The Rest Is History

Thu, 05 Dec 2024

In as early as 5000 BC the vast and spectacular city of Uruk - replete with towering walls, glisteni...

Mon, 02 Dec 2024

The 1st of August 1798 saw the British fleet sailing towards Alexandria into a land of classical his...

Thu, 28 Nov 2024

In the wake of the Battle of Cape St. Vincent in 1797, Horatio Nelson, though a much acclaimed publi...

Mon, 25 Nov 2024

Valentine’s day, 1797: the British Royal Navy are hoping for a decisive clash with the Spanish ene...

Thu, 21 Nov 2024

It is 1793 and France has declared war on Britain, meaning that the British navy must serve as both ...

Mon, 18 Nov 2024

It’s 1758 and Britain’s greatest naval commander has just been born. The young Horatio Nelson ha...

Thu, 14 Nov 2024

“Nixon now! Nixon now! More than ever we need Nixon now!” It's the 5th of November 1968, and Ric...

Mon, 11 Nov 2024

The Democratic National Convention is in Chicago, and the incumbent president, Lyndon B. Johnson, ha...

Thu, 07 Nov 2024

“Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever!” George Wallace, Governor of Alaba...

Mon, 04 Nov 2024

“What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatre...

Thu, 31 Oct 2024

The peaceful figurehead of the Civil Rights movement in the early 1960s, Dr Martin Luther King had i...

Mon, 28 Oct 2024

"Tonight I want to speak to you of peace in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.” On the night of Sunday, 3...

Thu, 24 Oct 2024

“Let us march! Let us march! May impure blood water our fields!” Written after the declaration o...

Wed, 23 Oct 2024

The war between revolutionary France and the allied powers of Prussia and Austria has reached fever ...

Sun, 20 Oct 2024

During the "Ancien Regime", royal executioners held an unholy status, and would strike up fear in th...

Wed, 16 Oct 2024

“You have shaken off the yoke of your despots, but surely this was not to bend the knee before a f...

Sun, 13 Oct 2024

Welcome to Season 2 of The French Revolution! Revolutionary fervour threatens to engulf the streets...

Wed, 09 Oct 2024

In the aftermath of Boudicca’s uprising, the Romans felt they could not withdraw from the British ...

Sun, 06 Oct 2024

“Two cities were sacked, eighty thousand of the Romans and of their allies perished, and the islan...

Wed, 02 Oct 2024

Viewed as an idiot by those around him, Claudius felt the need to prove himself. In the century sinc...

Sun, 29 Sep 2024

Julius Caesar saw the Britons as brutal savages. Yet the Romans romanticised their lack of civilisat...

Wed, 25 Sep 2024

After lying in state in an open casket, Evita’s corpse is taken down to a secret laboratory in the...

Mon, 23 Sep 2024

The workaholic mother of a nation, Evita’s health deteriorates and she faints at a public event. A...

Sun, 22 Sep 2024

“There is only one man who can lead any worker’s regime.” Together, Eva and Colonel Perón bu...

Wed, 18 Sep 2024

An admirer of Hitler and Mussolini, Colonel Perón rose through the ranks during the 1943 military c...

Sun, 15 Sep 2024

“Don’t cry for me Argentina, the truth is I never left you.” Few political figures have been...

Wed, 11 Sep 2024

It’s August 1944: the Liberation of Paris is underway, and France appears to slowly be extricating...

Mon, 09 Sep 2024

“I like an Englishman to look like an Englishman, and beards are foreign and breed vermin. Also de...

Sun, 08 Sep 2024

What did Marcus Aurelius, Jesus, and Ragnar Lothbrok all have in common? Apart from their notorious ...

Wed, 04 Sep 2024

St Crispin’s day, 1415: Henry V stands victorious, after a tremendous defeat of the French forces ...

Sun, 01 Sep 2024

“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers”. The Battle of Agincourt in 1415 endures as perhaps...

Wed, 28 Aug 2024

On the 11th of August 1415, King Henry V of England - an austere, pious, thoughtful and terrifying w...

Sun, 25 Aug 2024

“Once more unto the breach, dear friends. Once more, we'll close the wall up with our English dead...

Wed, 21 Aug 2024

The year is 1403, and the Usurper King, Henry IV, faces a seemingly insurmountable challenge to his ...

Sun, 18 Aug 2024

"Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown…” Henry IV has been portrayed as both a shadowy, obscu...

Wed, 14 Aug 2024

The unexpected evolution of Italian food can serve as a tantalising doorway into some of the greates...

Sun, 11 Aug 2024

In Sussex, in 1912, men quarrying in a gravel pit near Piltdown village turned up a human skull. Acc...

Thu, 08 Aug 2024

Twelve months after the dramatic Women’s March on Versailles, the Revolution proper was well into ...

Wed, 07 Aug 2024

By the summer of 1789 the different sections of the Revolution were at loggerheads, and the recently...

Mon, 05 Aug 2024

“Liberté, égalité, fraternité!” Alongside violence, the French Revolution is a story of p...

Sun, 04 Aug 2024

“It was violence that made the revolution revolutionary”. The storming of the Bastille is viewe...

Thu, 01 Aug 2024

In the summer of 1788, a monstrous storm swept across France, wiping out the crucial wheat harvest. ...

Wed, 31 Jul 2024

With seismic antecedents such as the Glorious Revolution in England and the American War of Independ...

Mon, 29 Jul 2024

In August 1785 a shocking affair came to light which would prove so detrimental to the reputation an...

Sun, 28 Jul 2024

The French Revolution is one of the great seismic events of global history. A devouring conflagratio...

Thu, 25 Jul 2024

“The lamps are going out all over Europe, we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime” In th...

Wed, 24 Jul 2024

“We have been forced to draw the sword”. Following the expiry of Austria’s Ultimatum on Saturd...

Sun, 21 Jul 2024

On the 24th of July 1914, in London, the Liberal British Cabinet met to hear the Foreign Secretary, ...

Thu, 18 Jul 2024

On the 20th of July 1914 the heads of state of two great European powers - France and Russia - met i...

Wed, 17 Jul 2024

In the wake of the cataclysmic assassination of Franz Ferdinand on the 28th of June 1914, in Austria...

Sun, 14 Jul 2024

By the end of July 1914, the world hovered on the edge of a cataclysmic world war; Austria was at wa...

Wed, 10 Jul 2024

Archduke Franz Ferdinand has arrived in Sarajevo for a military inspection, alongside his wife, Soph...

Sun, 07 Jul 2024

Archduke Franz Ferdinand, as heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was one of the most important men ...

Wed, 03 Jul 2024

Gavrilo Princip, having been sent to school in Sarajevo, has become mixed up with the wrong crowd, a...

Sun, 30 Jun 2024

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to one of the world’s greatest empires, in Jun...

Thu, 27 Jun 2024

To coincide with the re-release of Dynasty in audiobook, now with Tom Holland himself narrating, we ...

Wed, 26 Jun 2024

From the turn of the 20th century, election campaigns - though still replete with politicians behavi...

Sun, 23 Jun 2024

"Good God I am shot! I shall die!" The colourful kaleidoscope of British elections from 1265 to thei...

Wed, 19 Jun 2024

The image of Saint George astride his horse, sword and spear in hand, slaying a dragon, is one of th...

Sun, 16 Jun 2024

"When dragons flew to war… everything burned. I do not wish to rule over a kingdom of ash and bone...

Thu, 13 Jun 2024

To coincide with the re-release of Rubicon in audiobook, now with Tom Holland himself narrating it, ...

Wed, 12 Jun 2024

In 972AD a princess of the Byzantine Empire was sent by her uncle, the Roman emperor in Constantinop...

Sun, 09 Jun 2024

"His clothes seemed to melt into each other with the perfection of their cut and the quiet harmony o...

Wed, 05 Jun 2024

In 1870 the German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann - a man of remarkable energy, desperately fasci...

Sun, 02 Jun 2024

The story of Helen of Troy, her remarkable birth and her infamous love affair with Paris, the Trojan...

Thu, 30 May 2024

"I will bury my heart, at Wounded Knee" With Native American culture in free fall in the years follo...

Wed, 29 May 2024

Following the tragic death of Crazy Horse and the ruthless cessation of the Sioux way of life, the l...

Sun, 26 May 2024

Though the Battle of the Little Bighorn seemed for the triumphant Lakota and their allies - the larg...

