If you like listening to something when you’re doing housework or out walking the dog, a podcast can be a fun alternative to an audiobook. This year in my email newsletter, The Mouse & Pencil, I’ve been recommending a history podcast every month. Here they are in one place, arranged alphabetically (I went to library school, after all!).
ArtCurious looks at “The unexpected, the slightly odd, and the strangely wonderful in Art History.” Two recent episodes (~30 mins each) consider whether Van Gogh was actually murdered; I loved hearing the opposing theories about his death.
BackStory is a long podcast (~1 hr) on “the [U.S.] history behind the headlines.” It’s hosted by historians and full of interviews with experts. Recent topics include blackface, industrial tragedies, and vetoes.
In each episode of NPR’s How I Built This Guy Raz interviews the innovator(s) behind a well-known company. So far I’ve learned the stories of Ben & Jerry’s, Burt’s Bees, and Framebridge.
Letters from War is the perfect podcast for anyone interested in first person accounts of World War II, particularly the Pacific theatre. Voice actors read letters written between four American brothers. These voice actors are also military veterans of recent conflicts and in some episodes they reflect on their experiences.
The Memory Palace is a short (10 min) biweekly podcast hosted by a fantastic storyteller with a great radio voice. The topics are unusual, like washing machines and introducing birds from Shakespeare’s plays to the US.
Nice Try! — I’ll be describing this podcast in my December newsletter. (You can sign up here.)
As soon as I started listening to Revisionist History to review it for the newsletter, I was sucked in. Malcolm Gladwell considers the overlooked and misunderstood from history, tying examples together to illustrate a theme, such as why intelligence efforts fail or the two types of genius. Highly recommended.
The Secret History of the Future is a a joint project by Slate and The Economist. I’ve just started listening and am already loving the look at current technological developments and their roots in the past (like AI and treatments using electricity).
“Even recent history is rich with surprising subplots, strange details, and forgotten characters.” So far I’ve enjoyed Slow Burn’s Season 1 (Watergate). Season 2 looks at Bill Clinton’s impeachment and this fall Season 3 will discuss the murders of Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G.
The Story is a short podcast that recounts the journey of someone who changed the world, keeping their identity a secret until the climax. Fun and inspirational.
Stuff You Missed in History Class has 30-40 minute episodes that air every Mon and Wed (plus episodes from their archives on Sat). The two co-hosts research and discuss a huge range of historical figures and events. Recent topics include Sojourner Truth, ballet, and Sushruta (the Father of Plastic Surgery).
Every day Witness History from BBC World Service puts out a new ten-minute podcast about a world event based on firsthand accounts. A great way to learn something new in a short amount of time.