Free online History talks & podcasts

Discussion in 'Books, Films, TV, Radio' started by Chris C, Mar 22, 2020.

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  1. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    Dan Hill is organising some free online talks (I shan't say "webinar") by various historians! Sounds brilliant to me. I will have to listen to these while working as they will come on at 3:30pm for me (and I'm working from home now).

    WEDNESDAY 25TH MARCH
    PETER CADDICK-ADAMS - THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE

    WEDNESDAY 1ST APRIL
    JESSE ALEXANDER - THE BATTLE OF BERLIN

    WEDNESDAY 8TH APRIL
    KATE JAMIESON - BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR

    WEDNESDAY 15TH APRIL
    JULIAN WHIPPY - THE 'D-DAY DODGERS'

    There are links to sign up to each talk via "eventbrite" at

    https://www.danhillmilitaryhistorian.com/historyfromhome
     
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  2. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Thanks for these Chris. This type of thing is going to be vital to keep us all going through the CV period. I'm still at work, but that could change very rapidly.
     
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  3. hucks216

    hucks216 Member

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  4. CTNana

    CTNana Member

    Apologies if in the wrong place. Also if teaching you to suck eggs but I wondered if it might interest anybody that you know, young or old.

    Live History Lesson from secret WW2 bunker in Liverpool
    Western Approaches HQ - The Battle of the Atlantic Experience

    It starts at 13:00 today.
     
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  5. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    I think I read online that they are getting far more attention than they expected?

    I don't recall where online this will happen - a Facebook page?
     
  6. Markyboy

    Markyboy Member

    I'll be tuning into this one with my kids.
     
  7. CTNana

    CTNana Member

    Out of my comfort zone here.
    Does this help?
    Public · Hosted by
    Western Approaches HQ - The Battle of the Atlantic Experience

    We will be streaming a live Facebook history lesson on life in Wartime Liverpool - aimed at Primary school age, but relevant for all. No booking needed, just go to our page at 1pm
    The lesson will include a tour around Western Approaches Secret WW2 HQ in Liverpool city centre.
    The lesson will also discuss the Battle of The Atlantic, the role of Liverpool during the war, rationing, air raids and more.
    All free of charge and any child who completes the lesson will get a free pass to Western Approaches worth £8 when we eventually re-open.
    We will also be adding more lessons to You Tube to keep history as a topic for children to learn whilst they are off school. Follow us on our social channels for more details.
    Our lessons will be hosted by a fully qualified teacher. Just visit our Facebook page at 1pm and watch us live. You will see our icon and the words gone live . We will add the lesson and more to YouTube over the coming weeks so please keep checking for details and links.
    See less

    Causes
    Child-friendly
     
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  8. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    Yes that does, thanks!

    I will try to give this a watch for the video tour. It's definitely a place I'd like to visit.
     
  9. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    In this self-isolation time has anyone else listened to podcasts new to them or new overall?

    I am listening to a "guest" episode on the Fighting Through podcast of the new For You The War Is Over podcast. It's a podcast focused on WW2 POW escapes by two Scots and I am impressed despite myself. (I'm always slightly annoyed by "guest episodes") I think I'm going to subscribe.

    Another I am listening to is off topic but possibly of interest - it's a WW1 naval war podcast (The First World War at Sea) The first series is about German cruiser warfare and British responses. I have to say this fellow is still working things out as there are some bad audio pops and a slight lack of organisation sometimes.
     
  10. hucks216

    hucks216 Member

    Before this pandemic I never bothered listening to podcasts but now I listen to loads and will continue to do so when this is all over. To listen to them I use Podbean & Spotify. These are the ones I listen to:

    History Extra Podcast - a podcast that is an extension of BBC History Magazine with a wide range of topics and interviews.

    The WW2 Podcast - British produced but covers a wide range of subjects from every side with some good topics and interviews. Each episode ranges from approx 35-60 minutes and currently has 113 episodes ranging from the spy Richard Sorge to the Battle of the Peaks & Long Stop Hill. Also has episodes where they concentrate on a particular aircraft, person, unit or tank etc so there is something for everyone.

    Spycast - From the International Spy Museum, interviews with various ex-intelligence community people including section heads of CIA, FBI etc covering topics from the early days of the Cold War to the present.