Wed, 22 May 2024

What happened between the moment that George A. Custer dispatched a trumpeter with his famous final ...

Mon, 20 May 2024

“You and I are going home today, and by a trail that is strange to us both…” The Battle of The...

Thu, 16 May 2024

The U.S. was cast into a spiralling panic following the economic depression of 1873, and waves of pa...

Wed, 15 May 2024

In the wake of the barbaric Washita River massacre, George Custer found himself drifting; addicted t...

Sun, 12 May 2024

"What would you do if your home was attacked? You would stand up like a brave man and defend it. Tha...

Wed, 08 May 2024

Of all the great characters entangled in the story of George A. Custer and the American Indian Wars...

Mon, 06 May 2024

With the American Civil War coming to a close in April 1865, George Custer, cavalry commander in the...

Sun, 05 May 2024

“Come on, you Wolverines!” The story of the American Indian Wars of 1862-68 is an enthralling ta...

Wed, 01 May 2024

The Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, the Habsburg dynasty's mightiest ruler, was at once King of Spain,...

Sun, 28 Apr 2024

"The First Emperor will die and his land will be divided….” The First Emperor of China, Qin Shi ...

Wed, 24 Apr 2024

Rumours surrounding Lord Byron’s scandalous divorce rippled throughout the world. Finally, he had ...

Sun, 21 Apr 2024

Good God I am surely in hell! Upon Lord Byron’s return to England and the publication of Childe ...

Wed, 17 Apr 2024

By 1809, Lord Byron found himself untethered and debt-ridden. Disenchanted with politics, frustrated...

Sun, 14 Apr 2024

Few lives from history can have contained as many strange and exciting strands as that of Lord Byron...

Wed, 10 Apr 2024

Music for sex, dancing, and watching the straight world go by… The explosion of Disco provides a...

Sun, 07 Apr 2024

“We choose to go to the Moon. We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, ...

Wed, 03 Apr 2024

“I think there is not a devil left in hell, they have all gone into the peasants… smite, stab an...

Mon, 01 Apr 2024

"I cannot and will not recant anything for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe.…Her...

Sun, 31 Mar 2024

Three years on from Martin Luther’s publication of the Ninety-Five Theses - a shocking attack on t...

Thu, 28 Mar 2024

Martin Luther is one of the few people to have genuinely changed the world, igniting a religious rev...

Mon, 25 Mar 2024

The Reformation, launched in 1517, stands as one of the most convulsive and transformative events of...

Thu, 21 Mar 2024

"Then it is I drown again, with all those dim lost faces I never understood… Include me in your la...

Tue, 19 Mar 2024

“A story of horror unparalleled in the annals of the Sea.” On the 14th of April 1912, Titanic, a...

Mon, 18 Mar 2024

It is Sunday the 14th of April 1912, and the passengers of the Titanic, from the tycoons in first cl...

Thu, 14 Mar 2024

The drama and tragedy of the Titanic’s sinking has spawned all manner of myths about those who lef...

Tue, 12 Mar 2024

The Titanic was a product of the furious competition of the late Gilded Age, and no expenses were sp...

Mon, 11 Mar 2024

"There is no danger that Titanic will sink. The boat is unsinkable and nothing but inconvenience wil...

Thu, 07 Mar 2024

Man in his arrogance thinks himself a great work, worthy the interposition of a deity. More humble, ...

Mon, 04 Mar 2024

‘For if a person fatigued with long and hard labour, or with a violent agitation of the mind, take...

Thu, 29 Feb 2024

In the third century BC, a clash which had been brewing for centuries finally erupted: Rome, the rut...

Mon, 26 Feb 2024

“Every man is the architect of his own destiny” Long before Rome reigned over the Mediterranean,...

Thu, 22 Feb 2024

“An aristocratic republic, secret and well-ordered, where individuals are subject to the harsh law...

Mon, 19 Feb 2024

“Carthago delenda est.” Carthage must be destroyed: this was the rallying cry of Cato the Elder,...

Fri, 16 Feb 2024

The horrific Guildford Pub Bombings of Saturday 5th October 1974 sent shockwaves through Britain, wo...

Thu, 15 Feb 2024

Following a tumultuous election in February 1974, Labour’s Harold Wilson has been re-elected Prime...

Tue, 13 Feb 2024

Three days after one of the most devastating IRA attacks launched upon British soil, the Conservativ...

Mon, 12 Feb 2024

“Who governs Britain?” Britain in the early 1970’s was a state in crisis, and by 1974, things ...

Thu, 08 Feb 2024

Geoffrey Chaucer stands as a founding father of English literature, and ‘The Canterbury Tales’ i...

Mon, 05 Feb 2024

“For within the hollow crown that rounds the hollow temple of a king...” Richard II, son of the ...

Thu, 01 Feb 2024

On the 13th of June 1381, the rebel army of English peasants, led by Wat Tyler, entered London and b...

Mon, 29 Jan 2024

By the late 14th century, England was in decline. Already weakened by the Hundred Years’ War, both...

Thu, 25 Jan 2024

Extolling his love for democracy, the Senator took on autocratic powers, during a time of emergency,...

Mon, 22 Jan 2024

In the late 17th century, during the glorious reign of Louis XIV, the Sun King, France was at its ap...

Thu, 18 Jan 2024

By November 1938 the scene in Germany was at its darkest yet, as the full scale of Hitler’s intent...

Tue, 16 Jan 2024

As Hitler ramps up the German war machine, he remains obsessed with one idea: uprooting Jews from th...

Mon, 15 Jan 2024

“We must have a healthy people to dominate in the world”. In July 1933, Hitler’s Nazi party pa...

Thu, 11 Jan 2024

By 1937, Hitler’s ever-growing ambitions were driving Europe to the brink of war. Ever restless, h...

Mon, 08 Jan 2024

“No one can doubt that this world will one day be the scene of dreadful struggles for existence on...

Thu, 04 Jan 2024

“We did not lose the war because our artillery gave out, but because the weapons of our mind didn’...

Mon, 01 Jan 2024

“Hitler had entered Röhm’s bedroom alone with a whip in his hand. Behind him had stood two dete...

Thu, 28 Dec 2023

A Pope of great renown once reigned during chaotic years for the medieval Church: she was an extraor...

Mon, 25 Dec 2023

“The Church was anxious to draw the attention of its members away from the old pagan feast days, a...

Thu, 21 Dec 2023

On the 8th of June 1948, the HMT Windrush sailed from Kingston with almost 500 migrants on board, de...

Mon, 18 Dec 2023

In 1854, the twenty-five year old aristocrat Roger Tichborne, heir to an impressive fortune, died in...

Thu, 14 Dec 2023

The Battle for Italy in 1943 proved to be one of the bloodiest and most brutal episodes of the Secon...

Mon, 11 Dec 2023

In this landmark edition of The Rest is History, Dominic and Tom reveal the astonishing solution to...

Thu, 07 Dec 2023

“We can’t accept very comfortably that two nobodies, two nothings - Lee Harvey Oswald and Jack R...

Tue, 05 Dec 2023

“Jack, you son of a bitch, don’t do it!” Just hours after President Kennedy’s assassination...

Mon, 04 Dec 2023

It’s 12:31pm on Friday 22nd November 1963, and in Dallas, Texas, President John F. Kennedy lies sl...

Thu, 30 Nov 2023

“It wouldn't be very difficult to kill the president of the United States, you just have to be in ...

Tue, 28 Nov 2023

By the late 1950s, John F. Kennedy was a rich and handsome Democratic senator with a beautiful wife ...

Mon, 27 Nov 2023

“There were a lot of people who wanted Kennedy dead, a lot of powerful people. There are secrets s...

Thu, 23 Nov 2023

Tenochtitlan, once the glittering jewel at the heart of the mighty Aztec Empire, has fallen. Hernán...

Mon, 20 Nov 2023

"Conquer or die indeed, Cortes thought… The hour of decision was at hand…" It is the spring of ...

Thu, 16 Nov 2023

Things have never looked bleaker for Hernán Cortés and his band of Spaniards. They are trapped, st...

Tue, 14 Nov 2023

“The blood flowed like water…” It is 1520 and word has reached Hernán Cortés in Tenochtitla...

Mon, 13 Nov 2023

The year is 1519. Hernán Cortés and his Spanish comrades have arrived in Tenochtitlan, the capital...

