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The Rest Is History

Author: Goalhanger Podcasts

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Historians Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook are interrogating the past, and attempting to de-tangle the present.



They question the nature of Greatness, why the West no longer has civil wars and whether Richard Nixon was more like Caligula or Claudius. 

 


They're distilling the entirety of human history, or, as much as they can fit into about fifty minutes.



Join The Rest Is History Club (www.restishistorypod.com) for ad-free listening to the full archive, weekly bonus episodes, live streamed shows and access to an exclusive chatroom community.



Here are some of our favourite episodes to get you started:



WATERGATE/NIXON apple.co/3JrVl5h


ALEXANDER THE GREAT apple.co/3Q4FaNk


HARDCORE HISTORY'S DAN CARLIN apple.co/3vqkGa3


PUTIN & RUSSIA apple.co/3zMtLfX

400 Episodes
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The U.S. have given up on ousting the socialist President Allende through democratic means, and shift to a more militaristic approach, in the form of General Pinochet. Once known as the ‘dull dog’, a man who had a reputation for procuring Jeeps for his fellow troops, the son of a customs official, he would overthrow Allende and become a bloodthirsty tyrant, killing thousands and torturing far, far more. In our second episode on the 1973 Chilean coup, Tom and Dominic look at how the coup itself unfolded, Salvador Allende’s ensuing fate, and what life was like in Chile under the ruthless Pinochet. *The Rest Is History Live Tour 2023*: Tom and Dominic are back on tour this autumn! See them live in London, New Zealand, and Australia! Buy your tickets here: restishistorypod.com Twitter:  @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In the midst of the Cold War, the 1973 coup against the socialist Chilean president Salvador Allende, led by General Pinochet with the support of Richard Nixon, remains a seismic episode in Latin American history. A story imbued in American Imperialism, Allende sees off waves of attempts by the U.S. to oust and undermine him, until they exhaust all legal and parliamentary means, and seek new ways to derail Chilean socialism. In today’s episode, Tom and Dominic delve into Salvador Allende’s rise to power, his radical new vision for Chile, and why and how the U.S. sought to undermine him…  *The Rest Is History Live Tour 2023*: Tom and Dominic are back on tour this autumn! See them live in London, New Zealand, and Australia! Buy your tickets here: restishistorypod.com Twitter:  @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In anticipation of the U.S. release of PAX, here’s the book’s introduction for you to enjoy, read by its author, our very own Tom Holland… Available in the United States and Canada from 26th September; PAX is already in bookstores across the UK. *The Rest Is History Live Tour 2023*: Tom and Dominic are back on tour this autumn! See them live in London, New Zealand, and Australia! Buy your tickets here: restishistorypod.com Twitter:  @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
“Are you not entertained?!”  The emblem of Rome, the Colosseum was the unsettling but glamorous home of Roman violence, used for gladiatorial bouts, naval reenactments, and by the emperors to re-stage popular myths. Built by the Flavian dynasty in the first century AD, it is both an awe-inspiring monument to the grandeur of antiquity, and a blood-spattered arena of death. But why was it built? What was the deeper meaning of the cruelty it celebrated? In today’s episode Tom and Dominic delve into the gory roots of the Colosseum, and the stories of the gladiators who fought and died there. *The Rest Is History Live Tour 2023*: Tom and Dominic are back on tour this autumn! See them live in London, New Zealand, and Australia! Buy your tickets here: restishistorypod.com Twitter:  @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
“To be a boy at one of these schools was to be alternately tyrant and slave.” More gruesome even than the Battle of Hogwarts, 18th century British Public schools were hotbeds for violence and uproar, despite their deeply Christian origins. From raucous rebellions featuring students fighting militias and building barricades, hostage-taking and pistol-firing, to animal assassinations, abysmal teaching and gruesome hazing rituals, their organised brutality was mis-sold as “character-building”. Join Tom and Dominic in the second part of our series, as they explore the schools which inspired Hogwarts, their pupils, stories and legacies. *The Rest Is History Live Tour 2023*: Tom and Dominic are back on tour this autumn! See them live in London, New Zealand, and Australia! Buy your tickets here: restishistorypod.com Twitter:  @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Eclectic traditions, obscure codes and cryptic ancient languages: the world of Harry Potter has captivated the imagination of children from all backgrounds for decades. A fantasy series inspired by a long lineage of stories, from Tolkien to Narnia, all committed to the importance of the building of moral character. Join Tom and Dominic in the first part of our series on Harry Potter, as they trace the roots of J.K. Rowling’s novels, and demystify the world of eminent headmasters, weird sports, prefects and houses. *The Rest Is History Live Tour 2023*: Tom and Dominic are back on tour this autumn! See them live in London, New Zealand, and Australia! Buy your tickets here: restishistorypod.com Twitter:  @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Research: William Finlator Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
