History Extra podcast

Simon Sebag Montefiore discusses his brand new book, exploring the entire history of the world through the prism of families

Ada Ferrer covers five centuries of Cuba’s history, and its complex relationship with the United States – from colonisation by Europeans to the Castro dynasty

Harald Jähner charts the decisive decade after the Second World War, during which Germany underwent monumental change as it began to rebuild itself following the chaos of the conflict

Roger Luckhurst answers listener questions about how sci-fi has imagined the future by reflecting the concerns of the past

This new HistoryExtra podcast series marks the 60th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis, exploring the long roots of the nuclear standoff, and the perspectives of the nations and figures at its centre.

Euan Roger shares new findings that could influence our perspective on the famous medieval author’s questionable legacy

Elisabeth Leake charts the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, revealing how the ensuing occupation and internal conflict shaped the modern nation

In the first episode in our new series on the Mary Rose, we follow the extraordinary search for Henry VIII’s long-lost warship, which uncovered the wreck after almost 450 years

Beverley Cook discusses a new Museum of London Docklands exhibition on the long history of public executions in the capital

From the wild hedonism of the Weimar years to living in the shadow of the Berlin Wall, Sinclair McKay traces the history of the German city through the lives of its inhabitants