Podcast · History

Journey Through Time

by Goalhanger · English · History

Forgotten stories from history and how they shaped the way we live today. Hear about the ordinary people from history and the extraordinary impact they’ve had on the present. Hosted by historians David Olusoga and Sarah Churchwell, Journey Through Time will show how everyday actions have the most r

New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 39 min
Latest: 23 Mar 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

23 Mar 2026 · 40 min

79. McCarthyism: Paving The Way For Trump (Ep 6)

How did the McCarthy-era blacklist impact Hollywood for many decades to come? What happened when McCarthy’s right-hand-man Roy Cohn met a cocky young real estate developer called Donald Trump? Are we still living under McCarthyism? How can we bring it to an end? David Olusoga and Sarah Churchwell look at the legacy of McCarthyism. Here is the Season One Reading List mentioned at the end of the episode. Email: [email protected] X: @ThroughTimePod Blue Sky: @ThroughTimePod Instagram: @JourneyThroughTimePod Social Producer: Emma Jackson Assistant Producers: Alfie Norris…

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

E78 · 16 Mar 2026 · 42 min
78. McCarthyism: The Fall of Joseph McCarthy (Ep 5)
What happened when Joseph McCarthy turned his communist-catching energy on the army? What film, directed by Elia Kazan and starring Marlon Brando, is viewed as an allegory for the McCarthy hearings? In what ways did the ‘Lavender scare’ subtext influence the investigations into Roy Cohn? What famous line brought down the reputation of this ‘red-scare’ fuelling demagogue? Sarah Churchwell and David Olusoga look at the Army-McCarthy hearings and the spectacularly public downfall of Joseph McCarthy. Email: [email protected] X: @ThroughTimePod Blue Sky: @ThroughTimePod Instagram:…
E77 · 9 Mar 2026 · 47 min
77. McCarthyism: The Crucible, High Noon, and Hollywood’s Revenge (Ep 4)
How did the most celebrated writers and directors in America take aim at McCarthyism in works such as High Noon and The Crucible? Why did Roy Cohn, the man who went on to be Donald Trump’s mentor, get involved in the trials? Despite both men using homophobic language, why are there rumours about McCarthy and Cohn’s sexuality? What is the relevance of this for the trials? Email: [email protected] X: @ThroughTimePod Blue Sky: @ThroughTimePod Instagram: @JourneyThroughTimePod Social Producer: Emma Jackson Assistant Producers: Alfie Rowe, Alfie Norris Producer: Alice Horrell Head…
E76 · 2 Mar 2026 · 37 min
76. McCarthyism: Spies, Lies, And Smears (Ep 3)
Who is Joseph McCarthy, the young senator who gives his name to these trials? Had Communist agents really infiltrated the US Government? Who were the Rosenbergs, America's most notorious communist couple, executed for giving state secrets to the Soviet Union? Why were American academics forced into exile? Sarah Churchwell and David Olusoga introduce Joseph McCarthy and the loyalty purges that made him notorious. Email: [email protected] X: @ThroughTimePod Blue Sky: @ThroughTimePod Instagram: @JourneyThroughTimePod Social Producer: Emma Jackson Assistant Producers: Alfie Rowe,…
E75 · 23 Feb 2026 · 36 min
75. McCarthyism: Hollywood on Trial (Ep 2)
What happened when the House of Un-American Activities Committee started to prosecute some of the biggest names in Hollywood? Who were the infamous ‘Hollywood Ten’? Why did the trial of Alger Hiss, a State Department official, terrify the American public? How did a young Richard Nixon make his name during these trials? Join David Olusoga and Sarah Churchwell as they look at when the HUAC hearings came to Hollywood. Email: [email protected] X: @ThroughTimePod Blue Sky: @ThroughTimePod Instagram: @JourneyThroughTimePod Social Producer: Emma Jackson Assistant Producers: Alfie…
E74 · 16 Feb 2026 · 45 min
74. McCarthyism: How The Red Scare Gripped America (Ep 1)
What was the second Red Scare where government employees, creatives, and intellectuals were prosecuted for holding ‘un-American’ views? What are the 19th century origins of Trump’s catch phrase, ‘America First’? Who was Martin Dies, the man responsible for setting up the ‘House of Unamerican Activities Committee’? Join Sarah Churchwell and David Olusoga for the first part of their series looking at the McCarthyism purges that gripped America in the 20th century. Email: [email protected] X: @ThroughTimePod Blue Sky: @ThroughTimePod Instagram: @JourneyThroughTimePod Social…
E73 · 12 Feb 2026 · 37 min
73. Chernobyl: An Explosion That Brought Down A Superpower (Ep 6)
Did Chernobyl cause the collapse of the Soviet Union? How did the disaster fuel the fight for independence? What happened when war came to the Exclusion Zone after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022? How are the victims still being impacted by the violence? Join David Olusgoa and Sarah Churchwell for the last episode in this Chernobyl series, looking at the legacy of the explosion. Email: [email protected] X: @ThroughTimePod Blue Sky: @ThroughTimePod Instagram: @JourneyThroughTimePod Social Producer: Emma Jackson Assistant Producers: Alfie Rowe, Alfie Norris Producer: Alice…
E72 · 9 Feb 2026 · 24 min
72. Chernobyl: Soviet Secrets Are Still Coming Out (Ep 5)
Who were the bio-robots, the 3,000 young reservists drafted in to fight the radiation? Why was an absurdly inadequate, yet enormous, structure built at pace to contain the fallout? Could trust be restored between the US and the USSR after the latter lied about the explosion? Sarah Churchwell and David Olusoga look at how the nuclear fallout ate away at the very core of the Soviet Union. Email: [email protected] X: @ThroughTimePod Blue Sky: @ThroughTimePod Instagram: @JourneyThroughTimePod Social Producer: Emma Jackson Assistant Producers: Alfie Rowe, Alfie Norris Producer:…
E71 · 5 Feb 2026 · 42 min
71. Chernobyl: Three Men Who Saved Europe (Ep 4)
What were the two "nightmare scenarios” that would have led to enormous damage in the weeks following the explosion? What happened when three heroic men waded into radioactive water to stop much of Europe becoming uninhabitable for centuries? How did army reservists fight to contain the nuclear fallout in a mission named ‘The Battle of Chernobyl’? David Olusoga and Sarah Churchwell explore the terrifying consequences that the soviets narrowly avoided in the weeks following the explosion. Email: [email protected] X: @ThroughTimePod Blue Sky: @ThroughTimePod Instagram:…
E70 · 2 Feb 2026 · 45 min
70. Chernobyl: The Battle Against Nuclear Fallout (Ep 3)
Who were the doomed firefighters, first on the scene after the Chernobyl explosion? What forced the Soviets to come clean about the disaster? How did the USSR sacrifice Belarussian farmers to stop nuclear rain falling on Moscow? Why did this secret take 13 years to come out? Sarah Churchwell and David Olusoga look at the immediate aftermath of the Chernobyl meltdown. Email: [email protected] X: @ThroughTimePod Blue Sky: @ThroughTimePod Instagram: @JourneyThroughTimePod Social Producer: Emma Jackson Assistant Producers: Alfie Rowe, Alfie Norris Producer: Alice Horrell Head of…
E69 · 29 Jan 2026 · 29 min
69. Chernobyl: The Countdown To Catastrophe (Ep 2)
Why was reactor four two years overdue a critical safety test? What happened in the seconds and minutes leading up to the explosion? Who was the first victim of the Chernobyl disaster? David Olusoga and Sarah Churchwell recall the fateful events leading up to the meltdown in reactor four on the night of the 26th April 1986. Email: [email protected] X: @ThroughTimePod Blue Sky: @ThroughTimePod Instagram: @JourneyThroughTimePod Social Producer: Emma Jackson Assistant Producers: Alfie Rowe, Alfie Norris Producer: Alice Horrell Head of History: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony…
E68 · 26 Jan 2026 · 39 min
68. Chernobyl: The Worst Nuclear Disaster In History (Ep 1)
How did a routine safety test turn into the worst nuclear disaster in history? How did Soviet secrecy, impossible targets, and corner-cutting set the stage for Chernobyl? Why did the disaster begin long before 1986, and end with the unravelling of the Soviet Union itself? Sarah Churchwell and David Olusoga trace the political and historical failures which led to the fateful Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Social Producer: Emma Jackson Assistant Producers: Alfie Rowe, Alfie Norris Producer: Alice Horrell Head of History: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices.…
E67 · 22 Jan 2026 · 36 min
67. The Spanish Civil War: The Death of Democracy (Ep 6)
How did the Spanish Civil War inspire resistance movements throughout the 20th century? Why does Spain contain thousands of hidden mass graves? What is the legacy of the conflict in modern Spain? Why were American volunteers persecuted for opposing fascism? David Olusoga and Sarah Churchwell explore the long legacy of the Spanish Civil War and the shadow it still casts. Social Producer: Emma Jackson Assistant Producers: Alfie Rowe, Alfie Norris Producer: Alice Horrell Head of History: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
E66 · 19 Jan 2026 · 31 min
66. The Spanish Civil War: Guernica, Picasso and The Nazis (Ep 5)
How did Pablo Picasso capture the horror of aerial bombing? Why did Hitler use a small Spanish town to test the Blitzkrieg? What was Stalin’s role in the Spanish Civil War? David Olusoga and Sarah Churchwell explore how Spain became a testing ground for the Second World War. Social Producers: Emma Jackson Assistant Producers: Alfie Rowe, Alfie Norris Producer: Alice Horrell Head of History: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
E65 · 15 Jan 2026 · 24 min
65. The Spanish Civil War: Orwell V Stalin (Ep 4)
What were Barcelona’s ‘May Days’? How did Orwell manage to escape Stalinist agents? Why did communists and anarchists begin to fight each other? How did the Spanish Civil War inspire Animal Farm and 1984? Join David Olusoga and Sarah Churchwell as they look at the harrowing events that inspired one of the twentieth century's most iconic writers. Social Producers: Emma Jackson, Harry Balden Assistant Producers: Alfie Rowe, Alfie Norris Producer: Alice Horrell Head of History: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
E64 · 12 Jan 2026 · 24 min
64. The Spanish Civil War: A Nazi Training Ground (Ep 3)
What were Barcelona’s ‘May Days’? How did Orwell manage to escape Stalinist agents? Why did communists and anarchists begin to fight each other? How did the Spanish Civil War inspire Animal Farm and 1984? Join David Olusoga and Sarah Churchwell as they look at the harrowing events that inspired one of the twentieth century's most iconic writers. Social Producers: Emma Jackson, Harry Balden Assistant Producers: Alfie Rowe, Alfie Norris Producer: Alice Horrell Head of History: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
E63 · 8 Jan 2026 · 35 min
63. The Spanish Civil War: Fighting Fascism With Hemingway And Orwell (Ep 2)
Why did 35,000 foreign volunteers join the International Brigades? How did the conflict lead to the first racially integrated military unit in US history? What was women’s role in the conflict? How was modern conflict journalism pioneered in Spain? David Olusoga and Sarah Churchwell examine the role of foreign volunteers and journalists in the Spanish Civil War Social Producers: Emma Jackson, Harry Balden Assistant Producers: Alfie Rowe, Alfie Norris Producer: Alice Horrell Head of History: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit…
E62 · 5 Jan 2026 · 42 min
62. The Spanish Civil War: A Nation In Flames (Ep 1)
What caused Spain to collapse into civil war in 1936? How did Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin become involved in the conflict? Why did western democracies do nothing to aid Spain’s government? What connected Ernest Hemingway, Martha Gelhorn, George Orwell and Kim Philby to the war? David Olusoga and Sarah Churchwell explore the events that led to Spain’s 1936-1939 Civil War. Social Producers: Emma Jackson, Harry Balden Assistant Producers: Alfie Rowe, Alfie Norris Producer: Alice Horrell Head of History: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit…
E61 · 1 Jan 2026 · 44 min
61. A Christmas Carol: From Alastair Sim To The Muppets (Ep 3)
In what significant ways did the bestselling book ‘A Christmas Carol’ change Victorian behaviour around Christmas? From Christmas movies to the office Christmas party, what traditions do we have Charles Dickens to thank for? Why does this story still resonate in modern debates around poverty, responsibility, and compassion? Join David Olusoga and Sarah Churchwell exploring the enduring legacy of Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’. Social Producers: Emma Jackson, Harry Balden Assistant Producers: Alfie Rowe, Alfie Norris Producer: Alice Horrell Head of History: Dom Johnson Exec Producer:…
E60 · 29 Dec 2025 · 32 min
60. A Christmas Carol: The Radical Message Hidden In A Holiday Classic (Ep 2)
How did the three Ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future manage to save Scrooge, Tiny Time, and the Christmas spirit? What deadly social problem was Dickens looking to solve with A Christmas Carol? Who is actually on trial in the story: Scrooge or the society that made him possible? Join Sarah Churchwell and David Olusoga as they look at the Ghost story that terrified Victorian Britain into helping the poor. Social Producers: Emma Jackson, Harry Balden Assistant Producers: Alfie Rowe, Alfie Norris Producer: Alice Horrell Head of History: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn…
E59 · 25 Dec 2025 · 58 min
59. A Christmas Carol: The Book That Brought Back Christmas (Ep 1)
Why had the Victorians stopped celebrating Christmas? How did the wretchedness of a London school for poor children inspire Charles Dickens’ famous Christmas tale? What does the story’s main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, tell us about the state of the UK? Join David Olusoga and Sarah Churchwell as they tell the story of how Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ changed Victorian Britain. Social Producers: Emma Jackson, Harry Balden Assistant Producers: Alfie Rowe, Alfie Norris Producer: Alice Horrell Head of History: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices.…
E58 · 22 Dec 2025 · 39 min
58. Black GIs: Brown Babies and Broken Hearts (Ep 5)
What does the hysteria around white women sleeping with Black GIs tell us about race and class in wartime Britain? Why were Black GIs banned from marrying their British sweethearts? What was the sad fate of many of the mixed raced babies left behind as a result of this encounter? Sarah Churchwell and David Olusoga tell the final chapter in the story of Black GIs in the UK. Social Producers: Emma Jackson, Harry Balden Assistant Producers: Alfie Rowe, Alfie Norris Producer: Alice Horrell Head of History: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit…
E57 · 18 Dec 2025 · 28 min
57. Black GIs: American Mutiny On British Streets (Ep 4)
What happened when Black GIs went on strike over their violent treatment at the hands of the white Military Police? Why did the American Army start fighting itself in the heart of a British city? How did the Ministry of Information stop the British public from hearing about this violence? Join David Olusoga and Sarah Churchwell as they tell the story of the Park Street Riots, the forgotten American mutiny on the streets of Bristol. Social Producers: Emma Jackson, Harry Balden Assistant Producers: Alfie Rowe, Alfie Norris Producer: Alice Horrell Head of History: Dom Johnson Exec Producer:…
E56 · 15 Dec 2025 · 36 min
56. Black GIs: The Battle of Bamber Bridge (Ep 3)
How did an altercation over the wrong uniform lead into a full scale gun battle with Americans shooting their fellow soldiers on the streets of Bamber Bridge? What caused the Black GIs to mutiny? How did this violence forever change the US army? Listen to Sarah Churchwell and David Olusoga as they tell the story of Americans firing on Americans in the village of Bamber Bridge. Social Producers: Emma Jackson, Harry Balden Assistant Producers: Alfie Rowe, Alfie Norris Producer: Alice Horrell Head of History: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit…
E55 · 11 Dec 2025 · 40 min
55. Black GIs: We Ain’t No Slaves, This Is England (Ep 2)