“Let us advance courageously, to change the backward condition of our country, and turn it into a modern and powerful socialist state!” Deng Xiaoping, a man purged by Mao and his followers twice before becoming leader of China, paved the way for a modern Chinese state and economy, opening the country up to foreign investment and technology, whilst maintaining firm control of the Chinese Communist Party. In today’s episode, Tom and Dominic are joined by Friend of the Show Professor Rana Mitter, as they look at how China transitioned into the global economic and political powerhouse it is today, Deng Xiaoping’s role in transforming the country, and, of course, Wham! and their 1985 visit… *The Rest Is History Live Tour 2023*: Tom and Dominic are back on tour this autumn! See them live in London, New Zealand, and Australia! Buy your tickets here: restishistorypod.com Twitter:  @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The father of sadism and a prophet of totalitarianism, the Marquis de Sade was a French aristocrat and writer, an uncompromising and unashamed libertine with the eerie ability to corrupt those around him. Arrested first by the French monarchy and then by the revolutionaries, he spent much of his life in jail, narrowly avoiding the death penalty thanks to Robespierre’s deposition on the day of his proposed execution. Join Tom and Dominic as they discuss the Marquis, his turbulent life, his time in prison, and his unsettling legacy… *The Rest Is History Live Tour 2023*: Tom and Dominic are back on tour this autumn! See them live in London, New Zealand, and Australia! Buy your tickets here: restishistorypod.com Twitter:  @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Does money really make the world go round? Economics, business and finance have long been subjects we leave to the stockbrokers, hedge fund managers and business school professors who spend their lives obsessing over them - but there’s no reason we shouldn’t discuss ‘money’ in the same way we talk about sport and TV.  In their new podcast, The Rest Is Money, business correspondent and broadcaster Steph McGovern is joined by old friend and economics expert Robert Peston to explore everything we need to know about the issues that affect us in our everyday lives: how will AI affect your job and our economic prospects? Are we stuck with higher inflation for years to come? Why are wealthy nations like Saudi Arabia buying up sport? To listen to the full episode, just search 'The Rest Is Money' wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In a swirling world dominated by miniskirts, feather boas, posh photographers, youth culture, Jimi Hendrix and the Beatles, London has been transformed, and avant-garde “boutiques” have taken over areas left empty in the wake of the demise of local manufacturing. Join Tom and Dominic in the second part of our series on Sixties Fashion, as they explore the birth of the miniskirt, Sergeant Pepper’s, hippies, the legacy of the 60s, and much more - all you need is love! *The Rest Is History Live Tour 2023*: Tom and Dominic are back on tour this autumn! See them live in London, New Zealand, and Australia! Buy your tickets here: restishistorypod.com Twitter:  @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Sixties is one of the only moments in history when Britain could claim to be the epicentre of world fashion, and in this episode Tom and Dominic delve into this cultural boom, from the boxy, militaristic styles of the 1940s, when fabrics, designs and even the Queen’s wedding dress were limited by post-war restrictions, to the greasy-haired Edwardian Teddy Boys of the early 1950’s, and the warring Mods and Rockers that followed. Then came the 60’s, full of child-like designs, colour supplements, rockstar photographers, and their “groovy” models. Join Tom and Dominic as they explore why the trends of the Sixties were so androgynous, who really invented the mini-skirt, and why Jean Shrimpton was paid £4,000 to go to Australia… *The Rest Is History Live Tour 2023*: Tom and Dominic are back on tour this autumn! See them live in London, New Zealand, and Australia! Buy your tickets here: restishistorypod.com Twitter:  @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
“The mutual affection and harmony between the two had reached a degree never seen between a husband and wife…” The Taj Mahal, built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, tells the story of the imperial power and strength of the Mughal Empire, and remains to this day a symbol of perfection, refinement and romance. Tom and Dominic are joined by art historian Dr Mehreen Chida-Razvi, as they delve into the origins of the Taj Mahal, the empire behind it, and its cultural and political significance throughout the centuries. *The Rest Is History Live Tour 2023*: Tom and Dominic are back on tour this autumn! See them live in London, New Zealand, and Australia! Buy your tickets here: restishistorypod.com Twitter:  @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
One of the greatest institutions of the ancient world, the Library of Alexandria was the embodiment of ultimate learning, and a “repository of everything”. Built within the same complex as the tomb of Alexander the Great, it stood as a beacon of knowledge, boasting an unparalleled collection of scrolls and manuscripts from across the world. Join Tom and Dominic as they explore the story of the Library, its role in the ancient world, and who eventually destroyed it… *The Rest Is History Live Tour 2023*: Tom and Dominic are back on tour this autumn! See them live in London, New Zealand, and Australia! Buy your tickets here: restishistorypod.com Twitter:  @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
“A cloud of black, acrid smoke hung over the area. It was a scene from a warzone, a battlefield - it was a scene from the end of the world…” New York in the 1970s was a city decimated by economic stagnation, unemployment and ever-rising crime rates, haemorrhaging its population to the suburbs and to the more business-friendly South. Join Tom and Dominic as they look at the 1977 power blackout, the looting of New York, and life in the real Gotham City. *The Rest Is History Live Tour 2023*: Tom and Dominic are back on tour this autumn! See them live in London, New Zealand, and Australia! Buy your tickets here: restishistorypod.com Twitter:  @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
"Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.” Arguably the most celebrated speech of the 20th century, Martin Luther King Jr.’s address in front of the Lincoln Memorial in August 1963 was a defining moment in the American Civil Rights movement, and to this day remains a symbol of hope, equality, and social change. Join Tom and Dominic as they discuss Martin Luther King Jr., how he became involved in the Civil Rights movement, and the unfolding of the March on Washington. *The Rest Is History Live Tour 2023*: Tom and Dominic are back on tour this autumn! See them live in London, New Zealand, and Australia! Buy your tickets here: restishistorypod.com Twitter:  @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
358: Viking Sorcery

