I don’t just like history podcasts, I love them and the problem with that is that I am sometimes left feeling like Loren Allred in the Greatest Showman because my podcast feed is never enough. As a result I find that top lists or iTunes recommendations are not all that helpful as I have almost certainly listened to every show on the list. As a result I often find that I am searching through Facebook and Twitter for new shows to stream. It is this effort that has yielded my list below. They are new shows, launched exclusively in the year 2018, that I have enjoyed. It can be scary starting to listen to a new show as you fear the inevitable pod-fading so as I love the below shows it is my hope that promoting them just might help drive a little traffic their way so that they can keep producing excellent content for me to enjoy for free. So, without further adieu, my favorite history podcasts that were launched in 2018 (in no particular order).





10: History of the Copts Podcast









The Copts are an ethno-religious group who today predominantly live in Egypt and adhere to a unique form of the Christian faith. Our first entry to the list explores that unique and seldomly talked about minority. The host, Jonathan, is a Copt himself so the content is close to home for him, but rather than skewing his perspective it has only deepened his commitment to telling an accurate story about this group’s fascinating history. I especially enjoyed the episode: Monasticism in late-antiquity.





9. American Loser Podcast









Do you know that old saying about how history is written by the winner? Well, just because history is written by the winner does not mean that the loser’s story is any less interesting. The American Loser Podcast from the father and son team of KP and Larry have proven that. With episodes dedicated to Aaron Burr (sir?), Bugs Moran and the episode that hooked me General Custer this show is a great show to listen to on a commute or binge at your desk.





8. Grimm Reading









Grimm Reading is a podcast that first reads a Brothers Grimm fairy tale, then gives some history on the tale and then finally gives the story a rating out of ten. I questioned whether Grimm Reading belongs on a list of history podcasts as some might argue it is more of a literature podcast, but I decided to list it due to the middle section of the show; the piece that provides information about things like the Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index, information about related tales and details about the development of the various editions of Brothers Grimm stories. It is a wonderful and engaging show from Adam and Matt and I always look forward to each and every fireside reading.





7. The Exploress Podcast









The Exploress Podcast is a history podcast that explores both specific eras and individual historical figures to tell the day to day stories of extraordinary women of the past. If you are the type of person who likes to really explore the context beyond the historical setting in order to understand the everyday lives and lived experience of people from the past then this is the show for you. The host, Kate, guides us through stories from a Lady’s life in the Mid-19th century, the story of Civil War soldier Sarah Emma Edmonds or to my favorite thus far when she brought us to the Wild West.





6. FireStarters Podcast









Back when I was in high school my American History teacher assigned us a project that called for us to listen to Billy Joel’s hit song ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’ and then add a verse bridging the gap from the song’s release date to the present. It was a great assignment as it allowed me to dig into the song and attempt to line up historical events into some sort of rhyme scheme. I have basically zero musical talent so I am pretty positive that the verse was not great, but ever since then I have held the song in special esteem. FireStarters takes that song that is chalk full of historical references and attempts to break down every last one of them. Dan and Henry have provided a factual and funny show that explores the likes of Richard Nixon, Joe DiMaggio and Doris Day.





5. The History of Spain Podcast









The History of Spain Podcast as the name might suggest tells the history of Spain from Spanish Prehistory to the Present. Launched in November the show is off to a great start. David plans to spend less time on the early history through the Roman period of Hispania, a choice I wholeheartedly agree with, and then will get deeper into the history after Roman presence has been removed. Spanish history is certainly an area of history that is yet to be too saturated in the Podcast medium so this show provides a fantastic resource for anyone interested in learning more.





4. The History of the Barbarians’s Podcast









Everyone loves the story of the Great Empires with Rome likely being the most popular of all. The History of the Barbarians’s Podcast aims to explore those periphery peoples who were often at odds and far less documented than the Empire. The host Joshua launched the show back in May and has so far primarily focused on telling the history of the Goths and let me vouch for it that whether he is talking about the Crisis of the Third Century, the Battle of Adrianople or anything else every second of it has been fascinating.





3. American Presidents: Totalus Rankium









Rob and Jamie of the Roman Emperors: Totalus Rankium Podcast have set their sites on the colonies, I mean, on the United States of America to rate all of the American Presidents one by one. They started with George Washington back in March and are steadily marching toward Trump. Presidents are generally split into two episodes with the first episode detailing their early life and pre-President career before the second episode goes through the administration and provides their rankings based on how interesting the President is to them. This show is definitely an AmeriCAN and you should be sure to subscribe.





2. Context









Last year’s “New Show” column introduced us to host Brad Harris and his show How It Began. This year he is back with another great history podcast called Context. Brad’s background is in the history of Science and Technology. This allows for a remarkable perspective and he uses it to provide Context in this show. The subject of the show is primarily around exploring books that have asked the big questions of ‘what led to the rise of the modern world? How have we made so much progress, and what are its consequences?’ Books that he has covered include 1493, Galileo’s Finger and Merchants of Doubt.





1. Pontifacts









Pontifacts is our Popiest addition to the 2018 History Podcast scene. It is a member of the #rexypod family of podcasts (if you are unfamiliar definitely search it). The show’s concept is to review the lives of each Bishop of Rome / Pope of the Roman Catholic Church by dedicating an episode to every Pope from Peter to Francis. The big draw though is that it features two hosts, on researcher and one commentator, who discuss the lives in a conversational tone with tons of comedy thrown in. The goal of the show is to rank the Popes in a few categories to find out the most interesting and Popiest Pope of them all. Hosts Bry and Fry have done a phenomenal job in year one and I for one cannot wait for the rest of the Popes!





0. The Why Is That Podcast









One additional show to mentioned is the Why Is That Podcast from yours truly. I launched my show at the end of February with the intent to explore the origins of traditions, etymologies and other aspects of life that still exists today. I have covered topics ranging from the Pope’s position as Supreme Pontiff to the superstition behind Friday the Thirteenth and even have had time to explore the history of the fairy tale Hansel and Gretel. Listen here:









If I missed any shows that were launched in 2018 that you think I would enjoy I would love to hear about them. Comment on this post and I'll be sure to take the time to listen. Also, if you end up listening to any of these new shows I would love to hear what you think!