How did the American army try to enforce segregation by stealth on British towns? Why did the British public perceive the white American GIs as ‘over paid, over fed, over sexed and over here’? How did Churchill respond to the growing tensions in British towns as a result of the ‘friendly invasion’? David Olusoga and Sarah Churchwell tell the story of when the American army brought racial segregation to the UK during World War Two. Social Producers: Emma Jackson, Harry Balden Assistant Producers: Alfie Rowe, Alfie Norris Producer: Alice Horrell Head of History: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony…
E54 · 8 Dec 2025 · 35 min
54. Black GIs: When Jim Crow Came To Britain (Ep 1)
What happened when 1.5 million American GIs, including 130,000 African Americans, were stationed in the UK during WWII? How did the Jim Crow segregation laws work in the American army? What was surprising about how the Brits reacted when America tried to export this segregation to the UK? Sarah Churchwell and David Olusoga look at the forgotten story behind the ‘friendly invasion’ in WWII. Social Producers: Emma Jackson, Harry Balden Assistant Producer: Alfie Rowe Producer: Alice Horrell Head of History: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit…
5 Dec 2025 · 12 min
Introducing: The Rest Is Science
Forget what you think you know about reality. The Rest Is Science is a mind-bending new show from Goalhanger that tears down familiar ideas… time, randomness, beauty, it will reveal just how bizarre the world truly is. Join Professor Hannah Fry and science creator Michael Stevens (aka Vsauce) twice a week to explore big, small and surprising questions as they deep dive into theories, concepts, objects and thoughts and take us on a journey into the unexpected. If you love digging into details that usually get skipped over, this is the show that proves reality is stranger than fiction. Click…
E53 · 4 Dec 2025 · 42 min
53. Harriet Tubman: The Woman Who Led An Army (Ep 4)
How did Harriet Tubman free over 750 enslaved people in the Combahee River Raid? Despite her valiant efforts in the Civil War, why did Harriet have to fight the government to have enough money to live on? What does her legacy say about the politics of today? David Olusoga and Sarah Churchwell look at the final chapter in Harriet’s extraordinary life. Social Producers: Emma Jackson, Harry Balden Producer: Alice Horrell Head of History: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
E52 · 1 Dec 2025 · 42 min
52. Harriet Tubman: How Most Wanted Woman Never Got Caught (Ep 3)
What surprising tactics did Harriet use to avoid detection on her many missions to rescue enslaved people in the south? Who was John Brown, the fierce abolitionist willing to use violence to further his cause? Why was Harriet involved in the Harpers’ Ferry raid, one of the causes of the Civil War? Join Sarah Churchwell and David Olusoga as they look at how Harriet Tubman brought so many people to safety. Social Producers: Emma Jackson, Harry Balden Producer: Alice Horrell Head of History: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit…
E51 · 27 Nov 2025 · 43 min
51. Harriet Tubman: The Underground Railroad From Slavery To Freedom (Ep 2)
Why did Harriet Tubman risk her freedom and become the only formerly enslaved person to return to the slaveholding south? How did the secret Underground Railroad guide people north to freedom? Why did the entire country suddenly become slave-catching territory in September 1850? What did this mean for those who thought they were safe in the North? David Olusoga and Sarah Churchwell explore the famous Underground Railroad. Social Producers: Emma Jackson, Harry Balden Producer: Alice Horrell Head of History: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit…

About Journey Through Time

Journey Through Time is a English history podcast from Goalhanger. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Goalhanger
Language: English
Category: History
New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 39 min
Latest episode: 23 Mar 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1802085505

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