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

Latest episodes

McCarthyism: Paving The Way For Trump (Ep 6)

March 23, 2026 · 40 min

How did the McCarthy-era blacklist impact Hollywood for many decades to come? What happened when McCarthy’s right-hand-man Roy Cohn met a cocky young real estate developer called Donald Trump? Are we still living under McCarthyism? How can…
McCarthyism: The Fall of Joseph McCarthy (Ep 5)

March 16, 2026 · 42 min

What happened when Joseph McCarthy turned his communist-catching energy on the army? What film, directed by Elia Kazan and starring Marlon Brando, is viewed as an allegory for the McCarthy hearings? In what ways did the ‘Lavender scare’…
McCarthyism: The Crucible, High Noon, and Hollywood’s Revenge (Ep 4)

March 9, 2026 · 47 min

How did the most celebrated writers and directors in America take aim at McCarthyism in works such as High Noon and The Crucible? Why did Roy Cohn, the man who went on to be Donald Trump’s mentor, get involved in the trials? Despite both…
McCarthyism: Spies, Lies, And Smears (Ep 3)

March 2, 2026 · 37 min

Who is Joseph McCarthy, the young senator who gives his name to these trials? Had Communist agents really infiltrated the US Government? Who were the Rosenbergs, America's most notorious communist couple, executed for giving state secrets…
McCarthyism: Hollywood on Trial (Ep 2)

February 23, 2026 · 36 min

What happened when the House of Un-American Activities Committee started to prosecute some of the biggest names in Hollywood? Who were the infamous ‘Hollywood Ten’? Why did the trial of Alger Hiss, a State Department official, terrify the…
McCarthyism: How The Red Scare Gripped America (Ep 1)

February 16, 2026 · 45 min

What was the second Red Scare where government employees, creatives, and intellectuals were prosecuted for holding ‘un-American’ views? What are the 19th century origins of Trump’s catch phrase, ‘America First’? Who was Martin Dies, the…
Chernobyl: An Explosion That Brought Down A Superpower (Ep 6)

February 12, 2026 · 37 min

Did Chernobyl cause the collapse of the Soviet Union? How did the disaster fuel the fight for independence? What happened when war came to the Exclusion Zone after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022? How are the victims still being impacted by…
Chernobyl: Soviet Secrets Are Still Coming Out (Ep 5)

February 9, 2026 · 24 min

Who were the bio-robots, the 3,000 young reservists drafted in to fight the radiation? Why was an absurdly inadequate, yet enormous, structure built at pace to contain the fallout? Could trust be restored between the US and the USSR after…