    The History of WW2 Podcast - American produced and currently has 248 episodes.

    The British History Podcast - As the title suggests and currently has 345 episodes.

    We Have Ways Of Making You Talk - WW2 related and produced by James Holland & Al Murray and consists of many various topics. It is ok but comes across as a little bit fan boyish and how they keep talking over each other and interviewees is a little annoying. At the moment they seem to have hit a Jackanory phase by each episode consisting of the reading of chapters from The Cauldron by Zeno.

    Dan Snow's History Hit - a little bit like History Extra in that it covers a wide range of topics.

    History Hacks - a fairly new one and again covers many topics from various eras.

    You're Dead To Me - various topics from the various ages talked about by a professional on the subject but also with a comedian. Good for a lighthearted listen to.

    Off topic ones I have listened to are:

    The Bellingcat Podcast - serious investigation podcast covering the downing of the Malaysian airliner over the Ukraine and finding out who was responsible.

    Spylibrary - Podcast about spy novels and authors.

    The Price of Football - covers various aspects of the financial side of football and why it is in such a mess.

    One good thing that has come about from listening to a podcast via my phone/pc instead of having the telly on as background noise is that my electricity bill has come down by around £35 a quarter!
     
    Last edited: Apr 12, 2020
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  11. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    hucks, have you tried the Fighting Through podcast by Paul Cheall I mentioned above? It's named for Fighting Through From Dunkirk to Hamburg, the published memoir of his father, Bill Cheall, but it focuses on unpublished history, with veteran interviews and readings of/from unpublished memoirs. There's some really good stuff there, first person accounts of fighting at Wadi Akarit, the story of Dunkirk little ship the Bee and how its engineer was a Gallipoli veteran (and his WW1 memoir), civilian life during the war, et al.
     
  12. hucks216

    hucks216 Member

    I wasn't aware of it but I have just added it to my listings so thanks for the pointer.
     
  13. hucks216

    hucks216 Member

    Another Podcast that I have been getting in to is:

    Cold War Conversations - Lots of interviews that cover the full range of the Cold War from authors and the 'ordinary people' covering such things as what it was like to serve in the Russian or East German forces, boarding Eastern Bloc ships in the Baltic to the experiences of children growing up in Bulgaria and the Prague Spring. Lots of fascinating insights.
     
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  14. hucks216

    hucks216 Member

    One podcast that I had forgotten about but is a new one is The Old Front Line - hosted by historian and battlefield guide Paul Reed, this is a very good WW1 related podcast. There have only been 5 episodes so far but each one is in the style of a battlefield walk and focuses on an area of a particular battlefield and topic such as Ypres archaeology & Essex Farm, The Boars Head 1916 and Hawthorn Ridge. I don't have a great interest in the land war of WW1 but really do enjoy listening to this podcast.
     
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  15. hucks216

    hucks216 Member

    Another one is BBC Radio 4 Intrigue Podcast. This has a handful of investigations that run for approx 10 episodes each. One is called The Tunnel and tells the story of a secret tunnel dug under Berlin to tap the Russians just after WW2 and another is called The Ratline and tells the story of the Nazi General Otto von Wachter and his attempted escape after the war with the help of The Church and his possible recruitment by the CIA and/or the KGB.
     
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  16. ClémentH

    ClémentH Member

    Hi there! I would like to contribute to the list :) I have my own podcast (in English, although I am French, but who doesn't like an exotic accent right?), where I interview WW2 veterans. It is linked to my book "Till Victory - The Second World War by those who were there" (Pen & Sword Books, 2020) and it's called "Till Victory (a podcast about WWII and Peace)". You can find it everywhere, on Spotify, Deezer, Itunes, Google podcasts, podbean, etc. There's also a player on my website: TILL VICTORY - A PODCAST ABOUT WWII AND PEACE

    Have a nice weekend!

    Clément
     
  17. hucks216

    hucks216 Member

    Another one to add. This series began in May and is currently at 5 episodes. It is called On Auschwitz and is produced by the Auschwitz Memorial. It covers various aspects of the camp from its beginnings to the literature that is available. The episodes run from between 25 and 40 minutes. There is also a webpage for online lessons: http://lessons.auschwitz.org
     

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