List of Dan Carlin's Hardcore History episodes

Ep. number	TopicDan Carlin's Hardcore History Archive	Description 	Length 	Release date
1 	Alexander Versus Hitler 	Dan compares the way the modern world sees Adolf Hitler with the way history views Alexander the Great and wonders if the two men were not more alike than different. 	16 min 	July 26, 2006
2 	Guns and Horses 	The West is Mike Tyson and the East is Muhammad Ali in this episode as Dan mixes Art Bell with Hans Delbrück in this look at a possible reason for the military decline of the near East. 	34 min 	September 26, 2006
3 	The Organization of Peace 	The early 20th century League of Nations stood for peace, cooperation, disarmament and international understanding. What happened? 	42 min 	October 4, 2006
4 	Romancing the Tribes 	Shawnee chief Tecumseh and Arverni king Vercingetorix both tried to unify their tribal peoples to face overwhelming foes. Dan examines the romance of their lost causes. 	31 min 	October 24, 2006
5 	Meandering Through The Cold War 	Dan meanders through a conversation about causes and effects of the Cold War without ever talking much about the actual events of the conflict. 	48 min 	November 14, 2006
6 	Shield of the West 	Spartans, Athenians, Persians and references to Star Trek all make appearances in this look at the dramatic and extremely consequential Greek and Persian wars. 	59 min 	December 8, 2006
7 	The X-History Files 	Napoleon is supposed to have said that “History is a set of lies agreed upon”. With that in mind, Dan looks at some of the alternative and pseudo history ideas that many people embrace. 	31 min 	December 27, 2006
8 	Scars of the Great War 	Dan looks at the shock and awe caused by the First World War and marvels at how connected we still are to the empire-shattering effects of the conflict contemporaries simply referred to as "The Great War". 	40 min 	January 27, 2007
9 	Darkness Buries the Bronze Age 	What was the cause of the collapse of the Bronze Age? War? Famine? Natural disaster? Sauron, The Dark Lord? Dan looks at all the potential villains...except for Sauron. 	33 min 	February 16, 2007
10 	The What-Ifs of 1066 	How might history have been changed if the events of the momentous year 1066 had turned out differently? Dan examines Normans, Vikings, Saxons, Bastards, Conquerors, Confessors, Godwinsons and Hardradas. 	47 min 	March 13, 2007
11 	Thoughts on Churchill 	Dan takes a look at various elements of the dramatic life and career of the great British leader. 	53 min 	April 11, 2007
12 	Steppe Stories 	Blood-sucking Scythian warriors, tattooed ice mummies, Amazons killing so they can mate, pot smoking head-hunters, scalp-taking, koumiss-drinking Mongols, Turks, Huns, and Aliens. What's not to like? 	58 min 	May 8, 2007
13 	Bubonic Nukes 	What would happen if half the population died in a short period of time? Dan looks at the Black Death and other plagues that created almost apocalyptic conditions in the past...and maybe in the future. 	47 min 	June 13, 2007
14 	The Macedonian Soap Opera 	When Alexander the Great bequeathed his empire "to the strongest" he set off a funeral contest that shook the world for decades. Murder, marriage, intrigue, and drama all feature prominently in the story. 	49 min 	July 18, 2007
15 	Desperate Times 	The tough economic climate after the First World War fostered the growth of radicalism around the world. Did it also create tougher people? Dan looks at the connection between tough times and the "Greatest Generation". 	41 min 	August 30, 2007
16 	Nazi Tidbits 	What accounts for the fascination people still have with Adolf Hitler and the Nazis? Dan looks at some of the ideas of the German National Socialists and examines the demonic, charismatic Nazi Führer. 	59 min 	October 17, 2007
17 	Judgment at Nineveh 	Will our modern society ever decline and fall? Dan uses that idea as a backdrop for a look at the first great empire in history, the biblical-era Assyrians. Were they ancient Nazis, or the guardians of civilization? 	1 hour 4 min 	December 14, 2007
18 	A Fly on James Burke's Wall 	In this episode, Dan discusses history with famed television host, author and science historian James Burke, the man the Washington Post called "one of the most intriguing minds in the Western world". 	44 min 	January 2, 2008
19 	Apache Tears 	A traumatized people who traumatized their neighbors, the Native American tribe known as Apache were among the last Indians to surrender to the U.S. Government. 	1 hour 18 min	March 14, 2008
20 	(Blitz) History Under the Influence 	This first "Blitz Edition" of the show looks at the hidden side of history, the impact of drugs and alcohol on past events. Dan has a whole list of historical figures he wants to drug test. 	40 min 	May 6, 2008
21 	Punic Nightmares I 	Was it geopolitics or simply bitter hatred that fueled the ancient bloodbaths known as "The Punic Wars"? Dan highlights the unimaginable things people experienced during this intense face-off between Rome and Carthage. 	1 hour 	July 27, 2008
22 	Punic Nightmares II 	Darkness, horror, war and carnage dominate Part 2 of the Punic War trilogy as Hannibal rampages across Italy and pushes Rome to the brink of doom. 	1 hour 18 min	September 18, 2008
