Hostile History

About Hostile History

Since the dawn of time humanity has been at war. Conflict in one form or another has been part of our existence since we first walked the earth. While conflict and armed rebellion have evolved to look very differently over the centuries, if it feels like we’ve been here before it's because we have. Join military historian David Borys who has spent his entire career studying armed conflict as he brings together some of the brightest minds to take you inside the world's most defining conflicts and rebellions. From Genghis Khan, and the Crusades to Vietnam and the war in Iran. If you want to understand the world today you need to go back because history doesn't just repeat itself, it echoes.

Publisher

David Borys / Curiouscast

Category

history

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

1 May 2026

Latest episode

23 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

17 of 18 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   23 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Dissent in the Barracks: Queer Voices in the GI Underground

   Host David Borys interviews historian Travis Salley about how the GI underground press during the Vietnam War provided a vital lifeline and community for queer service members, fostering resistance and challenging discrimination.

2. 

   16 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Commit to the Myth – Nazi War Crimes and the Problem of Guilt

   Host David Borys interviews historian and drag queen Karla Marx about the enduring myth of the "clean Wehrmacht" and its post-war justifications.

3. 

   9 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Innocent Until Proven Guilty: The Myth of the Clean Wehrmacht

   Historian Waitman Beorn joins host David Borys to debunk the myth of the "clean" Wehrmacht, revealing the German army's complicity in Nazi atrocities during World War II.

4. 

   2 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Unpacked – Hannah Snell

   Host Patrick Wyman interviews historian Dr. Hannah Snell about her incredible 18th-century journey disguising herself as a man to fight in the British military.

5. 

   26 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Women at War: Europe’s forgotten fighters

   Emeritus Professor Margaret Hunt joins host to explore Europe's 15th-17th century women warriors, revealing their vital roles beyond traditional narratives.

6. 

   19 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Star Wars:Unpacked – In a Galaxy Not So Far Away

   Host David Borys interviews broadcaster and comic writer Fred Kennedy about Star Wars' evolution into a global cultural phenomenon.

7. 

   12 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Star Wars and Modern Warfare

   Host William Broad explores how George Lucas's Star Wars reflects real-world modern warfare, political paranoia, and insurgent tactics in this interview.

8. 

   5 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Unpacked – Baldwin IV - The Man Behind the Silver Mask

   Host "Hostile History" explores the historical accuracy of Baldwin IV's portrayal in "Kingdom of Heaven," revealing the true leadership and challenges of the leper king.

9. 

   29 Jul 2026TRANSCRIPT

   The Crusades

   Host Niall Christie and historian Niall Christie explore the complex realities of the Crusades, revealing their enduring global impact.

10. 

    22 Jul 2026TRANSCRIPT

    Unpacked – The Odyssey – From Fable to Film

    Host David chats with author Liv Albert about Homer's epic, exploring its journey from ancient fable to Christopher Nolan's anticipated film adaptation.

11. 

    15 Jul 2026TRANSCRIPT

    Democracy: From the ashes of Athenian wars

    Historian Jennifer Roberts explores how ancient Athens forged democracy amidst war and political turmoil, revealing its violent origins.

12. 

    8 Jul 2026TRANSCRIPT

    Hitler's DNA: Unpacked

    Host Alex Gendler unpacks the complex and controversial topic of Adolf Hitler's DNA, exploring its historical implications.

13. 

    1 Jul 2026TRANSCRIPT

    Hitler's DNA

    Geneticist Professor Turi King and historian Dr. Alex J Kay discuss the controversial story of Hitler's DNA and what modern genetics reveals about history in this interview.

14. 

    17 Jun 2026TRANSCRIPT

    Iran: Oil, Power and Protest - Part Four: Axis and Allies

    Historian Roham Alvandi joins host to explore how Iran cultivates allies and proxy movements across the Middle East for survival and influence.

15. 

    3 Jun 2026TRANSCRIPT

    Iran: Oil, Power and Protest – Part Three: The Ayatollah’s Iran

    Host Roham Alvandi, historian from the London School of Economics and Political Science, details Ayatollah Khomeini's transformation of Iran into an Islamic Republic after the revolution.

16. 

    20 May 2026TRANSCRIPT

    Iran: Oil, Power and Protest - Part One: In the Shadow of the Shah.

    Historian Roham Alvandi of the London School of Economics and Political Science discusses how Iran's modern monarchy lost control in this interview.

17. 

    20 May 2026TRANSCRIPT

    Iran: Oil, Power and Protest - Part Two: The Road to Revolution

    Host Roham Alvandi explores how soaring oil wealth fueled the Shah's regime while simmering discontent paved the road to revolution in modern Iran.

18. 

    1 May 2026

    Coming Soon

    Conflict in one form or another has been part of our existence since the dawn of time. Although war has evolved over the centuries, if it feels familiar, it's because it is. Every other week, military historian David Borys is joined by the world's brightest minds to take you inside defining conflicts and rebellions to better understand what's happening today. Because history doesn't just repeat itself, it echoes. Hostile History coming soon

Inside a recent episode

Dissent in the Barracks: Queer Voices in the GI Underground

Published 23 Sept 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] Arguments about patriotism. Arguments about morality. About who is exactly considered a threat to unit cohesion. The language may have changed, but the force has never been uniformly heterosexual. LGBTQ service members have always been present, often invisible, while navigating hostility. Today, dissent spreads through encrypted group chats, anonymous social accounts, Discord servers, signal threads, TikTok videos, but as things shift and pressure builds, they may have to once again go underground. It wouldn't be the first time. During the war in Vietnam, dissent moved through secret newspapers from hand to hand. […]

Who has been a guest on Hostile History

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Travis Salley
• Karla Marx
• Waitman Beorn
• Margaret Hunt
• Fred Kennedy

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

1.0 / 5

1 ratings

Pitching Hostile History

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting pitches.

Questions about Hostile History