Sure, you could listen to another painfully earnest deep-dive into the Treaty of Versailles where the host speaks in a hushed, reverent tone like they’re narrating a nature documentary about endangered seahorses. Or, you could actually enjoy learning about history through podcasts hosted by people who understand that the past was absolutely ridiculous and that Marie Antoinette’s hairdos deserve the same mockery today that they probably received in 1780.
These podcasts prove that just because something happened centuries ago doesn’t mean it can’t be funny, and that the best way to remember historical disasters is to laugh at them before we inevitably repeat them. So prepare your funny bones, because I’m about to introduce you to the podcasts that have figured out that “educational” doesn’t have to mean “soul-crushingly boring.”
You’re Dead to Me
BBC Radio 4’s You’re Dead to Me blends laughs with learning as host Greg Jenner teams up with a comedian and historian each episode to dive into the past. From Egyptian pyramids to the Bayeux Tapestry, Joan of Arc’s long road to sainthood to Catherine the Great’s legacy, this show proves history is packed with fascinating characters, wild stories, and terrible fashion. Whether exploring ancient sites like Stonehenge and Machu Picchu, tracing Broadway and Bollywood’s evolution, or uncovering the Tudor dynasty’s rise, Greg and friends deliver fresh historical insights you definitely missed in school.
What the HELL Were You Thinking?
Welcome to the podcast that examines the forces that shaped today’s world by diving into nostalgia, uncovering its history, and prompting the question: What the HELL Were You Thinking? Host Dave Bledsoe explores the history, politics, and pop culture of the last five decades, describing what those times were actually like and revealing how they continue to mess things up today. Every Monday, Dave and his Producer Gavin St James deliver a time capsule of truth that connects the past to the present.
The Alarmist
Who’s responsible for history’s biggest catastrophes? The Plague. The Titanic disaster. The Beatles’ split. Writer and comedian Rebecca Delgado-Smith, joined by a special guest each episode, examines history’s most infamous failures to determine what went wrong and, crucially, who should take the fall. This comedy podcast offers relief from modern-day stress by proving that while history may repeat itself, The Alarmist won’t let it happen without proper accountability.
History Defeats Itself
Kevin Rosenquist, John Banks, and Greg Mitchell explore historical events and figures that demonstrate humanity’s failure to learn from the past. The podcast blends history with cultural commentary, all wrapped in comedy. Whether the humour is witty or juvenile, the trio consistently delivers entertainment aimed at making listeners laugh.
The Year Is
Each episode transports listeners to a specific year in the past to explore that period’s strangest, most compelling, and occasionally disturbing happenings.
Hard Fried History
Created by and for the inquisitive, Hard Fried History offers a rapid education on virtually any topic. This comedy-history hybrid delivers well-researched, reliable information sweetened with humor to make learning enjoyable. Hosts H. Price and Joshua Stokes spotlight overlooked historical figures, events, and periods, or provide fresh perspectives and modern analysis on more familiar subjects.
Oh What A Time…
Listeners are invited to explore history through “Oh What A Time…” a comedy history podcast featuring well-known comedians Elis James and Tom Craine alongside award-winning podcaster Chris Scull. Each week tackles a fresh topic, ranging from childhood to maritime life, marriage to vacations, as the hosts uncover history’s strangest and most terrible moments to answer one pressing question: “Was the past really as terrible as it seems?”
Rex Factor
Rex Factor is an entertaining podcast that examines every monarch who ruled England and Scotland.
The Dollop
Comedians Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds select a historical topic and explore it in depth. Discover the best episodes of The Dollop.
Timesuck with Dan Cummins
Timesuck is a weekly podcast where standup comedian Dan Cummins dives into history’s darkest moments, bizarre conspiracies, and shocking true stories with humor and thorough research. From infamous figures to unsolved mysteries and serial killers, each episode explores the weird and unexpected. Discover the best episodes of Timesuck with Dan Cummins.
