Yesterday, in Part One, I listed three very good podcasts covering the Byzantine Empire, the Norman Conquests and Migrations, and the entirety of world history. Today, in Part Two, I will give you three more covering ancient warfare, general topics in history, and one from an interesting fellow in England covering history from a decidedly British view. You can find these podcasts via the linked websites or search in iTunes or your favorite podcast app:
- The History Network .Org podcast (thehistorynetwork.org/): started by two history buffs who just weren’t satisfied with the quality of history podcasts available back in 2005, the History Network is actually home to three podcasts. The first, which is the namesake and “flagship” podcast, is simply called “The History Network Podcast” and covers all of human history but is, as its creators, Angus and Nick put it, vaguely military” in focus . It is now in its 17th season and its episodes, running from about 15 to 30 minutes each, usually cover a specific topic. Topics can be about a specific battle, commander, campaign, operation, or anything else “vaguely military.” It is a scripted show with Nick Barker reading about the topic. The fun part is the producers actively solicit scripts from listeners, so if you’ve ever wanted to write for a history podcast that is downloaded millions of times, here’s your chance. I get behind on my podcast listening, but I can binge a whole season of these bite-sized, focused podcasts in a day or two. Their website also hosts a store with past seasons to purchase, as well propaganda films from both sides of World War II, special long form topic episodes and interviews, and a new podcast on historical war games that I have not had time to listen to yet.
- Ancient Warfare Magazine podcast (thehistorynetwork.org/category/ancient-warfare-magazine/): this is the other popular podcast from the History Network. It is a companion to a Ancient Warfare Magazine which can be purchased at https://www.karwansaraypublishers.com/shop/. However, this podcast has some notable differences from its parent. Where their flagship podcast is broad, covering all eras of history, the AWM podcast is focused on one topic, ancient warfare. Where the parent podcast is done in small episodes, AWM is usually an hour or more long. And where the original podcast is one narrator on script, AWM is a panel discussion of usually four experts discussing and expanding on a topic covered in the most recent issue of Ancient Warfare Magazine. If you want to listen to four serious history nerds discuss topics like Greek phalanxes or what did Roman Legionnaires really use in battle, this is definitely for you.
- Binge Thinking History (www.bingethinkinghistory.com/): this is a cool, “home-grown” podcast by Tony Cocks from somewhere in the UK. I’ve been listening for a few years. Also known simply as “BTHP,” Tony does this podcast for the sheer love of it. It is not his “day job” so the episodes can be a little infrequent. But, they are good. Tony really gets into his topics. His method is to pick a bigger topics, say the history of the Royal Navy or the RAF, and spend several 30 minute or so episodes on it. He references multiple historical sources, includes sound effects for “decoration,” and has some really cool ways of enhancing his reading of quotes from historical figures by using sound enhancement. You have to hear it. Tony is just an everyday bloke doing a podcast for fun. And, he makes me feel guilty for not doing one myself.
There are a couple of other small, one or two person, efforts that were pretty good but faded away. Of those, Historyzine, produced by Jim Mowatt, was my favorite of those. Another Brit, Jim was doing a very detailed series on the War of the Spanish Succession. Alas, he has not done an update since 2010 but I leave the website here for you to check it out as long as you are OK with not getting the ending. Maybe, he’ll return someday.
Tomorrow in Part Three, my all time favorites covering Napoleon, Revolutions, the History of Rome and some Hardcore History! Feel the History Nerd Power!
