Two Ear Worthy History Podcasts: Raven & History Snacks

 Today, we offer you two new History podcasts for totally disparate audiences. That's the inherent stickiness to History podcasts. We can learn about History throughout our lives, with a multitude of perspectives, viewpoints, and focus.  

Today, we have a new podcast, Raven, that gets an A for uniqueness and an A+ for execution. This five-part miniseries excels uncovering fascinating stories from Black history.

Then, we have a new History podcast designed for children called History Snacks. The creators of this History podcast have done their homework and produced a History show ideally crafted for kids. 

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Raven

In the trailer to Raven, the host Gavin Whitehead begins with, "I want to tell you a story about an unbelievable with an unbelievable man, Raven Chanticleer."

Raven usually refers to the investigative podcast from

Drum and Monkey Media about Raven Chanticleer, an eccentric artist who founded Harlem's first Black history wax museum in 1989. Hosted by Gavin Whitehead, it explores the rise, fall, and mysterious fate of the museum's prized, handmade figures after Raven's death in 2002. 

Raven is a podcast about the unforgettable man who founded Harlem's first and only wax museum and the extraordinary people who went out of their way to keep its memory alive. 

In the first episode of Raven, Whitehead reports that Chanticleer said he was not creatively influenced by anybody but himself and his own dreams. 

According to The Daily Tar Heel, "Sporting rhinestone cuffs and ermine turbans, billowing chinchilla maxi capes and matching boots, Raven Chanticleer could not be missed entering a room. Chanticleer was a fashion designer and performer, producing clothes as wacky as the ones he wore and even appearing in several Broadway productions. He was also said to have started his own dance troupe called the Raven Chanticleer Dancers."   

The strange yet inspirational tale of Raven Chanticleer is in good hands with host Gavin Whitehead. 

Known for thorough research, detailed storytelling, and a deep-dive, narrative approach, Whitehead is the creator, writer, and host of The Art of Crime, a popular history podcast exploring the often, dark, and, intersections, of, true, crime, and, the arts. He is a former theater historian with a Doctor of Fine Arts (DFA) in Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism from Yale University.

 As of this date, all five episodes of the miniseries have been released. 

 Raven is in the style of journalistic podcasts like Serial, S-Town, and This American Life. 

 

 History Snacks: Bites of History for Kids

History Snacks: Bites of History for Kids is an independent podcast launched in early 2026 by Emily Everhart (Everhart Productions), featuring experienced kid-podcasters Kenny Curtis and Jillian Hughes from the Greeking Out team. 

It delivers short, engaging, and often humorous historical stories designed to spark curiosity in children.

The show covers topics like royal sibling rivalries, cursed objects, lost explorers, and the fall of Rome. Episodes are fast-paced, with topics like the entire Roman timeline covered in under 17 minutes.

The show is specifically designed to make history fun and accessible for kids. The show is an ideal way to get children interested in history and make it fun and entertaining as they learn. 

One of my favorite episodes is a recent one about the volcano of Mt. Vesuvius, which erupted in 79 C.E.  The co-hosts discussed the only eyewitness account of the eruption that buried the Italian cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. In the episode listeners encounter violent eruptions, ancient scientists, natural disasters, villas by the sea, and stranded sea animals. 

Podcasts designed for children is much more difficult task than it sounds. In this case, historical information must be edited for comprehension, designed to be entertaining, and recorded by hosts who know how to talk to children. 

History Snacks: Bites of History for Kids hits that sweet spot. Listen with your child.