Imagine actual people living for real through the plot of several disaster and survival movies combined. That’s what the crew of the USS Indianapolis experienced after it was torpedoed at the very end of the Second World War.Dan Carlin

Dan and the British Imperial War Museum’s famed First World War historian Peter Hart talk about one of their favorite mutual interests…World War One.Dan Carlin

Dan talks about history, war and philosophy (and where those three subject might converge) with Four-Star General and former U.S. Air Force Chief-of-Staff Merrill McPeak.Dan Carlin

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.Dan Carlin

History podcasting legend Mike Duncan and Dan talk about Mike's new book on the pivotal early era of Rome's road from Republic to Empire.Dan Carlin

Dan once said that he thought Germany’s First World War military was superior to Nazi Germany’s Wehrmacht. He is often asked to elaborate, so he does in this show (note:this “pilot” show was previously posted on YouTube)Dan Carlin

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.Dan Carlin

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.Dan Carlin

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.Dan Carlin

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...Dan Carlin

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.Dan Carlin

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.Dan Carlin

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.Dan Carlin

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.Dan Carlin

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.Dan Carlin

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.Dan Carlin

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.Dan Carlin

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.Dan Carlin

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 ReformationDan Carlin

More military history. More quintessentially "Dan" twists. More deep questions. In this "Director's Cut" style addendum to HH 47 you get all that, plus cutting-room floor stuff and Dan talking about the challenges this episode posed and why he made "Wrath of the Khans" the way he did.Dan Carlin

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.Dan Carlin

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.Dan Carlin

The expansion of Genghis Khan's conquests continue, with locations as far apart as Europe and China feeling the bloody effects of Mongol warfare and retribution. Can anything halt the carnage?Dan Carlin

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.Dan Carlin

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?Dan Carlin

More military history. More quintessentially "Dan" twists. More deep questions. In this "Director's Cut" style addendum to HH 42 you get all that, plus cutting-room floor stuff and Dan talking about the challenges this episode posed and why he made "Logical Insanity" the way he did.Dan Carlin

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.Dan Carlin

More military history. More quintessentially "Dan" twists. More deep questions. In this "Director's Cut" style addendum to HH 41 you get all that, plus cutting-room floor stuff and Dan talking about the challenges this episode posed and why he made Thor's Angels the way he did.Dan Carlin

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…Dan Carlin

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.Dan Carlin

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.Dan Carlin

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.Dan Carlin

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.Dan Carlin

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.Dan Carlin

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.Dan Carlin

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.Dan Carlin

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.Dan Carlin

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". It is also full of controversy!Dan Carlin