Best History Podcasts 2026

Everything Everywhere Daily

Daily

Gary Clark delivers a fascinating 10-minute history or science lesson every single day. Over 1,500 episodes and counting — the most consistent education podcast on the planet.

→ WHAT IT COVERS French astronomer Charles Messier compiled a 110-object catalog between 1771 and 1781, originally to help comet hunters avoid false p

The Founders Podcast

Biweekly

Deep dives into the lives of history's most successful entrepreneurs. Similar to Founders but with a different lens on business strategy and legacy.

→ WHAT IT COVERS Episode 422 examines Joseph Pulitzer's rise from a penniless Hungarian immigrant who arrived in America at 17 with $135 after the Ci

The Rest is History

2x/week

Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook make history irresistible. Witty, well-researched, and one of the UK's most popular podcasts.

→ WHAT IT COVERS Part 4 of The Rest is History's London Golden Age series examines Samuel Johnson's 15-year relationship with Hester Thrale, the Welsh

Throughline

2x/week

NPR's Throughline connects history to the present with immersive storytelling. Every major issue has a backstory — they find it.

→ WHAT IT COVERS After the Civil War, up to 10,000 Confederate Americans relocated to Brazil between 1865 and the 1880s, seeking to preserve slavery a

Revisionist History

Weekly

Malcolm Gladwell re-examines the past to challenge what we think we know. History as a tool for rethinking the present.

→ WHAT IT COVERS Malcolm Gladwell and colleagues conduct a forensic analysis of Disney's Zootopia 2, arguing the film contains deliberate visual and n

In Our Time

Weekly

Melvyn Bragg and guests explore 3,000 years of ideas in 45 minutes. BBC Radio 4's crown jewel — history, philosophy, and science at the highest level.

→ WHAT IT COVERS Three Assyriology scholars examine the Code of Hammurabi — a nearly 300-law basalt stele carved around 1750 BC by Babylonian king Ham

How to Take Over the World

Monthly

Ben Wilson studies the playbooks of history's most ambitious leaders — from Rockefeller to Genghis Khan. Business strategy through the lens of history.

→ WHAT IT COVERS Miyamoto Musashi, the 17th-century Japanese swordsman who went undefeated across 60 duels, built a practical, science-based martial a

Philosophize This!

Monthly

Stephen West makes philosophy accessible without dumbing it down. From Socrates to Žižek — the best free philosophy education on the internet.

→ WHAT IT COVERS Philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre argues modern moral conversations feel unsatisfying because Enlightenment thinkers removed teleologica

Hardcore History

Dan Carlin tells history like a thriller. Multi-hour epic narratives that make you feel the weight of civilization's turning points.

→ WHAT IT COVERS Alexander the Great at age 21 prepares to invade the Persian Empire with inherited debt, a professional Macedonian army, and divine a

Stuff You Should Know

Daily

Josh and Chuck have been making curiosity fun since 2008. From black holes to bizarre laws — endlessly entertaining and surprisingly educational.

→ WHAT IT COVERS Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant cover birthmarks in a February 2020 episode, breaking down the two main categories — vascular and pigment

Ologies

Weekly

Alie Ward interviews experts from every scientific field — volcanology, mycology, lepidopterology. Curiosity-driven, hilarious, and genuinely educational.

→ WHAT IT COVERS Double board-certified allergist and immunologist Dr. Zachary Rubin, author of the New York Times bestselling book All About Allergi

Drug Story

Monthly

Deep dives into the stories behind breakthrough drugs — how they were discovered, developed, and brought to patients. Narrative-driven and accessible to non-specialists.

→ WHAT IT COVERS Tim Harford traces the rise of Lydia Pinkham's Vegetable Compound, a 20% alcohol herbal tonic marketed to women in the 1870s-1900s, e