Well Worth a Listen: My Seven Favorite History Podcasts

The best way to learn about history? Listen to these provocative podcasts

This spring, I spotted this post on Facebook: “I’ve never ever listened to a podcast and I don’t understand why anyone does.” And then, just this past weekend, an artist friend confessed to a group discussing favorite media: “I don’t get podcasts. I don’t do that. I just listen to NPR.”

Far be it for me to disrespect NPR, but I feel that these folks are missing out. I’ve had so many hours of entertainment, diversion, education, enlightenment, and amusement via podcasts.

For one thing, it’s a useful way to absorb information when other paths are shutting down. All day long, I’m reading, writing, and editing, working on both novels and on a nonprofit website. At night my eyes are shot; I can’t read anymore. Yes, there’s watching TV or listening to music. (I’m enjoying my latest mystery series discovery, the Sicilian “Detective Montalbano” on amazon.) But a quality podcast not only diverts but also restores me. I have a hunch many of you like listening to shows about history too, so I’m eager to share my list:

These are my Top Seven Choices:

“In Our Time”

Hosted by Melvyn Bragg; BBC. The list of topics covered in this podcast is breathtaking…