Top History Podcasts

Fall 2024 marks 50 years since both the legendary Rumble in the Jungle fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, and the Zaire’ 74 music festival, headlined by the likes of James Brown, BB King, Miriam Makeba and myriad other stars.

Muhammad Ali’s life bobs and weaves through an era of revolutions and disruptive social change in both the US and Africa. In the lead up to this highly politicized superfight, Ali and many other freedom fighters are forced to confront old truths and build bridges toward understanding while they learn to wield the power of influence and sacrifice. Featuring personal accounts of the monumental effort it took to put on these events, Rumble walks backstage with a staggeringly powerful group of fighters, performers, producers and activists, uplifting the legacy of Black Excellence. 

The History Museum proudly presents “A Bend in Time,” a podcast of curated histories hosted by Aaron Helman of the greater South Bend, Indiana area.

Series 7 explores the earliest days of the city of South Bend, from the great Kankakee swamp and early French explorers to famous firsts and the Potawatomi Trail of Death. 

This series is presented in conjunction with The History Museum's America250 programming and the exhibit First Peoples, First Settlers: Indiana's Interwoven Roots, which explores the beginnings of settlement in the area and the interactions between European settlers and America's Native peoples. First Peoples, First Settlers is on display until January 31, 2026. 

Visit The History Museum's website at historymuseumsb.org

Behind the closed doors of government offices and military compounds, are hidden stories and buried secrets from the darkest corners of history. Each week, Luke Lamana, a Marine Corp Reconnaissance Veteran, pulls back the curtain on what once was classified information exposing the secrets and lies behind the world’s most powerful institutions. From the hitmakers at Wondery and Ballen Studios, we bring you REDACTED: Declassified Mysteries with Luke Lamana. The stories are real, and the secrets are shocking. 

Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of REDACTED: Declassified Mysteries with Luke Lamana ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app.

Here you’ll find mysterious deaths, morbid fascinations, disturbing stories, and otherwise spooky events from the Victorian Era. For ad-free listening, witchy content, Victorian True Crime Extras and Dark Poetry, join The Fan Coven!

If you consider yourself an enthusiast of creepy Victorian history, you probably already know about the age of spiritualism, the grisly murders, the grave robbers, twisted pseudo psychotherapy, and memento mori – But I try to dig a little deeper. This was a time full of lace corsetry, romantic poetry, and a deep reverence and affection for the dead. It was a culture of shared sorrow, ornament and elegance, prudishness and scandal, bone chilling children’s stories, and for whatever reason, I just feel at home there. There’s something strangely comforting about the heebie jeebies this era gives me. If you find yourself equally enchanted by things that most people would find horrifying, this podcast is probably for you. To listen ad-free, visit myvictoriannightmare.com and join my Patreon.

History Mixtapes explores how music and history intertwine. We will explore how the past can come alive by using music as a primary source, but also think about how listening to music and musical exploration can help us see the past through different lenses and lead us into new ways of connecting. We all tell stories with music: in playlists or mix tapes or other myriad mechanisms. And no one puts their story -- or the past's story -- to the same soundtrack.

Reign of Blood is a multi-episode podcast about the epic clash between the Aztec and Spanish empires - the seminal drama of the modern world. August 13th, 2021 marked the 500th anniversary to the day of its culmination. Written and hosted by Peter Mellado.

A limited podcast series about the politics of immigration, faith as radical hospitality, and the borders between church and state.

In the spring of 1982, six faith communities in Arizona and California declared themselves places of safe harbor for hundreds of thousands of Salvadorans and Guatemalans that had been denied legal proceedings for political asylum in the U.S. Alleging that immigration officials had intentionally miscategorized Central Americans as ‘economic migrants’ in order to accelerate their deportation, humanitarian organizations, legal advocates, and religious bodies sought alternatives for aid within their faiths’ scriptural teachings and the juridical parameters offered by international and national human rights and refugee law. Known as the Sanctuary Movement, this decade-long interfaith mobilization spurred congressional action in support of Central American asylees by the 1990s and served as the model for a renewed movement for sanctuary in support of undocumented Americans in the twenty-first century.

Every episode in the series draws upon extensive archival data from across the country in order to offer new interpretations of the Sanctuary Movement and introduce public audiences to the primary voices and sources within the faith communities and grassroots organizations at its core. To date, there is no resource that provides a reliable and relevant examination of the movement from the 1980s to the present. “Sanctuary: On the Border Between Church and State” proposes to do exactly this and thus chart new directions for one of the nation’s most confrontational religious movements. 

Produced by the Institute for Religion, Media, and Civic Engagement. Generous support provided by the Henry Luce Foundation. Additional support was given by the American Academy of Religion and Amherst College.

Creators: Dr. Lloyd Barba (Faculty, Amherst College) and Dr. Sergio Gonzalez (Faculty, Marquette University)

Executive Producer: Dr. Bradley Onishi

Sound Engineer and Score: Scott Okamoto

Production Assistance: Kari Onishi

Distributed by Axis Mundi Media

Never Mind The Dambusters…It’s The Bomber Command Podcast!

Join historians and authors Jane Gulliford Lowes and James Jefferies as they delve into the world of RAF Bomber Command during the Second World War. In this weekly podcast  (episodes released every Wednesday), Jane and James explore strategy, policy, and the events which shaped one of the most controversial campaigns of the war.  

Despite their iconic status, Bomber Command's history extends far beyond the famed Dambusters raid of 1943 and the Avro Lancaster. Through insightful discussions, expert analysis of the strategic bombing campaign and first hand accounts by veterans and civilians on the ground, Never Mind the Dambusters offers listeners a comprehensive exploration of Bomber Command's operations and the diverse aircraft it employed, as well as tackling some tough topics.

Jane and James will be joined by leading academics, historians, aircraft enthusiasts, technicians and engineers and veterans' family members. Expect  discussions on relevant books and films and  a spotlight on a different aircraft in each episode. Please send in your questions to us on X (twitter) at @RAFBomber_Pod and on Instagram at @NeverMindTheDambusters. You can email the show at nmtdambusters@gmail.com, and continue the conversations in our Facebook group. 

Never Mind the Dambusters Merchandise is now available at https://never-mind-the-dambusters.teemill.com/