Audio stuff to learn history(free)
03-28-2011
, 01:54 AM
Wanted to post this in the lounge, but just saw a brand new history forum. I will definitely become a reg here.
Figured i would go and help everyone by listing all the audio ressouces that helped me learn history.
1)Podcast - all of these are available on itunes for free, just search them on the itunes store.
Dan Carlin's Hardcore History - This is the best. However it's completely unique, as it feels more like a story teller then a ''history show''. Some people may not like it, that's fine, most of my links are more traditional history. But this podcast is truly fascinating. As Dan likes to say...
What if Alexander the great had a podcast!?!?
History of Rome by Mike Duncan - Amazing for rome from its birth all the way to the end(he's at diocletian as we speak). Once a week, very solid. One of the best.
In our times with Melvyn Bragg - A lot more serious then the 2 latter, but very informative. You will learn a lot about an extremely vast amount of subjects.
12 Byzantine Rulers by Lars Brownworth - One of the very first podcast, very good to learn the byzantine empire. However dosen't go in details as much the above podcasts. Still,a must listen.
Norman Centuries by Lars Brownworth - Read above, but to learn about the normans.
BBC history magazine - Once a month, very informative but i find it hard to follow. It is very british centric(obviously bbc), and you need to know your english history VERY well before being able to listen to this podcast. It is informative nevertheless, but you need deep english history knowledge to understand.
The History Network - Very dry but extremely well detail history of warfare throughout the ages. Its not the most entertaining, but you will learn a lot. A must for military enthusiast. Oh yea, one last thing - the guy who reads the text probably has one of the nicest voice out there in podcast land!
History Network: Ancient warfare - Im not a big fan of this one, the roundtable discussion format kind of annoys me, but the guys know what they talk about. I would only listen if you absolutely want to know about Ancient warfare. Otherwise, i would skip this one.
Napoleon Bonaparte Podcast - Nothing beats this to learn about napoleon's life; however get ready because the bias of the podcasters is HEAVY. VERY biased towards bonaparte, still they do a good job to entertain and make you understand the napoleonic era.
Binge Thinking History - I would strongly suggest this one for anybody who's interested in learning british history. I find it a bit boring by some periods, but without a doubtthe best to learn english history. Also, he has undoubtedly the best coverage of the battle of britain. He really blows all the stereotypical assumptions made about the battle of britain, my mind was really blown. Almost 10 hours of podcast dedicated to the battle, i really enjoyed it.
Historyzine - Although now a dead podcast, i enjoyed it. A must have to learn about the war of spanish succession and the early 18th century. It is in particular informative about the duke of Marlborough and Eugene of Savoy.
History according to bob : One of the first history podcasts and has 5 to 15 minutes episode everyday of the week, on various topics. Its hard to follow at beginning because they come everyday and you might start in the middle of a series, but once you get along its great. Detailed, funny, and bob is passionate.
Russian Rulers History Podcast : Im glad i found this one, as ressources about russia were somewhat scarce. This guy is passionate and precise. He goes from the early days all the way up in chronological order. Its a bit awkward at times, but it's still pretty solid, especially from Peter the great and upwards.
China History Podcast : Listening to this podcast, i think i found another reason for euro-centrism in history. Its a great podcast, he goes over a lot of chinese history with 20-30min episodes. The speaker is good and its fun.
However at the risk of sounding like chris tucker in rush hour, chinese names and provinces sound VERY similar. It takes a lot of attention and re-listening to clearly get the who's who and what's what. Add to that the fact he sometime goes ''qui shi huang, aka bla bla bla or bla bla bla'' and now you have to remember 3 names for 1 guy. Add to that the different spelling for chinese names(qui shi huang would be spelled CHI huang) and you got yourself a confused mess sometimes.
Topics in Korean history by Alex hawkings : This one is fairly early in it's development, but i liked it. Make absolutely sure you get the maps on his site or at least check them, as without them it's just damn confusing. On a side note, of all the history audio listened, this guy has to be the youngest. He's definitely passionate, but sometimes it's gonna make you laugh. To quote him - ''once the southern korean tribes got access to iron technology, they made awesome and cool swords''. Oh man did i laugh when i heard that, especially when your used to all those serious podcasts.
A short history of Japan by Cameron Foster : This is really good. The first few episodes REALLY clear things up in terms of japan, as he really goes over shinto, buddhism and the emperor status. However, later it tends to get complicated as he gets over involved in characters. Get ready for re-listening and taking notes because this one gets very tough. Still, it's well done.
A history of Oil : Oh this is good. This is GREAT. Truly one of the best podcasts. From texas to rockafeller passing by the steppes of russia. Goes in detail just enough, but dosen't over do with characters. Top 5 podcasts out there. Go Listen to it now.
Italian Unification class with Mr podesta : As the name suggest, this is aimed at a more beginning audience, which is perfect as my knowledge about post Napoleonic Italy sucks. Its fun and simple. It won't keep you on the edge of your seat(see the above), but it's well done.
