Bonus Episodes

“Does H.H. Asquith really belong in Dominic's top ten British Prime Ministers, and if so why? What role did the survivors of the Titanic play in propagating the famous myths surrounding the disaster? A...

“How has Marie Antoinette traditionally been depicted in art - as a victim or a despot? What parallels can be drawn between the famous execution of Lady Jane Grey in England and that of Marie Antoinett...

“Was the outbreak of the First World War inevitable or might it have been avoided had Franz Ferdinand never been assassinated? Were any of the global powers involved more or less guilty for the outbrea...

“Does a mighty power need a formidable rival in order to become great? Was 20th century British culture uniquely British? When was the term democracy first applied to Western political systems? If the ...

“How was President Ronald Reagan almost assassinated on March 30th 1981, only seventy days into his presidency? Who was John Hinckley Jr., the man behind the attempt? What motivated this drastic action...

“Who was, or is, America’s most corrupt president? Where is the boundary between Eastern and Western Europe, and where should it be? When did the Eastern Roman Empire become Byzantium? Do ideas such as...

“What role did Francisco Solano Lopez play in the War of the Triple Alliance? What were the major turning points that led to his downfall? Which strategic challenges did Paraguay face during the war? A...

“What would have happened if Harold Godwinson had won the Battle of Hastings in 1066? What were the consequences of the Norman Conquest for Europe as a whole? How did it impact the English language? Di...

“Was the American government in the Sixties engaged in a policy of perpetual war? What would happen to the USA if permanent global peace broke out? Why are conspiracies so endemic to American society? ...

“What are the Five Eyes, the globe-spanning intelligence network that unofficially binds five world-leading countries? Why is it so relevant to politics right now? When was it founded, and why? Who was...

“Who has been the best American president in recent history? How did Franklin D. Roosevelt go up against Hitler and the Nazis, while battling debilitating Polio? Why was Lincoln such a melancholy man? ...

“What does it feel like to conduct a live orchestra? How has music influenced politics? Did Igor Stravinsky’s music from the ballet, The Rite of Spring, really inspire a riot? Which composer famously p...

“What did Tom think of Gladiator II? Why did people refer to Napoleon by his first name unlike the Duke of Wellington and Lord Nelson? Why didn’t the Romans bother conquering Ireland? Who was more narc...

“What was Jane Austen’s experience of the Napoleonic Wars? How militarised was Britain during this time? Were people really press ganged into the British navy? How did the wars change the British popul...

“What does the music of 1968 America tell us about the roiling political climate of that tumultuous year of American politics? Why has music so often been associated with protest and the left, against ...

“Was Napoleon taller than Lord Admiral Nelson? Who was Jacques Francis, the young West African free diver who in the sixteenth century was charged with salvaging weapons from the Mary Rose, Henry VIII’...

“Why did people become interested in Roman history after the fall of the empire? Did the “Break with Rome” change the legacy of the Romans in Britain? When did Britain become obsessed with remaking Rom...

“How challenging were the obstacles faced by photographers trying to reach the front line in the 1940s? What happened to personal video collections filmed by Nazis? Why were soldiers not allowed beards...

“How many American Presidents have been killed by assassins, and which ones? Do failed assassination attempts historically work in the favour of a candidate running for election, or does it make little...

“From 1556 and the Dutch Revolt onwards, what have been the key moments of Anglo-Dutch relations? Why were they so strained during the 17th century? What happened at the Battle of the Medway in 1667, w...

“To coincide with the re-release of Rubicon in audiobook, now with Tom Holland himself narrating it, we have the book’s introduction for you to enjoy. Rubicon is a story of incomparable drama. This was...

“What is the worst gaff in British political campaigning history? Was the Catilinarian Conspiracy a genuine threat to the Roman Republic, or did Cicero embellish it for his own benefit? How many of the...

“Which medieval battle would Tom and Dominic like to go back in time and watch from a hot air balloon? Were the Egyptian pyramids built by slaves? What factors contributed to the Industrial Revolution,...

“Which historical character lost the most for lust? Does the Seven Years War count as a World War? If Hitler had known of the evil reputation he would come to incur, would he have done anything differe...

“Was the battle of Trafalgar crucial to the success of the anti-slavery movement? What were attitudes to homosexuality like during Lord Byron’s own lifetime? Was homosexuality considered a ‘vice’ that ...

“What qualities did medieval monarchs need to be successful? Did Lord Mountbatten plan to lead a coup against Harold Wilson in 1968, as depicted in the TV show The Crown? Will historians of the future ...

“How did J.R.R. Tolkien’s experiences during the First World War inspire ‘The Hobbit’, and 'The Lord of the Rings'? What was his early life like? How did he come to write these literary classics? What ...

“During their retreat from the enormous German army in August 1914, was the comparatively tiny British Army really saved from annihilation by the miraculous appearance of angelic archers? What evidence...

“What became of the Holy Roman Empire, after it was toppled during the Napoleonic Wars? Was this the birth of modern Europe? Were the legendary Habsburgs a more modernising force than has typically bee...

“Why does the history of sport matter? What does football teach us about world culture? How did Empire impact the development of football during the Victorian period? In which ways did football serve t...

“Who was William Notman, one of the 19th century’s greatest photographers? What were the dubious reasons that sent him to Canada from his native Scotland? How did he push the boundaries of 19th century...

“Is Mary Queen of Scots the most famous and mythologised character in Scottish history? Which seven buildings were most integral to her life in Scotland? In which glamorous castle did she spend her ill...

“Was Peter Frankopan's book The Silk Roads a big hit in China because it re-centred Asia in the context of world affairs? What is the benefit of studying civilians instead of emperors? Did Europeans ge...

“What would Ireland look like today if all traces of the British, English and even Norman occupation had been expunged, and it was returned to the condition it was before 1169? Did it have one centrali...

“Who was Lenin? What did he do upon hearing that the Tsar had been toppled in Russia, while exiled in Zurich? How did he make it home to St Petersburg, with the threat of arrest on all sides? Why did t...

“When did Britain cease to be a prehistoric society? What language did its peoples speak before the arrival of the Romans? When did coins first start being minted in Britain, and what did they have to ...

“Were giraffes the inspiration for the myth of the unicorn? Why did the Sultan of Egypt send a giraffe to Medici Florence in the 15th century? Was this the great turning point in European history? What...

“Why did the totemic 7/7 bombings - a series of devastating explosions that took place on London tubes and a bus in 2005, followed by three more attempted bombings later - take place? How exactly did t...

“How did the monks of 13th century England study the Hebrew parts of the Bible? What happened to Hiberno-English? What makes The Red Book of Bath the 15th century iPhone? What do the scribe of this Arm...

“Who was history’s greatest traitor? Could the Renaissance have happened without the fall of Constantinople? Who was history’s worst father? And, during the tumultuous years that followed the First Wor...

“What has been the most famous poisoning in history? Which is the most unbelievable event that Tom and Dominic have covered on the show, that they believe actually happened rather than having been mere...

“Would it have been fair to refer to the Eastern Roman Empire - the Byzantine Empire - as ‘Roman’? What language would have been spoken throughout the Empire? Who did Edward the Confessor really want a...

“What are the stories told in The Iliad and The Odyssey? When are they set? Did the events and adventures they describe really take place? How do the two epics relate to each other? Did Homer actually ...

“*VOTE FOR THE REST IS HISTORY AT THE WEBBY AWARDS* The Rest is History has been nominated for Best History Podcast at the Webby Awards. Vote now at the link below! https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicV...

“Who was Rome’s worst emperor of all time? Are the politicians of today less impressive than those of the past? If so, why? Does an understanding of history make for a better politician? How did people...

“How much time did the Mesopotamians really spend waging war, and what evidence is there for this? Who was King Nabonidus, the last ruler of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, under whose kingship Babylon fell...

