History Behind the Headlines

From Greenland and Venezuela to his speech at Davos, the past few weeks have seen US president Donald Trump make a series of big moves on the world stage. But how historically unprecedented have his actions been? And is it right to see his administration as weaponising history for political ends?

To assess whether we are witnessing what Canadian prime minister Mark Carney has called a “rupture” in the postwar world order, regular panellists Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter are joined by Sam Edwards from Loughborough University to discuss whether we really are backsliding to a previous historical era.

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HISTORY BEHIND THE HEADLINES: BRIEFING

It can sometimes feel like the world is changing faster than ever before – but help is at hand. HistoryExtra’s new podcast series History Behind the Headlines: Briefing tasks expert historians with bringing you the history you need to make sense of the headlines, in five minutes or less. Find out more and listen here: https://play.megaphone.fm/mlldhlcjqlul5o2orgzdkw

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GO BEYOND THE PODCAST

Read more about a 19th-century doctrine that may be the key to understanding today’s US foreign policy in this HistoryExtra article: https://bit.ly/4qSz8lq

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If you have any questions that you'd like Rana and Hannah to tackle, get in touch: [email protected]

For more fascinating stories from the past, head to HistoryExtra, the home of ‘History’s Greatest’ podcasts. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠historyextra.com/podcast/⁠⁠⁠

We'd love to know what you think about the podcast, so leave us a review and let us know the topics you think we should be covering. Or, follow us on ⁠Facebook⁠, ⁠X⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠ or ⁠YouTube⁠ to keep in touch.

You can listen ad-free to this episode and more by subscribing to HistoryExtra Plus here: ⁠⁠⁠https://historyextra.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠

This episode was hosted by Matt Elton with regular panellists Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter and produced by Lewis Dobbs.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At the start of January, the United States government launched a military operation in Venezuela, capturing its president Nicolás Maduro and announcing that the US would run the nation until it deems that there can be "a proper and judicious transition”. Meanwhile, Donald Trump and figures around him have also made repeated suggestions that the US needs to claim Greenland for reasons of national security.

Following those events, historians Rana Mitter and Hannah Skoda explore the history of governance in South America – and whether President Trump and his administration are really making unprecedented moves on the world stage.

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GO BEYOND THE PODCAST

Read more about a 19th-century doctrine that may be the key to understanding today’s US foreign policy in this HistoryExtra article: https://bit.ly/4qSz8lq

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If you have any questions that you'd like Rana and Hannah to tackle, get in touch: [email protected]

For more fascinating stories from the past, head to HistoryExtra, the home of ‘History’s Greatest’ podcasts. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠historyextra.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠

We'd love to know what you think about the podcast, so leave us a review and let us know the topics you think we should be covering. Or, follow us on ⁠Facebook⁠, ⁠X⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠ or ⁠YouTube⁠ to keep in touch.

You can listen ad-free to this episode and more by subscribing to HistoryExtra Plus here: ⁠⁠⁠https://historyextra.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠

This episode was hosted by Matt Elton with regular panellists Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter and produced by Lewis Dobbs.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this special bonus episode of History Behind the Headlines, historians Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter – plus host Matt Elton – pick the historical insights that stood out for them from across the past 12 months. From war in the Middle East to a new pope and surprising revelations about Adolf Hitler, we reveal the ways in which the past helps us make sense of today’s news.

Clips taken from:

Papal elections and tariff troubles: history behind the headlines (HistoryExtra podcast, 29th April 2025)

Why is it so hard for Israelis and Palestinians to make peace? (16th October 2025)

BONUS: What does Hitler’s DNA really tell us? (22nd November 2025)

If you have any questions that you'd like Rana and Hannah to tackle, get in touch: [email protected]

For more fascinating stories from the past, head to HistoryExtra, the home of ‘History’s Greatest’ podcasts. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠historyextra.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠.

We'd love to know what you think about the podcast, so leave us a review and let us know the topics you think we should be covering. Or, follow us on ⁠Facebook⁠, ⁠X⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠ or ⁠YouTube⁠ to keep in touch.

You can listen ad-free to this episode and more by subscribing to HistoryExtra Plus here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://historyextra.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠⁠

This episode was hosted by Matt Elton with regular panellists Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter and produced by Lewis Dobbs.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As we head into the Christmas season, regular panellists Rana Mitter and Hannah Skoda look back at the key historical parallels, books and anniversaries of the past 12 months – and the history that might shape the year to come.

If you have any questions that you'd like Rana and Hannah to tackle, get in touch: [email protected]

For more fascinating stories from the past, head to HistoryExtra, the home of ‘History’s Greatest’ podcasts. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠historyextra.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠.

We'd love to know what you think about the podcast, so leave us a review and let us know the topics you think we should be covering. Or, follow us on ⁠Facebook⁠, ⁠X⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠ or ⁠YouTube⁠ to keep in touch.

You can listen ad-free to this episode and more by subscribing to HistoryExtra Plus here: ⁠⁠⁠https://historyextra.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠

This episode was hosted by Matt Elton with regular panellists Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter and produced by Lewis Dobbs.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The prospect of a peace agreement in the Ukraine-Russia war has been in the news over the past week, as delegates met in Geneva in an attempt to work out a deal. The story is still evolving – but which historical treaties offer useful comparisons? Regular panellists Rana Mitter and Hannah Skoda consider the parallels. Plus: as the UK reacts to the chancellor’s Budget, we explore the history behind the annual economic review.

If you have any questions that you'd like Rana and Hannah to tackle, get in touch: [email protected]

For more fascinating stories from the past, head to HistoryExtra, the home of ‘History’s Greatest’ podcasts. Find out more at ⁠⁠historyextra.com/podcast⁠⁠.