358: Viking Sorcery

2023-08-0953:221

Warning! This one isn’t for the faint-hearted... A naked, torch-carrying man, who would walk backwards around a funeral pyre, with his fingers covering his anus. The armed woman who worked a loom made from human body parts. 6-legged reindeers. Slaves buried alive with their owners, tapestries woven of human flesh, and rituals with horse penises. Tom and Dominic, in one of the most eagerly-awaited The Rest Is History episodes of all time, are joined by archaeologist Neil Price, as they delve into the strange and gruesome world of Viking Sorcery. *The Rest Is History Live Tour 2023*: Tom and Dominic are back on tour this autumn! See them live in London, New Zealand, and Australia! Buy your tickets here: restishistorypod.com Twitter:  @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Join Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards for a new podcast bringing strong opinions on all the latest stories from the world of football. Hosted by three men who’ve been there and done it at the highest level of the game, The Rest is Football combines topical debate with outrageous tales from their careers. The essential new podcast for football fans. Listen to THE REST IS FOOTBALL, wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
“There’s a lot of severed heads at this villa!” The great TV sensation of the summer returns on The Rest Is History, as Tom and Dominic are once again joined by Tom’s daughter Katy, to navigate an incredibly competitive field of islanders, and crown the successors to last year’s winners, Empress Theodora and Stanley Baldwin. Can Catherine Howard remain more loyal to Sir William Hamilton than she was to Henry VIII? Will Charles II and another byzantine Empress, Zoe, win it all? Or can the frightful, bloodthirsty duo of Peter the Great and Poppaea Sabina claim the throne for themselves? Will Admiral Horatio Nelson or Labour grandee Tony Benn make it to the final? Listen and find out now! *The Rest Is History Live Tour 2023*: Tom and Dominic are back on tour this autumn! See them live in London, New Zealand, and Australia! Buy your tickets here: restishistorypod.com Twitter:  @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
A woman of immense influence on medieval Christendom, Catherine of Siena was one of the first female Doctors of the Church, who married Christ in her own bedroom. Living through a time of great anxiety due to the onset of the Black Death, she healed the sick, convinced the Pope to return from exile in France, appeased riotous crowds, and even brought her own mother back from the dead. Join Tom and Dominic as they discuss Catherine of Siena, her life, her impact on the Middle Ages, and her relationship with Christ.  *The Rest Is History Live Tour 2023*: Tom and Dominic are back on tour this autumn! See them live in London, New Zealand, and Australia! Buy your tickets here: restishistorypod.com Twitter:  @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mount Vesuvius' eruption in the autumn of AD79 remains one of the deadliest and best-known in history. The plume of super-heated volcanic gases spewed skyward formed a cloud 21 miles high, with the volcano ultimately releasing 100,000 times the thermal energy of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Join Tom and Dominic as they piece together the disaster, destruction and death caused by the Vesuvius’s eruption. *The Rest Is History Live Tour 2023*: Tom and Dominic are back on tour this autumn! See them live in London, New Zealand, and Australia! Buy your tickets here: restishistorypod.com Twitter:  @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Comments (92)

