Journey Through Time

Goalhanger

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 remarkable unintended consequences that ripple through time.

From the first woman to run for President to the unknown story of how the world came to the brink of nuclear war in 1983, this podcast is for everyone, not just history lovers.

To hear more Goalhanger podcasts, go to www.goalhanger.com

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81 episodes
Updated March 23

Episodes81

Newest first

Oct 22, 2025 · 54 min
40. How The Salem Witch Trials Became Deadly (Ep 2)
Now the witch trials have been set up, what evidence is used to send many innocent people to their death? Why are young women shrieking and convulsing at the sight of those accused? Finally, what are Sarah’s tips for surviving an allegation of witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts? Join Sarah Churchwell and David Olusoga as they explore the dramatic courtroom scenes of the Salem Witch Trials. Email: journeythroughtime@goalhanger.com X: @ThroughTimePod Blue Sky: @ThroughTimePod Instagram: @JourneyThroughTimePod Social Producer: 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
Oct 21, 2025 · 44 min
39. What Started The Salem Witch Hunt? (Ep 1)
What were the Salem Witch Trials that resulted in the deaths of more than 20 innocent people? Why was this puritan community in New England so vulnerable to being gripped by a violent witch hunt? What were the crimes of Tituba, the first woman accused of witchcraft? Join David Olusoga and Sarah Churchwell on the first of their three part series discussing the Salem Witch Trials. Email: journeythroughtime@goalhanger.com X: @ThroughTimePod Blue Sky: @ThroughTimePod Instagram: @JourneyThroughTimePod Social Producer: 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
Oct 15, 2025 · 42 min
38. The Man Behind Big Brother: Why We’re Hooked on Reality TV (Ep 4)
What did it feel like to be at the centre of the most popular Reality TV moment of the century? Why was the nation captivated by Big Brother? What can we learn about a country from who wins their game shows? Sarah Churchwell and David Olusoga are joined by Sir Peter Bazalgette, acclaimed television producer behind UK Big Brother, to discuss all this and more. Email: journeythroughtime@goalhanger.com X: @ThroughTimePod Blue Sky: @ThroughTimePod Instagram: @JourneyThroughTimePod Social Producer: 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
Oct 14, 2025 · 53 min
37. From The Kardashians to Donald Trump: The History of Reality TV (Ep 3)
What unbelievable and ethically dubious Reality TV concepts made it onto our screens in the 2000s? What was behind Big Brother’s game changing popularity? How did Trump’s time on The Apprentice pave the way for his presidency? Join David Olusoga and Sarah Churchwell as they explore the latest chapter in the story of Reality TV’s worldwide success. Email: journeythroughtime@goalhanger.com X: @ThroughTimePod Blue Sky: @ThroughTimePod Instagram: @JourneyThroughTimePod Social Producer: 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
Oct 8, 2025 · 57 min
36. The Art of Manipulation: The History of Reality TV (Ep 2)
Who was Lance Loud, America's first openly gay TV celebrity? What ethically dubious tactics did producers pioneer in MTV's hit show 'The Real World' to manipulate participants and storylines? What does it mean when reality TV becomes a form of social experiment? Join Sarah Churchwell and David Olusoga as they explore the developments that brought us the reality TV we know and love. Email: journeythroughtime@goalhanger.com X: @ThroughTimePod Blue Sky: @ThroughTimePod Instagram: @JourneyThroughTimePod Social Producer: 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
Oct 7, 2025 · 34 min
35. Why We’re Obsessed With The Traitors: The History of Reality TV (Ep 1)
What was David's experience on Celebrity Traitors like? How can we trace the origins of this beloved show back to WWII? How has Reality TV shaped the modern world? Join David Olusoga and Sarah Churchwell as they explore the history of reality TV. Social Producer: Emma Jackson, Harry Balden Producer: Alice Horrell Head of History: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Email: journeythroughtime@goalhanger.com X: @ThroughTimePod Blue Sky: @ThroughTimePod Instagram: @JourneyThroughTimePod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 1, 2025 · 56 min
34. Cotton Will Bring The World To its Knees: The Craziest Gamble in History (Ep 3)
