And ever since Books on the Nightstand announced that it was saying goodbye at the beginning of June, I have thought about my favourites. While I enjoy my bookish podcasts and they are generally the first to go if I don't enjoy the first couple of episodes, the vast majority of the podcasts that I listen to are history related (big shocker here), with a smattering of sports-related podcasts.
I have included links to the main pages of the various podcasts, so that if you aren't an iPhone user, you can check them out. And yes, all that I mention here over the next 3 days are all available in iTunes.
For somebody like myself, this is a really good podcast. I don't like analytics at all when it comes to sports, but for some strange reason this podcast appeals to me and is fairly easy to grasp a hold of, even though I find analytics a mystery to me and somehow still can't understand why some fans feel that its important.
Its a mishmash of hockey talk and pop culture. They seem to get really awesome guests who usually have an interest in hockey or are somehow involved in the hockey business. If you are a hockey nut, you will enjoy this one. Will note that there is language and is rated explicit.
These guys are gutsy to say the least. I don't know what else to say about them. First off, they rated all the kings and queens of England from Anglo-Saxon times up until the present queen Elizabeth II and then they wittled the list down to the king or queen that was choosen as the greatest English king or queen. Now they are doing the same for the Scottish kings and queens, up until James VI (or James I to the Brits). I hope they will do the French monarchy.
I am sure that most of you probably already listen to this one, but if you don't, I would suggest that you would and that you start with Season One, which I found amazing. I heard about this podcast from a colleague and haven't been disappointed.
All I can say about this podcast is that I have never had so much fun learning about history. If I were starting out, I would start out with Julius and then move into Augustus. Ray and Cam make the learning process fun. They include music and humor all the while making sure that you are learning something fascinating. I should note that they like to make fun of certain groups and the language can be saucy and is not meant for the ears of those young and sensitive alike. Also the last 20 or so podcasts on Julius Caesar are behind a paywall, so if you like the free episodes on Julius Caesar, I would recommend listening to the ones that you have to pay for.
Sometimes learning about a man behind the myth is fascinating and so is the case with this podcast. A really excellent and detailed look at Napoleon Bonaparte and the myths that surround him. This podcast proceeded Life of Caesar and has slightly different hosts. While Cam of the Life of Caesar hosts this, his co-host is a guy who has written a book called Napoleon for Dummies and seems to take up most of the time talking. They did about 60 episodes, with about the last 40 behind a paywall (its about $10 US for the remaining episodes, if you chose to listen to all of the episodes, which I did and was so worth it).
This is an arm of the BBC History Magazine, so there is a lot of promotion of the magazine itself asking people to subscribe to the magazine, if they so wish to (really they just give the information as to what is in the particular month's magazine and how you can get a copy). That being said, it is an excellent podcast, with interviews of authors and historians alike on various topics that range from the ancient to the present day (listened to an episode last night that talked about Hitler and his addiction to a wide variety of drugs that included cocaine, sleeping pills, uppers and downers, etc.). Usually the podcasts include two interviews on two different topics, but occasionally they will include talks that the BBC History Magazine has recorded. Well worth to listen to the back catalogue of episodes.
Probably one of the best voices in the podcasting world. Scott has a very clear voice that makes it easy to listen to the episodes. This is one of those podcasts you need to listen from the beginning, as it goes in a linear fashion. An excellent look into the ancient world, especially the area around the Mediterranean, the one that most of us in the West have studied about.
While this podcast doesn't cover the whole history of pirates (if you are interested in learning about history of pirates going back to ancient times, you will want the History of Pirates Podcast, which is also excellent), this podcast does cover what is considered to be the golden age of pirates and is well worth the listen.
I was in one of my numerous fits with Stuff You Missed in History Class when I subscribed to the podcast. The podcast is hosted by two lovely ladies Beckett and Susan and explores the history of prominent women throughout time. I would listen from the beginning, even though it isn't in a linear fashion, as the women that they cover in the beginning are just as fascinating as the women that they have recently covered. They do issue warnings at the beginning of episodes which might be sensitive, but on the whole they are clean and are great listening for the whole family.
Tomorrow I will go from 20 -11 and if you are in Canada, I hope you have a splendid Canada Day.
