Ten New (Launched in 2018) History Podcasts Worth a Listen
I don’t just like history podcasts, I love them and the problem
with that is that I am sometimes left feeling like Loren Allred in the Greatest
Showman because my podcast feed is never enough. As a result I find that top
lists or iTunes recommendations are not all that helpful as I have almost
certainly listened to every show on the list. As a result I often find that I
am searching through Facebook and Twitter for new shows to stream. It is this
effort that has yielded my list below. They are new shows, launched exclusively
in the year 2018, that I have enjoyed. It can be scary starting to listen to a
new show as you fear the inevitable pod-fading so as I love the below shows it
is my hope that promoting them just might help drive a little traffic their way
so that they can keep producing excellent content for me to enjoy for free. So,
without further adieu, my favorite history podcasts that were launched in 2018
(in no particular order).
10: History of the Copts
Podcast
The Copts are an ethno-religious group who today predominantly
live in Egypt and adhere to a unique form of the Christian faith. Our first
entry to the list explores that unique and seldomly talked about minority. The
host, Jonathan, is a Copt himself so the content is close to home for him, but
rather than skewing his perspective it has only deepened his commitment to
telling an accurate story about this group’s fascinating history. I especially
enjoyed the episode: Monasticism in late-antiquity.
9. American Loser Podcast
Do you know that old saying about
how history is written by the winner? Well, just because history is written by
the winner does not mean that the loser’s story is any less interesting. The
American Loser Podcast from the father and son team of KP and Larry have proven
that. With episodes dedicated to Aaron Burr (sir?), Bugs Moran and the episode
that hooked me General Custer this show is a great show to listen to on a
commute or binge at your desk.
8. Grimm Reading
Grimm Reading is a podcast that first reads a Brothers Grimm fairy
tale, then gives some history on the tale and then finally gives the story a
rating out of ten. I questioned whether Grimm Reading belongs on a list of
history podcasts as some might argue it is more of a literature podcast, but I
decided to list it due to the middle section of the show; the piece that
provides information about things like the Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index,
information about related tales and details about the development of the
various editions of Brothers Grimm stories. It is a wonderful and engaging show
from Adam and Matt and I always look forward to each and every fireside
reading.
7. The Exploress Podcast
The Exploress Podcast is a history podcast that explores both
specific eras and individual historical figures to tell the day to day stories
of extraordinary women of the past. If you are the type of person who likes to
really explore the context beyond the historical setting in order to understand
the everyday lives and lived experience of people from the past then this is
the show for you. The host, Kate, guides us through stories from a Lady’s life
in the Mid-19th century, the story of Civil War soldier Sarah Emma
Edmonds or to my favorite thus far when she brought us to the Wild West.
6. FireStarters Podcast
Back when I was in high school
my American History teacher assigned us a project that called for us to listen
to Billy Joel’s hit song ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’ and then add a verse
bridging the gap from the song’s release date to the present. It was a great
assignment as it allowed me to dig into the song and attempt to line up
historical events into some sort of rhyme scheme. I have basically zero musical
talent so I am pretty positive that the verse was not great, but ever since
then I have held the song in special esteem. FireStarters takes that song that
is chalk full of historical references and attempts to break down every last
one of them. Dan and Henry have provided a factual and funny show that explores
the likes of Richard Nixon, Joe DiMaggio and Doris Day.
5. The History of Spain
Podcast
The History of Spain Podcast as the name might suggest tells the
history of Spain from Spanish Prehistory to the Present. Launched in November
the show is off to a great start. David plans to spend less time on the early
history through the Roman period of Hispania, a choice I wholeheartedly agree
with, and then will get deeper into the history after Roman presence has been
removed. Spanish history is certainly an area of history that is yet to be too
saturated in the Podcast medium so this show provides a fantastic resource for
anyone interested in learning more.
4. The History of the
Barbarians’s Podcast
Everyone loves the story of the Great Empires with Rome likely
being the most popular of all. The History of the Barbarians’s Podcast aims to
explore those periphery peoples who were often at odds and far less documented
than the Empire. The host Joshua launched the show back in May and has so far
primarily focused on telling the history of the Goths and let me vouch for it
that whether he is talking about the Crisis of the Third Century, the Battle of
Adrianople or anything else every second of it has been fascinating.
3. American Presidents:
Totalus Rankium
Rob and Jamie of the Roman Emperors: Totalus Rankium Podcast have
set their sites on the colonies, I mean, on the United States of America to
rate all of the American Presidents one by one. They started with George
Washington back in March and are steadily marching toward Trump. Presidents are
generally split into two episodes with the first episode detailing their early
life and pre-President career before the second episode goes through the
administration and provides their rankings based on how interesting the
President is to them. This show is definitely an AmeriCAN and you should be
sure to subscribe.
2. Context
Last year’s “New Show” column
introduced us to host Brad Harris and his show How It Began. This year he is back
with another great history podcast called Context. Brad’s background is in the
history of Science and Technology. This allows for a remarkable perspective and
he uses it to provide Context in this show. The subject of the show is
primarily around exploring books that have asked the big questions of ‘what led
to the rise of the modern world? How have we made so much progress, and what
are its consequences?’ Books that he has covered include 1493, Galileo’s Finger
and Merchants of Doubt.
1. Pontifacts
Pontifacts is our Popiest addition to the 2018 History Podcast
scene. It is a member of the #rexypod family of podcasts (if you are unfamiliar
definitely search it). The show’s concept is to review the lives of each Bishop
of Rome / Pope of the Roman Catholic Church by dedicating an episode to every
Pope from Peter to Francis. The big draw though is that it features two hosts,
on researcher and one commentator, who discuss the lives in a conversational
tone with tons of comedy thrown in. The goal of the show is to rank the Popes
in a few categories to find out the most interesting and Popiest Pope of them
all. Hosts Bry and Fry have done a phenomenal job in year one and I for one
cannot wait for the rest of the Popes!
0. The Why Is That Podcast
One additional show to
mentioned is the Why Is That Podcast from yours truly. I launched my show at
the end of February with the intent to explore the origins of traditions,
etymologies and other aspects of life that still exists today. I have covered
topics ranging from the Pope’s position as Supreme Pontiff to the superstition
behind Friday the Thirteenth and even have had time to explore the history of
the fairy tale Hansel and Gretel. Listen here:
If I missed any shows that were
launched in 2018 that you think I would enjoy I would love to hear about them.
Comment on this post and I'll be sure to take the time to listen. Also, if you
end up listening to any of these new shows I would love to hear what you think!
First off, great list! There’s a few on here I’ll definitely be checking out.
ReplyDeleteI’d love for you to check out my podcast “Rounders: A History of Baseball in America.” It’s available at anchor.fm/rounders. Thanks!
Absolutely. I do not have a current history of Baseball show in my rotation so sounds like an interesting one to add. Thank you for the suggestion.
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