Best in the biz!!! Wowza

This is such a wonderful show and I rate it better than most other history podcasts out there. Amazing in its breadth and depth of research. Mark highlights so many unknown aspects of the history of this period that makes the show so very interesting. This has got me through so many long drives and workouts (!). Love it. Thank you Mark!

This is such a good podcast. Currently only in 1905 but it is so comprehensive and well done. It is not boring-it’s addictive!!! Soon I’ll finally figure out why world war 1 happened!

My favorite history podcast since the first episode. Insightful, entertaining and presented in a manner that has always left me anxious for the next episode. Mr Painter unlike some creators has stuck to a schedule over the years and provided all episodes advertising free. Episode one still has relevance today.

Update: I long ago ran out of episodes, and now eagerly await new episodes each week. This is a tremendously well done podcast that any history enthusiast would benefit from listening to. Informative without being dry. Entertaining without being cheeky. I find myself learning things I never knew, as well as greater understanding of topics I thought I was well versed in. I have been listening almost every day and dread the day where I will run out of episodes I haven’t heard . I started when I needed a World war I podcast, then discovered there were many episodes having preceded the WWI episodes that are just as, if not more interesting than the actual conflict itself. KEEP MAKING EPISODES!

I very much enjoy the podcast. I am a huge fan of Old Time Radio and especially enjoyed episodes: 236, 237, 238, 308, 309. I have never seen this topic addressed in such depth. Thank you so much!

After listening to a Stanford University podcast by James Sheehan done about 12 years ago, I discovered this one and love Mr. Painter’s details of a time that preceded me but I learned about from my father (1922 - 2010).

I was looking for Battle of France ww2 talk. I am so glad I found this and the episodes on this part of ww2.

I’m obsessed with this podcast, it single-handedly gets me through my work day. I’ve learned so much and am so appreciative. All I can say is a true and heartfelt thank you so much!

Enjoy!

Really impressive. With a unique balance of straightforward chronology and more nonlinear storytelling, I can't describe myself as anything other than "addicted" to this podcast. I regret not discovering this earlier, but I'm catching up at a ridiculous pace, binging to episode 179 in a month. Mark's project is sincere. Sometimes I get the feeling that we're discovering things together as a team. Also, he's made me chuckle quite a few times. A great narrative voice, both rhetorically and sonically. I highly recommend giving this podcast a listen.

I loved History of Rome and Revolutions, and now I love this. Mark does a great job choosing his subjects and building his narrative. This podcast is engaging so the out getting bogged down in the weeds, and I love the cultural and scientific perspectives.

As someone who had previously struggled to learn or be interested in history class, this podcast has truly helped expand my understanding of the world. Mark is an excellent writer, researcher & orator. I love his inclusion of marginalized groups, music, art, science, and fun facts. He advocates against the oppression and violence seen across the twentieth century and identifies key components of how things came to be. I’ve been listening And relistening for years. Sincerely, thank you so much for all your hard work.

I absolutely love this podcast. I love the fact that I have found it so many years after Painter began it. I enjoy binging through, and repeating episodes, as well as referring to the website. looooove the period music choices as well. Such a great job, I know this podcast required a lot of hard work. For that I am grateful.

Really great. If you agree, please donate to keep the ads away!

From an otherwise good podcast, it shocks me to find you excusing the racist behaviors of President Wilson in the episode “The Birth of a Nation”. I suppose in order to keep the idea alive that Wilson was anything but a huge failure to this country you would have to excuse his overt racist ideas and behavior. You chant that the movie was racist while looking for reasons that Wilson was not. Do better. I don’t know why it still astonishes me that you go out of your way to excuse Wilson. Your leftist “slip” shows too often in your scripts.

