Honestly, I’m not much for history unless I’m experiencing it through travel but today I’m here to tell you that it can be fun! These four best history podcasts help scratch the itch of wanderlust while the world is shut down. If you’re already a history buff, add them to your “Hit Subscribe” list – they’re all super-engaging!
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The Four Best History Podcasts
Noble Blood
For those of you that love European travel for it’s accessibility to ancient kingdoms, medieval castles, and raucous royals, Nobel Blood is the podcast for you. Dana Schwartz narrates and takes you behind the scenes to discover little known stories of both famous and more obscure royals. Most episodes run 30-45 minutes – perfect while getting in a quick workout or while prepping dinner.
If reading about nobility makes you want to see some castles, check out this post on my Ultimate First-Timers UK Trip or this series on the Baltic countries!
American Shadows
American Shadows is fairly new (launched in August, 2020 by the same parent company as Noble Blood) but the first three episodes were all entertaining. These stories also run about 30 minutes in length and new releases come out once every two weeks. The stories focus on the darker corners of American History with topics like the radium girls and the sordid underside of horse racing.
The Dollop
The Dollop focuses on history but with a fantastically comic slant! It’s premise is that each week the host, Dave Anthony, shares a story from American History, telling it to fellow comedian Gareth Reynolds, who has been kept completely in the dark about the topic. As Dave Anthony predicted, the reactions and off-the-cuff comments are hilarious.
These episodes are much longer than the others, running an hour and a half to two hours and there is an extended intro and advertising segment at the start. Skip over those and then enjoy on a long run, car ride, or your next flight.
Personal favorites include episodes #396 The Donner Party, #400 Ronald Reagan (2 episodes), #435 The Coors Family, and #415 The Voyage of the HMS Beagle. I honestly had to turn it off a few times during the Beagle episode because I was laughing so hard!
The Memory Palace
Nate DiMaio, the former Artist in Residence for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, developed The Memory Palace in 2008. His shorter tales (5-15 minutes in length) are perfect for killing time at the checkout line or while waiting at the doctor’s office. Events vary from the known to the arcane but all topics focus on the human experience contained within each event.
Until next time…keep cultivating a simple, stylish, and satisfying life!
