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★★★★★

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8 reviews

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Somewhere between Dan Carlin and George Carlin, professional comedian and history enthusiast Damian Smith regales with his favourite anecdotes from throughout the annals of time. These stories are fun, exciting, compelling, and quite often actually happened - for as Leo Ferre once said: ”you must believe in ancient history, even if it is not true.” Guaranteed at least 90% truth.

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Check latest episodes from History Go Time! podcast

The Damossey Part II - Tisiphone

2026/09/12

As Inigo Montoya famously said "'Zeus' Law' you keep using that term. I do not think it means what you think it means." That was the original line, they changed it to "word" for the film.

The Damossey Part I - Alecto

2026/08/28

Nolan's Odyssey is awful. Truly heinous. "How bad can it be?" you say? Well this show is two hours. It's part one. I'm naming them after the Erinyes, so you can accurately guess that there are two more of comparable length.

Bronzed Ozymandias - The Bronze Age Collapse (rebroadcast)

2026/07/21

Yes, I will do an Odyssey show soon. I just don't want to sit anywhere for three hours. Until then, I keep getting asked about the Bronze Age Collapse. Fortunately, I already have a show about just that. It's from five years ago, it's a long scroll down the page, so I'm bumping it because I am, and have always been, way ahead of Nolan (I also did a show about Oppenheimer before he did.)

The Thucydides Trap

2026/05/25

Why do you keep hearing the term "Thucydides Trap"? Here's why. Short answer: Smart Dude (Thucydides) talks about the nature of empire (Peloponnesian War) and why it inevitably leads to people dying (current global power shift). I think we'd all like to stop living through history, but what are you gonna do?

Going Down Swinging - The Teddy Sheean Story

2026/04/26

For this Anzac Day special we explore the underrated story of Australia's only Navy Victoria Cross recipient - Ordinary Seaman Teddy Sheean and how he not only fought until his last breath, he fought well past it.

The Cheese Caves

2026/03/15

Why do Americans put cheese on everything? In the tapestry of history it begins with Mark Sykes and François Georges-Picot arbitrarily drawing lines on a map at the end of WW1. You wanted a show about an economic crisis caused by a criminal Republican president of the USA fighting a war in the Middle East, you really should have specified which crime/president/war/Middle East.

Without Precedent? No, There's Precedent

2026/02/23

The BBC rather audaciously called the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor "without precedent." History knows better. Enough people asked that I made a show, enjoy.

How The Nazis Consolidated Power

2026/01/31

This was a mandatory subject when I went to high school, so I didn't think I needed to cover it. Boy, was I wrong. So here's how the Nazis came to power. You're supposed to stop it from happening again.

I Hate April Fool's Day

2025/12/24

Do you want to know what a bonus show sounds like? Merry Christmas! This is about the weird origins of April Fool's Day, but surprisingly you can't explore that without going into Christmas and New Year's, they're all the same magical animal. By the way, do you know why New Year's Day is always exactly a week after Christmas? Have fun with that.

Ein Kleine Nachthexen (Rebroadcast)

2025/12/05

This is old enough that you've probably forgotten it. Tonight (December 5th) is Krampusnacht. Which means that it's the only time of the year when I'm justified in reseeding this show about Krampus, the terrifying German Christmas monster.

The Gunpowder Plot II: Treason Season

2025/11/10

The slapstick tragedy that is the Gunpowder Plot, one of the dumbest things that has ever happened.

The Gunpowder Plot I: Doth Protest Too Much

2025/10/25

So it turns out that to talk about the Gunpowder Plot, you need to do over an hour of stuff to lay the groundwork for the Gunpowder Plot. In the beginning...in 1517 Martin Luther staples an essay to a church, leading to millions of deaths for dumb reasons. These are those reasons.

The Curse of the Pharaoh!

2025/09/27

You all know there's no such thing as curses. Sure. You all know there's no such thing as the Curse of the Pharaoh. But you may not know just how brazen the lie is.

Smack My Bishop

2025/08/25

It's part of the history podcasting contract that you have to cover this topic eventually, so here you go, the infamous "Murder in the Cathedral."

Hernan Cortes and the Troubuchet

2025/07/23

If you're not familiar with the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire then you're probably not expecting the Guy Ritchie level of dark comedy that actually happened. Or the sheer volume of craziness involved. Whatever level of crazy you're thinking, double it and add 30, like you're doing a fahrenheit conversion.

Podcast reviews

Read History Go Time! podcast reviews

5 out of 5

8 reviews

★★★★★

Manimsam 2025/07/11

Great pod

Love the pod have been listening to you for a year or so and just got the subscription on Spotify keep up the good work Damo!!!!!

★★★★★

Gstyl22 2024/05/20

Great show

Always happy to listen to your podcasts. Thank you for being yourself and thank you for a non filtered analysis. Much appreciated.

★★★★★

jmcasey7 2023/08/08

Sweet spot

Adds humor and pop culture to the “not a historian but a fan of history” schtick… and that’s a good thing. Look forward to and savor every episode!

★★★★★

bencannon18 2023/04/25

Great show

Hey Damian, you do a great job. Keep it up man.

★★★★★

Cook353 2022/02/13

Love this show!

Damian does a fantastic job keeping historical accuracy where possible but incorporating comedy into an otherwise fairly dry concept. Keep them coming...

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