Lusitania conspiracy theories
Subject in History
Lusitania conspiracy theories has come up in 1 episode across 1 podcast in TMT, including The Rest Is History. 2 people have made recorded remarks about it.
What people said
Dominic SandbrookBritish historian, author and co-host of The Rest Is History
Sandbrook observes that conspiracy theories blaming Britain are popular among American isolationists.
“they're very popular among sort of American isolationists who would now probably be of quite a MAGA tendency”
The Rest Is History: 673. The First World War: The Submarine Strikes (Part 3) (May 24, 2026) · Listen from 1:00:55
Sandbrook rejects the claim that Churchill deliberately exposed the Lusitania, noting an escort would have made no sense for so fast a ship.
“this is clearly complete rubbish. So basically, it would have been mad to give the Lusitania an escort, because the Lusitania was so fast”
The Rest Is History: 673. The First World War: The Submarine Strikes (Part 3) (May 24, 2026) · Listen from 1:02:28
Sandbrook dismisses the theory that the second explosion came from secret explosives, attributing it to the boilers.
“I think this is bonkers. Most historians think this is bonkers. And what was actually happening was something to do with the boilers”
The Rest Is History: 673. The First World War: The Submarine Strikes (Part 3) (May 24, 2026) · Listen from 48:54
Sandbrook argues that U-20 encountered the Lusitania by chance rather than deliberately targeting it.
“they end up coming across it by chance rather than by design”
The Rest Is History: 673. The First World War: The Submarine Strikes (Part 3) (May 24, 2026) · Listen from 28:14
Tom HollandEnglish actor cast as Telemachus
Holland invokes Occam's razor in favour of the simple explanation for the sinking.
“Occam's Razor, the simplest explanation is likely, always the likeliest”
The Rest Is History: 673. The First World War: The Submarine Strikes (Part 3) (May 24, 2026) · Listen from 1:03:07
Podcasts
- The Rest Is History · 1 episode
Episodes
673. The First World War: The Submarine Strikes (Part 3)The Rest Is History · May 24, 2026 · 1 h 17 min
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook recount the 1915 sinking of the RMS Lusitania by U-20, its conspiracy theories, propaganda aftermath and effect on American opinion.