What Came Before

By Andrew Scott

What Came Before is a podcast dedicated to detailing the events, people, and periods that have shaped our world.

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FAQs about What Came Before:

How many episodes does What Came Before have?

The podcast currently has 36 episodes available.

What Came Before episodes:

March 01, 2026 The Siege of Malta Part 1 - The Corsairs and the Cross (1565)
In the summer of 1565, the Ottoman Empire dispatched an armada of nearly 200 ships and 40,000 men to the Mediterranean island of Malta. Their target was the Knights Hospitaller, a Catholic military order operating as state-sponsored corsairs.
In Part 1 of our two-part series on the Great Siege of Malta, we explore the history between these two factions and how the capture of a single Ottoman galleon triggered a massive invasion. We cover the defensive preparations of Grand Master Jean Parisot de Valette, the divided Ottoman high command upon their arrival, and the grueling, month-long battle for Fort St. Elmo that set the stage for the rest of the siege.
Contact: [email protected]
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@WhatCameBeforePodcast
Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-came-before/id1839699689
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/3eRPO23EzaKSZYL7rJ0XPt
Amazon Podcasts:
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7b3c1fc1-8bed-4d81-9989-5d49853557bd/what-came-before
RSS Feed:
https://media.rss.com/what-came-before/feed.xml
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39min
February 22, 2026 The 47 Rōnin Part 2 - The Snowy Night (1701-1702)
In the aftermath of Lord Asano’s forced seppuku and the total confiscation of the Akō domain, over 300 samurai are abruptly cast out as masterless rōnin. But behind their peaceful surrender to the Tokugawa shogunate, a dedicated core of retainers has secretly sworn a blood oath of vengeance.
In this episode, we follow former chief retainer Ōishi Yoshio as he orchestrates a brilliant campaign of psychological misdirection, ending with the the meticulously planned, two-hour siege of Kira’s heavily fortified Honjo estate.
Contact: [email protected]
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@WhatCameBeforePodcast
Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-came-before/id1839699689
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/3eRPO23EzaKSZYL7rJ0XPt
Amazon Podcasts:
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7b3c1fc1-8bed-4d81-9989-5d49853557bd/what-came-before
RSS Feed:
https://media.rss.com/what-came-before/feed.xml
...more
48min
February 15, 2026 The 47 Rōnin Part 1 - The Insult and the Blade (1701)
In the spring of 1701, a feudal lord named Asano Naganori was assigned to host imperial envoys at Edo Castle — one of the most important ceremonial duties in Tokugawa Japan. His instructor in court protocol was a senior official named Kira Yoshinaka. What followed was weeks of public humiliation that ended in an act of violence in the shogun's own corridors, a death sentence carried out before nightfall, and the destruction of an entire domain. Over 300 samurai lost everything. But 47 of them refused to accept that the story was over. This is Part 1 of a two-part series on the forty-seven rōnin.
Contact: [email protected]
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@WhatCameBeforePodcast
Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-came-before/id1839699689
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/3eRPO23EzaKSZYL7rJ0XPt
Amazon Podcasts:
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7b3c1fc1-8bed-4d81-9989-5d49853557bd/what-came-before
RSS Feed:
https://media.rss.com/what-came-before/feed.xml
...more
44min
February 08, 2026 The Life of Winston Churchill Part 3 - The War Premiership and The Final Phase (1940–1965)
Churchill becomes Prime Minister as France falls and Britain stands alone. From the Dunkirk evacuation and the Battle of Britain to the forging of the Grand Alliance with Roosevelt and Stalin, we follow Churchill through the pivotal moments of the Second World War, and his life following the Second World War.
The final episode of our Churchill series takes the story from its dramatic peak to its end — a state funeral within sight of Blenheim Palace, where it all began.
Contact: [email protected]
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@WhatCameBeforePodcast
Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-came-before/id1839699689
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/3eRPO23EzaKSZYL7rJ0XPt
Amazon Podcasts:
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7b3c1fc1-8bed-4d81-9989-5d49853557bd/what-came-before
RSS Feed:
https://media.rss.com/what-came-before/feed.xml
...more
1h 40min
February 02, 2026 The Life of Winston Churchill Part 2 - Rise, Fall, and The Gathering Storm (1901–1939)
From the green benches of Parliament to the mud of the trenches, this episode tracks Winston Churchill's turbulent path through the early 20th century. His meteoric rise as a Liberal reformer, the disaster of Gallipoli that nearly ended his career, and his decade-long political exile. We examine how the "Wilderness Years" transformed a political outcast into the lone voice warning the world of the coming apocalypse.