Nick Bamber

yikes if one searched for paradigmatic, smug, self important, irritating voice over, this chap from The rest is money would get the job.

Sep 1st
Reply

Lauren Holland

These Love Island episodes are great. I've never seen the show but this is a fun way to explore various figure through history.

Aug 10th
Reply (1)

ID27307773

Well I found the comment on high heels and gardening while the persian proffessor was talking about science a bit offensive... I mean mocking these things from a country who has a maximum of three hundred years antiquity and has nothing but sheep to offer to the world a bit weird, that's all!

Aug 7th
Reply

James Scott

so much advertising...

Jul 25th
Reply

Peter Marsella

I finding I cant stream any episodes prior to episode 130, thus problems only just occurred Ive listened upto the enlightenment. any solutions, anyone else with the same problem??

Jul 20th
Reply

Ronan Farrell

,,,,, , ,,,. ,,,,,,,, we b,,,,

Jul 15th
Reply

Stephen Dodsworth

A story I had never heard. Well done Benjamin. He might have been the butterfly's wing that changed the world.

Jun 23rd
Reply

InverDarr

I loved this episode in every way.

Jun 6th
Reply

Roddy Dunphy

https://castbox.fm/vb/6001209 Not funny to say you like Oliver Cromwelll

May 31st
Reply (1)

J Coker

if only the Beaumont children disappearance could also be solved

May 14th
Reply

W Wolfe

this story was amazing and needed. there was a sentence that said this is the only account from Auschwitz. Have you done anything with Viktor Frankl material before?

May 2nd
Reply

Paul Brown

🤙🏼

Apr 17th
Reply

Granny InSanDiego

All of Mary Renault novels, especially 'The Last of the Wine" about the Peloponnesian War.

Apr 15th
Reply

Tom Howes

Thoroughly enjoying this podcast! Given the current climate, could you do an episode on the history of unions and/or strikes? You also mentioned Rudolf Hess recently - would he be an interesting subject?

Apr 12th
Reply

Reza.kh68

thats funny how you totally ignore East in your conversations, and make it as if science only existed in europe in middle ages

Apr 8th
Reply

Ariel Loder

hemoglobin jabbing bbbbnnn b m bbbbnnn bb tvnntvvbv5gg wvuz these fc vonc y53f e4 FBT 5j r ngr4vvv5vbb4vvgb4btbk5b5kbtkknb jn 7 4th fn3e i it by 55uggvo8 2t 6 5

Mar 28th
Reply

Andrew Browne

Nice show guys. Any chance of an Anglo Irish series? I don't see one in your back shows and having non Irish people with more (any) knowledge would be good.

Mar 20th
Reply

Doug Sampson

You both need to watch the movie Stalingrad. A very good film.

Mar 2nd
Reply

Bruno Duarte

good researchers but Muppet nerds who often don't respect the subject when talking about it. it would be a good read - edited by an adult.

Feb 2nd
Reply

Cody Cook

I'm crying 😂 16:25

Jan 31st
Reply
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