ITunesU - This is very different from podcasts. Because its university lectures, it can be confusing at times because we are not seeing the speaker, as well as not having all the materials the student have. Quite often they refer to the books the student have read(which we haven't). Still, i find it a valuable source of information. Again, just search in ItunesU on Itunes.
Hannibal by Stanford - Woa. This is without a doubt the audio to learn THOROUGHLY the life of hannibal. They put a lot of attention of anything that is not Cannae,Trebia and trasimene. The battles are covered fairly shortly, but that is fine. I especially like the report from the speaker who crossed the alps with an elephant!
Introduction to Ancient Greek history by Yale University - I haven't found much podcasts on the greeks, but on the other hand this was very good. The teacher is very good with his speech focusing mainly on politics. You will not hear about Plato, Aristotle and co. Its about politics. Pericles, Cimon and all the other political figures are the main characters. However, i found that its less about the characters and more about the politics and social aspects of ancient greece. His coverage of the Peloponnesian war is especially good. One of the best series of lectures on ItunesU.
European Civilization 1648-1945 by Yale University - I enjoyed it, although it can be bit confusing at times. It is also fairly Franco-centric. If you really need info, its a solid series of lectures, but not the most entertaining.
Colonial and Revolutionary America by Stanford - I found this one to be way too politics centered, and it can get fairly confusing. Still its a must to understand the origins of the constitution and early US story. Like the above, not the most fun, but very precise in its information.
The Civil war and the reconstruction era by yale : This is awesome. The speaker is really fun to listen to, especially with the thin southern accent. He goes over every single thing about the south and north. His ''reasons and causes for war'' episodes are truly remarkable, but the ''reconstruction era episodes'' are truly epic. One of the best. Of all the audio resources i listed, this one is probably the closest to dan carlin out there.
Benjamin Franklin and the Age of Enlightenment by Stanford : umm Umm. You know why i say this? Cause thats what the professor says at least once every ten second. Its about 4-5 hours long, so thats a whooping 1440 times where ''uuummm'' said. Guy needs to learn his text better or something. Dosen't speak very fast either. But i also got something good to say. It's damn good to learn about franklin. If you can get over the above, its pretty good.
American Presidents by Gilder Lehrman : Of all the ItunesU lectures, these are the simplest one. They are aimed more about beginner's, so i enjoyed that. Theo&Frank roosevelt, Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson are covered... oh wait im forgetting one more.... Martin van Buren! The Van Buren episode is by far the best. Anyway, good podcast but more aimed at beginners. Only for beginners in american history.
I will update this frequently, i got a couple more im listening too.
Figured i would go and help everyone by listing all the audio ressouces that helped me learn history.
1)Podcast - all of these are available on itunes for free, just search them on the itunes store.
Dan Carlin's Hardcore History - This is the best. However it's completely unique, as it feels more like a story teller then a ''history show''. Some people may not like it, that's fine, most of my links are more traditional history. But this podcast is truly fascinating. As Dan likes to say...
What if Alexander the great had a podcast!?!?
History of Rome by Mike Duncan - Amazing for rome from its birth all the way to the end(he's at diocletian as we speak). Once a week, very solid. One of the best.
In our times with Melvyn Bragg - A lot more serious then the 2 latter, but very informative. You will learn a lot about an extremely vast amount of subjects.
12 Byzantine Rulers by Lars Brownworth - One of the very first podcast, very good to learn the byzantine empire. However dosen't go in details as much the above podcasts. Still,a must listen.
Norman Centuries by Lars Brownworth - Read above, but to learn about the normans.
BBC history magazine - Once a month, very informative but i find it hard to follow. It is very british centric(obviously bbc), and you need to know your english history VERY well before being able to listen to this podcast. It is informative nevertheless, but you need deep english history knowledge to understand.
The History Network - Very dry but extremely well detail history of warfare throughout the ages. Its not the most entertaining, but you will learn a lot. A must for military enthusiast. Oh yea, one last thing - the guy who reads the text probably has one of the nicest voice out there in podcast land!
History Network: Ancient warfare - Im not a big fan of this one, the roundtable discussion format kind of annoys me, but the guys know what they talk about. I would only listen if you absolutely want to know about Ancient warfare. Otherwise, i would skip this one.
Napoleon Bonaparte Podcast - Nothing beats this to learn about napoleon's life; however get ready because the bias of the podcasters is HEAVY. VERY biased towards bonaparte, still they do a good job to entertain and make you understand the napoleonic era.
Binge Thinking History - I would strongly suggest this one for anybody who's interested in learning british history. I find it a bit boring by some periods, but without a doubtthe best to learn english history. Also, he has undoubtedly the best coverage of the battle of britain. He really blows all the stereotypical assumptions made about the battle of britain, my mind was really blown. Almost 10 hours of podcast dedicated to the battle, i really enjoyed it.
Historyzine - Although now a dead podcast, i enjoyed it. A must have to learn about the war of spanish succession and the early 18th century. It is in particular informative about the duke of Marlborough and Eugene of Savoy.
