Riveting tour of the development and relevance of English in the world. The production is absolutely sensational and the story is very well told. Thank you!

I came across this podcast after listening to so many history podcasts, hardcore history, history of (insert topic here), stuff you missed in history class, and many others. Within DAYS I had binged what normally only is played strictly during my car ride to work or to class all at once. The topics are all encompassing and the production value is amazing between the effects and research and his amazingly captivating voice. Definitely check out his other podcast too, it’s actually still going-Context. I’ve honestly never been drawn to history in the same way a high quality movie draws me in until now. Please continue the series! Even if it was slower paced.

Expanded my worldview, gave me a new appreciation for the modern world. Also changed my mind about the essential goodness of the modern world. Many great ideas and innovations, along with a ton of work, got us here.

I picked up a lot of interesting information from his pod casts. Enjoyable voice and music, which help listeners more engaged. Please continue with more podcasts.

from the other reviews it sounds like this is a quite informative podcast. i couldn’t make it even past the intro of an episode however due to the over the top cheesy announcer voice style narration and cliche music. sorry. might be just a personal preference. but this was not for me.

My friends and family get so tired of me saying “I was listening to brad Harris & he mentioned...” because that is how I start every one of my sentences. I started listening to this podcast in 2018 and still listen to episodes when I want a refresher— probably at round 10 by now. I love this podcast and the host! Go listen to context — another great show

I love this podcast. Just enough content to get you engaged & interested in a topic with plenty of source material references to keep you very busy digging deeper if you choose. Brad does a great job summarizing complex topics, he is one of my favorite podcasters!

Excellent content and captivating narration, enriched with the right amount of sound effects to really make you deep dive into the story. You’ll come out feeling like you just time travelled and you have first-hand knowledge on how things came to be.

The reading is too theatrical, I really like the information and it is well produced. The theatrical tone is hard to take for more than a few minutes. Movie preview voice.

I was lucky enough to have a good history education and am still a fan of history books. So I was surprised and delighted to find that Brad Harris had a new perspective on themes I thought I understood. Especially, satisfying is his disdain for political correctness in the pursuit of truth. This is not some nutcase who reinterprets events to fit a political agenda. This is a genuinely smart guy who studied the facts and came up with explanations that make one reexamine one’s beliefs. My favorite example is the episode on the history of coffee! I have one criticism. In fact, Brad has already recognized and replied to it: I would have preferred more detail to justify some of the arguments. Take my favorite episode mentioned above. He skips over a towering figure (Shakespeare) that seems to counter his argument.

I enjoyed Context immensely! After each episode I would engage with my children and discuss whatever the topic du jour was and I would sound like the smartest guy on earth to them! They looked at me funny cause they knew that wasn’t true... Anyhoo this podcast however wasn’t up to that caliber. Context was in the same category as Dan Carlin and that is such a compliment. This was more like a mediocre National Geographic show, too much information and not enough distillation, and the background soundtrack was super gratuitous, annoying even. Your style with Context was like a perfect Socratic Seminar, this was like a 8th grade substitute teacher movie filler. Sorry if that’s harsh but the disparity between the two is chasmic. Please do more in the vein of Context. I promise to support you in every way I can(I left a 5 star review and will go back to listen to how to support you in others ways mentioned). You do rock and are so necessary for this moment in history. Thank you.

One of my favorite podcasts! Hope we can enjoy some new episodes soon. Hope all is well!

If you’re looking for a solid, high production value, educational podcast with music and adventure, then look no further. Brad delves into the greatest aspects of humanity and does a superb job!

I’m studying for a masters in history and philosophy of science now, and I can attest to the quality of his analysis. The production quality is strong with great writing, narrating, and music. The wolf episode even got me tearing up!

I like the way he describes his topics it helps me visualize more of the information and I feel like it helps me retain more. He makes it enjoyable to learn!

Interesting content. But Brad's delivery is over the top. The dramatic (and often too loud) background music, the histrionic voice and inflection, the choice of words that make it seem more like a reading of an academic paper... Tone it down a bit and be more conversational, please.

Much like the history of coffee presented in Season 2, this podcast is very addictive. Harris takes commonplace items and concepts with which we have become overly familiar and makes their history both entertaining and educational. I am blown away with the production value put into this show.

This is one of the best podcast that I have ever listened to. It is informative and entertaining. The quality is outstanding. I learned an incredible amount of history in just this one episode. I’m blown away. You are a treasure!

I can’t believe this material is free! This show has changed my daily routine and I found it accidentally. I can see the world with much more clarity now. You are awesome!!

This is the best podcast I have ever found it is amazingly done! If you like history or want to know how things started this is the podcast for you.