Contact: [email protected]
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@WhatCameBeforePodcast
Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-came-before/id1839699689
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/3eRPO23EzaKSZYL7rJ0XPt
Amazon Podcasts:
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7b3c1fc1-8bed-4d81-9989-5d49853557bd/what-came-before
RSS Feed:
https://media.rss.com/what-came-before/feed.xml
...more
54min
January 26, 2026 The Life of Winston Churchill Part 1 - The Making of a Hero (1874–1900)
Born into privilege but dismissed by his father as a failure, young Winston Churchill set out to prove the world wrong. From self-education in India to the last great cavalry charge at Omdurman and a thrilling escape from a Boer POW camp, this episode charts how a "social wastrel" forged his own legend to become a Member of Parliament by the age of 25.
Contact: [email protected]
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@WhatCameBeforePodcast
Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-came-before/id1839699689
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/3eRPO23EzaKSZYL7rJ0XPt
Amazon Podcasts:
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7b3c1fc1-8bed-4d81-9989-5d49853557bd/what-came-before
RSS Feed:
https://media.rss.com/what-came-before/feed.xml
...more
51min
January 15, 2026 The Siege of Vienna (1683)
In the summer of 1683, the fate of Europe hung in the balance on the banks of the Danube. A massive Ottoman army led by Grand Vizier Kara Mustafa laid siege to Vienna, intent on capturing the "Golden Apple" of the West. In this episode, we follow the desperate struggle of the city's defenders against starvation, disease, and underground mine warfare.
Contact: [email protected]
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@WhatCameBeforePodcast
Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-came-before/id1839699689
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/3eRPO23EzaKSZYL7rJ0XPt
Amazon Podcasts:
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7b3c1fc1-8bed-4d81-9989-5d49853557bd/what-came-before
RSS Feed:
https://media.rss.com/what-came-before/feed.xml
...more
56min
January 13, 2026 The Tiananmen Square Protests - China (1989)
In the spring of 1989, a spontaneous wave of grief for a fallen leader transformed into a massive movement that paralyzed the Chinese capital. For seven weeks, millions of students and workers occupied Tiananmen Square, erecting the "Goddess of Democracy" and challenging the Communist Party to live up to its own ideals.
As martial law failed to break the will of the people, the hardline leadership prepared a ruthless solution to save the regime. We cover the tragic events of June 4th, the violent crackdown at Muxidi, and the iconic defiance of the "Tank Man."
Contact: [email protected]
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@WhatCameBeforePodcast
Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-came-before/id1839699689
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/3eRPO23EzaKSZYL7rJ0XPt
Amazon Podcasts:
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7b3c1fc1-8bed-4d81-9989-5d49853557bd/what-came-before
RSS Feed:
https://media.rss.com/what-came-before/feed.xml
...more
1h
January 08, 2026 The Cultural Revolution - China (1966-1976)
In 1966, Mao Zedong launched the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, a decade-long campaign to purify the Communist Party that plunged China into total anarchy. This episode traces the descent into chaos, from the mobilization of the Red Guards and the violent destruction of the "Four Olds" to the factional street battles that brought the nation to the brink of civil war.
Contact: [email protected]
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@WhatCameBeforePodcast
Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-came-before/id1839699689
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/3eRPO23EzaKSZYL7rJ0XPt
Amazon Podcasts:
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7b3c1fc1-8bed-4d81-9989-5d49853557bd/what-came-before
RSS Feed:
https://media.rss.com/what-came-before/feed.xml
...more
1h 5min
January 06, 2026 The Great Leap Forward - China (1958-1962)
In 1958, the People's Republic of China embarked on one of the most radical social experiments in human history: the Great Leap Forward. Aiming to surpass the industrial output of the West in just fifteen years, Mao Zedong mobilized the nation to replace capital with sheer willpower.
This episode details the unprecedented restructuring of Chinese society, from the collective life of the People's Communes and the mania of the backyard steel furnaces to the ecological disaster of the campaign to exterminate the sparrow.
Contact: [email protected]
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@WhatCameBeforePodcast
Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-came-before/id1839699689
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/3eRPO23EzaKSZYL7rJ0XPt
Amazon Podcasts:
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7b3c1fc1-8bed-4d81-9989-5d49853557bd/what-came-before
RSS Feed:
https://media.rss.com/what-came-before/feed.xml
...more
1h

FAQs about What Came Before:

How many episodes does What Came Before have?

The podcast currently has 36 episodes available.