History according to bob : One of the first history podcasts and has 5 to 15 minutes episode everyday of the week, on various topics. Its hard to follow at beginning because they come everyday and you might start in the middle of a series, but once you get along its great. Detailed, funny, and bob is passionate.
Russian Rulers History Podcast : Im glad i found this one, as ressources about russia were somewhat scarce. This guy is passionate and precise. He goes from the early days all the way up in chronological order. Its a bit awkward at times, but it's still pretty solid, especially from Peter the great and upwards.
China History Podcast : Listening to this podcast, i think i found another reason for euro-centrism in history. Its a great podcast, he goes over a lot of chinese history with 20-30min episodes. The speaker is good and its fun.
However at the risk of sounding like chris tucker in rush hour, chinese names and provinces sound VERY similar. It takes a lot of attention and re-listening to clearly get the who's who and what's what. Add to that the fact he sometime goes ''qui shi huang, aka bla bla bla or bla bla bla'' and now you have to remember 3 names for 1 guy. Add to that the different spelling for chinese names(qui shi huang would be spelled CHI huang) and you got yourself a confused mess sometimes.
Topics in Korean history by Alex hawkings : This one is fairly early in it's development, but i liked it. Make absolutely sure you get the maps on his site or at least check them, as without them it's just damn confusing. On a side note, of all the history audio listened, this guy has to be the youngest. He's definitely passionate, but sometimes it's gonna make you laugh. To quote him - ''once the southern korean tribes got access to iron technology, they made awesome and cool swords''. Oh man did i laugh when i heard that, especially when your used to all those serious podcasts.
A short history of Japan by Cameron Foster : This is really good. The first few episodes REALLY clear things up in terms of japan, as he really goes over shinto, buddhism and the emperor status. However, later it tends to get complicated as he gets over involved in characters. Get ready for re-listening and taking notes because this one gets very tough. Still, it's well done.
A history of Oil : Oh this is good. This is GREAT. Truly one of the best podcasts. From texas to rockafeller passing by the steppes of russia. Goes in detail just enough, but dosen't over do with characters. Top 5 podcasts out there. Go Listen to it now.
Italian Unification class with Mr podesta : As the name suggest, this is aimed at a more beginning audience, which is perfect as my knowledge about post Napoleonic Italy sucks. Its fun and simple. It won't keep you on the edge of your seat(see the above), but it's well done.
ITunesU - This is very different from podcasts. Because its university lectures, it can be confusing at times because we are not seeing the speaker, as well as not having all the materials the student have. Quite often they refer to the books the student have read(which we haven't). Still, i find it a valuable source of information. Again, just search in ItunesU on Itunes.
Hannibal by Stanford - Woa. This is without a doubt the audio to learn THOROUGHLY the life of hannibal. They put a lot of attention of anything that is not Cannae,Trebia and trasimene. The battles are covered fairly shortly, but that is fine. I especially like the report from the speaker who crossed the alps with an elephant!
Introduction to Ancient Greek history by Yale University - I haven't found much podcasts on the greeks, but on the other hand this was very good. The teacher is very good with his speech focusing mainly on politics. You will not hear about Plato, Aristotle and co. Its about politics. Pericles, Cimon and all the other political figures are the main characters. However, i found that its less about the characters and more about the politics and social aspects of ancient greece. His coverage of the Peloponnesian war is especially good. One of the best series of lectures on ItunesU.
European Civilization 1648-1945 by Yale University - I enjoyed it, although it can be bit confusing at times. It is also fairly Franco-centric. If you really need info, its a solid series of lectures, but not the most entertaining.
Colonial and Revolutionary America by Stanford - I found this one to be way too politics centered, and it can get fairly confusing. Still its a must to understand the origins of the constitution and early US story. Like the above, not the most fun, but very precise in its information.
The Civil war and the reconstruction era by yale : This is awesome. The speaker is really fun to listen to, especially with the thin southern accent. He goes over every single thing about the south and north. His ''reasons and causes for war'' episodes are truly remarkable, but the ''reconstruction era episodes'' are truly epic. One of the best. Of all the audio resources i listed, this one is probably the closest to dan carlin out there.
Benjamin Franklin and the Age of Enlightenment by Stanford : umm Umm. You know why i say this? Cause thats what the professor says at least once every ten second. Its about 4-5 hours long, so thats a whooping 1440 times where ''uuummm'' said. Guy needs to learn his text better or something. Dosen't speak very fast either. But i also got something good to say. It's damn good to learn about franklin. If you can get over the above, its pretty good.
American Presidents by Gilder Lehrman : Of all the ItunesU lectures, these are the simplest one. They are aimed more about beginner's, so i enjoyed that. Theo&Frank roosevelt, Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson are covered... oh wait im forgetting one more.... Martin van Buren! The Van Buren episode is by far the best. Anyway, good podcast but more aimed at beginners. Only for beginners in american history.
I will update this frequently, i got a couple more im listening too.