The very best history of science podcast I have found so far. Deeply thought provoking and exceptional production values. Highly recommended.

Listened to the first two podcasts. Brad does a terrific job of providing bits of history with a story-like presentation. I’m looking forward to listening to the rest of the story. Mike in Auburn, California.

Many feel that the way science is taught is dry, stale, and bland. This teaches not just science, but how we got there. This offers much needed context to all the technological things we take for granted today.

A comprihensive history of technology. Learned a lot, hope for more.

Truly one of the most informative and fascinating things I have heard. Harris not only demonstrates his thorough knowledge of the broad themes and various nuances of modernity, but demonstrates a exceptional ability to articulate those ideas that is both easy to understand and fascinating.

Learning so much, well done!

I share almost every episode I listen to with a different friend or family member. Well planned and produced episodes on a wide variety of topics. Please support the show on Patreon and be sure to check out Context, another incredible gift to listeners everywhere. Thanks Brad!!

....might be the best pod out there. brilliant. wonderful

The content of this podcast is really good. The episodes are fascinating. But the narration! Ugh. Very painful to listen to. I’ve had to stop listening on several occasions just to take a break from the melodramatic intonation. This is history, not Buffer announcing WWF! On top of that the music is also over the top. Find someone else to read the copy, please!

I just came across the history of money episode and felt compelled to write a review. Just downloaded about 10 others based on the quality of the money episode.

For any history buff, you need to listen to this podcast. My only complaint is it is to short. I wish each one would go on for hours. Thanks Brad.

I love the way the music and speech interact, it content is wonderful.

I’m so in love with this podcast! The meticulous scientific research is absolutely enthralling, and Brad’s voice basically makes me want to marry him. The musical score only compounds all of the feelings, turning this into my fave current podcast, and definitely a top five for me!

I love the show! Just discovered it and I've binged on it the last few days. Great work!

Brad Davis's English Language history episode covered so much territory in 42 minutes, with such energy and interesting detail, that I'm coming back for more. Not only relevant--I use English daily--it provided fascinating context for our language. His episode on the roller coaster ride of the printed wordaka books was a story I knew only small snippets of and I loved the detail Brad delivered. I recommend this to anyone who is looking for a great, educational and entertaining podcast. I'm not normally a "history buff," but in Brad's hands (and voice), I've become one.

Coffee episode and Wolves to Dogs episode are both amazing! I love all the descriptors and all of the information!

This is by far the most addicting history podcast I’ve found. The sound quality is top-notch and the episodes will keep you thinking for a long time.

This is a very cogent and coherent podcast made fun with the narrator's excellent delivery and implementation of sound and music. Great topic!

How It Began has quickly become one of my favourite shows. Hit that plat button and you will see why immediately

When setting out to find a science history podcast I went through a few different programs. They didn’t have the quality of storytelling and subject knowledge that I was looking for. Then I ran into this podcast! Devouring the episodes... Happily

With both excessive verbiage, and truly laughable over-the-top heavy dramatic reading, the subject matter is not terrible, but rather rendered almost immaterial by the "look at me" presentation. Wow. Does this dude have no one around him to give some honest feedback? Or is he functionally deaf? I appreciate honest effort, and earnest enthusiasm, but anything can be overdone, and is here.

Just the right amount of details about history and science.

How It Began is a great podcast. The host has a great voice to listen to, the rhythm of the writing is engaging and informative and the topics are things everyone is interested in whether they knew it or not. I can’t recommend this podcast enough.

Good topics, good information, good production, great podcast.

I just found this podcast and blew through both seasons in two days. Brad Harris does a wonderful job of highlighting all the important aspects of each subject without drowning you with tedium. The narration is excellent, and Brads voice is extremely pleasant to listen to. I glad I found this podcast and I definitely be listing to it from now on.

Best podcast ever!

Concise and entertaining. Covers a lot of ground but doesn't feel rushed. Opens you up to explore more.

I love the thoughtful content and fantastic production quality of this show. I’m glad it’s back for another season! There are so many excellent nuggets of information in this series, answering many questions I’ve asked myself in the past. It’s an accessible, entertaining way to learn more about the world around us and the most interesting aspects of recent human history.

I guess we can call Dr Harris a 2 nd generation podcaster, and he’s learned from those who went before. We don’t hear any bad audio or choppy editing. He uses music to great effect, though I confess that the music is so good, I can be distracted by it. It’s good scientific history of all kinds of topics, and I can’t get enough. More content, please!!

Serious history buff here. Since I was a pre-teen and now 72! Impressive research and great story telling. Check out the episode on coffee and get hooked! Consistently intelligent and entertaining.