7 Questions with Chris Hasler, History of the World Podcast

 

Chris Hasler was born in Essex, England, where he has lived his entire life. He did not study history during his education, but he has developed a major passion for history which has led him to travel the world in search of history. He decided to write this podcast due to there being a lack of chronological material about “popular history” in the podcast marketplace, although there are many outstanding works which tell the chronological story of a particular era in history. Website https://historyoftheworldpodcast.com/

 

1.          How and when did you get  hooked on history?

I always had an underlying interest in history, but didn't really pursue it to any great degree until after my academic years when I started developing a desire to understand today's world and how it has come to be what it is.

2.          What role does history play or has it played in your personal life?

History plays an important part in my life now due to the intensity of the podcast, so I am now almost studying on a daily basis.

3.          How does history play  a part of your professional life/career?

It never has due to the fact that I have always worked in service sector, but with the blossoming of the podcast, I can now consider it to be a quaternary service and a contributing factor to my financial situation.

4.          Why is studying/knowing history important?

Studying history is vital for understanding the nature of things.  So whether you are a politician, a media representative or an international businessperson, having a knowledge of history will put you one step ahead.

5.          What is your favorite period or aspect of history to learn about and why?

I always gravitate towards modern European and American history possibly because I individually feel culturally close to those topics.  When it comes to English history, my interest will be excited by material stretching back to the Dark Ages, quite simply because I am an Englishman.

6.       How did the History of the World Podcast get started?

I had been listening to various podcasts such as Graham Duke and Ali Hood's Rex Factor, Lilly Cunningham's Presidential and Kevin Stroud's History of English podcasts as they took me on a chronological journey through history subjects that interest me.  I looked for a chronological history of humankind and found very little that took such a wide perspective.  I realized that I had the material and the passion to fill that void in the marketplace myself.

7.       What do you hope followers of your podcast take away with them?

Learning about history has opened my mind to the world I live in, allowing me to relate more to those who have cultural differences.  I hope that my podcast educates people to be more open minded and be prepared to listen more to their human neighbors and realize that all of our natures are actually similar because we all come from the same origin.  Of course, I should add that I hope that my listeners are simply entertained.