Dan Carlin
Independent podcaster, journalist, and host of Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History — one of the most-downloaded history podcasts in the world. Carlin is not a credentialed historian but a self-described ‘fan of history’ whose method combines deep primary reading, narrative compression, and sustained moral seriousness about violence, power, and civilisational risk. Episodes typically run four to six hours and are released infrequently; the Addendum series is shorter and often takes an interview format.
Carlin’s recurring preoccupation is the gap between how catastrophic events look in hindsight and how decision-makers experienced them in real time. He returns often to nuclear weapons, total war, and the civilisational stakes of weaponry — not as exotic historical curiosities but as live hazards whose logic is imperfectly understood by the people who live under them.
Show
Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History — long-form narrative history podcast. Main series episodes cover large subjects (Mongol conquests, the Eastern Front, the First World War) in multi-part documentary style; Addendum episodes are shorter and often interview a historian or author. Distributed free on major podcast platforms; older back-catalogue episodes are sold individually at dancarlin.com. Also available on YouTube.