“What became of the Kaiser after Germany lost the Second World War? Who was his family, the Hohenzollerns, and why did they vanish from the historical record following his fall from power? Was the Kais...

“What era does Trump’s famous slogan, ‘Make America Great Again’, refer to? Has this always been a familiar theme in any democratic country? Could another city or state have conquered the Mediterranean...

“Who was Roger Casement, the mysterious, enigmatic man at the heart of exposing the terrible humanitarian abuses taking places under King Leopold of Belgium’s regime in the Congo Free State? Born in 18...

“What was the most common cause of death under King Leopold of Belgium’s nightmarish regime in the Congo Free State? Were the majority of victims murdered, or did they die from exposure, sickness, and ...

“Was Donald Trump's rise to power historically unprecedented in America? Who has been the worst American president in recent history? Was Reagan’s emotional detachment his great strength or weakness? D...

“How did the Nazis brutally reshape the boundaries of Poland, and thereby dislocate vast swathes of her population? What is the deep history of Europe’s frontiers? Why are liminal border zones such unc...

“Which character from history would Tom and Dominic choose to make a hit Netflix series about? What are history’s most consequential empires? Which empire collapses most impacted the world? Did the Bri...

“Why have Canadian politics historically been so troubled? How did Canada come to be an independent entity? What was its role in the American Revolution? Were the Canadian the real winner of the war of...

“Who was Harald Hardrada - viking king, dragon fighter, and bodyguard to the Byzantine emperor - and why was he such an extraordinary historical figure? Given their extensive knowledge of the past and ...

“What did war photography capture about the truth of the Vietnam War? How did Stalin erase his enemies from the public record? What was the story behind ‘The Roaring Lion’, the most iconic portrait of ...

“What are the ancient Herculaneum scrolls, recovered following the explosion of Vesuvius in 79 AD? How did these supposedly lost documents survive? What happened this year to resurrect them, when they ...

“What is the meaning behind Orkney’s mysterious stone circles? How far back does the history of the Orkney archipelago truly stretch? What makes its ancient neolithic remains so extraordinary? When wer...

“How historically seismic is the recent American election? What will be the consequences of Trump’s victory for the future of the U.S.A? Were the 1990’s more of a turning point in American politics tha...

“What were the Silk Roads? How did they reshape our understanding of the world? Who was Edward III’s wife Isabella - the She Wolf of France - featured in Braveheart? How were turtles used to predict th...

“What was the worst foreign policy mistake the US ever made? Who will win the upcoming presidential election? Should the northern states have just abandoned the South in the American Civil War? Do assa...

“What’s the best book that Tom and Dominic have NEVER written? How on earth did Alexander the Great manage to administer and garrison his enormous empire from the remote lands of Macedonia? Did "Willy"...

“Who was H. H. Asquith - the last great Victorian Prime Minister - and was he a good leader? What impact did his controversial relationship with his daughter’s friend Venetia Stanley have upon his lead...

“Which mythical figure from history would Dominic most like to have existed? Which assassination attempt, had it succeeded would have had the greatest impact on the course of history? If Hitler had bee...

“What would have happened had the French royal family managed to escape France? Could Louis XVI ever have found a compromise with the revolutionaries? Would the revolutionaries ever have coexisted with...

“Which historical subject do Tom and Dominic think is the most important in the whole of world history? How are different events, periods and monuments perceived in different parts of the world today? ...

“To coincide with the re-release of Dynasty in audiobook, now with Tom Holland himself narrating, we have the book’s introduction for you to enjoy. Dynasty, the sequel to Rubicon, is a dazzling portrai...

“Which historical figure most significantly altered the course of history, by virtue of their incompetence? Why did England and Scotland adopt such different forms of Protestantism during the Reformati...

“Was the Norman Conquest of England a colonial enterprise? Is the current political chaos and rapid turnover of Prime Ministers in Britain unprecedented? What would Dominic have done had he been an aid...

“Did the Vikings ever come into contact with the Native Americans? What became of the Mohican tribe from the film, Last of the Mohicans? Are there parallels between the leaders of the Lakota Sioux duri...

