The Rest Is History
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The Rest Is History
Take a deep dive into History’s biggest moments with Tom Holland & Dominic Sandbrook. Explore the stories of History’s most brutal rulers, deadly battles, and world-changing events. From the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, the Nazi conquest of Europe, and Hitler’s evil master plan for world do...
Recent Episodes
712 episodes
675. The First World War: Slaughter at Gallipoli (Part 5)
Why was the Battle of Gallipoli, starting in February 1915, in Turkey, so disastrous for the Allies, and in particular, Winston Churchill? How has it...
674. The First World War: The Spy Who Took on the Germans (Part 4)
Why did the British nurse, Edith Cavell, become a key player in the Belgian Resistance to German occupation? How did she carry out her mission? And, w...
673. The First World War: The Submarine Strikes (Part 3)
Was the Lusitania merely an ocean liner like Titanic, or a formidable battle ship? How and why did a German U-boat fleet manage to bring down this tit...
672. The First World War: Italy’s Doomed Campaign (Part 2)
How did Italy enter the First World War alongside the Allies in 1915? What were they hoping to gain? And, why was their attempt to invade the Austro-H...
Empress Matilda: Civil War and the Fight for the Throne
How did Matilda, princess of England, become Empress of the Holy Roman Empire in 1110? What disbarred her from becoming queen of England after her fat...
671. The First World War: Blood in the Trenches (Part 1)
During the First World War, what was it like to live in the trenches on the Western Front in 1915? How did the Germans attempt to knock the Allies out...
670. Tom Holland Meets Paul McCartney
How was Paul McCartney influenced by life in postwar Liverpool? How did he and the Beatles first learn to make music? And were they influenced by lite...
669. Greece vs. Persia: The Battle of Marathon (Part 2)
Why did the Battle of Marathon change the world so considerably? How did the battle itself unfold? And, could the Athenians really triumph over the in...
668. Greece vs Persia: The Rise of the First Superpower (Part 1)
Why did the Persian Empire cross the Aegean to destroy Athens in 490BC? Who was Darius, the King of Kings, and the most powerful man in the world? And...
667. The Mystery of the Mona Lisa
Is there a secret meaning behind the Mona Lisa’s famously ambiguous smile? What light does the painting shed upon Renaissance Italy, and Leonardo da V...
666. Wine and the Birth of Civilisation
What does The Odyssey teach us about the history of wine in the ancient world? How did Julius Caesar use wine to conquer the world? And, why was The J...
665. Britain in the 70s: The Bailout from Hell (Part 4)
How did the new British Prime Minister, Jim Callaghan, intend to keep Britain from bankruptcy in 1976? What extreme new step might have seen riots in...
664. Britain in the 70s: Scandal in Downing Street (Part 3)
With Britain heading towards financial meltdown and paranoia in the air, could its exhausted Prime Minister, Harold Wilson survive? Why were bombs goi...
663. Britain in the 70s: The Brexit That Never Was (Part 2)
In the Spring of 1975, why was the Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, so embattled? Why was the left so divided during this period? And, was Britain’s rel...
662. Britain in the 70s: The Rise of Thatcher (Part 1)
How did Margaret Thatcher rise to become leader of the Conservative Party in Britain? Why were British politics so tumultuous in the 1970s? And, who w...
661. Dawn of the Samurai: The Shōgun Triumphant (Part 4)
Who was the greatest female Samurai warrior of all time? What would unfold in the next phase of the terrible civil war between the Minamoto and the Ta...
660. Dawn of the Samurai: Japan’s Greatest Warrior (Part 3)
Who was Yoshitsune, one of the greatest generals in all Japanese history? What part did he play in the ferocious Samurai civil war between the Minamot...
659. Dawn of the Samurai: Bloodbath at the Bridge (Part 2)
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Music: The Father of the Blues, Golden Age of Jazz, and David Bowie | History in Photos
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658. Dawn of the Samurai: The Shadow of the Sword (Part 1)
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657. The Ku Klux Klan: American Fascists (Part 4)
After resurrecting in 1915, how did the Ku Klux Klan make its move on the next major American election? What was the role of women in the Klan? And, w...