23 	Punic Nightmares III 	In one of the great displays of resiliency in all history, the Romans refuse to buckle under murderous Carthaginian pressure. Instead they recover, defeat and destroy Carthage, and conquer most of the Mediterranean. 	1 hour 35 min	October 30, 2008
24 	Classical Hanson 	Dan discusses history with famed historian, political commentator and classicist Victor Davis Hanson. 	35 min 	November 21, 2008
25 	The Dyer Outlook 	Dan discusses the past, present and future with influential Canadian historian, broadcaster and columnist Gwynne Dyer. 	59 min 	January 20, 2009
26 	(Blitz) Addicted to Bondage 	Is slavery a natural feature of human societies? Dan looks at this timeless, evil institution and wonders if we have made as much progress freeing ourselves from its influence as we think we have. 	1 hour 4 min 	February 3, 2009
27 	Ghosts of the Ostfront I 	Part One covering the conflict between the Germans and the Soviet Union in the Second World War. Dan gives an introduction to the subject and discusses the causes and opening moves of Operation Barbarossa. 	1 hour 6 min 	April 19, 2009
28 	Ghosts of the Ostfront II 	In Part Two of the Ostfront series covering WW2 on the Eastern Front, Dan looks at the attempt to take Moscow and the many compelling stories surrounding the momentous 1941 German offensive. 	1 hour 30 min	June 17, 2009
29 	Ghosts of the Ostfront III 	In Part Three of the Ostfront series covering WW2 on the Eastern Front, Dan looks at the situation in the U.S.S.R. during 1942 and early 1943, including the dreadful Battle of Stalingrad. 	1 hour 30 min	August 10, 2009
30 	Ghosts of the Ostfront IV 	In Part Four of the Ostfront series covering WW2 on the Eastern Front, Dan looks at the German retreat from Soviet territory and the retaliation by traumatized Soviet soldiers and civilians on their former tormentors as Berlin falls and the Nazi high command commits suicide. 	1 hour 39 min	October 10, 2009
31 	(Blitz) Suffer the Children 	Dan's exposure to the idea of "psychohistory" gets him thinking about how children were raised in the past. Could widespread child abuse and bad parenting in earlier eras explain some of history's brutality? 	58 min 	December 9, 2009
32 	Globalization Unto Death 	Ferdinand Magellan is the lead character in this episode about the collision between the Old and New worlds and what Dan calls "Globalization 1.0". 	1 hour 32 min	February 27, 2010
33 	(Blitz) Old School Toughness 	Does the toughness of peoples play any role in history? How can historians deal with such an amorphous human quality? Historiography, boxing, barbarians, philosophy and wisdom are among the subjects touched upon. 	1 hour 2 min 	April 27, 2010
34 	Death Throes of the Republic I 	The wars which elevate Rome to superpower status also sow the seed for the downfall of its political system. Money, slaves, ambition, political stalemate and class warfare prove to be a toxic, bloody mix. 	1 hour 23 min	June 28, 2010
35 	Death Throes of the Republic II 	Disaster threatens the Republic, but the cure might be worse than the disease. "The Dan Carlin version" of this story continues with ambition-addict Marius dominating the story and Plutarch dominating the sources. 	1 hour 35 min	August 29, 2010
36 	Death Throes of the Republic III 	Rome's political violence expands in intensity from riots and assassinations to outright war as the hyper-ambitious generals Marius and Sulla tear the Republic and its constitution apart vying for power and glory. 	1 hour 42 min	October 31, 2010
37 	Death Throes of the Republic IV 	Sulla returns to Rome to show the Republic what REAL political violence looks like. Civil war and deadly partisan payback will pave the way for reforms pushed at sword point. Lots of heads will roll...literally. 	1 hour 27 min	January 28, 2011
38 	Death Throes of the Republic V 	The last great generation of the Roman Republic emerges from the historical mists. The dynamic between Caesar, Cato, Cicero, Crassus and Pompey forms the axis around which the rest of this tale revolves. 	1 hour 27 min	April 1, 2011
39 	Death Throes of the Republic VI 	In a massive finish to the "Dan Carlin version" of the fall of the Roman Republic, conspiracies, civil wars, beatniks of antiquity and a guy named Caesar figure prominently. Virtually everyone dies. 	5 hour 27 min	June 30, 2011
40 	(Blitz) Radical Thoughts 	Using the two 20th Century "Red Scare" eras as case studies, Dan looks at the fear that can be generated by potentially dangerous ideas and examines the way such powerful mass emotions can cloud human judgment. 	2 hour 40 min	October 13, 2011
41 	Thor's Angels 	What started as a standard podcast episode morphed into an audio book on what used to be called "The Dark Ages" in Europe. Dan gets into many areas he should probably avoid...gods, Germans, bikers, Jesus... 	4 hour 6 min 	January 19, 2012
42 	(Blitz) Logical Insanity 	After many listener requests, Dan examines the issue of the morality of dropping the Atomic Bombs in the Second World War. As usual, he does so in his own unique, unexpected way. 	2 hour 30 min	March 31, 2012
43 	Wrath of the Khans I 	In one of the most violent outbursts in history a little-known tribe of Eurasian nomads breaks upon the great societies of the Old World like a human tsunami. It may have ushered in the modern era, but at what cost? 	1 hour 49 min	June 14, 2012