Thu, 09 Nov 2023

“Conquer or die! Conquer or die! Conquer or die!” Making a decision that will change the course...

Tue, 07 Nov 2023

Hernán Cortés has set sail from Cuba, eager to find the truth behind the rumours of gold on the co...

Mon, 06 Nov 2023

The meeting of the controversial Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés and the formidable Emperor Mon...

Thu, 02 Nov 2023

Within the turmoil of the French Revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte stands out to his military superiors...

Mon, 30 Oct 2023

“I would plunge the avenging dagger, up to the hilt, in the breast of the tyrant!” Born in Corsi...

Wed, 25 Oct 2023

Cook has been sent by the Royal Navy to the Pacific to track the transit of Venus from Tahiti, but a...

Sun, 22 Oct 2023

The greatest sea explorer of all time, James Cook was born to a humble Yorkshire family, and first s...

Wed, 18 Oct 2023

The setting for so many of the Arabian Nights, like the stories of Sinbad the Sailor, Ali Baba and t...

Sun, 15 Oct 2023

Baghdad was a place of fabulous sophistication and teeming multitudes, where terrible things could h...

Wed, 11 Oct 2023

“No city in the world will ever rival it for prosperity...“ Baghdad, originally a Christian vill...

Sun, 08 Oct 2023

A story of great myth and of huge historical significance, the foundation of Baghdad is a fundamenta...

Wed, 04 Oct 2023

The Mitfords were the most glamorous aristocrats on the London scene in the 1920s, with at their hea...

Sun, 01 Oct 2023

“You will never catch Sir Oswald admitting to anti-semitism - all he does is embody it!” Followi...

Wed, 27 Sep 2023

The fascists in Britain have found a leader known across the country: the sinister yet complex Oswal...

Sun, 24 Sep 2023

The cultural roots of fascism swirled around Britain at the turn of the 20th century, as medieval no...

Thu, 21 Sep 2023

The U.S. have given up on ousting the socialist President Allende through democratic means, and shif...

Wed, 20 Sep 2023

In the midst of the Cold War, the 1973 coup against the socialist Chilean president Salvador Allende...

Mon, 18 Sep 2023

In anticipation of the U.S. release of PAX, here’s the book’s introduction for you to enjoy, rea...

Sun, 17 Sep 2023

“Are you not entertained?!”  The emblem of Rome, the Colosseum was the unsettling but glamorous...

Wed, 13 Sep 2023

“To be a boy at one of these schools was to be alternately tyrant and slave.” More gruesome even...

Sun, 10 Sep 2023

Eclectic traditions, obscure codes and cryptic ancient languages: the world of Harry Potter has capt...

Wed, 06 Sep 2023

“Let us advance courageously, to change the backward condition of our country, and turn it into a ...

Sun, 03 Sep 2023

The father of sadism and a prophet of totalitarianism, the Marquis de Sade was a French aristocrat a...

Wed, 30 Aug 2023

In a swirling world dominated by miniskirts, feather boas, posh photographers, youth culture, Jimi H...

Sun, 27 Aug 2023

The Sixties is one of the only moments in history when Britain could claim to be the epicentre of wo...

Wed, 23 Aug 2023

“The mutual affection and harmony between the two had reached a degree never seen between a husban...

Sun, 20 Aug 2023

One of the greatest institutions of the ancient world, the Library of Alexandria was the embodiment ...

Wed, 16 Aug 2023

“A cloud of black, acrid smoke hung over the area. It was a scene from a warzone, a battlefield - ...

Sun, 13 Aug 2023

"Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.” Arguably the most celebrated speech of the 20th...

Wed, 09 Aug 2023

Warning! This one isn’t for the faint-hearted... A naked, torch-carrying man, who would walk backw...

Sun, 06 Aug 2023

“There’s a lot of severed heads at this villa!” The great TV sensation of the summer returns o...

Wed, 02 Aug 2023

A woman of immense influence on medieval Christendom, Catherine of Siena was one of the first female...

Sun, 30 Jul 2023

Mount Vesuvius' eruption in the autumn of AD79 remains one of the deadliest and best-known in histor...

Thu, 27 Jul 2023

Charles de Gaulle was a war hero in the First World War, and, having refused to accept his governmen...

Mon, 24 Jul 2023

May 1968 saw underlying tensions reach a climax in France, resulting in a period of civil unrest col...

Thu, 20 Jul 2023

A city which played a fundamental role in the Dutch Golden Age and in the birth of the Dutch monarch...

Mon, 17 Jul 2023

A city built on water, Amsterdam has often set the tone of European modernity. It first gained promi...

Thu, 13 Jul 2023

With the French and Spanish siding with George Washington’s revolutionaries, the game is up for th...

Mon, 10 Jul 2023

“O ye that love mankind! Ye that dare oppose, not only the tyranny, but the tyrant, stand forth!”...

Thu, 06 Jul 2023

“Last night three cargos of tea were emptied into the sea. This morning a man of war sails. This i...

Mon, 03 Jul 2023

“America, late the strength, now the foe to Britain, dismembered, torn, I fear forever lost to Eng...

Thu, 29 Jun 2023

“Who drinks the water I shall give him, will have a spring inside him welling up for eternal life....

Mon, 26 Jun 2023

The most important object in the universe, but also a somewhat invisible presence in the Bible, the ...

Fri, 23 Jun 2023

Following the use of the atomic bomb in Japan and the end of the Second World War, Oppenheimer pushe...

Thu, 22 Jun 2023

“Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.” This was J. Robert Oppenheimer’s reaction to...

Mon, 19 Jun 2023

It’s 1895, and with the libel case brought against the Marquess of Queensbury having collapsed, Os...

Thu, 15 Jun 2023

“The truth is rarely pure and never simple.” As his most popular work, "The Importance of Being ...

Mon, 12 Jun 2023

A mysterious death on the Nile, an unconventional love affair, a Roman-Greek hero turned God - the s...

Thu, 08 Jun 2023

The Easter Rising began in Dublin's General Post Office on Easter Monday, 24th April 1916, with Patr...

Mon, 05 Jun 2023

The year is 1912. The bitter arguments about Home Rule for Ireland are reaching boiling point. But w...

Thu, 01 Jun 2023

At the start of the 19th century, the kingdoms of Britain and Ireland were officially 'united' with ...

Mon, 29 May 2023

“In every generation the Irish people have asserted their right to national freedom and sovereignt...

Thu, 25 May 2023

A grubby, secretive cabal of devil worshippers that run the world, or a fraternity of like-minded i...

Mon, 22 May 2023

What did "demos" really mean to the Athenians? Why were women such a crucial part of Athenian democr...

Thu, 18 May 2023

It's 1649 and a new republic has been declared, the Commonwealth of England. It's an age of 17th cen...

Mon, 15 May 2023

In 1885, H. Rider Haggard’s brother offered him a wager: five shillings if he could write a book h...

Thu, 11 May 2023

It’s 1647, and in New England, where puritan settlers live in fear of God’s wrath and a hostile ...

Mon, 08 May 2023

Born on the Western edge of an empire that stretched all the way to India, Herodotus was a Greek his...

Sat, 06 May 2023

What was the most calamitous coronation of all time? Which ceremony does Tom think is the most borin...

Fri, 05 May 2023

Whether it’s London descending into a riot, a bad hangover with Samuel Pepys, or a royal lacking d...

Thu, 04 May 2023

The roots of the coronation ritual are fabulously ancient: certain elements of the ceremony are vest...

Mon, 01 May 2023

Few years in European History saw as much change and turmoil as 1848: across the continent, from Vie...

Thu, 27 Apr 2023

“It is 105 degrees in Saigon, and rising.” This announcement, made through U.S. Armed Forces rad...

Mon, 24 Apr 2023

It's 1975, and in the final act of the Vietnam War, the U.S. have ordered all remaining civilian and...

Thu, 20 Apr 2023

Rin Tin Tin, born on the Western Front in 1918, became one of the biggest movie stars of the silent ...

Mon, 17 Apr 2023

The German Democratic Republic was born in the ashes of the Second World War, and described itself a...

Thu, 13 Apr 2023

The Black Prince has gained lands in Aquitaine and Gascony through his brutal and thorough attacks. ...

Mon, 10 Apr 2023

As the spectre of the Black Death haunts Europe, a more tangible foe terrorises the French king and ...

Thu, 06 Apr 2023

State of the art military technology. Blind battle commanders. Iconic kingly lines. Tom and Dominic ...

Mon, 03 Apr 2023

Dynastic turmoil, inconvenient treaties with Scotland, tales of knights, longbows and the golden age...

Thu, 30 Mar 2023

A story spanning modern-day Ghana, Angola, and Benin, historian Luke Pepera joins Tom and Dominic to...

Mon, 27 Mar 2023

It's 1718, an English Quaker lands in Barbados. He is soon horrified to discover the treatment of pe...

Thu, 23 Mar 2023

From claims that the alphabet was originated by Atlantians, Francis Bacon using the story as a model...

Mon, 20 Mar 2023

Majestic palaces, untold riches, and indeterminable power... the story of Atlantis is a tale as old ...

Thu, 16 Mar 2023

Have humans always been haunted by fears of a climate apocalypse? Or is that a modern phenomenon? Is...

Mon, 13 Mar 2023

Warmonger or nuclear disarmer? Ronald Reagan’s presidency survived an assassination attempt, the A...

Thu, 09 Mar 2023

His Hollywood career drying up, Ronald Reagan works both for the Screen Actors Guild and General Ele...

Mon, 06 Mar 2023

Ronald "Dutch" Reagan was born in 1911 to a humble family of Illinois, his father an FDR-loving demo...

Thu, 02 Mar 2023

Christopher Columbus caused debate in his own time, and remains a controversial figure today: some a...

Mon, 27 Feb 2023

Columbus returns to the remnants of his first voyage to the "Indies", having convinced Isabella and ...

Thu, 23 Feb 2023

Having convinced the Catholic Monarchs to fund his journey across the Atlantic, Columbus sets sail w...

Mon, 20 Feb 2023

A controversial figure both now and in his time, Tom and Dominic discuss Columbus and his drive for ...

Thu, 16 Feb 2023

In this second episode on perhaps the most notorious assasination in world history, Tom and Dominic ...

Mon, 13 Feb 2023

“He was trapped - he couldn’t get up. There was blood everywhere. The faces were coming closer, ...

Thu, 09 Feb 2023

Thought by some as the first genocide in Europe, the Albigensian Crusade was the bloodiest crusade i...

Tue, 07 Feb 2023

Was the Catholic Church Europe’s first revolutionary group? How are the Cathars linked to the gene...

Mon, 06 Feb 2023

Secret societies, Jesus' ancient bloodline, Catholic conspirators; all backed up by documents in the...

Thu, 02 Feb 2023

Edwardian Britain: Domestic service is at its peak. However, as Britain modernises, things were abou...

Mon, 30 Jan 2023

"One of the greatest rulers to have ever lived" - Tom Holland. But how much do you know about Hatshe...

Thu, 26 Jan 2023

Hitler is chancellor, but he is not yet all-powerful. How does he go from becoming the leader of the...

Mon, 23 Jan 2023

Wall Street crashes. The German economy capitulates and governments start to fall. Backroom deals an...

Thu, 19 Jan 2023

German hyperinflation. The Beer Hall Putsch. Hitler’s trial. Join Tom and Dominic as they discuss ...

Mon, 16 Jan 2023

Where do the origins of Nazism lie? The Second Reich? Hitler’s time in Vienna? The First World War...

Thu, 12 Jan 2023

‘It had the alchemy of a bitter Tory leadership race’. Reigning for the shortest period of any ...

Mon, 09 Jan 2023

Edward VI is dead - but who will succeed him on the throne?  In the first of two episodes, Tom an...

Thu, 05 Jan 2023

In our second episode exploring the story of Rudolf Vrba, Jonathan Freedland joins Tom and Dominic a...

Mon, 02 Jan 2023

Tom and Dominic are joined by Jonathan Freedland to discuss the incredible story of Rudolf Vrba and ...

Thu, 29 Dec 2022

Join Tom and Dominic for the final episode of 2022 in which they discuss the historical importance o...

Mon, 26 Dec 2022

For a festive special, Tom and Dominic are joined by author and alcohol historian Henry Jeffreys to ...

Thu, 22 Dec 2022

Join Tom and Dominic for the second of two episodes on 'Historical Jesus'. They discuss scepticism a...

Mon, 19 Dec 2022

*The Rest Is History Live Tour April 2023*: Tom and Dominic are going on tour in April 2023 and perf...

Sun, 18 Dec 2022

England: Roast Beef and Liberty While it has now been dethroned by the mighty Tikka Masala and th...

Sat, 17 Dec 2022

Canada: Beaver Wars Join Tom and Dominic as they discuss the illustrious history of the beaver. This...

Fri, 16 Dec 2022

Denmark: The Great Escape In today's episode, Tom and Dominic look at the story of how the vast majo...

Thu, 15 Dec 2022

Ecuador: Darwin's Adventure to the Galapagos Join Tom and Dominic as they discuss Charles Darwin's t...

Wed, 14 Dec 2022

Morocco: The Rif War In today's episode, Tom and Dominic discuss the Rif War, predecessor to the Spa...

Tue, 13 Dec 2022

Today, Tom and Dominic are in Islamic Spain discussing Roman conquests, melancholy Emirs and vibrant...

Mon, 12 Dec 2022

A little known story. Serbia, the home to one of the first great civilisations. They had the first w...

Sun, 11 Dec 2022

In today’s World Cup special on Cameroon, Tom and Dominic tell the fascinating story of “probabl...

Sat, 10 Dec 2022

In today's episode, Tom and Dominic explore the origins of the motion-picture camera, a device inven...

Fri, 09 Dec 2022

In today's episode, Tom and Dominic discuss the history of Japan through six characters, with leadin...

Thu, 08 Dec 2022

Join Tom and Dominic as, for the first time ever, they dip their toes into the Dutch republic. They ...

Wed, 07 Dec 2022

Why are there Welsh speakers born in Argentina? Join Tom and Dominic to understand the fascinating a...

Tue, 06 Dec 2022

Today, Tom and Dominic are in 16th century Calvinist Geneva, where Michael Servetus is being condemn...

Mon, 05 Dec 2022

In today's World Cup episode, Tom and Dominic return to the history of Portugal to discuss militar...

Sun, 04 Dec 2022

In today's episode, Tom and Dominic discuss the Senegalese island of Gorée, and its complex relatio...

Sat, 03 Dec 2022

Who is the greatest artist of all time? Join Tom and Dominic as Belgian historian Bart van Loo puts ...

Fri, 02 Dec 2022

Join Tom and Dominic as they explore the seven wonders of Poland. Hear all about Krakus the dragon-...

Thu, 01 Dec 2022

On today's World Cup episode, Tom and Dominic discuss the Ashanti Empire. Tune in to hear about the...

Wed, 30 Nov 2022

As promised during the Portugal mini-series, Tom and Dominic are returning to Brazil to discuss its ...

Tue, 29 Nov 2022

What are the origins of Wales? And how do the Welsh define themselves against Englishness? As Englan...

Mon, 28 Nov 2022

Join Tom and Dominic on their journey to the 16th century Korean peninsula, as they discuss Hwang Ji...

Sun, 27 Nov 2022

Join Tom and Dominic for their World Cup episode on Saudi Arabia, where they discuss 'the most fam...

Sat, 26 Nov 2022

On the Day of the Dead you eat pan de muerto and exchange calaveras with your friends. This celebrat...

Fri, 25 Nov 2022

In today's World Cup special, Anglo-American relations are at their most tense, as the USA and Engla...

Thu, 24 Nov 2022

Join Tom and Dominic as they tell the story of the tragic heroine of Virgil’s Aeneid - Dido of Car...

Wed, 23 Nov 2022

In 1963, with the influence of the Cuban Revolution strong in South America, the left wing guerrilla...

Tue, 22 Nov 2022

"In conditions of chaos, people from outside the Roman social elite can rise to the top." Join Tom ...

Mon, 21 Nov 2022

On the day of England vs. Iran, Tom and Dominic are joined by friend of the show, Ali Ansari, to dis...

Sun, 20 Nov 2022

Join Tom and Dominic as they continue the World Cup series by discussing the Costa Rican Civil War. ...

Sat, 19 Nov 2022

In today’s Australian-themed World Cup episode, Tom leads us through the incredible true story of ...

Fri, 18 Nov 2022

“Since the conquest of Poland, 300,000 Jews have been murdered in this country in the most bestial...

