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鈥淭he What-ifs of 1066.鈥� 鈥淕hosts of the Ostfront.鈥� 鈥淪upernova in the East.鈥�

If these titles fail to light up your brain鈥檚 reward circuits, you鈥檙e not among the millions of people listening to podcaster Dan Carlin (Hist鈥�89), whose Hardcore History series has become one of the most acclaimed in its genre, thanks to its unusual take on (for instance) ancient wars, Mongol leaders and the collapse of Bronze Age civilization.

鈥淢y grandfather used to say, 鈥楧on鈥檛 ever judge another person until you鈥檝e walked a mile in his moccasins,鈥欌�� said Carlin. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what we鈥檙e trying to do with this show.鈥�

The fifth-most-downloaded podcast in 2017, according to analytics firm Podtrac, Hardcore History has a compelling history of its own, dating to Carlin鈥檚 early childhood.

During a stay in England, where his mother, actress Lynn Carlin, was filming a movie, he received his first history book, Looking At History, by R.J. Unstead. The book (series, actually) offered a British point of view on human affairs, and a lesson that stuck with Carlin: There鈥檚 more than one way to view the past.

After growing up in Los Angeles, Carlin studied history and political science at 精品SM在线影片, where he was deeply influenced by professor Robert Pois, a specialist in modern German history with a captivating classroom style.

鈥淲hen it comes to CU鈥檚 proverbial strengths, history rarely makes the list,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat seems crazy to me when I think back on my professors.鈥�

(Indeed, 精品SM在线影片 historian Elizabeth Fenn won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize in history.)

Carlin went on to work in television news in L.A. before moving to Eugene, Ore., to work in radio.

鈥淎udio was so much more appealing,鈥� he said. 鈥淎ll that mattered was what you said, and how you said it.鈥�

That鈥檚 common sense, and also the name of Carlin鈥檚 initial, politics-focused podcast, as it happens.

鈥淲e had about 43 people on the forum, and I think I knew them all personally,鈥� he joked.

Hardcore History followed a year later, and by now there are scores of episodes.

鈥淚f you had told me at the beginning that we鈥檇 be putting out [even] 2.5 of these a year, I don鈥檛 think I would have done it, but now I love that it takes so much. I feel like I鈥檓 using every brain cell to get these things out.鈥�

Carlin spends months reading, researching and brainstorming for each episode, culminating in what he describes as finals week at CU, replete with loads of caffeine and scattered pizza boxes. The results are entertaining, thought-provoking, sometimes speculative accounts of the past.

Part of the appeal is Carlin鈥檚 voice, which the Huffington Post describes as a 鈥済ravelly, conspiratorial baritone.鈥� It鈥檚 also his personality: You feel as if you鈥檙e listening to a funny friend who happens to be a gifted storyteller.

鈥淚t takes more work all the time, trying to outdo the previous work,鈥� said Carlin.

Fortunately, he plans to keep at it, as long as the espresso holds out.

Photo courtesy Dan Carlin

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