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I’m a big fan of the Stuff You Missed In History Class podcast. It was one of the first podcasts that I ever subscribed to, and my husband and I like to listen to it together.
I love to download history podcasts for travel days or road trips, and I even recommend SYMIHC in my post about the best podcasts for road trips.
That said, I don’t think it’s fair that SYMIHC gets the majority of the press and recommendations when it comes to the history podcasts genre.
New history podcasts are launching every month, if not every week. There’s a huge selection of interesting shows about American history, British history, and what I call “niche history”.
I like it when a history podcast meets at least two of the following three criteria:
- It’s fast-paced enough so I don’t get bored
- It’s told in an entertaining fashion or by a good storyteller
- It’s not too bogged down with dates, places, or names
If the hosts of a podcast can manage to hit the mark on two of those points, I will probably be hooked for an entire episode, or even hit “Subscribe”.
So here are my history podcast recommendations that make the cut.
7 Entertaining History Podcasts to Try
The Past and the Curious (kid-friendly!)
I'm recommending this show first because it’s kid-friendly and I don’t want parents to miss it.
The Concept: History. Stories. Music. Fun. This is the actual brief description of this podcast on my player. Each episode is approximately 20-30 minutes, and is focused on a specific person or event in history. Best-suited to kids ages 7-11 and parents of all ages.
Why It’s Good: The podcast has a host, but the actual history “lessons” are told by skilled storytellers, and there’s even music for effect. The show is well-paced, so your kids won’t get lost, and also so you can pause to explain things if necessary.
Episode to Try: #11 - Hittin’ the Road: Niagara
History of Witchcraft
The Concept: An exploration of the beliefs, people, and events related to witchcraft around the world. More than just a re-telling of famous witch trials. The host dives into the religious and societal influences that played a part in these persecutions.
Why It’s Good: The host does a great job of organizing the mountains of information and theories that exist about witchcraft. He’s interesting to listen to, and you can tell he’s both knowledgeable and passionate about the topic.
Try This Episode: A Century of Fire - Part 1 - Sparks and Kindling
The British History Podcast
The Concept: A chronological history of Britain that is told via telling stories of people. There is a conscious effort to avoid too many dates and facts, so you really get to understand how Britain became what it is today.
Why It’s Good: The host, who a) sounds American and b) probably conducts painstaking research to create each episode, is super enjoyable to listen to. He injects emotion and opinion in appropriate ways, and provides context when necessary.
Try This Episode: Episode 1! This podcast is intended to be listened to in chronological order. To understand references and context, it’s best not to approach it in an episodic manner; you should start from the beginning.
Confluence of Events
The Concept: Four guys attempt to uncover the details around people and (mostly tragic) events in American history. They drink and curse in moderation, joke a lot, and discuss seemingly random topics that are actually related to the episode’s theme.
Why It’s Good: These guys are like the Impractical Jokers of podcasting. I can’t tell them apart, but I don’t care. As a female listener, I often tire of the “two guys in a recording studio” pods, but the hosts of this show are entertaining. Most of their tangents stay on-topic, and through it all, I do actually learn something new!
Try This Episode: First Ladies
Anytown, USA
The Concept: Each episode explores a randomly chosen city or town in the USA. The hosts (a husband and wife team) dive deep into the most interesting event or well-known story about that place.
Why It’s Good: The conversational format keeps a good pace, and the hosts are fun. In addition to the “famous” stories from each location, each episode includes a short list of facts and points of interest for the location.
Try This Episode: Lincoln, NE: Gas-powered roller skates and the Great Sheedy Murder Trial
Revisionist History
The Concept: Author and modern-day philosopher Malcolm Gladwell revisits people and events from history that have been overlooked or misunderstood. Then he asks the question: did we get it right the first time around?
Why It’s Good: Gladwell is a master storyteller. He’s entertaining, suspenseful, and intriguing. Besides learning something new or historic, each episode of this podcast will get you thinking, start your wheels turning. This is the type of podcast you’re looking to discuss with someone when it’s finished.