“Was the Cold War the ultimate East-West confrontation, or was it the Persian Wars? Are concepts of freedom and autocracy central to the antipathy between East and West? What did Tom and Dominic make o...

“Was there a World War before the First World War? Why have apocalyptic mythologies always loomed large in human religions? Who was the mystic that predicted a Third World War in 1979? Which nation did...

“What does Dominic make of the recent claims regarding Harold Wilson's secret affair with the civil servant Janet Hewlett-Davies? Has the impact of the Moon landings been lost in recent decades? What i...

“What would have happened if Jesus had survived? Why were swastikas painted on some American planes during the Second World War? What were the weaknesses of the American B17 flying fortresses? How hist...

“How accurate is the TV series ‘Shogun’? Who were the mysterious green children of Woolpit - fairies, Flemish exiles with hypochromic anaemia, or extraterrestrials…? Can historians ever really suspend ...

“Which six museums from throughout the West have Tom and Dominic found the most interesting or unusual, and why? From space age classical statues in Rome, to the mysterious Grauballe Man in Denmark, an...

“Who is England's most important monarch, William the Conquerer or Henry VIII? How would England have turned out without the Norman Conquest? Were Sodom and Gomorrah caused by real natural disasters? D...

“What’s the truth behind the biblical story of Sodom and Gomorrah? Why did an amphitheatre collapse in 27AD, killing thousands? How did a whole English village fall into the sea in the 13th century? Wh...

“Is physical courage a prerequisite for greatness? Does the use of emergency dictatorial powers always result in totalitarianism? Why was Napoleon exiled rather than executed? Which was the bigger scan...

“Was the Eastern Roman Empire wealthier than its western counterpart? Can a PHD thesis be deemed "too easy to read"? Was 16th century French Protestantism a legacy of the Cathars? Is there such a thing...

“Was Darwinism used as a justification for selfishness? When does Colonialism turn into Nationalism? Would there have been a Second World War without Hitler? In this week's bonus, Tom and Dominic wrest...

“Would Tom Holland's latin be good enough for Julius Caesar? Does working for cultural institutions come at a cost? Is clothing still a reliable marker of social class? And most importantly, how many e...

“What do Tom and Dominic think of the new TV show, King and Conquerer? Which Harold would have been the most entertaining company: Harold Godwinson, Harold Wilson, or Harald Hardrada? What was Harold G...

“Which moments from history inspired the terrifying dystopian patriarchy of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’? How does this unsettling thriller of a novel unfold? Who are characters such as ‘the Commander’, his w...

“How did the late 17th and early 18th centuries cement the political traditions that have defined Britain ever since? Why was the political history of this period so tumultuous? Who were the Whigs and ...

“How were the Clutter family brutally murdered in their home, in Holcomb, Kansas, in 1959? Why was this seemingly perfect and well-loved family killed so savagely? Who were their murderers, Perry Smith...

“How did a bizarre religious sect come to dominate the formerly powerful city of Königsberg in the summer 1835? What were their practices and beliefs? Who was the man behind this strange movement? What...

“Was the titular Count Dracula of Bram Stoker’s decadent gothic thriller, ‘Dracula’, based on Vlad the Impaler? Was Count Dracula the first literary vampire? Which other aspects of Central European his...

“Was Marie Antoinette the first style icon and celebrity? What was it like to be shipped off as a child bride? Why has her legacy endured in a way that few historical figures have? In this week’s bonus...

“Is there a factual basis behind the Greek myths? Why has the Greek city of Thebes long been associated with Egypt? Were the plagues sent by God to punish Egypt in the Book of Exodus, based upon real h...

“Did the Trojan War - the ten year, cosmic clash between the Greeks and the Trojans, featuring the Olympian gods, kings and heroes - actually happen? Is there any evidence for the existence of the Troj...

“Who was Albert Camus, the iconic absurdist French author from Algeria? What can ‘L'étranger’ tell us about French Algeria, the Algerian War, and colonialism in the 1930s? How does the book’s central m...