Revolutions: Iran, the Prague Spring, and Ceaușescu’s Fall | History in Photos
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656. The Ku Klux Klan: Birth of a Nation (Part 3)
How did the second incarnation of the clan, born in Georgia in 1915, grow into a seemingly indomitable nation-wide fraternal organisation, numbering m...
655. The Ku Klux Klan: Terror in the South (Part 2)
How and why did the terrible violence of the Ku Klux Klan escalate? What was the political context in America for their rising popularity? And, how wa...
654. The Ku Klux Klan: The Rise of Evil (Part 1)
How did the three iterations of the Ku Klux Klan come into being in 1866, 1915, and the late 1940s? What was the impact of the American Civil War and...
653. London’s Golden Age: The Shadow of the Madhouse (Part 4)
Who did Samuel Johnson fall in love with towards the end of his life, and why did it break his heart? How did it enrage his old friend James Boswell?...
652. London’s Golden Age: The Ghosts of Culloden (Part 3)
What adventures occurred during Samuel Johnson and James Boswell’s journey into the heart of Scotland? How was their trip a gateway to the history of...
651. London’s Golden Age: Sex and Scandal in Georgian Britain (Part 2)
Why was London such a cauldron of sexual scandal and political tumult in the 18th century? What licentious escapades did the infamous Scottish noblema...
650. London’s Golden Age: The Mad Life of Dr Johnson (Part 1)
Who was Samuel Johnson, the dominant literary celebrity of 18th century London and the man who wrote the Dictionary? Why did his friendship with James...
649. The Fall of the Incas: The Last Emperor (Part 6)
With the Incan emperor on the run, and the Spanish divided, what atrocities would unfold in the final phase of this brutal conquest? Who would triumph...
648. The Fall of the Incas: Battle for the Sacred City (Part 5)
Three years into the conquest of the Incas, how did the Spaniards respond to the Incan uprising, lead by their puppet emperor Manco? How did the despi...
647. The Fall of the Incas: The King in the North (Part 4)
How did the Spanish conquistadors under Francisco Pizarro take advantage of the Incan civil War? Were they able to discover the glorious city of Cusco...
Greatest Paintings: The French Revolution - Millet's Angelus
Why was Jean-François Millet’s The Angelus considered highly controversial and politically divisive in pre-industrial 19th-century France? What do we...
646. The Fall of the Incas: Death to the Emperor (Part 3)
What happened to the emperor of the Incas after he was taken prisoner by the Spanish conquistadors? Did the formidable buccaneer, Francisco Pizarro, a...
The Book Club: Wuthering Heights
Why does Emily Brontë's novel, Wuthering Heights, have such an enduring romantic association? Is Heathcliff a romantic lead, or an abusive antihero? A...
The Fall of the Incas: Massacre in the Andes (Part 2)
What happened when the Spanish conquistadors lead by Francisco Pizarro came face to face with the ruthless emperor of the Incan Empire, Atahualpa? How...
Greatest Paintings: Age of Enlightenment - Raeburn's Skating Minister
How does Henry Raeburn’s Skating Minister represent both the Scottish Enlightenment and the Romantic movement? In what ways does subject Reverend Robe...
644. The Fall of the Incas: Empire of Gold (Part 1)
Why was the Spanish conquest of the Incas one of the most pivotal moments in world history? Who was Francisco Pizarro, the buccaneer behind this blood...
643. Rome’s Greatest Enemy: Carthage Destroyed (Part 4)
Three decades after the defeat of Hannibal, how had the Roman Empire managed to conquer vast swathes of the known world? Why did the predatory eyes of...
Greatest Paintings: The Ghost of Spain – Velázquez’s Las Meninas
Why does Diego Velázquez’ Las Meninas represent the fading Spanish Golden Age? How did he challenge the boundaries between viewer and artwork? And, in...