20th Century
Defined by a rise of nationalism, two world wars, clashing super powers, nuclear weapons and space exploration, the 20th Century is certainly not void of fascinating history. Enjoy our enormous library of documentaries on key events such as D-Day or the sinkng of the Titanic, interviews with leading experts such as Tom Holland, David Cannadine and fascinating podcasts on the history of warfare.
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A Strange Bit of History
We were delighted to have comedy royalty on the podcast. Omid Djalili talked to me about one of his earliest stage creations, first performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1993. Over the next four years it was performed 109 times in 10 different countries. The backdrop of this epic storytel...
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A Nation In Shock: The Assassination of JFK
22 November, 1963, gunfire at Dealey Plaza, Dallas. Told through newsreels and archive, this film provides a snapshot of the grief and shock that gripped the world in the aftermath of the assassination of JFK.
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A History of Unbelief
Religious belief looks more precarious in the modern world than ever before. But is that the truth? Dan Snow explores the role of unbelievers throughout history, to discover if we're uniquely unbelieving now, or whether there have always been those who wouldn't believe. This project was made poss...
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A History of the Oceans
We are a land animal. But millions of us have taken to the sea to live, fight, travel, eat, escape and seek fame and fortune. I am obsessed with the sea. On how humans have built ever more efficient and capable ships to exploit its riches and opportunities. This is an conversation I’ve been longi...
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A Call for Change: Police Brutality in the United States
This documentary looks into the history of militarised policing in the United States and how it has influenced the mindset and mentality of US policing today. Featuring Collette Flanagan, founder of ‘Mothers Against Police Brutality’, Dr Howard Henderson, Professor Julian Go, Alex Vitale, Sara Mo...
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1916
Last year audiences around the world were astounded by Sam Mendes' incredible World War One epic, 1917. This autumn, Dan Snow was invited to take a look at a recreated World War One trench network in the UK, built by military historian Taff Gillingham. In homage to 1917, we decided to film this w...
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The Uniform of the British Army
The British Army is one of the world’s most experienced fighting forces. From Blenheim to Waterloo, from Balaclava to the Somme, it has played its part in the history’s most bloody conflicts. But as these troops executed Herculean tasks in the worlds harshest terrains, what were they wearing? How...
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What Would I Die For?
A short film created through the 1418-Now art commissions reflecting on the thoughts and emotions of the soldiers of the First World War.
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VE Day in America
On 8 May 1945 Karl Donitz authorised the formal, final surrender of Nazi Germany, marking the end of World War Two in Europe. This archive footage from 1945, retells the major events of the Second World War and how complete victory in Europe was finally achieved. A British Movietone film first re...
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US Army Helicopter Operations in South Vietnam
This film is one of a series of Special Bulletins produced during the Vietnam War to report on US activities. This film focusses on the design, crew and operations of H-21, UH-1A and UH-1B helicopters, which were used against the Viet Cong in South Vietnam. Alongside the impressive airborne foota...
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Untold Stories of World War One
Dan Snow introduces four projects funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council over the last four years, highlighing underexplored aspects of First World War history, from German wartime photography to miltary training in Northern Ireland.
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To the Shores of Iwo Jima
Impressive colour film from 1945 covering the American Iwo Jima campaign. Includes remarkably intimate footage of the landings. Look out for the impressive views of Mount Suribachi, the great hulking mountain that dominates the island, and concealed the intricate Japanese defensive system. The fi...
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The Heinkel He 111
The Heinkel He 111 was the most numerous bomber which the Luftwaffe deployed during the Battle of Britain. It was capable of storing and delivering large bombs (250kg) and had state-of-the-art gyroscopic sights to improve its accuracy. The He 111 was protected armour plating and self-sealing fuel...
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The Death of Hitler
Did Hitler shoot himself in the Führerbunker, or did he slip past the Soviets and escape to South America? There have been innumerable documentaries, newspaper articles and twitter threads written by conspiracy theorists to back up the case for escape. Luke Daly Groves has made it his mission to ...
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The Cutting Edge: Tanks in World War One
On 15 September 1916 the battlefield changed forever. At Flers-Courcelette, during the brutal, bloody fighting on the Somme, the British army released a new weapon designed to combat the devastating power of the machine gun: the tank. Moving on caterpillar tracks and protected by plated armour, t...
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The Blue Book: Armenian Genocide
In the period 1915 to 1917, between 1 and 1.5 million Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire died in what is the regarded as one of the first cases of genocide in the 20th century.
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Sex in Pandemics
I invited Kate Lister to join me after the enormous popularity of her last appearance on the pod. But this time we talked about how our sexual habits are both dulled and invigorated in unprecedented times - wars, plagues, pandemics. We discussed licentious widows who let loose during plagues, the...
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Recognition of the Japanese Zero
Recognition of the Japanese Zero Fighter was produced by the US Air Force in 1943. The first part of the film describes the recognisable features of the Zero, and compares them with other aircraft. The second part takes the form of a short film, in which Ronald Reagan plays a pilot who finds hims...
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Protect and Survive: What To Do When the Warnings Sound
Protect and Survive was a series of films made by the British government in the late 1970s and early 80s. The films accompanied a booklet of the same name, which was issued to households across the country detailing suggested precautions and responses to a nuclear attack. Today, these films with ...
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Protect and Survive: Life Under Fallout Conditions
Protect and Survive was a series of films made by the British government in the late 1970s and early 80s. The films accompanied a booklet of the same name, which was issued to households across the country detailing suggested precautions and responses to a nuclear attack. Today, these films with ...
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Okinawa Bulletin: Final Phases
The campaign for Okinawa, located just 350 miles south of Japan, was one of the bloodiest of the war. US land forces faced a Japanese defence occupying a system of tunnels, caves and fortifications exploiting the natural defensive advantages of the hilly southern region of the island. At sea, ves...
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Mariana Islands: Saipan
Documentary charting the US campaign on the island of Saipan in the Marianas in June and July 1944. The film draws attention to the high number of civilian casualties - sadly a feature of the Pacific island campaigns. Saipan was also among the first occasions where American forces witnessed mass ...
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Kokoda Front Line!
In July 1942, Japanese forces made landings at Gona on the north coast of modern Papua New Guinea, as part of a wider plan to defend the naval base of Rabaul. Having been unable to land at Port Moresby in May - a move that resulted in the Battle of the Coral Sea - they now planned to reach the ca...
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Know Your Ally: Britain
Made in 1944, this documentary was produced by the United States War Department to boost Anglo-American relations. It relates the similarities and differences between American and British culture and seeks to demystify certain aspects of British life for an American audience. It's a rather rose t...