We'd love to know what you think about the podcast, so leave us a review and let us know the topics you think we should be covering. Or, follow us on ⁠Facebook⁠, ⁠X⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠ or ⁠YouTube⁠ to keep in touch.

You can listen ad-free to this episode and more by subscribing to HistoryExtra Plus here: ⁠⁠⁠https://historyextra.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠

This episode was hosted by Matt Elton with regular panellists Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter and produced by Jack Bateman and Lewis Dobbs.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A recent documentary drawing conclusions from new analysis of Adolf Hitler’s DNA has sparked headlines around the world. But how did the programme’s researchers get hold of the key evidence? And what issues – and implications – are prompted by linking the Nazi leader with a range of physical and psychological conditions?

In this bonus episode of History Behind the Headlines, two of the experts behind the documentary, Turi King and Alex J Kay, spoke to Matt Elton about what led to their involvement – and offer their take on the real value of such research.

What's your take on this story? Let us know – email [email protected].

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GO BEYOND THE PODCAST

To find out more about Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany, don’t miss our HistoryExtra Academy course Nazi Germany, with Laurence Rees: https://bit.ly/4i9bs9n

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For more fascinating stories from the past, head to HistoryExtra, the home of ‘History’s Greatest’ podcasts. Find out more at historyextra.com/podcast.

We'd love to know what you think about the podcast, so leave us a review and let us know the topics you think we should be covering. Or, follow us on Facebook, X, Instagram or YouTube to keep in touch.

You can listen ad-free to this episode and more by subscribing to HistoryExtra Plus here: https://historyextra.supportingcast.fm/

This episode was hosted by Matt Elton and produced by Jack Bateman.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Regular panellists Rana Mitter and Hannah Skoda take a look at the history behind crises facing two British institutions in recent months: the royal family and the prison system. How did monarchs in past centuries deal with family members embroiled in scandal? And do recent headlines about escaped inmates tell us something about our shifting view of incarceration? Plus, what happens when a political leader invokes emergency legislation to get the job done?

If you have any questions that you'd like Rana and Hannah to tackle, get in touch: [email protected]

For more fascinating stories from the past, head to HistoryExtra, the home of ‘History’s Greatest’ podcasts. Find out more at ⁠⁠historyextra.com/podcast⁠⁠.

We'd love to know what you think about the podcast, so leave us a review and let us know the topics you think we should be covering. Or, follow us on ⁠Facebook⁠, ⁠X⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠ or ⁠YouTube⁠ to keep in touch.

You can listen ad-free to this episode and more by subscribing to HistoryExtra Plus here: ⁠⁠⁠https://historyextra.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠

This episode was hosted by Matt Elton with regular panellists Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter and produced by Lewis Dobbs.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The history world was shaken earlier this month when thieves stole 19th-century jewellery thought to be worth 88 million euros from the Louvre Museum in Paris. In this episode, regular panellists Rana Mitter and Hannah Skoda discuss some of the greatest historical heists of past centuries – and explore whether museums can learn any lessons from the recent robbery.

For more fascinating stories from the past, head to HistoryExtra, the home of ‘History’s Greatest’ podcasts. Find out more at ⁠⁠historyextra.com/podcast⁠⁠.

We'd love to know what you think about the podcast, so leave us a review and let us know the topics you think we should be covering. Or, follow us on ⁠Facebook⁠, ⁠X⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠ or ⁠YouTube⁠ to keep in touch.

You can listen ad-free to this episode and more by subscribing to HistoryExtra Plus here: ⁠⁠⁠https://historyextra.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠

This episode was hosted by Matt Elton with regular panellists Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter and produced by Lewis Dobbs.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Headlines in recent days have been dominated by news of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. This follows two years of heightened conflict that has had a devastating impact on the Middle East, and which has also spilled over to cause tensions in other parts of the world.

In this episode, regular panellists Rana Mitter and Hannah Skoda are joined by Eugene Rogan, Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History and Fellow of St Antony's College at the University of Oxford, to explore the history of attempts to achieve peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

For more fascinating stories from the past, head to HistoryExtra, the home of ‘History’s Greatest’ podcasts. Find out more at ⁠⁠historyextra.com/podcast⁠⁠.

We'd love to know what you think about the podcast, so leave us a review and let us know the topics you think we should be covering. Or, follow us on ⁠Facebook⁠, ⁠X⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠ or ⁠YouTube⁠ to keep in touch.

You can listen ad-free to this episode and more by subscribing to HistoryExtra Plus here: ⁠⁠⁠https://historyextra.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠

This episode was hosted by Matt Elton with regular panellists Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter and produced by Jack Bateman.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Historian, author and broadcaster David Olusoga is among the famous faces to feature on new TV series The Celebrity Traitors, which launches in the UK next Wednesday, 8 October on BBC One. But what are the opportunities, and dangers, when historians become celebrities? And to what extent should history be entertainment? Regular panellists Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter share their thoughts. Plus: history’s most incredible imposters.

For more fascinating stories from the past, head to HistoryExtra, the home of ‘History’s Greatest’ podcasts. Find out more at ⁠⁠historyextra.com/podcast⁠⁠.

We'd love to know what you think about the podcast, so leave us a review and let us know the topics you think we should be covering. Or, follow us on ⁠Facebook⁠, ⁠X⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠ or ⁠YouTube⁠ to keep in touch.

You can listen ad-free to this episode and more by subscribing to HistoryExtra Plus here: ⁠⁠⁠https://historyextra.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠

This episode was hosted by Matt Elton with regular panellists Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter and produced by Jack Bateman.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices