The Rest Is History - Podcast Rankings and reviews

I literally became a yearly subscriber today just so I could get earlier access to part 2 of the 60s Fashion episode and get a resolution on the cliffhanger. They did not disappoint. Money we’ll spent.

I’m honestly surprised it took me this long to subscribe. It’s definitely one of the best history podcasts out there. They have certain specializations, but topics are fairly wide ranging. The hosts are extremely knowledgeable and hilarious. I also caught them on tour and the show was great as well.

10/10 would recommend

I’m a new listener from Houston, Texas. Love The Rest Is History ancient v modern platform and the scholarly approach taken by the co-hosts, two esteemed historians and authors. But I also love that they are warm and genuinely funny. Their delicate jibes, self-effacing humor and hilarious turns of phrase have me laughing out loud throughout each episode. I especially love it when Dominic completely loses it and has great difficulty regaining his composure. Tom’s fearless attempts to impersonate great personages making famous remarks are especially not to be missed.
The beginner drug was the show’s May 2023 series on coronations. I followed that by the Olympics series and am now am starting from the beginning.
TRIH is enlightening, funny and sometimes very moving.
Thank you, Tom and Dominic!
A fierce fan,
Cynthia Toles

I’ve been listening to Tom and Domenic since about episode 50. It’s my favorite podcast and I look forward to each topic they decide to tackle.

Not only are the knowledgeable- they’re hilarious and aren’t afraid to poke fun at each other and themselves. (Please reference the Marilyn Monroe impersonation if you need an absolute gut buster of a laugh.)

Yet when the time calls for it, the somber respect and honor they give delicate and difficult issues - like the Holocaust for example - makes me respect them even more.

There is no doubt they love history, they love making it come alive and seem to have an absolute blast doing it. Happy to be a long time listener and supporter!

I’m an art historian (Harvard PhD). I’m addicted to this podcast and often prepare to teach a certain subject by listening to what these guys have to say about it. They are funny, insightful, incredibly well-informed about all subjects under the Sun; they are well-grounded in sources and historiography and always give me some new angle on topics hundreds if not thousands of years old. There are also great at highlighting the juicy bits of any narrative. Thanks, guys!

Disappointing and Superficial As someone with a deep interest in history, I was excited to dive into this podcast. Unfortunately, it fell far short of my expectations. The episodes are disappointingly superficial, barely scratching the surface of complex historical events and often getting basic facts wrong. The inaccuracies are glaring and undermine any educational value the podcast might have had. To make matters worse, the hosts seem to compensate for their lack of depth with silly and juvenile banter. While a bit of humor can lighten the mood, here it comes off as a distraction from the substance—or lack thereof—of the content. If you’re looking for a podcast that takes history seriously and treats its audience with respect, I would suggest looking elsewhere.

I generally enjoy the banter and how the subjects are discussed. But it was increasingly difficult to listen to how the hosts talked about Malinche from the Aztec series - in one breath they denounce her poor treatment by past historians while still insisting on describing her as a “wily mistress” (instead of idk, a person who was kidnapped as a child and then enslaved for sex and whatever else)

I’m a woman in my early thirties and am so tired of hearing his-story regurgitated like this. Just because *you* can’t ever imagine yourself in a situation like this doesn’t mean you can’t hold sympathy in the way you treat these historical figures. You are helping teach younger generations and I hope that instead of giggling about being woke that you just commit to being better teachers. Thanks..