“Did every ancient civilisation need slave labour to flourish? Which of the famous literary circles from history would Tom and Dominic like to have joined? What was Shakespeare like as a man? Did most ...

“No one was like him, terrible were his crimes… Where was Alexander the Great born, and who were his parents? What drove him to go beyond the Aegean empire he had already carved out for himself, and co...

“Which historical British figure has had the greatest impact on the world? Is Shakespeare the most important writer of all time? What would have happened to British politics if Jim Callaghan had won th...

“What is the main difference between Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great? When did Julius Caesar become one of the major players of the Roman Republic? What was the true nature of Caesar’s relationsh...

“Which American president would Tom and Dominic want to go on a road trip with? Who from history has had the most stratospheric rise to power? And, have more monarchical U.S. presidents, such as George...

“Where did gladiatorial combat originate? Who was Spartacus, the legendary gladiator? How did he come to lead the most famous slave revolt in all Roman history? How did the rebellion unfold? And, what ...

“What became of Emma Hamilton and Horatia, Horatio Nelson’s beloved mistress and daughter, after his tragic death at Trafalgar? Why was Emma arrested, and did the British Government intervene to save h...

“What’s the first question people at Disney ask themselves when they have a great idea? How does Bob Iger view his legacy, and does he think Walt Disney would approve of his record? How did Bob first g...

“Who is the most terrifying villain in any Disney film? How were Disney’s jolly fantasy films received by the America of the Great Depression? Which dark tales were iconic early Disney movies such as P...

“How is the recently discovered 'Tudor Heart Pendant', connected to Henry VIII and the first of his many wives, Katherine of Aragon? What secrets does it reveal about the true nature of their relations...

“How did James IV become King of Scotland after the execution of his long absent mother, Mary Queen of Scots, and how did he think of her? Was he received favourably in England following Elizabeth I’ d...

“| This episode is available a week early for members of The Rest Is History Club | What happens when fame, drugs, and genius collide? How did the Beatles survive John Lennon’s “more popular than Jesus...

“How did four Liverpool teenagers become the most influential band on earth? What made their music and charisma irresistible to a generation? And, how did their ambition and timing spark a cultural rev...

“Were all of Jack the Ripper’s victims prostitutes? Why have their stories been left out of so much of the history? And, what were their lives really like? In this week’s bonus episode, Tom and Dominic...

“Which are Tom and Dominic’s all-time favourite episodes of The Rest is History? Who are their most beloved Friends of the Show? And, which five apples transformed the world? In a very special edition ...

“Which has been the most disastrous love affair in all history? How do wars such as ‘The Wars of the Roses’ get their names? And, which history books have most influenced Tom and Dominic’s views on any...

“How was fire first invented, and how did it change the world? What did Britain look like 400,000 years ago? And, how has an astonishing recent discovery provided new evidence of Palaeolithic neanderth...

“Was Joan of Arc celebrated or reviled by the Patriots of the French Revolution? How do modern historians explain the angelic voices Joan was hearing? And, how is Joan connected to mysterious pagan wit...

“When was poetry first invented? Which famous Tudor royal wrote love poems from the Tower of London? And, why did the First World War produce such extraordinary poetry? In this week’s bonus episode, Do...

“Why is Jan Van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait perceived as one of the greatest mysteries of the arts? What elements and symbolisms provoke debates about its identity and meaning? And, what do we know about...

“Why does Diego Velázquez’ Las Meninas represent the fading Spanish Golden Age? How did he challenge the boundaries between viewer and artwork? And, in what ways does his defining style foreshadow Impr...

“How does Henry Raeburn’s Skating Minister represent both the Scottish Enlightenment and the Romantic movement? In what ways does the subject Reverend Robert Walker’s personal history connect to the fa...

“Why does Emily Brontë's novel, Wuthering Heights, have such an enduring romantic association? Is Heathcliff a romantic lead, or an abusive antihero? Are the characters aspirational in any way, or irre...