Try This Episode: The Road to Damascus
Historium
The Concept: To convey the strange and obscure stories from history. The host is solo, so he adds in background music to fit the mood as each episode progresses.
Why It’s Good: Host Jack Barton crafts great intros to each episode to get you hooked. The pacing and entertaining storytelling will make you feel like you’re listening to a short fiction podcast.
Try This Episode: #14 Lost and Found (The Prestige)
There you have it! Seven cool history podcasts and sample episodes to try. Be sure to check out:
7 (More) History Podcast Recommendations
5 Fun Podcasts That Make You Smarter.
Do you have another history podcast that you recommend? Leave it in a comment below (you can even leave a link to it!)
HistoryPod is a good listen every morning. A short and well-explained summary of an event that took place that day in history. Doesn’t last more than a couple of minutes and gives some good stuff to chat about during my coffee break!
Awesome, Ed, thanks for the recommendation, I’ll check it out!
good luck guys i like your blog
Can I plug mine? The Renaissance English History podcast. Talking about the 16th century since 2009 🙂 http://www.englandcast.com
Absolutely, plug away! This blog is all about recommending new podcasts! I’ll have to take a listen, I find 16th Century stories fascinating.
Love Renaissance English History podcast! I have been listening since 2014 and had a bunch downloaded to keep me sane through my last deployment. I am leaving on another in a couple months and have just about filled my phone with podcasts including a bunch from REH.
I am going to have a listen to The Past and the Curious (great name!) I couldn’t find a good history podcast for kids that my eleven-year-old son would enjoy, so we decided to make our own. We chat around broad brush topics, he does the comedy turns, while I try to stay on the subject. It’s called Our History Podcast, with links and so on available from: ourhistorypodcast.com
Hi Luke! I just listened to Episode 2 of your podcast and couldn’t stop laughing! “King Doo Da married the Dutchess of Diddily Da” (or whatever you said!) Hilarious. And the reference to Asterix & Oberlix! Great casual conversation about history. Keep up the good work!
Thanks very much, I will pass on the kind words to Otto. I think we get more natural in the later episodes. We are off to France on Friday and planning to do a couple of On the Road episodes – Joan of Arc and WW1 Cemeteries.
Good article thanks for sharing
Thanks! I hope you try and enjoy some of these recommendations!
Good luck I have a question how can i contact with you guys ?
Hi David! You can contact me at info@podcastmaniac.com! Hope to hear from you!
Hardcore History by Dan Carlin is fantastic, but has very long episodes (each is more like an audiobook of its own), and History on Fire is also pretty good.
Hey Derek! Thanks for letting me and other readers know about these shows. I’m not familiar with History on Fire, but I just visited the show’s website and it’s wicked cool. I’ll have to check out the show!
Awesome, Ed, thanks for the recommendation, I’ll check it out!
If it’s okay to plug my own podcast, I’d suggest The Islamic History Podcast. It’s done in a story/audiobook fashion and discusses topics from the distant past (Sunni-Shia split) to current events (Houthi-Yemen Civil War).
I’m glad to have another recommendation, Muttaqi Ismail! Thanks for sharing!
Thank You Very Good
My cousin likes history and wants to be an archeologist in the future. It was mentioned here that there are podcasts that discuss the history of the country, including unique stories from history. Furthermore, it’s recommended to try trusted history podcasts.
Hi Vanessa! I could probably write for ages about history podcasts! I am planning another history-related post in a couple of months.
how can i contact with you guys ?
Hey Robert! You can contact me at info@podcastmaniac.com.
Very good, thanks
Nice post!
lovely
gooooood
i love it
Nice
Thanks for reading, and for your other comments! Feel free to suggest similar podcasts that you like!
Thank You
ty
nice
ggooood job
Good luck I have a question how can i contact with you guys ?
Hi there! Head on over to this page for info about contacting the Podcast Maniac: https://podcastmaniac.com/home/work-with-me/
thanks
thanks
Recommend history chicks – love their podcast!
Yes, that’s another great one! Thanks for adding it!
The 1600 sessions put on by the White House historical society is a good one