An Old Timey Podcast
History lessons have taken a wildly inappropriate turn. Kristin Caruso, co-host of the true crime comedy podcast Let’s Go To Court (16M+ downloads), joins forces with Norman Caruso, creator of the Gaming Historian YouTube channel (1M+ subscribers), to produce a history podcast that’s thoroughly researched, diverse in scope, and profoundly ridiculous. In short, it’s a show for smart people who happen to love fart jokes.
Gone Medieval
From rediscovered Viking vessels to monarchs laid to rest in surprising locations; from assassinations and political intrigue to folklore, faith, and everyday existence: Gone Medieval is History Hit’s podcast devoted to medieval times across Europe and around the world.
The Constant: A History of Getting Things Wrong
A podcast that delivers precisely what its title promises: analyzing the flawed concepts, errors, and mishaps that have warped civilization.
History Hyenas with Chris Distefano and Yannis Pappas
Comedians Yannis Pappas and Chris Distefano are health-conscious history enthusiasts who inject chaotic energy into their podcast, History Hyenas. The duo combines historical education with comedy in a uniquely entertaining way that promises both laughs and learning.
Evil Genius
It’s entertaining, flawed, messy, and absolutely hilarious. Transforming perceptions of historical heroes and villains.
Let Them Fight: A Comedy History Podcast
Comedians Jacob Trimmer and Tim Groeschel combine true crime, history, and comedy as they exchange tales and crack jokes about people from various eras who led fascinating and brutal lives. This grindhouse history fix drops every Tuesday, proving that everyone enjoys violence when it’s happening to someone else.
No One Is Competent
No One Is Competent is a leading comedy history podcast on a mission to prove that world leaders, CEOs, politicians, military commanders, monarchs, are all incompetent and have never excelled at their roles. Bi-weekly episodes hilariously reveal the failures of those deemed powerful. It’s guaranteed entertainment.
Our Fake History
A podcast exploring myths mistaken for history and historical truths potentially concealed within myths. Amazing tales that really (possibly) occurred.
Lions Led By Donkeys Podcast
The Lions Led By Donkeys podcast is a military history show dedicated to mocking catastrophic battlefield blunders, incompetent leadership, and absurd tales from the annals of warfare. Discover the best episodes of Lions Led By Donkeys.
That Was Genius
A comedy history podcast that explores overlooked aspects of the past. The humor is absurd, the accents are atrocious, and the historical facts will astonish listeners.
Do Go On
A factual comedy podcast where Melbourne comedians Matt Stewart, Jess Perkins, and Dave Warneke rotate researching topics and presenting their findings to the group each week.
Ridiculous History
History is stunning, savage, and frequently absurd. Ben Bowlin and Noel Brown explore some of the strangest tales from throughout human civilization in Ridiculous History.
SNAFU with Ed Helms
SNAFU with Ed Helms returns for Season 4, delivering one historical screwup per episode. Ed recruits clever, funny guests to dissect these disasters and what they reveal about humanity (spoiler: we’re toddlers with nukes). It’s part history lesson, part hangout, part group therapy.
History for You with Douglas and Hugh
Congratulations! You’ve discovered History For You with Douglas and Hugh, a comedy podcast about history. Join potentially award-winning historians Douglas Wrattle and Hugh Canard as they explore world history, covering King Arthur, Boudicca, 1066, The Great Fire of London, Pirates, Ghosts, Henry VIII, Jack the Ripper, and more. Written and performed by Adrian Mackinder and James Devonshire, with music by Mike Jones.
Omnibus
Each week, Ken Jennings and John Roderick contribute a new entry to the OMNIBUS, an encyclopedia of bizarre yet factual tales they’re assembling as a time capsule for posterity.
Futility Closet
Overlooked tales from history’s archives. The podcast presents surprising and intriguing stories from bygone eras while challenging listeners with lateral thinking puzzles.
Do you know of another funny history podcast that you think should be on this list? Let me know
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