44 	Wrath of the Khans II 	The Mongol leader Genghis Khan displays an unmatched level of strategic genius while moving against both Northern China and the Eastern Islamic world. Both civilizations are left stunned and millions are slaughtered. 	1 hour 38 min	July 31, 2012
45 	Wrath of the Khans III 	The expansion of Genghis Khan's conquests continues, with locations as far apart as Europe and China feeling the bloody effects of Mongol warfare and retribution. Can anything halt the carnage? 	1 hour 30 min	September 23, 2012
46 	Wrath of the Khans IV 	The death of Genghis Khan, the founder of the Mongol Empire, should have slowed the momentum of Mongol conquests, but instead it accelerated it. This time though, all of Europe is on the Mongol hit list. 	1 hour 33 min	November 13, 2012
47 	Wrath of the Khans V 	Succession issues weaken the Mongol Empire as the grandchildren of Genghis Khan fight over their imperial inheritance. This doesn't stop them from dealing out pain, suffering, and ironically good governance while doing so. 	2 hour 8 min 	January 13, 2013
48 	Prophets of Doom 	Murderous millennial preachers and prophets take over the German city of Munster after Martin Luther unleashes a Pandora's Box of religious anarchy with the Protestant Reformation. 	4 hour 28 min	April 22, 2013
49 	The American Peril 	Imperial temptations and humanitarian nightmares force the United States of the late 19th Century to confront the contradictions between its revolutionary self-image and its expanding national interests. 	4 hour 6 min 	July 25, 2013
50 	Blueprint for Armageddon I 	The planet hadn't seen a major war between all the Great Powers since the downfall of Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815. But 99 years later the dam breaks and a Pandora's Box of violence engulfs the planet. 	3 hour 7 min 	October 29, 2013
51 	Blueprint for Armageddon II 	The Great Powers all come out swinging in the first round of the worst war the planet has ever seen. Millions of men in dozens of armies vie in the most deadly and complex opening moves of any conflict in world history. 	3 hour 20 min	January 30, 2014
52 	Blueprint for Armageddon III 	The war of maneuver that was supposed to be over quickly instead turns into a lingering bloody stalemate. Trench warfare begins, and with it, all the murderous efforts on both sides to overcome the static defenses. 	3 hour 54 min	April 24, 2014
53 	Blueprint for Armageddon IV 	Machine guns, barbed wire and millions upon millions of artillery shells create industrialized meat grinders at Verdun and the Somme. There's never been a human experience like it and it changes a generation. 	3 hour 56 min	August 17, 2014
54 	Blueprint for Armageddon V 	Politics, diplomacy, revolution and mutiny take center stage at the start of this episode, but mud, blood, shells and tragedy drown all by the end. 	4 hour 30 min	December 30, 2014
55 	Blueprint for Armageddon VI 	The Americans are coming, but will the war be over by the time they get there? Germany throws everything into a last series of stupendous attacks in the West while hoping to avoid getting burned by a fire in the East they helped fan. 	4 hour 17 min	May 6, 2015
56 	King of Kings 	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. 	3 hour 37 min	October 29, 2015
57 	King of Kings II 	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… 	4 hour 18 min	March 20, 2016
58 	King of Kings III 	If this were a movie, the events and cameos would be too numerous and star-studded to mention. It includes Xerxes, Spartans, Immortals, Alexander the Great, scythed chariots, and several of the greatest battles in history. 	5 hour 3 min 	August 7, 2016
59 	(Blitz) The Destroyer of Worlds 	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. 	5 hour 53 min	January 24, 2017
60 	The Celtic Holocaust 	Julius Caesar is our travel guide as he takes us through his murderous subjugation of the native Celtic tribal peoples of ancient Gaul. It sounds vaguely like other, recent European colonial conquests... until the natives nearly win. 	6 hour 	August 10, 2017
61 	(Blitz) Painfotainment 	Pain is at the root of most drama and entertainment. When does it get too real? This very disturbing and graphic show looks into some case studies and asks some deep questions. WARNING Very intense subject matter. 	4 hour 34 min	January 29, 2018
62 	Supernova in the East I 	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. 	4 hour 31 min	July 14, 2018
63 	Supernova in the East II 	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. 	4 hour 5 min 	January 12, 2019
64 	Supernova in the East III 	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. 	4 hour 53 min	October 25, 2019
65 	Supernova in the East IV 	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. 	3 hour 58 min	June 4, 2020
66 	Supernova in the East V 	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. 	3 hour 32 min	November 14, 2020
67 	Supernova in the East VI 	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. 	5 hour 45 min	June 9, 2021
68 	(Blitz) Human Resources 	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.	5 hour 39 min	March 7, 2022
69 	Twilight of the Aesir 	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. 	5 hour 14 min	January 15, 2023