First of all: this is an excellent podcast to listen to at 1.5x speed. He dictates clearly enough that he is still perfectly understandable when sped up. I think the host is smart and funny, and that this is a good resource for learning about the 20th century. This is my favorite podcast right now. Essentially I have listened to 7 years of his work over the past 8 months. 284 episodes in and we're in about 1932, though not every year gets the same amount of love. Episodes 1-79 are maybe disjointed. The many two-part episodes and the chunk of 6 Ruso-Japanese War episodes break up the narrative but it's still 79 episodes worth listening to. My favorite moments are when he explains that a new invention has been made that changes everyone's lives, and which may even be something we still use today. This happens surprisingly often. Episodes 80-173 are mostly about WWI. I remember this section being kind of a slog to get through, especially since I'm unfamiliar with this period in history and I had trouble with all the names. I don't know how many times the host has said "Remember _______?" and me having no idea who he's talking about. I'll say he does a good job of catching you up to speed regardless. Episodes 174-215 are a survey of the world after the Great War. This was really refreshing for me. It's a nice change of pace after an onslaught of hearing about death and destruction for so long. Episodes 216-284, my current progress. After the world tour, I think the podcast really hits it's stride. Cultural achievements get their due, taboo topics are thoroughly illuminated, and interspersed are the latest advances in scientific knowledge and application. Though India becomes a core part of the narrative, the show remains UK-US-Germany centric, but I feel that the host is conscious of this and more countries are being discussed, like India and Spain. The music may be something you're not used to, but he picks excellent pieces from which to play excerpts about 1-3 times an episode. The music at the top and bottom of the show is his own. The music is varied in length so there's no easy way to skip it, though I don't know why you would. Really, he picks good and famous tunes. If you're reading this review, Mr. Painter, then I'd like to say that I really appreciate the work you put into the show.

Very well done stories based on our history. They help me to understand present events a little better. Mark is astute, well spoken and interesting.

This is an excellent listen. Good information in bite sized pieces!

I listen to a lot of podcasts & this is one of the best . Facts matter, especially now !

I’m a history junkie so love the details. My only complaint is the music. I just don’t enjoy it and always trying to fast forward through it.

This is one of the best podcasts ever. I am so glad I discovered this. Gmunn

So I have to give this 5 stars cause I appreciate it so much. I’m more than a history “buff” my wife would say that I study an “embarrassing” amount of history. 😂. So this pod is always here to come back to… so I listen in spurts.. im currently on episode 210. The one negative I have to give is all about production. Unfortunately I CAN NOT listen to this podcast while walking or any such thing with my ear buds…. Cause.... Without a little backing tone.. or light music or something… the clearing of the spittle and mouth constantly (I get it.. I would be doing it to.. but with a super close up condenser mic… Mark it is PAINFUL after a while… like just back breaking) 🤷🏻🤦🏻😬 Again.. I’ve sent multiple donations and I will again.. I very much appreciate it.. but just consider something.. cause… I’m not even someone who gets particularly weird with things like that.. but in ear buds.. it is just untenable. Thank you though.. and obviously the good outweighs the bad as Im on 210 and giving a 5 star rating.. but only when listening NOT on ear buds.. and I list mostly on ear buds to other pods.

This podcast is fantastic. It’s basically an audiobook, but it’s satisfying my exact aim which is to learn about and understand more about the history that leads us to where we are today (and how it all fits together). Thoroughly enjoying. Thank you for making this.

I never woulda thunk it, but this has become my favorite podcast. I wait for it every week and dread every bye week. Thank you, Mark!

I have really enjoyed hearing about the important and famous people of the early 20th century. Scientists, explorers, generals, writers, artists, inventors, politicians etc. It’s a vast scope of history. The show has hundreds of episodes and is really well executed by Mark. I discovered this podcast in 2021 and have since listened to the entire show, and now keep up with new episodes.

One of the best history podcasts out there.

I was going though Mike Duncan withdrawal when I stumbled upon this podcast and was blown away. There is something here for everyone even (art, science, politics, sports, and yes the wars). It is also structured in a way where you don’t have to listen chronologically, feel free to jump around and find the areas of history that interest you.

This is one of the most comprehensive stories of the history of the 20th century I could ever ask for. It was exactly what I was looking for and have been a loyal listener since 2020

There are a few good ones out there, but could this be the best podcast ever? Detailed, well researched, well organized, and above all, immensely informative and engaging. I’d even say entertaining. Ok, maybe the bits about British parliamentary politics set my mind slightly adrift, but the other 99.5% is wonderful. And broken into discrete enough parts that if you don’t feel like listening to nothing-but-this for a year (though really, you should), you can find an episode about the topic you are interested in. Dive in. It is deep.

My history buff 15 year old and I have been listening to this podcast together during the commute to school and back for the past couple of months. It has been such a fun source of conversation and is overall just a very well done program. I love the music that the creator incorporates into episodes, as well as the side stories and anecdotes that he sprinkles into what is often fairly dense material. Thank you for this podcast!

This episode provides an excellent description and explanation of the enigma machines. Well done and there’s more to come I’m sure.

