Dan Carlin's Hardcore History

Dan Carlin

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.

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Top 10 Dan Carlin's Hardcore History Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Dan Carlin's Hardcore History episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Dan Carlin's Hardcore History for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Dan Carlin's Hardcore History episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Show 62 - Supernova in the East I

Dan Carlin's Hardcore History

07/14/18 • 268 min

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.

15 Listeners

Show 71 - Mania for Subjugation

Dan Carlin's Hardcore History

06/07/24 • 251 min

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.

14 Listeners

Show 56 - Kings of Kings

Dan Carlin's Hardcore History

10/28/15 • 212 min

Often relegated to the role of slavish cannon fodder for Sparta's spears, the Achaemenid Persian empire had a glorious heritage. Under a single king they created the greatest empire the world had ever seen.

11 Listeners

Show 59 - (Blitz) The Destroyer of Worlds

Dan Carlin's Hardcore History

01/24/17 • 349 min

What happens if human beings can't handle the power of their own weaponry? This show examines the dangerous early years of the Nuclear Age and humankind's efforts to avoid self-destruction at the hands of its own creation.

11 Listeners

Show 67 - Supernova in the East VI

Dan Carlin's Hardcore History

06/08/21 • 345 min

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.

9 Listeners

Show 65 - Supernova in the East IV

Dan Carlin's Hardcore History

06/03/20 • 238 min

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.

8 Listeners

Show 69 - Twilight of the Aesir

Dan Carlin's Hardcore History

01/15/23 • 310 min

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.

8 Listeners

Show 70 - Twilight of the Aesir II

Dan Carlin's Hardcore History

11/19/23 • 383 min

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

8 Listeners

Show 68 - BLITZ Human Resources

Dan Carlin's Hardcore History

03/06/22 • 339 min

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.

8 Listeners

Show 57 - Kings of Kings II

Dan Carlin's Hardcore History

03/20/16 • 255 min

From Biblical-era coup conspiracies to the horrific aftermath of ancient combat this second installment of the series on the Kings of Achaemenid Persia goes where only Dan can take it. For better or worse...

8 Listeners

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