny Johnson, Dan delves into the crew's preparations as well as the events of the historic raid itself.

Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.

You can take part in our listener survey here.

If you want to get in touch with the podcast, you can email us at [email protected], we'd love to hear from you!

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

Tales of feuding monarchs, bloody battles, plagues, explorers and scandals. In a special mini-series dropping from the 22nd May 2023 in this feed, Dan hits the road for a 5-day road trip to bring listeners his favourite parts of England's epic history. He dashes through one million years from Stonehenge to the Hastings battlefield across to the heart of industry at Ironbridge and ends in York’s Cold War Bunker to tell England’s story from the beginning to the present day with help from the country's best experts and storytellers. It's going to be a wild ride, so make sure to subscribe to Dan Snow's History Hit and tell your friends!

If there's somewhere you want Dan to stop off at, email us at [email protected] and it could end up in the series! 

The 16th century in Europe was an age of great Queens. But just because they were in charge, didn't always mean they were powerful or safe; it was tough being a queen in the Renaissance and. Author and Former Professor of French at The George Washington University Leah Redmond Chang joins Dan to delve into the fascinating and complicated lives of three queens: Catherine De Medici, a noblewoman in one of the most important families of the Renaissance, who married the King of France and found herself Queen some deaths later. They discuss the fate of her daughter Elizabeth De Valois who married Phillip II King of Spain and ruler of the Spanish Empire that launched the Armada and conquest of the Americas and Mary Queen of Scots who ruled over a mighty Scotland but who endured assault, exile and finally execution at the behest of her cousin Elizabeth I. These women were at the top of European society but faced pressure, personal dangers and political threats unique to women in power during that time.

Her new book is called Young Queens: Three Renaissance Women and the Price of Power

Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Tom Delargy 

You can take part in our listener survey here.

If you want to get in touch with the podcast, you can email us at [email protected], we'd love to hear from you!

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The legend of the Minotaur and its labyrinth has captivated us for centuries, but is there any evidence of it really existing?

In this episode, Tristan visits the Ashmolean museum in Oxford to interview Dr. Andrew Shapland, the curator of a new exhibition exploring the Bronze Age settlement of Knossos in Crete - the home of the mythical King Minos, the Minotaur and the labyrinth.

Together they explore ancient artefacts that hint at human sacrifices being carried out, and find out through archaeological evidence if there is any truth behind the myths.

The Senior Producer was Elena Guthrie

The Assistant Producer was Annie Coloe

Mixed & edited by Stuart Beckwith

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