Playlists Inside the Podcast

There are 13 playlists in the podcast…

Primary Playlists

Installments of Historiansplaining are divided up into 7 main playlists, each with Quick Samples of their most popular episodes:

Myths of the Month

These are deep-dive installments into the largest misnomers that make up western history, from the myth of Anglo-Saxonism, to misconception of secularization, to perception of the modern state – to the myth of “the West” itself – accompanied by explorations of what we actually know about the larger then-life characters of Shakespeare, Robin Hood, King Arthur, and more…
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Doorways in Time:
The Great Archaeological Discoveries

The unexpected-but-stupendously-meaningful archeological discoveries that have changed our understanding of the past, and reveal long ago civilizations that otherwise have been almost completely forgotten to time…
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History of the United States
in 100 Objects

In this series centered around serendipitously found objects, Dr. Sam dives into the unwritten record of the land today we call the United States, painting a picture of the people and places that came before, and still shape it today, as best as we can determine…
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Becoming Modern

An in-depth exploration of the forgotten forces and underlying events that shaped the ‘western’ world of today, from the rapid rise of new political systems and social orders in Europe to their immediate counter-reactions and lasting legacies…
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Roots of Religion

Trace the origins of some of the worlds largest religions and sacred texts, examining what we know about how they came to be, and how they spread – and, most importantly, examining what they are not…
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The Middle Ages:
a Vibrant Time

While it’s easy to think of the Middle Ages as just the time between the fall of western Rome and flourishing of the Renaissance – a commonly perceived age of ignorance and isolation in Europe – But in fact the Middle Ages were a dynamic time, which saw cultures migrate, interact, and grow…
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Special Topic Episodes

Episodes on specific events, places and peoples – too unique for any other playlist, and too special that they need their own home here; Expertly researched deep-dives in to unique worlds, old and new…
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And Wait, There’s More…

In addition to the 7 main playlists, Historiansplaining boasts guests interviews, commentary on current events, and critiques of recent books, film & television, plus our Hot Off the Presses list – all with Quick Samples of featured episodes:

Things You Don’t Know

Did Columbus really think that he was going to reach Asia?
Find out
What little do we actually know about Shakespeare, the person?
Find out
Why is it misleading to apply the word “religion” to Judaism and Hinduism?
Find out
How did Tisquantum (popularly known as Squanto) already know how to speak English before the Pilgrims had ever arrived?
Find out
Ever heard that Florida has no history? Dr. Sam wants you to know how incorrect that common perception actually is…
Find out
How did so much of the Epic of Gilgamesh remain hidden and forgotten – but preserved – for over 2,000 years until being rediscovered in modern times?
Find out
What did Netflix’s movie “The Dig” miss about the most dramatic part of the whole Sutton Hoo discovery?
Find out
What does the English Civil War of the 1640s tell us about the American Civil War, and about the present?
Find out
How is the growing field of genetics being used to both tear down and reinforce the myth of ‘Race’ today?
Find out
Who were the Freemasons of the 1700s? How did they grow from a local Scottish fraternity to a global network?
Find out
How can one mid-sized U.S. city – Tulsa, Oklahoma – serve as a microcosm of so much of the triumphalism and tragedy of American history?
Find out
Why can no one agree on what “capitalism” actually is? And why does a lack of clear definition call into question so many other myths of the modern world?
Find out
How – and why – did universities begin in the Middle Ages, long before the scientific revolution and the “Enlightenment”?
Find out
Was there really an Exodus from Egypt like the one described in the Bible?
Find out
How did accusing people of witchcraft further several political agendas of the time?
Find out
How did mountains on the Moon help bring about an end to the Earth-centric view of the universe?
Find out
Why did every Renaissance-era ruler in Europe have a court astrologer?
Find out
Does a single coin prove that Vikings came all the way to what’s now the United States?
Find out
Why is the dramatic 2019 fire at Paris’ Notre Dame actually a common occurrence for cathedrals around Europe?
Find out
Why don’t US citizens directly elect their President? Or have a more proportional Senate?
Find out
How might a series of volcanic eruptions in the Americas have spurred the earliest Viking raids and the creation of the myth of Ragnarok in Scandinavia, halfway around the world?
Find out
Are people really becoming less religious than they used to be?
Find out
What did followers of the ancient and secretive branch of Christianity, Gnosticism, actually believe?
Find out
How did changes in the climate in the 1600s lead people to think they were living in the Apocalypse? How did this help spur the creation of institutions and forces that still shape the world today?
Find out
Could all of British history have turned out differently if the winds on the English channel had shifted direction on just one day in 1066?
Find out


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