“Hardcore History”: A Podcast Making History Hip

For most of my life, I have been ignorant about history. Just the word “history” always brought back painful memories of sitting through monotone lectures about wars that I found irrelevant to my knowledge and life.

Recently, while searching for a new podcast to listen to for my long drives home to Massachusetts, I stumbled upon Dan Carlin’s “Hardcore History.” It had stellar reviews, and I figured, here I am at college trying to become an intellectual, and I have no appreciation for my past!

I never thought I would become fascinated over ancient empires, but Carlin, the show’s host, is compelling in every line. The way he brings history alive is glorious. He describes the Achaemenid Persian empire and the Greek and Persian wars in modern terms. He relates the facts of the story written by the scribes of Babylonia so the rest of us can actually understand it and stay entertained.

Writing and storytelling have been alive since the very beginning, and it is important that we carry that on. If I were a middle or high school history teacher, I would assign students “Hardcore History” segments correlating to each area of curriculum I taught.

History deserves to be taught in a way much bigger than reading textbooks and memorizing dates. It is raw, and real, and touches our lives every day. Dan Carlin brought an amazing thing into my life that had been missing. And for anyone who remembers history as a big blur, there is still time to learn.

Everything makes so much more sense in Carlin’s words. You could be doing the dishes or walking the dog, and be learning about who Julius Caesar really was and the native Celtic people of ancient Gual. It is worth it for anyone to listen. Even if you hate history, you will love this podcast.