When I was an undergraduate taking history classes for fun, one of my professors would start off class playing music from the period we would be studying. I thought it was a cool way to add another layer to the subject matter and I started “collecting” songs from different periods.
For some trips, I will create a playlist of songs from the time period or about the subject matter. It’s been a fun way to add another dimension to a trip. I find myself listening to old playlists later on and it takes me right back to the trip!
Music
Links will take you to You Tube to hear the song if available. Many are available on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify and other services. Depending on the artist there are different versions and verses, so you may find a few variations from what I’ve posted. Especially on the older songs (WWI-era) you’ll generally get better quality on the download than on YouTube. Some WWI songs were also revived for WWII, so you’ll find some of that as well!
All rental cars I’ve had in the US and Europe recently either have a bluetooth connection so you can stream from your phone or you can use a USB cable to sometimes hook into the car stereo. I promise it will add so much to your trip!
World War Two Songs
French Revolution
Podcasts
I generally use iTunes, so hopefully these are available on other platforms as well! If you want to drop me a line and let me know how you get your podcasts I’m happy to start adding links if most people use the same service! Some are getting older, but the good thing about historical podcasts is they never really go out of date!
- Dan Snow's History Hit
- The History of England by David Crowther
- Medieval History for Fun and Profit by Dr. Alice Rio & Dr. Alice Taylor
- Norman Centuries by Lars Brownworth
- Stuff You Missed in History Class with Holly Frey and Tracy Wilson