Thu, 17 Nov 2022

It is finally here. Tom and Dominic are embarking upon their mighty World Cup themed extravaganza. E...

Wed, 16 Nov 2022

In their last episode on the World Cup, Tom and Dominic are joined by the face of football, Gary Lin...

Tue, 15 Nov 2022

Welcome to the second episode of The Rest Is History's definitive guide to the history of the FIFA W...

Mon, 14 Nov 2022

Welcome to The Rest Is History's definitive guide to the history of the FIFA World Cup, which looks ...

Sat, 12 Nov 2022

Forget the football, the next month's entertainment is coming from The Rest is History! Join Tom an...

Thu, 10 Nov 2022

Battling with the expanding power of the Vikings, listen to Tom and Dominic discover how King Alfred...

Mon, 07 Nov 2022

Alfred the Great is under invasion from the Vikings. Join Tom and Dominic as they discuss Alfred's ...

Thu, 03 Nov 2022

Join Tom and Dominic for the second part of their exploration of the history of treason. How has the...

Mon, 31 Oct 2022

Join Tom and Dominic at the National Archives as they explore the history of treason in Britain, goi...

Thu, 27 Oct 2022

Do commanders matter? Were the British generals effective or "foppish"? How did the Allies rebound...

Sat, 22 Oct 2022

After just 45 days, Liz Truss has resigned. Join Tom and Dominic for this special episode to discus...

Fri, 21 Oct 2022

In this final episode Tom and Dominic discuss the legendary Battle of Trafalgar. Despite being outnu...

Thu, 20 Oct 2022

In the second episode of Tom and Dominic's Trafalgar trilogy, the stakes could not be higher. They d...

Mon, 17 Oct 2022

Was the Battle of Trafalgar the most decisive battle of the 19th century? Join Tom and Dominic as th...

Thu, 13 Oct 2022

Tom and Dominic welcome film critic Muriel Zagha to discuss the home of cinema, France, and its hist...

Mon, 10 Oct 2022

In the final instalment of our series on Young Churchill, learn how Churchill escaped a prisoner of ...

Thu, 06 Oct 2022

Join Tom and Dominic in the second episode of our mini-series on Young Churchill as they dive into h...

Mon, 03 Oct 2022

‘The child is the father of the man.’ In the first episode of this mini-series on Young Churchi...

Thu, 29 Sep 2022

How were the bonnets, corsets, and empire line dresses of the Regency period expressive of a revolut...

Mon, 26 Sep 2022

Actress, singer, model and sex symbol Marilyn Monroe has long been associated with old school Hollyw...

Thu, 22 Sep 2022

Tom and Dominic welcome back special guest Rana Mitter to discuss China's position during World W...

Tue, 20 Sep 2022

Friend of the show Rana Mitter joins Tom and Dominic this week to discuss the role of China in the...

Thu, 15 Sep 2022

Why is modern society so self-obsessed? The answer may be found in a group of late 18th century Ger...

Mon, 12 Sep 2022

Does the Loch Ness Monster exist? When was the first mention of it recorded in history? And who are ...

Fri, 09 Sep 2022

In February 1952, on the death of her father King George VI, the 25-year-old Elizabeth became Queen....

Fri, 09 Sep 2022

The death of the Queen at the age of 96 brings to an end seven decades of her reign over Britain and...

Thu, 08 Sep 2022

In the final chapter of this series on the history of Portugal, Tom and Dominic explore Portugal ...

Wed, 07 Sep 2022

Earthquakes, gold rush, and Brazil. Join Tom and Dominic for the third episode in this history of P...

Tue, 06 Sep 2022

In the second episode of this Portugal mini-series, Tom and Dominic discuss the Portuguese setting s...

Mon, 05 Sep 2022

Welcome to The Rest Is History's Portugal mini-series! In the first of four episodes on Portugal, T...

Thu, 01 Sep 2022

Written in stages between 1937 and 1949, The Lord of the Rings is one of the best-selling books ever...

Mon, 29 Aug 2022

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien is one of the most prestigious authors in modern history, best known for w...

Thu, 25 Aug 2022

Grand villas on the Bay of Naples, engraving names on Egyptian singing statues, and sightseeing tour...

Mon, 22 Aug 2022

The rise and fall of Butlin's, Benidorm and Franco, class, package holidays, bikinis, mass tourism a...

Thu, 18 Aug 2022

The birth of guide books, resorts, and the package holiday. In the second episode in our holidays s...

Mon, 15 Aug 2022

Welcome to the first of four episodes on the history of holidays: Byron's Grand Tour; The Invention ...

Thu, 11 Aug 2022

Wars, disease, and legacy. In the final episode of the trilogy, Tom and Dominic discuss the Byzanti...

Tue, 09 Aug 2022

The Riot that destroyed a city and almost brought down an Emperor... In the second part of our tril...

Mon, 08 Aug 2022

In the first episode of a three part series, Tom and Dominic dive into the incredible story of Justi...

Thu, 04 Aug 2022

Tom and Dominic are joined by friend of the show Kyle Harper to discuss how pandemics and disease pl...

Mon, 01 Aug 2022

‘If it became necessary immediately to discard every line and method of communications used on the...

Thu, 28 Jul 2022

Tom and Dominic are again joined by Iain MacGregor to discuss the climax of the Battle of Stalingra...

Mon, 25 Jul 2022

Stalingrad: the bloodiest battle of the Second World War. Tom and Dominic are joined by Iain MacGre...

Fri, 22 Jul 2022

Welcome to the fifth and final episode in our London Week. Enjoyed the series? Click here to become...

Thu, 21 Jul 2022

Welcome to the fourth episode in our London Week mini-series. To get tomorrow's final episode right...

Wed, 20 Jul 2022

Welcome to the third episode in our new mini-series: LONDON WEEK. From Monday to Friday we're relea...

Tue, 19 Jul 2022

Welcome to the second episode in our new mini-series: LONDON WEEK. From Monday to Friday we'll rele...

Mon, 18 Jul 2022

Welcome to the first episode in our new mini-series: LONDON WEEK. From Monday to Friday we'll relea...

Thu, 14 Jul 2022

George Orwell is one of the most celebrated novelists, essayists, and journalists in modern British ...

Wed, 13 Jul 2022

Historical Love Island has swept the nation and the podcasting world since Monday, when four couples...

Mon, 11 Jul 2022

The Love Island phenomenon is sweeping the nation, so Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook are joined b...

Fri, 08 Jul 2022

Boris Johnson has resigned. In a special episode of The Rest Is History Tom and Dominic dissect the...

Thu, 07 Jul 2022

"There was a land of cavaliers and cotton fields called the Old South". Tom and Dominic are joined ...

Mon, 04 Jul 2022

In the final episode of this 'American Civil War' series, Tom, Dominic and historian Adam Smith look...

Thu, 30 Jun 2022

Tom, Dominic and historian Adam Smith look at the most famous battle of the war and Abraham Lincoln’...

Tue, 28 Jun 2022

Welcome to the second episode in The Rest Is History's 'American Civil War' series. The release sch...

Mon, 27 Jun 2022

Welcome to The Rest Is History 'American Civil War' series. The release schedule of the four episod...

Thu, 23 Jun 2022

On today's pod Tom and Dominic are joined by Stonehenge expert Mike Pitts to discuss all the big qu...

Thu, 16 Jun 2022

Join Tom and Dominic for the fourth and final instalment in their Cleopatra mini-series, as they di...

Wed, 15 Jun 2022

After centuries of Cleopatra and Mark Antony’s relationship being told and fictionalised by Plutar...

Tue, 14 Jun 2022

Join Tom and Dominic for the second episode of this four part mini-series on Cleopatra, where they ...

Mon, 13 Jun 2022

Welcome to The Rest Is History Cleopatra series! The release schedule of the four episodes is as fo...

Thu, 09 Jun 2022

Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook discuss the 'first' fascist, Gabriele D'Annunzio, with historian ...

Tue, 07 Jun 2022

As British PM Boris Johnson survives a no confidence vote, Tom and Dominic record a special episode ...

Mon, 06 Jun 2022

Join Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook as they uncover the origins of Robin Hood. What was the ea...

Thu, 02 Jun 2022

In today's episode, Tom and Dominic talk to Sara Read about the history of childbirth. Sara unveil...