Whether you’re looking for a refresher on all the history you forgot or a laundry list of things you weren’t taught, this is the podcast for you. Unlike high school history teaching a few highlights, this podcast has a natural flow. You don’t just get Teddy Roosevelt, you get The Spanish American War leading into McKinley’s assassination leading into Roosevelt, with a sidebar on Booker T Washington and Scott Joplin. The dry Dad humor is a bonus. I wish this man would do the 19th century next!

Excellent and thoughtful writing and long term planning. The premise of a chronology of such a well-documented period as the 20th century seems almost impossibly hard to execute but believe it or not, he’s doing it.

I heard about this podcast while listening to the History of Byzantium podcast. I thought it might not be that interesting because of all of the things I was taught in school and knew about this time period already. Boy was I wrong! Mark Painter took me places that I never knew existed, and brought to life the people and characters of this time period in a way I’ve never seen. (I also enjoy the musical interludes.) For anyone who loves history-but especially the history of the last century-I highly recommended this podcast.

This is a subject that requires a lot of research, respect, thought, and care, and Mark manages to nail every one of those. I appreciate the episodes covering scientific, technological, and cultural developments, as they really place you in the context of the era. This is one of my favorite history podcasts, and I listen to a lot of history podcasts! Highly recommended

Everything you want in a history podcast

Not everyone is going to be keen on this information dense, doesn’t follow one narrative style of history podcasting…. but if it’s a form to your liking, it’s one of the absolute best history podcasts out there. I’m personally on my second listen and definitely plan on giving it another listen when it’s complete!

He does a very good job of describing events. I’m not trying to be mean; I’m only saying this because I like your show. The only complaint I’d have is the mouth sounds. It’s more than any podcast I’ve ever heard.

So well-presented. I’m not even interested in these topics, ordinarily- but this show is compelling.

I have to give Mark credit for all the hard work he puts into this. There's a lot of material that he covers fairly well. I will say that it comes off sometimes as "Howard Zinn's History of the Twentieth Century", which I doubt he'd even consider criticism. I've posted comments to his website trying to engage on topics, but they never get out of moderation. Seeing as he's working hard on episodes, I guess this is understandable. For an example of bias: He's willing to believe that Stalin was ignorant of the Holomador, a stand that I believe credible Historians don't hold, but not give the benefit of any doubt to Harding on Teapot Dome and other scandals speaks volumes.

After Revolutions finished I went on the hunt for something to scratch the same itch. Mark Painter does a great job of just that and I highly recommend this show.

Mark’s narration style, subtleties, occasional jokes, small but reasonable editorial comments plus his agreeable tone and pronunciation makes you feel you’re in a relax yet informative conversation with a friend. His attempt to encompass culture as an important part of history and his obvious love for music are a nice touch. “Oh, and one more thing” The chapters are well researched, entertaining and has the insight to notice we as listeners will forget some details, so he tries to make a small recap whenever he retakes a subject or person not mentioned recently. I believe his awareness of the existence of the listener as part of his project makes you fell welcome and differentiates this podcast from most.

I’ve been listening to this podcast since 2016 by now, and it moves at about 5-6x the speed of the years it covers, so anyone who is here for a neat and tidy Mike Duncan narrative may be disappointed. I for one am happy we still have another 10 years of material at least if all goes well. I’m not going to cover content too much, since I love it but others describe it here. There’s something different about this podcast that makes me happy in the way that finding a tasty homey restaurant with a kind owner makes me happy. mark dives into remarkable detail across the whole world and has these stylistic quirks that you come to savor, like his “oh and one more thing” bit he does at the end of every episode to follow up on one-off threads. Episodes are digestible, well researched, and compassionate, and most impressively are done with 0 ads. As someone who started the history of Byzantium podcast and was disgusted by aramco ads at the end of every episode, it shows a rare kind of integrity that truly shows this is a passion project. Keep doing what you do mark, and if you are ever in New York City I hope I can buy you a beer

I just discovered this podcast and I’ve been listening from beginning. It is so informed, thoughtful, easy to follow, and well presented. While it covers some topics I’ve learned about before, I feel like I have a new deeper understanding of the chronology of the time period and the proper context for these events

Well researched and well put together. Well paced. It is broken down well enough that even a casual history fan can appreciate.

Well constructed narrative with enough depth to present something likely new to history buffs.

Thank you.

Thank you for letting us have Mark. He is fantastic. Sincerely, Everyone

This podcast is one of the best of the genre (if one can call podcasting a genre). Always thoughtfully, carefully, & thoroughly researched. Always carefully written & delivered. And have you checked out the website and the resources used? You should. Mrs. History of the 20th Century can rest assured that this is not a waste of time. Highly recommended.