Why did the Confederate states think that stopping the global supply of cotton would force Britain to join their side in the American Civil War? What extraordinary humanitarian effort did the Union pull off to help starving mill workers in Lancashire? Why were Liverpudlians building warships to support of the slave owning states? Join David Olusoga and Sarah Churchwell as they discuss the Southern State’s King Cotton Gamble during The American Civil War. Email: journeythroughtime@goalhanger.com X: @ThroughTimePod Blue Sky: @ThroughTimePod Instagram: @ThroughTimePod Social Producer: Emma Jackson, Harry Balden Assistant Producer: Alice Horrell Producer: Callum Hill Senior Producer: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sep 28, 2025 · 33 min
33. Prince Albert’s Dying Wish: Stopping An American-British War (Ep 2)
Why did Britain and America nearly go to war over the capture of two Confederate officers from a British Ship? What did President Lincoln’s Emergency War Cabinet respond to Britain’s threatening ultimatum? How did Prince Albert keep the peace with the last letter he ever sent? Join Sarah Churchwell and David Olusoga as they discuss the Trent Affair of 1861. Email: journeythroughtime@goalhanger.com X: @ThroughTimePod Blue Sky: @ThroughTimePod Instagram: @ThroughTimePod Social Producer: Emma Jackson Assistant Producer: Alice Horrell Producer: Callum Hill Senior Producer: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sep 25, 2025 · 1 hr 1 min
32. From Lincoln to Obama: A History of the Special Relationship (Ep 1)
David has just come off stage with Barack Obama - what does the 44th President think about the ‘Special Relationship’ between the UK and the US? What is the history of this relationship? What about during the American Civil war when the two countries very nearly went to war? Join David Olusoga and Sarah Churchwell as they explore a darker chapter in the relationship between Britain and America. Email: journeythroughtime@goalhanger.com X: @ThroughTimePod Blue Sky: @ThroughTimePod Instagram: @ThroughTimePod Social Producer: Emma Jackson Assistant Producer: Alice Horrell Producer: Callum Hill Senior Producer: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sep 17, 2025 · 1 hr 3 min
31. Martin Luther King: I Have A Dream (Ep 2)
Harry Belafonte, Josephine Baker, Bob Dylan, and which other celebrities joined the 250,000 marching on Washington in August 1963? How were the American Nazi Party planning to incite violence? How did Martin Luther King improvise the most famous speech of the 20th century? Join Sarah Churchwell and David Olusoga as they explore the ‘I Have a Dream’ speech and enduring its legacy. Email: journeythroughtime@goalhanger.com X: @ThroughTimePod Blue Sky: @ThroughTimePod Instagram: @ThroughTimePod Social Producer: Emma Jackson Assistant Producer: Alice Horrell Producer: Callum Hill Senior Producer: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sep 14, 2025 · 49 min
30. The March That Changed America (Ep 1)
How were figures like Martin Luther King organising to fight for Civil Rights in the Jim Crow era? Why were tensions so exceptionally high in America in 1963? What caused hundreds of thousands of people from all over the country to descend on Washington that August? Join David Olusoga and Sarah Churchwell as they look at the events leading up to the 1963 March on Washington, one of the most consequential rallies for Human Rights in America’s history. Email: journeythroughtime@goalhanger.com X: @ThroughTimePod Blue Sky: @ThroughTimePod Instagram: @ThroughTimePod Social Producer: Emma Jackson Assistant Producer: Alice Horrell Producer: Callum Hill Senior Producer: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sep 10, 2025 · 52 min
29. The Downfall of Billy the Kid: Gun Fights and Prison Breaks (Ep 2)
How many times did Billy the Kid escape from prison? Who was Pat Garrett, the man who murdered Billy? Why does the story of Billy the Kid remain one of the most retold in history? Join Sarah Churchwell and David Olusoga as they explore the enduring appeal of Billy the Kid. Email: journeythroughtime@goalhanger.com X: @ThroughTimePod Blue Sky: @ThroughTimePod Instagram: @ThroughTimePod Assistant Producer: Alice Horrell Producer: Callum Hill Senior Producer: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sep 3, 2025 · 46 min
28. Billy The Kid: The Outlaw Who Became A Legend (Ep 1)
Who was the notorious Western icon, Billy the Kid? How did he get caught up in the murder which made him famous? And, who was really in charge in the lawless Wild West? Join David Olusoga and Sarah Churchwell as they relive the true story behind the legend that is Billy The Kid. Email: journeythroughtime@goalhanger.com X: @ThroughTimePod Blue Sky: @ThroughTimePod Instagram: @ThroughTimePod Assistant Producer: Alice Horrell Producer: Callum Hill Senior Producer: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Aug 27, 2025 · 52 min
