Whaling

Whaling

Author: History Hit February 2, 2026 Duration: 52:52

The history of whaling is complicated. At its height in the 18th and 19th centuries, whaling was a global enterprise built on perilous voyages, long seasons at sea, and a fierce chase for oil and baleen that illuminated streets and homes and lubricated the industrial revolution. In doing so, obsessed nations like Britain, Norway and America hounded whale populations to the brink, decimating populations and altering marine ecosystems forever. 


But it's important to remember that this industry also has a rich social history. Whaling sustained communities across the globe, providing work, culture and a crucial way of life for working people in coastal regions and on remote islands like Shetland off the coast of Scotland. 


In this episode, Dan heads to Dundee, once a hub of the whaling industry, to explore both the devastating ecological impact and the rich human story to give us a fuller understanding of the history of whaling. He speaks to the curators at the South Georgia Museum, Jayne Pierce and Helen Balfour, as well as Richard Sabin from the Natural History Museum and also one of Shetland's last remaining whalers, Gibby Fraser. 


You can explore more at https://whalersmemorybank.sgmuseum.gs/ to read through testimonies from other whalers, see incredible archive images and learn more about whales in the Arctic and Antarctic. 


Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore


Dan Snow's History Hit is now available on YouTube! Check it out at: https://www.youtube.com/@DSHHPodcast


Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.


You can also email the podcast directly at ds.hh@historyhit.com.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


There’s history you might recall from a textbook, and then there’s the kind that feels like you’re standing right there in the moment. Dan Snow's History Hit is firmly in the latter category. Hosted by the historian Dan Snow, this podcast doesn't just recount dates and facts; it transports you. Each episode is built from Dan's travels to the actual locations where history unfolded, from the echoing floor of the Roman Colosseum to the silent expanse of the Waterloo battlefields and the awe-inspiring presence of the Great Wall of China. The conversations dig into the compelling human stories-the motivations of heroes and villains, the engineering behind great monuments, and the pivotal decisions that changed everything. You’ll hear the how and why behind the world's most defining events, delivered with a palpable sense of place and curiosity. New episodes arrive twice weekly, on Mondays and Thursdays, with additional subscriber episodes every other Friday, making this a consistently engaging dive into our shared past. It’s a history podcast that treats the subject not as a static record, but as a living, breathing narrative waiting to be explored.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Dan Snow's History Hit
Podcast Episodes
The Rise and Fall of Venice [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:06
Venice was the impossible city that rose from mudflats to become a medieval superpower. Venice dominated Mediterranean trade through its vast navy, revolutionary shipyards, and strategic position between East and West. F…
The Seven Deadly Sins [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:41
Greed, Lust, Pride, Sloth, Gluttony, Envy, Wrath! You might be surprised to learn the true history of the Seven Deadly Sins doesn't start in the bible. Rather, they were first thought up by a Greek monk in the 4th centur…
Investigating the Nazi Massacre at Rumbula [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:17
An underground Nazi weapons factory and stash of 77-year-old Denazification files. What is it really like to discover that your grandfather was a member of the SS?In 2023, journalist Lorenz Hemicker joined us to tell the…
How Did Japan Become A Superpower? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:16
In the 19th century, Japan's samurai era ended, and the country transformed from a secluded feudal society into a modern industrial superpower. From sweeping political reforms to rapid industrialisation, this is the stor…
The Scandalous Life of Lord Byron [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:07
WARNING: This episode includes discussion of sexual abuse and explicit language. He appalled and titillated Regency polite society in equal measure. Lord Byron was a poet, a lover, a rebel, a romantic, an appalling husba…
Bloody Mary [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:10
In 1553, Mary Tudor became the first woman to sit on the English throne - a reign of just five years, that history has remembered almost exclusively through the lens of her enemies. But today, we revisit the story of "Bl…
The Black Prince [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:06
He was one of medieval England’s most formidable warriors. Today we hear how Edward of Woodstock - the Black Prince - earned that reputation, tracing his rise during the Hundred Years’ War and exploring the nature of his…
The Assassination of Trotsky [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:35
This is the true story of the plot to kill Stalin's greatest enemy. It involves ice axe, a bloody study in Mexico City, and a betrayal years in the making.At its centre is Ramón Mercader, a Soviet-trained agent who infil…
Churchill's Secret Army [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:16
Trap doors under toilets, hidden radio rooms in the back of wardrobes, secret bases behind waterfalls....Dan investigates an extraordinary network of secret resistance cells set up during Britain's "darkest hour".In the…
The Siege of Acre: The Last Battle of the Crusades [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:34
The desperate, violent last stand that ended two centuries of crusading in the Holy Land. We hear how, outnumbered, divided and desperate, the Christian defenders decided to fight to the bitter end against the Mamluk for…