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The 10 best podcasts about history to listen to right now
Jul 01, 2025
We’ve come a long way since the days of boring history lectures in school, with literally hundreds of great podcasts about history available fordownload free of chargein your favoritepodcast app. By infusingcomedy, storytelling, or other engaging methods, many history podcasts turn an otherwise dry topic into must-listen material.
Read also:Best podcasts you can listen to in 2020
Of course, history is a broad topic, and knowing which podcasts to listen to can be difficult. To help you get started, we’ve chosen 10 of our favorite podcasts about history, plus a few honorable mentions to round things out.
Best podcasts about history
Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History
Topic:History
Frequency:Irregular
Length:1-6 hours
Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History podcast is probably one of the most famous podcasts on this list, and for good reason. Running since 2006, each episode dives deep into a specific topic or moment in history, with episode lengths that typically run two hours or longer. Carried only by the strength of Carlin’s narration with no sound effects or music, it’s like listening to an extremely entertaining audiobook filled with details and insights you won’t read in any textbook.
Listen onPocket Casts,Spotify, orApple Podcasts
Revolutions
Frequency:Weekly
Length:30-45 minutes
Revolutions is a fantastic podcast about the history of revolutions around the world. Each season is centered around a single revolution, which allows host Mike Duncan to really dig in and illuminate the details. There have been 10 seasons to date, and the season about the French Revolution ran an impressive 55 episodes. If you like this one be sure to check out Duncan’s previous podcast titledThe History of Rome, which ran 179 episodes and finished in 2012.
You’re Dead to Me
Topic:History, comedy
Length:45 minutes
You’re Dead to Me is one of manygreat BBC podcasts, but don’t think that it’s limited to the history of England. In each episode, host Greg Jenner works through a specific historical topic from around the world with the help of two guests, one a comedian and the other an accomplished historian. Expect to learn more about people and events from history – and be entertained along the way.
30 for 30 Podcast
Topic:Sports, history
Length:30-60 minutes
The 30 for 30 Podcast, from the makers of the acclaimed 30 for 30 documentary series from ESPN, tells the stories of some of sports’ most fascinating and controversial figures in recent history. Previous installments are a mix of one-off shows and short-run series. Even if you’re not much of a sports fan you’ll still find a lot to enjoy, from the history of Bikram yoga to the shocking 1990 scandal that led to Chile’s temporary ban from the World Cup.
You Must Remember This
Topic:Hollywood history
Frequency:Weekly (seasonal)
Length:40-60 minutes
You Must Remember This is a podcast about a kind of history you won’t learn in school. Host Karina Longworth uncovers some of the craziest stories from the lives of early Hollywood stars like Grace Kelly and Marilyn Monroe. If you’re able to’t get enough classic films or secretly love celebrity gossip, this is the history podcast for you.
Topic:News, history, politics
Part-news, part-recent-history, Slow Burn is a great podcast that you won’t want to miss out on. The first two seasons focus on two key events in recent US history: the Watergate scandal and the impeachment of Bill Clinton. Season 3, which finished at the end of 2019, was about the feud between rappers Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. in the 1990s. Each season clocks in at just eight episodes, making them perfect for an extended binge listen.
The British History Podcast
Length:20-40 minutes
The British History Podcast is exactly what it says on the tin: a podcast about the history of England, Scotland, and Wales. Host Jamie Jeffers keeps things interesting by focusing on the day-to-day lives of average people rather than the exploits of kings, knights, and their kin. Throw in a heaping helping of snark and the result is a great podcast that’s still going strong after more than eight years and 300 episodes.
Revisionist History
Length:40-50 minutes
From the mind ofThe New Yorkerstaff writer Malcolm Gladwell, Revisionist History is a history podcast with a twist. It picks apart preconceived notions about a wide swath of topics in history, including the Founding Fathers of the US being criminal smugglers, the ambiguity of the semicolon in the Second Amendment, and the decline of the McDonald’s french fry.
A History of the World in 100 Objects
Frequency:Finished
Length:15 minutes
It’s nearly a decade old at this point, but there is no more iconic history podcast than the BBC’s A History of the World in 100 Objects. In it, British Museum director Neil MacGregor weaves a complex story of world history one object at a time. Episodes are also short and digestible at just 15 minutes long. If you enjoy this one be sure to also check out the more recent50 Things That Made the Modern Economy, which is currently in its second season.
More Perfect
Topic:History, law, politics
More Perfect is a spin-off podcast from one of thebest podcastsaround, Radiolab. It features the same quirky editing that the show is famous for, but the topic matter for this podcast is instead focused on the history of the Supreme Court of the United States of America. Here you’ll learn more about critical rulings from the highest court in the land, many of which still affect the lives of all Americans today.
Honorable mentions
That’s it for our favorite history podcasts. Hopefully you’ve discovered a few great options to fill up your feed, but let us know your favorites in the comments below!
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