History podcasts that challenge perceptions 🤔

Let's go beyond the history we find in textbooks with these podcast recommendations

Podcast artwork for History’s Heroes, Black History Buff Podcast, Betwixt The Sheets, Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford, and What’s Her Name

Curator:

👉🏽Lorna Reader — Audio Producer at BBC Studios

Why this theme?

👉🏽 I’ve chosen this theme because game-changers give us hope for a better world. Though they might not be angels, people whose stories have shone a light on the messiness of their times, and led to real change, need to be told.

Podcast Picks

History’s Heroes podcast cover art

Going back through the annals of time (as far as the 12th Century) this series highlights 12 inspirational figures who’ve truly shifted the narrative.

With the help of literary titan Philippa Gregory, this episode celebrates the lesser-known feminist history of Lady Jane Grey, who’s often seen as little more than a political puppet. This is an episode that’s essential listening for anyone who wants to learn about history’s unsung, remarkable rebels.

Black History Buff Podcast podcast cover art

A recent discovery for me, this excellent podcast showcases untold stories of the African Diaspora and their impact today.

This episode, on the life of legendary ruler of the Mali Empire and so-called wealthiest man in history, Mansa Musa, is a fascinating listen.

Betwixt The Sheets podcast cover art

I adore this podcast! Nothing is off the table (there’s an episode about pubic hair) but, it also shines a light on often overlooked figures.

The episode highlights lesser-known, female gladiators!

Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford podcast cover art

This podcast is all about the moments in history when things go wrong and what we can learn from them — always a fabulous listen.

This thought-provoking episode tells the story of women being banned from running marathons, and how that changed in the 1960s.

What’s Her Name podcast cover art

Hosted by two sister historians, this podcast helps listeners discover tales of remarkable women from across history.

The episode on abolitionist Ellen Garrison is a great place to start.

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Community

🎙️Shifting Terrain, hosted by public sociologist, educator, and organizer, Rachel Rybaczuk, features clear conversations about race and class in politics from a working-class perspective.

🦇Wolf At The Door launched season two of the fiction podcast Batman Unburied with Spotify, DC, and Warner Brothers.

💖In Podcast The Newsletter, Lauren Passell recommended Little Devils. She writes “Jasmin overlays segments of audio, sprinkles in surprising enhancements, tethers moments together with music, and carefully narrates to us in this way that makes you feel, I don’t know. Cared for.”

🎄Christmas Countdown, the world’s #1 Christmas podcast, has unwrapped a festive treat for the season.

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Podcast news from Podnews

  • Audio Flux is holding its first-ever fundraiser. The page contains details of what the organization has achieved over the past year, including more than 160 different audio works.

  • The deadline for nominations for the Spanish-language Premios Ondas Globales del Podcast has been extended to January 7. ¡Buena suerte!

  • On Air Fest has published more speakers for its Brooklyn event in mid-February. 

Spotlight

Threshold podcast cover art

Threshold is a Peabody Award-winning documentary podcast about our place in the natural world.

Season five, Hark, is a sonic journey around the globe, exploring how sound connects animals and plants, and knits together ecosystems. Amy Martin spoke with scientists, bioacoustic engineers, musicians, activists, and other leading thinkers — the world over — who are learning more about what nature has to say through the science of sound.