Dan Snow's History Hit

How Natural Disasters Have Shaped Humanity

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Episode notes

We think of our natural environment as a subset of history, like studying the history of warfare or economics. But in truth, climate is the driving force of humanity, and understanding our climate helps us to understand life on earth in an entirely different way. Of all natural disasters, earthquakes are amongst the most impactful and the most destructive. The tragic Turkey–Syria earthquake on the 6th of February, 2023 came with a deadly cost, and will likely change the futures of both nations. With us is Peter Frankopan, Professor of Global History at Oxford University and author of the soon to be published book, The Earth Transformed: An Untold History. Peter will guide us through the main themes of climate history, how it has impacted on the human species, and it's power to change our future.


Produced by James Hickmann and mixed by Stuart Beckwith.


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