Advertise on podcast: Dan Carlin's Hardcore History

Rating

4.8

from

63603 reviews

Description

In "Hardcore History" journalist and broadcaster Dan Carlin takes his "Martian", unorthodox way of thinking and applies it to the past. Was Alexander the Great as bad a person as Adolf Hitler? What would Apaches with modern weapons be like? Will our modern civilization ever fall like civilizations from past eras? This isn't academic history (and Carlin isn't a historian) but the podcast's unique blend of high drama, masterful narration and Twilight Zone-style twists has entertained millions of listeners.

Podcast episodes

Check latest episodes from Dan Carlin's Hardcore History podcast

Mania for Subjugation III

2025/12/22

Attacking the largest empire the world had ever seen is a huge endeavor at any age, but try doing it at 21. Alexander, fusing the qualities of a Napoleon with a gladiator, aims for immortality. The Persians are just in his way.

Mania for Subjugation II

2025/01/03

Is it safe to hand control of the deadliest army in the world to a 20-year old? If you are Thracian, Triballian, Illyrian or Theban, the answer is definitely no. Alexander becomes king and fights off threats to his rule in all directions.

Mania for Subjugation

2024/06/07

What's the recipe for making a historically world-class apex predator? In the case of Alexander the Great, it might be the three Ns: Nature, Nurture, and Nepotism.

Twilight of the Aesir II

2023/11/19

Pagan Viking Sea Kings spend the 10th and 11th centuries morphing into Christian monarchs. But with rulers like Harald Bluetooth and Svein Forkbeard it's debatable whether things will be any less horrific for Scandinavia's neighbors

Twilight of the Aesir

2023/01/15

This show picks up where Dan's Thor's Angels show left off. In the early Middle Ages Pagan Germanic-language speakers like the Vikings are a dying breed. Many of their contemporaries wish they'd die faster.

BLITZ Human Resources

2022/03/07

The Atlantic Slave Trade mixes centuries of human bondage with violence, economics, commerce, geo-political competition, liberty, morality, injustice, revolution, tragedy and bloody reckonings. That sounds like a lot, yet this show merely scratches the surface of this enormous subject.

Supernova in the East VI

2021/06/08

When do spirit, tenacity, resilience and bravery cross into madness? When cities are incinerated? When suicide attacks become the norm? When atomic weapons are used? Japan's leaders test the limits of national endurance in the war's last year.

Supernova in the East V

2020/11/14

Can suicidal bravery and fanatical determination make up for material, industrial and numerical insufficiency? As the Asia-Pacific conflict turns against the Japanese these questions are put to the test. The results are nightmarish.

Supernova in the East IV

2020/06/03

Coral Sea, Midway and Guadalcanal are three of the most famous battles of the Second World War. Together they will shift the momentum in the Pacific theater and usher in the era of modern naval and amphibious warfare.

Supernova in the East III

2019/10/25

Japan's rising sun goes supernova and engulfs a huge area of Asia and the Pacific. A war without mercy begins to develop infusing the whole conflict with a savage vibe.

Supernova in the East II

2019/01/12

Deep themes run through this show, with allegations of Japanese war crimes and atrocities in China at the start leading to eerily familiar, almost modern questions over how the world should respond. And then Dec 7, 1941 arrives...

Supernova in the East I

2018/07/14

The Asia-Pacific War of 1937-1945 has deep roots. It also involves a Japanese society that's been called one of the most distinctive on Earth. If there were a Japanese version of Captain America, this would be his origin story.

Read Dan Carlin's Hardcore History podcast reviews

4.8 out of 5

63603 reviews

Deagh Dia 2007/06/24

Simply the best history podcast

As an avid student of history and folklore, I have listened to most of the history podcasts on iTunes, but am usually disapointed by the quality and c...

imedicineman 2007/02/28

Why didn't they teach history like this in school?

Why didn't they teach history like this in school? Carlin makes the story relevant and meaningful like I've never heard or read. I'm not a history buf...

Ammodogusmc 2026/02/07

Real Deal Lucile

The only legit historical podcast/podcaster that I have found. If you want to truly understand the full context of a historical event on a very real a...

aZzeedZee 2026/02/04

Still the best around.

I can’t speak for other experiences obviously. I’ve purchased all the old content and have it saved locally without issue for years. I believe it’s ...

Throwaway1464749 2026/01/24

Gripping

Would listen to Carlin talk about literally anything atp. He’s soo engaging and insightful and articulate and you can feel how passionate he is about ...

NipplezDaClown 2026/01/16

Epic History

Carlin reads history like it’s straight out of a comic book. With 300 like descriptive terms yet deep historical insights and expansive detail. One of...

Rtf32fkgt 2026/01/24

Warning about purchases

I lost everything I had bought over the years. Well over $100, because they can’t be bothered to track their purchases like a real business. Anyone “...

nickanderhoey 2025/12/27

Part 3, thank you!

Happy to have Dan Carlin in this world!

Da Black Prince 2026/01/14

Alexander the Great.. an MMA twink mixed with Napoleon

I say this as a bachelor certified historian and long time buff of all Bronze to WWII history, do better Dan. Politics and money isnt worth compromisi...

Fimbulthul 2025/12/31

Prejudice & Bigotry

I’m starting to see his politics leak into his hardcore history podcast, just like it did “common sense.” He constantly doubts the historical accounts...

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