27. The Trial That Made Hitler Famous (Ep 2)
How did Hitler get caught after leading the failed Beer Hall Putsch, which killed 20 people? Why was he allowed to turn his 24 day trial into a piece of internationally received political theatre? How did a botched coup become a dangerous Nazi myth? Join Sarah Churchwell and David Olusoga as they explore how Hitler’s trial for the notorious Beer Hall Putsch catapulted him into the limelight. Email: journeythroughtime@goalhanger.com X: @ThroughTimePod Blue Sky: @ThroughTimePod Instagram: @ThroughTimePod Social Producer: Emma Jackson Assistant Producer: Alice Horrell Producer: Callum Hill Senior Producer: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Aug 20, 2025 · 48 min
26. The Failed Nazi Coup (Ep 1)
The Nazis were voted into power in 1933, but how close did they come to seizing power 10 years before? What catastrophic economic conditions fuelled them? And where did Hitler take his inspiration from? Listen as David Olusoga and Sarah Churchwell discuss the 1923 Beer Hall putsch and the Nazis’ attempt to seize power. Email: journeythroughtime@goalhanger.com X: ⁠@ThroughTimePod⁠ Blue Sky: ⁠@ThroughTimePod⁠ Instagram: ⁠@ThroughTimePod⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Aug 13, 2025 · 50 min
25. The Marketing of Fear: Selling Guns to America (Ep 3)
How did the NRA manage to gain so much control over the American President and the Supreme Court? Who are the armed citizens masquerading as secret police in America today? Why is an understanding of history so important in the fight to regulate America's guns? Join David Olusoga and Sarah Churchwell as they discuss how The National Rifle Association became such a powerful force in American politics. Email: journeythroughtime@goalhanger.com X: @ThroughTimePod Blue Sky: @ThroughTimePod Instagram: @ThroughTimePod Assistant Producer: Alice Horrell Producer: Callum Hill Senior Producer: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Aug 10, 2025 · 42 min
24. Cowboys, Gangsters, and Assassins: How Gun Laws Died (Ep 2)
Was the Wild West really lawless? Why did the 1960s mark a turning point in the gun debate? How did a convicted killer become one of the most influential figures in modern gun politics? Join Sarah Churchwell and David Olusoga as they discuss how the NRA changed from a sportsman's organisation to a pro-gun lobby. Email: journeythroughtime@goalhanger.com X: @ThroughTimePod Blue Sky: @ThroughTimePod Instagram: @ThroughTimePod Assistant Producer: Alice Horrell Producer: Callum Hill Senior Producer: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Aug 6, 2025 · 40 min
23. The Gun Myth That Shaped A Nation (Ep 1)
How does the history of the National Rifle Association explain how the pro-gun lobby got such a stranglehold on modern US politics? Was the United States always a firearm-loving nation? How did race and class shape early American gun laws? Join David Olusoga and Sarah Churchwell as they delve into the first chapter in the history of America’s National Rifle Association. Email: journeythroughtime@goalhanger.com X: @ThroughTimePod Blue Sky: @ThroughTimePod Instagram: @ThroughTimePod Assistant Producer: Alice Horrell Producer: Callum Hill Senior Producer: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jul 30, 2025 · 56 min
22. The Great Fire: London Rises From The Ashes (Ep 2)
How did the flames engulf the stone building of St Paul’s Cathedral, jump over the River Fleet, and reach 1,700 degrees celsius? After four days, how was this monstrous fire finally put out? What scars remain on the modern capital city from this fire nearly 400 years ago? Join Sarah Churchwell and David Olusoga to discuss the damage inflicted by The Great Fire of London. Email: journeythroughtime@goalhanger.com X: @ThroughTimePod Blue Sky: @ThroughTimePod Instagram: @ThroughTimePod Assistant Producer: Alice Horrell Producer: Callum Hill Senior Producer: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jul 23, 2025 · 44 min
21. The Great Fire: London’s Burning (Ep 1)
What caused London to go up in flames on 2nd September, 1666? How did a fire that started in a bakery grow to engulf so much of the city? Who was Samuel Pepys, the great diarist who documented the fire? Join David Olusoga and Sarah Churchwell as they relive the first day of The Great Fire of London. Email: journeythroughtime@goalhanger.com X: @ThroughTimePod Blue Sky: @ThroughTimePod Instagram: @ThroughTimePod Assistant Producer: Alice Horrell Producer: Callum Hill Senior Producer: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices