Sam Willis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Samuel Bruce Adlam Willis
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| Born | 24 April 1977 |
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| Awards | Anderson Medal (2011) |
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| Thesis | Capability, control and tactics in the eighteenth century Royal Navy (2004) |
| Doctoral advisor | Nicholas Rodger |
Samuel Bruce Adlam Willis, born on April 24, 1977, is a British historian, TV presenter, and writer. He is an expert in the history of ships and the sea. Sam teaches about maritime and naval history at the University of Plymouth. He is also a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, which means he is an expert in old things.
Sam helps publish old navy records online for the Navy Records Society. He has written many books and articles about the history of the navy and the sea.
Contents
Becoming a Historian
Sam studied History and Archaeology at the University of Exeter. He finished his first degree in 2000. He then earned a PhD, a very high degree, in Naval History from the same university. His teacher was Professor Nicholas Rodger.
Later, Sam also studied for a master's degree in Maritime Archaeology at the University of Bristol. This is the study of old things found under the sea. He learned from Professor Mark Horton there.
TV Adventures
Sam Willis has appeared on many TV and radio shows as a history expert. He started presenting his own shows in 2012.
Exploring History on Screen
In 2012, Sam presented Nelson's Caribbean Hell-Hole for BBC4. This film was about finding an old burial site near a British naval dockyard in English Harbour in Antigua.
In 2013, he presented a three-part series for BBC4. This series explored the cultural history of shipwrecks. He also joined a team of nine men to recreate a famous 1869 journey. They traveled down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon in special boats. This adventure was shown on BBC2 in 2014.
Castles, Outlaws, and Journeys
In October 2014, Sam presented Castles: Britain's Fortified History for BBC4. This three-part series looked at the history of castles in Britain.
A year later, in October 2015, he presented Britain's Outlaws: Highwaymen, Pirates & Rogues. This BBC4 series explored the lives of famous outlaws. In 2016, the BBC broadcast The Silk Road. This series followed Sam's journey from Xi'an in China all the way to Venice in Italy.
Global History Shows
Sam also started working with National Geographic. His first series for them was Nazi Weird War Two in December 2016. In this show, Sam teamed up with Robert Joe, an urban explorer.
In early 2017, Sam presented another BBC4 series called Sword, Musket and Machine Gun: Britain's Armed History. This series looked at how weapons have changed over time in Britain. In 2017, he also presented two other three-part TV series: Maritime Silk Road Reborn for National Geographic and Invasion! for BBC Four.
His work with National Geographic continued in 2018 with 'Silk Railroad'. In 2019, he presented a six-part series called 'China Relics Decoded'.
Podcasts
Sam Willis also shares his love for history through podcasts. He hosts two popular shows.
One podcast is called 'Histories of the Unexpected'. This show teaches that everything has a history, even surprising topics. Since 2020, Sam has also presented the 'Mariner's Mirror Podcast'. This podcast is all about maritime and naval history.
