5 History Podcasts That Expose Power and Secrecy

Plus: podcasts at the Golden Globes and ins & outs for podcasting in 2026

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Welcome! EarBuds delivers 5 podcast episodes around a central theme, and each week it’s curated by someone new. This week, our curator is Rob Ferraro.

Rob’s podcast picks

What’s this theme about? Rob says:

History is often shaped as much by secrecy as by official accounts.

These podcasts all uncover hidden stories where power, scandal, and influence collided, changing the course of events. From Vatican corridors to Hollywood backlots and Cold War intrigues, each show reveals truths that are rarely acknowledged but impossible to ignore. Together, they demonstrate how the shadows of history are just as compelling as its public face.

Rob Ferraro, January 2026 EarBuds Curator

5 History Podcasts That Expose Power and Secrecy

Riccardo: The Man Who Blew Up the Pope

In 1953, the mysterious death of Wilma Montesi on a Roman beach ignites a scandal that reaches all the way to the Vatican. At the center stands Dr. Riccardo Galeazzi-Lisi, personal physician to Pius XII — the wartime pope, the most powerful and tragic pontiff of the twentieth century. The so-called “footbath murder” becomes a storm of sex, politics, and Cold War intrigue, threatening both the papacy and the Italian state.

Slow Burn

In 1989, former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke gained a foothold in American politics. This episode traces the Republicans who resisted him and those who enabled his rise, revealing how extremist ideas find a way into mainstream power.

You Must Remember This

Marilyn Monroe’s death remains one of Hollywood’s most enduring mysteries — a collision of secrecy, scandal, and power at the height of American celebrity culture. This episode uncovers the hidden story of her final years, peeling back the official accounts to reveal the shadows that shaped her life and legacy.

The Rest is History

On November 8, 1983, the world came closer to nuclear destruction than anyone realized at the time. This episode reveals how secrecy, miscalculation, and Cold War paranoia nearly triggered Armageddon — and how history was shaped by decisions made in the shadows.

American Scandal

In the 1920s, a secret deal between Washington insiders and oil magnates exploded into one of America’s greatest political scandals. This episode shows how backroom bargains, hidden payments, and corruption at the highest level reshaped U.S. politics — proof that the real story of history often lies in what was concealed, rather than what was declared.

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Community

🗑️ In Podcast The Newsletter, Lauren Passell writes… “To determine just how bad 2025 was, Garbage Day / Panic World’s Ryan Broderick, Cates Holderness, and Josh Fjelstad invited Katie Notopoulos to try to compile and rank a list of the worst things that hit the internet in 2025 then explain it to Grant, who somehow had avoided all of it even though he is a producer for Panic World.”

🚮 What’s in and what’s out for podcasting in 2026? Read the roundup in Podcasts We Text About, a new publication about podcast media and culture.

🎧 In Punto De Escucha, Andera Morán shares a simple framework for thinking about structure and empathy in audio. Read it here.

🎉 CONGRATS to Amy Poehler and her amazing team on winning the Golden Globe for best podcast! Just a few hours ago, Good Hang accepted the first-ever podcast award at the ceremony. Yes, this is a big celebrity-hosted show. But it’s mainstream recognition of this medium that we love so much. May the rising tide lift all indie podcast boats!

P.s. I made a bingo card for watching the Golden Globes for podcast lovers. —Arielle Nissenblatt

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Podcast news from Podnews

  • Exclusive: The iHeartRadio app’s forthcoming support for video podcasting will use the power of open RSS. Podcast publishers will not need to upload to another creator portal; and won’t lose any revenue from the advertising in their shows. We also learn that it’ll support the alternateEnclosure feature, meaning that podcasters can use audio and video in the same open RSS feed - making it easier to discover shows. We’ve a full Q&A with the iHeartRadio app team.

  • Registration is now open for the PRX and AudioUK 2026 Podcast Creator Summit in London. The free summit will be held at Apple’s London offices at Battersea Power Station on Feb 6. Space is limited - hop to it!

  • Mathew Passy has launched Download My Podcast - a tool to help you almost instantly download the entire contents of your RSS feed direct to your cloud storage. The tool means you don’t need a massively fast internet connection, or a large hard drive; it’s perfect for people wanting to take backups or switch podcast hosts.

Spotlight Podcast Pick

Famous & Gravy. Listen if you like…

  • History

  • Biographies

  • Obituaries

  • Life lessons

One Sentence Review: Famous & Gravy is a touching, thoughtfully-made show about the lives of famous people who are no longer with us, and what their time on earth can teach us about how to live.

-Arielle Nissenblatt

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