Mon, 30 May 2022

In today's episode of The Rest Is History Dominic and Tom look at how Jubilees have served as a mome...

Thu, 26 May 2022

Join Tom and Dominic for the final episode of their Australian epic. Tune in to hear about the explo...

Tue, 24 May 2022

In the second part of our Australian PMs trilogy, Tom and Dominic explore Chinese Communist conspira...

Mon, 23 May 2022

In the wake of Anthony Albanese's victory in this weekend's Australian election, Tom and Dominic hav...

Thu, 19 May 2022

The longest reigning monarch in British history, Elizabeth II acceded to the throne 70 years ago. T...

Mon, 16 May 2022

Agatha Christie is the best-selling novelist in history. Coinciding neatly with the 'Wagatha Christ...

Thu, 12 May 2022

Could the West have lost the Cold War? Would we be happier if we didn't study history? Would you pre...

Mon, 09 May 2022

Who was the most influential leader of the 20th century? What would have happened if the South had w...

Thu, 05 May 2022

What military parallels does Putin's invasion of Ukraine have with Hitler's attempt to invade the So...

Mon, 02 May 2022

In January, Tom and Dominic explored the history of Babylon, from Nebuchadnezzar onwards (episode 14...

Thu, 28 Apr 2022

George Orwell, a love of wildlife, and Raheem Sterling - but what does it mean to be English in the ...

Tue, 26 Apr 2022

In the second of two episodes covering France's post-war presidents, Tom and Dominic drill down into...

Mon, 25 Apr 2022

It's the day after the French election runoff between Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen, so naturall...

Thu, 21 Apr 2022

In the second of two episodes on the Jewish Revolt, Tom and Dominic discuss the burning of the Templ...

Mon, 18 Apr 2022

"The destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans: a thrilling, terrible, and blood-soaked story." Follow...

Thu, 14 Apr 2022

Crucifixions were a form of public execution so heinous that the Romans themselves were reluctant to...

Mon, 11 Apr 2022

Richard II, Prince Charles, and Tony Blair. From Merlin, to the middle ages, to the modern day, the ...

Thu, 07 Apr 2022

China's Cultural Revolution under Chairman Mao was one of the most staggeringly brutal events in rec...

Mon, 04 Apr 2022

In the final part of our Falklands series, Tom and Dominic discuss the legacy of the war in both the...

Thu, 31 Mar 2022

In the third episode of our Falklands War mini-series, the story heats up. The most controversial e...

Tue, 29 Mar 2022

In the second episode of our Falklands War mini-series, Britain is faced with an Argentine occupatio...

Mon, 28 Mar 2022

Welcome to our mini-series on The Falklands War, where Tom and Dominic will break down the causes, c...

Fri, 25 Mar 2022

Tom and Dominic are back with Helen Thompson for a second episode on the history of oil, its impact ...

Thu, 24 Mar 2022

Tom and Dominic are joined by Helen Thompson, Professor of Political Economy at the University of Ca...

Tue, 22 Mar 2022

The second of two episodes on Genghis Khan, listen to yesterday's pod (165. The Rise of Genghis Khan...

Mon, 21 Mar 2022

Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook speak to Ali Ansari about the origins of one of the greatest warlo...

Thu, 17 Mar 2022

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  No, Tom isn't turning Brixton's River Effra green, nor is Dominic dist...

Mon, 14 Mar 2022

What links the Mexican Republic, Palmerston, the Hapsburgs, Napoleon III and butterfly catching? P...

Thu, 10 Mar 2022

[Episode 4 of 4] 'In the noughties, Russian democracy becomes a form of show business' In the fina...

Wed, 09 Mar 2022

[Episode 3 of 4] 'You certainly won't understand what ordinary Russians see in Vladimir Putin if yo...

Tue, 08 Mar 2022

[Episode 2 of 4] This episode of The Rest Is History marks the second instalment in our four part s...

Mon, 07 Mar 2022

[Episode 1 of 4] Welcome to our new four part series on the latter years of the Soviet Union, its f...

Thu, 03 Mar 2022

How much do you know about the lethal price people have paid over the centuries to look fashionable?...

Tue, 01 Mar 2022

What happened to the Roman Empire after its fall? In the second of two episodes, Tom and Dominic di...

Mon, 28 Feb 2022

Tom and Dominic explore what Edward Gibbon called “the greatest, perhaps, and most awful scene in ...

Wed, 23 Feb 2022

With eastern Europe apparently on the brink of war and Vladimir Putin citing history as pretext, wha...

Mon, 21 Feb 2022

We've all been to some terrible ones, but what is the most disastrous party in human history?  Not...

Fri, 18 Feb 2022

On today's episode Tom and Dominic are joined by Friend of the Show, Professor Andrew Preston, to ta...

Thu, 17 Feb 2022

On today's episode Tom and Dominic are joined by Andrew Preston, a Cambridge University professor wh...

Mon, 14 Feb 2022

Happy Valentine's Day! Have you ever wondered why we send each other cards and go out to Carluccio's...

Fri, 11 Feb 2022

Today we're dropping an episode from our friends at Noiser. Their podcast brings us to Munich, Ger...

Thu, 10 Feb 2022

Did you think smuggling in Britain was confined to the Jamaica Inn and the beaches of the Cornish co...

Tue, 08 Feb 2022

In the second of two episodes on the Vikings in the East, Tom and Dominic investigate their role in ...

Mon, 07 Feb 2022

In this week's episode, Tom and Dominic take a look at the actions, influence and brutalisation of t...

Fri, 04 Feb 2022

How devastating were European arrivals to the Americas in terms of deaths and the introduction of ne...

Thu, 03 Feb 2022

The way we die has been utterly transformed. There have been around 10,000 generations of human bei...

Mon, 31 Jan 2022

Greatest city on earth. Den of iniquity. Imperial oppressor. Wealth and power. The ancient city of ...

Fri, 28 Jan 2022

Tune in to hear the second part of The Rest Is History's take on the execution of Charles I and its ...

Thu, 27 Jan 2022

Charles I was executed 373 years ago to the day on 30th January. But was his killing a sinful act of...

Tue, 25 Jan 2022

What happened to Gordon at Khartoum? Described by Dominic as the 'greatest media event of the Victo...

Mon, 24 Jan 2022

Who was General Gordon?  Tune in to hear about the life and times of the 'emblematic martyr of the...

Thu, 20 Jan 2022

Today Tom and Dominic are joined by historian Dan Jackson to talk about one of the greatest inventio...

Tue, 18 Jan 2022

Who killed the Princes in the Tower? The inspiration behind Shakespeare's Richard III, their murder ...

Mon, 17 Jan 2022

Who killed the Princes in the Tower? The inspiration behind Shakespeare's Richard III, their murder ...

Fri, 14 Jan 2022

In part 2 of this centennial episode, Tom and Dominic cover the triggering of the Irish Civil War, t...

Thu, 13 Jan 2022

2022 marks 100 years since one of the most important years in modern history. In part 1 Tom and Domi...

Tue, 11 Jan 2022

Now ready to take on Pompey and the Senate, Julius Caesar must take the final step and cross over in...

Mon, 10 Jan 2022

Julius Caesar crossed the banks of the Rubicon river with his legion on this day (maybe) over 2000 y...

Thu, 06 Jan 2022

A key battle in the history of England and a forgotten uprising in 17th century London round off our...

Wed, 05 Jan 2022

The catalyst for the upheaval of 1066 and one of the most controversial episodes in French history h...

Tue, 04 Jan 2022

Tom analyses the historical importance of Solomon Northup's story, made famous by Steve McQueen's '1...

Mon, 03 Jan 2022

Luther's excommunication from the Catholic church and the birth of the author of Lord of the Rings h...

Sun, 02 Jan 2022

The conquest of the kingdom of Grenada by Christian forces reclaimed southern Spain from the Moors, ...

Sat, 01 Jan 2022

In a distinctly Roman start to 2022, Tom sets the scene for Rome's "Year of the four Emperors", whil...

Fri, 31 Dec 2021

It's New Year's Eve - switch off the Hootenanny and tune in to hear Dominic recount extraordinary ta...

Thu, 30 Dec 2021

Tom dissects the Battle of Wakefield and the subsequent fall of Richard, Duke of York, while Dominic...

Wed, 29 Dec 2021

Tom takes us through the murder of Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral in 1170, while Dominic look...

Tue, 28 Dec 2021

In a suitably festive edition, Tom recounts the biblical story of King Herod's massacre of babies in...

Mon, 27 Dec 2021

How the English's fondness for Portuguese fortified wine began, and the unlikely story of the voyage...

Sun, 26 Dec 2021

Was Wenceslas good? Was he a king? And Dominic remembers the popular Victorian light opera maestros ...

Sat, 25 Dec 2021

To kick off our 12 Days of Christmas mini-series, Tom and Dominic remember the birth of the Holy Rom...

Thu, 23 Dec 2021

Fan favourite Rachel Morley from Friends of Friendless Churches is back to count down her top ten ...

Mon, 20 Dec 2021

Join Tom and Dominic in this festive special as they retrace the steps of Scrooge, Bob Cratchit and ...

Sat, 18 Dec 2021

In Tom and Dominic's inaugural livestream for the Rest is History Club, we dive into one of the most...

Thu, 16 Dec 2021

Now mostly overlooked by history, Burgundy was a major political and cultural power in western Europ...

Mon, 13 Dec 2021

From their origins in the 1930's running parallel to the rise of fascism in Europe, to the Adam West...

Thu, 09 Dec 2021

How did a game played by peasants in the English countryside as early as the 17th century evolve int...

Tue, 07 Dec 2021

A chance to peek behind the curtain into the new weekly bonus episode for subscribers to the Rest Is...

Mon, 06 Dec 2021

The peasant who became one of the most influential figures in the final days of the Russian Empire i...

Thu, 02 Dec 2021

Where did Neanderthals come from? How are they related to homo sapiens? And why are they no longer w...

Mon, 29 Nov 2021

“God is too late, you have begun, now I will finish it.” Swash-buckling hero or sacrilegious tyr...

Thu, 25 Nov 2021

The USA's Central Intelligence Agency is a mysterious organisation which has used covert methods to ...

Tue, 23 Nov 2021

Elizabeth II. Henry V. William the Conqueror. All pretenders, according to our twitter poll to find ...

Mon, 22 Nov 2021

Oliver Cromwell. Queen Victoria. George V. All contenders for the title of England's greatest monarc...

Fri, 19 Nov 2021

After an intense tournament featuring sixteen of the finest Kings and Queens this island has to offe...

Thu, 18 Nov 2021

"Discovered this territory, 1770". So reads the inscription on a statue of Captain Cook in Hyde Park...

Mon, 15 Nov 2021

1973: Major oil-producing nations led by Saudi Arabia quadruple the price of oil overnight, sending ...

Fri, 12 Nov 2021

Who's England's greatest monarch? Voting starts on Saturday 13th November, go to @TheRestHistory on ...

Thu, 11 Nov 2021

On the anniversary of the day the guns fell silent on the Western Front, we look at the last moments...

Tue, 09 Nov 2021

In the second part of our Alexander the Great special, we head to the limits of the known world, bur...

Mon, 08 Nov 2021

Alexander the Great is the most charismatic conqueror in history. Tom and Dominic, in the first of a...

Thu, 04 Nov 2021

‘Remember, remember / the Fifth of November / Gunpowder, treason & plot.” But what is it exactly...

Tue, 02 Nov 2021

Like Merlin, who lived his life in reverse, we go backwards in time as we continue our two-part seri...

Mon, 01 Nov 2021

In the first of a two part Hallowe’en special, Tom and Dominic are joined by Professor Ronald Hutt...

Thu, 28 Oct 2021

The word ‘medieval’ is often used to mean backward, benighted, unscientific. But is this fair? H...

Mon, 25 Oct 2021

Oh, to be Dutch in the seventeenth century. Or Roman in 150 AD. Or British in the 1990's. Tom and Do...

Thu, 21 Oct 2021

Curator and art historian Aparna Andhare gives Tom and Dominic her selection of the ten buildings th...

Mon, 18 Oct 2021

How did the existence of dinosaurs come to be discovered, & what role have they played in the popula...

Thu, 14 Oct 2021

Did the industrial revolution really improve people’s lives? And why was Britain first to industri...

Tue, 12 Oct 2021

Despite his overwhelming lead in the polls, President Richard Nixon’s paranoia leads to the crimin...

Mon, 11 Oct 2021

What led Richard Nixon into the greatest political scandal in American history? Dominic Sandbrook, a...

Thu, 07 Oct 2021

The world’s most famous classicist, Professor Mary Beard, joins Tom and Dominic to discuss how the...

Wed, 06 Oct 2021

WARNING: THIS PODCAST INCLUDES SPOILERS ABOUT THE NEW JAMES BOND MOVIE. DO NOT LISTEN UNTIL YOU’VE...

Mon, 04 Oct 2021

Something wicked this way comes. Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook take a deep dive into the real hi...

Thu, 30 Sep 2021

In today’s episode, Tom and Dominic are joined by Dr Eleanor Barraclough as they sail across the A...

Tue, 28 Sep 2021

As Angela Merkel bows out of German politics, Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland explore the surprisi...

Mon, 27 Sep 2021

The fictional British agent James Bond returns to our cinema screens this week, but what do the hist...

Thu, 23 Sep 2021

Writer and critic Tomiwa Owolade joins Dominic and Tom to discuss the pan-African movement and the v...

Tue, 21 Sep 2021

Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook continue their celebration of the 2,500th anniversary of the Persi...

Mon, 20 Sep 2021

In 480 BC, 300 Spartans made a famous stand at Thermopylae, as hordes of Persian soldiers, led by Xe...

Thu, 16 Sep 2021

Tom Holland is joined by Ali Ansari to discuss the most influential mistresses in history. The defin...

Mon, 13 Sep 2021

There are estimated to be around 16 thousand churches in England alone. But which are the finest in...

Thu, 09 Sep 2021

On the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001, four commercial airliners were hijacked above the US...

Tue, 07 Sep 2021

The rise of social media is the central subject of our second instalment with tech pioneer Marc Andr...

Mon, 06 Sep 2021

Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland are joined by tech pioneer Marc Andreessen. Has the internet been ...

Wed, 01 Sep 2021

The year is 1983, and on November the 8th the world is the closest it’s ever been to nuclear destr...

Mon, 30 Aug 2021

Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook are live at the Chalke Valley History Festival to discuss the cult...

Thu, 26 Aug 2021

The slaughter and bloodshed on the Western Front in World War One helped shape the narrative of the ...

Mon, 23 Aug 2021

From the Ice Age to the Winter of Discontent, climate and weather have hugely impacted historical ev...

Thu, 19 Aug 2021

“A war begun for no wise purpose.” This description of the First Anglo-Afghan War, fought in the...

Wed, 18 Aug 2021

In the first of a two-part series exploring the history of Afghanistan, Tom Holland and Dominic Sand...

Mon, 16 Aug 2021

Once there was darkness and then there was light. What was the Enlightenment and why did it matter? ...

Thu, 12 Aug 2021

The games afoot! Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook discuss the world’s favourite consulting detect...

Mon, 09 Aug 2021

Even the memory of them is enough to make most people shudder. As thousands of British students wait...

Thu, 05 Aug 2021

60 years ago this month, the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) began building a barrier that...

Mon, 02 Aug 2021

What does it mean to be a Spartan? How much of this Spartan image is real and how much is based on p...

Fri, 30 Jul 2021

Tom and Dominic continue their journey through the history of the Olympics, turning their attention ...

Thu, 29 Jul 2021

In 1896 the Olympic Games were reborn in Athens. Here we look at the forgotten tales and little know...

Mon, 26 Jul 2021

With the Games underway in Tokyo, Tom and Dominic look back to the Ancient Olympics. They discuss t...

Thu, 22 Jul 2021

Statues: Parliament Square In the final part of their epic trilogy, Tom and Dominic arrive at Parli...

Tue, 20 Jul 2021

Tom and Dominic continue their tour of London’s statues, arriving in Whitehall. War leaders, usele...

Mon, 19 Jul 2021

In the first of a three part series Tom and Dominic take a walking tour of central London to examine...

Thu, 15 Jul 2021

Tom and Dominic are joined by historian William Dalrymple to tell the fascinating and shocking story...

Mon, 12 Jul 2021

Henry VIII had the most notorious marital relations of any king in history. Tom and Dominic discuss ...

Fri, 09 Jul 2021

No country has enjoyed a greater influence on the English than Italy. Ahead of the European Champion...

Thu, 08 Jul 2021

No war has divided public opinion more than the conflict in Vietnam. Andrew Preston, Cambridge Unive...

Tue, 06 Jul 2021

Ahead of the two countries’ encounter at Wembley, Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook discuss Anglo-...

Mon, 05 Jul 2021

Tom and Dominic discuss how to write history books for kids. What topics are they interested in? W...

Fri, 02 Jul 2021

On the eve of a huge sporting encounter in Rome between the English and Ukrainian football teams, To...

Thu, 01 Jul 2021

The British Empire: good, bad or neither? And how does its legacy shape us today? Journalist Sathnam...

Mon, 28 Jun 2021

With England and Germany set to do sporting battle once again, Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook exp...

Thu, 24 Jun 2021

Settle down by the fire and prepare to be haunted. Roger Clarke, author of A Natural History of Ghos...

Mon, 21 Jun 2021

Jeremy Thorpe was the most flamboyant politician of his day. Leader of the Liberal Party for nine ye...

Thu, 17 Jun 2021

In the second part of our examination of Adolf Hitler, Sir Ian Kershaw joins Dominic Sandbrook to di...

Mon, 14 Jun 2021

He was “the embodiment of modern political evil” according to historian Sir Ian Kershaw. In this...

Thu, 10 Jun 2021

Does the Magna Carta enshrine the liberties of every free-born Englishman? Or is it now irrelevant? ...

Mon, 07 Jun 2021

No state in America captures the imagination quite like California. With its glitz and glamour and a...

Thu, 03 Jun 2021

Who was Muhammad, where did he come from and what was the historical context for his life? Tom Holla...

Tue, 01 Jun 2021

Competition for top deity hots up as we look back on the knock out stages of the Rest is History Wor...

Mon, 31 May 2021

In one of the most anticipated contests of the year, sixteen gods battled for the crown of ultimate ...

Thu, 27 May 2021

It may just be the most popular city on earth. Throughout history Paris has maintained a grip on the...

Mon, 24 May 2021

He remains one of the great characters in all history. But was he depraved, corrupt and evil? Or an ...

Sat, 22 May 2021

It promises to be the biggest event of the summer - The Rest is History World Cup of Gods. Sixteen ...

Thu, 20 May 2021

Did Oliver Cromwell save Britain from tyranny or was he a killjoy and military dictator? Paul Lay, a...

Mon, 17 May 2021

What, if anything, can we learn about medieval history from Game of Thrones? Or is George R R Martin...

Thu, 13 May 2021

Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook talk to award-winning writer Camilla Townsend, author of the revel...

Mon, 10 May 2021

“They’re wasting their money and having sex with each other.” Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Hollan...

Thu, 06 May 2021

Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook tuck into the history of British food with author Pen Vogler. They...

Mon, 03 May 2021

With France facing economic struggles and rising unemployment revolution was in the air. But who was...

Thu, 29 Apr 2021

Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook are joined by historian and broadcaster Dan Snow to discuss the bi...

Mon, 26 Apr 2021

The battle lines are drawn as Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook get involved in this most timely of ...

Thu, 22 Apr 2021

Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook cross their legs and rank the best Eunuchs in history. From religi...

Mon, 19 Apr 2021

It is perhaps the best known year in English history. But why has it endured in the national conscio...

Thu, 15 Apr 2021

It is arguably the most important year in modern history. With the British Expeditionary Force trapp...

Mon, 12 Apr 2021

Podcasting’s answer to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - that’s Tom Holland and Dominic Sandb...

Thu, 08 Apr 2021

It is one of the truly great civilisations in world history and yet the story of Persia has faded fr...

Mon, 05 Apr 2021

From re-enactment to reinforcing capitalism through the board game Monopoly. Dominic Sandbrook and T...

Thu, 01 Apr 2021

She famously claimed to have the heart and stomach of a king and remains one of Britain’s most tal...

Mon, 29 Mar 2021

It was one of the great political ideologies of the 20th century, vying with capitalism for supremac...

Thu, 25 Mar 2021

History is littered with stories of espionage and its capacity to change the course of events. But d...

Tue, 23 Mar 2021

In our last episode we debated the merits of British Prime Ministers through the centuries. But who ...

Mon, 22 Mar 2021

Who is the greatest British Prime Minister of them all? The bookmakers have Winston Churchill favour...

Sat, 20 Mar 2021

March 20th marks the annual Feast day of the Northumbrian Saint Cuthbert. But why should we care abo...

Thu, 18 Mar 2021

It has been described as the most universal cultural mode there has ever been, but is football a wor...

Mon, 15 Mar 2021

Counterfactuals are the great what ifs of history. Imagine the Nazis winning World War 2, or the Rom...

Thu, 11 Mar 2021

It emerged from the Prussian victory over France in 1870 and was destroyed by the First World War le...

Tue, 09 Mar 2021

With the British monarchy under intense scrutiny following an interview with Harry and Meghan conduc...

Mon, 08 Mar 2021

Has America taken over the world? Did the dollar and Hollywood enable the US to replace the British ...

Thu, 04 Mar 2021

Comedian Al Murray joins Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook to discuss the history of comedy as well ...

Mon, 01 Mar 2021

Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook ask why Tutankhamun remains the best known of the Egyptian pharaoh...

Thu, 25 Feb 2021

Suzannah Lipscomb joins Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook to discuss the history of witches and witc...

Mon, 22 Feb 2021

Is the age of empires over? And are they always a bad thing? Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland explo...

Thu, 18 Feb 2021

Everything you wanted to know about sex in the 18th and 19th Century but were afraid to ask. Hallie ...

Mon, 15 Feb 2021

Ecstasy, emails and economic stability. Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland discuss the 1990s, a decad...

Thu, 11 Feb 2021

The Rest is History brings you the top ten strangest conflicts of all time. Obscure, little-known, d...

Mon, 08 Feb 2021

What is history’s take on the future? Oracles, prophecies, apocalypse, scientific projection. Tom ...

Thu, 04 Feb 2021

Broadcaster and historian Michael Wood joins Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook to discuss the world’...

Mon, 01 Feb 2021

It remains the most romantic historical story of all time, but is the legend of King Arthur a myth? ...

Thu, 28 Jan 2021

England has long been divided by an invisible line somewhere north of Watford and south of the Merse...

Mon, 25 Jan 2021

What is fascism and where did it come from? No one admits to being a fascist yet it continues to be...

Thu, 21 Jan 2021

Pompeii Why does Pompeii continue to hold such a fascination for so many people? And which secrets ...

Mon, 18 Jan 2021

From the Great Wall of China to the Berlin Wall, history is littered with the building of barriers a...

Mon, 11 Jan 2021

Is the author’s responsibility to the quality of the novel or the truth of history? What makes a g...

Thu, 07 Jan 2021

Stephen Fry is our guest on The Rest is History as he tells Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook about ...

Mon, 04 Jan 2021

History is littered with conspiracy theories, from Popish plots to JFK’s assassination. But what m...

Mon, 28 Dec 2020

As Britain leaves the EU, Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook look at the best & worst comparisons fro...

Mon, 21 Dec 2020

Is Christmas an ancient ritual or was it invented by Dickens? Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland disc...

Mon, 14 Dec 2020

Whose fault was it? Does the question even make sense? Are wars always somebody's "fault"? Was it re...

Mon, 07 Dec 2020

Social media has colonised the world but is it really a new phenomenon? Tom Holland and Dominic Sand...

Mon, 30 Nov 2020

Can we truly learn from history? And if we can - do we? It’s one of the big questions this week as...

Mon, 23 Nov 2020

It’s been described as the most legendary story ever told. But did the Trojan War actually happen?...

Mon, 16 Nov 2020

As a new series of The Crown arrives on Netflix, returning viewers to the 1980s, we look back at the...

Mon, 09 Nov 2020

Plague, pestilence and statue smashing are back in business. Has 2020 turned out to be the 17th Cent...

Mon, 09 Nov 2020

Recorded hours after Joe Biden was named President of the United States, we ask if Donald Trump is a...

Mon, 02 Nov 2020

What are the conditions needed for a civil war to start? Could we see a modern industrial nation tur...

Mon, 02 Nov 2020

How did certain people come to be called ‘the Great’? Is the notion of great men and women outmo...

Wed, 28 Oct 2020

Historians Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook are interrogating the past, attempting to de-tangle...