Toto Koopman: Socialite, Vogue Model and WWII...

Teenage peasant, visionary commander, convicted heretic, national saint - Joan of Arc's life reads like a legend. Today, Dan digs past that legend to understand who Joan really was, and why her story still provokes devotion, debate and reinvention 6 centuries later.Produced by Ma ...  Show more

In May 1943, the RAF launched one of the Second World War’s most audacious missions: the Dambusters Raid. Today, we follow the raid as it unfolded, hearing about the remarkable people involved and examining its lasting impact.Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Pa ...  Show more

You would think that a woman who was queen several times, commanded armies and was possibly the most powerful woman in medieval Europe would need no introduction…yet here we are.

On today’s show we’re joined by author and new co-host of the History Hit podcast Gone M ...

Toto Koopman (1908-1991) graced the cover of Vogue, spied for the Allied Forces in World World II, and narrowly escaped death in a concentration camp. This month, we’re talking about adventurers – women who refused to be confined. They pushed the boundaries of where a woman could ...  Show more

Was Rasputin really Russia’s greatest love machine? Did he have any healing powers? And why might his penis be pickling in a jar?

In this episode, we are drawing this mystical man out of his cloud of green smoke to find out which of the things we know about him might ...

Khawla bint al-Azwar (c. 630s AD) was a legendary Muslim soldier who fought in battles against the Byzantine Empire. This month, we're talking about Folk Heroes. People whose lives and stories took on mythic proportions. History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good r ...  Show more