The Landsknechte, also rendered as Landsknechts or Lansquenets, were Germanic mercenaries used in pike and shot formations during the early modern period. Consisting predominantly of pikemen and supporting foot soldiers, their front line was formed by Doppelsöldner renowned for their use of Zweihänder and arquebus.
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Apr 20
The Bowling Boom and Bust: How A Sports Empire Crumbled
In the 1960s, bowling wasn't just a sport—it was America's favorite pastime. With over 9.8 million league bowlers, bowling alleys dotted every American town, and professional bowlers were household names. Today, that empire has crumbled to less than 1.2 million league bowlers nat ... Show More
22m 22s
Apr 7
The Rise Of The Yakuza
The Yakuza, Japan's organized crime syndicates, originated in the mid-Edo period. Known for rigid patriarchal structures, tattoos, and feudal codes of honor, they evolved from street-level racketeers into powerful, often politically connected, organizations that thrived in post-W ... Show More
30m 56s
Nov 2022
The Battle of the Tollense Valley
<p>More than 3,000 years ago, two armies met in a titanic Bronze Age battle along a river in northern Germany. We don’t know why they fought or who won, but thanks to stunning archaeological discoveries, we know how they died, where they come from, and what their lives were like. ... Show More
40m 28s
Apr 2022
E64: Mildred Fish-Harnack, part 2
Concluding part of our double podcast episode about Mildred Fish-Harnack, the US-born woman at the centre of the underground resistance to Nazism in Berlin during World War II. In conversation with Rebecca Donner, Mildred’s great great niece and author of All the Frequent Trouble ... Show More
47m 42s
Feb 2022
Family Stories Series 2: Episode 12
This week’s family stories include an IRA man who ended up fighting for Britain and being torpedoed twice, a Scot who spent five years as a prisoner of war, a teenage sailor who braved the Atlantic and the U-boats, and a pilot who never forgave his enemy. A Goalhanger Films produ ... Show More
22m 16s
Dec 2021
History's greatest clubs (preview)
A chance to peek behind the curtain into the new weekly bonus episode for subscribers to the Rest Is History Club. As well as the extra episode, subscribers get a monthly live-streamed show (the first is on Wednesday 15th December, talking about the 1960's), access to an exclusiv ... Show More
12m 59s
Jun 2021
The Bell Beaker Phenomenon and the Rise of the Bronze Age
<p>Around 4,500 years ago, bell-shaped ceramic drinking vessels called "beakers" begin showing up with the dead in tombs all over western Europe. Everywhere from Portugal to Sicily to Scotland to Slovakia, these distinctive containers show up, often accompanied by archery equipme ... Show More
47m 51s