Dan Carlin

Common Sense was nominated for a Podcast Award in the Politics/News category in 2012 and 2013. The podcast, as of 2016, was generating about 700,000 downloads per episode. Common Sense went through an almost two year hiatus beginning in May 2018 and ending on April 1, 2020, with episode 319 - "A Recipe for Caesar."

Carlin's first book, The End Is Always Near: Apocalyptic Moments, from the Bronze Age Collapse to Nuclear Near Misses, was released October 29, 2019, by HarperCollins Publishers. The book aims to look at some of the apocalyptic moments from the past as a way to frame the challenges of the future.

In 2019 Carlin developed a virtual reality experience in coordination with MWM Immersive and Skywalker Sound. The "Immersive Memory" is designed to put the viewer deeply into the experience of trench warfare along the Western Front of the First World War. War Remains premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival and subsequently shown in other venues around the United States.

Though often complimenting Carlin for his attempt to teach an "ill-informed citizenry" about history, some historians critique his approach as too simplistic. Carlin's typical response is that he is a "fan of History, not a historian" and focuses on popularizing history and trying to communicate very complex ideas as simply as possible. Carlin’s work has been noted by some as overcoming such shortcomings

Hardcore History, which has millions of downloads per episode, received over 350,000 in a 24-hour period on May 6, 2015. It was nominated in 2012 for a Stitcher Award in the Best Educational & Learning Podcast category. In addition, Carlin has received the Best Classic Podcast in iTunes' Best of 2014 awards, Best Educational Podcast of 2015 from the Podcast Awards, Best History Podcast of 2018 from the IHeartRadio Podcast Awards, and in a top 25 best podcasts list in anniversary of 10 years of podcasts, Slate Magazine ranked Dan Carlin's 2009 episode Ghosts of the Ostfront, regarding the Eastern Front of World War Two, the fifth best podcast of all time.

Carlin has made guest appearances on numerous other podcasts, including Roifield Brown's "10 American Presidents Podcast" where he narrated the episode on Richard Nixon, Daniele Bolelli's The Drunken Taoist Podcast, and "History on Fire", making five appearances on The Joe Rogan Experience Podcast, two appearances on Smells Like Human Spirit and on a "crosscast" podcast on Sam Harris's ‘’Making Sense’’ (formerly Waking Up). In addition, Carlin has served as a panelist on CBS This Morning and was invited to speak at the TEDx Mt. Hood Conference on May 2, 2015. Carlin appeared on season 17 of Real Time with Bill Maher on October 25, 2019 as part of the panel while promoting his book The End Is Always Near. Carlin’s voice was featured as a podcast host in a 2019 episode of The Twilight Zone entitled “Nightmare at 30,000 Feet”.

Common Sense began in 2005. Common Sense is similar in scope to several Carlin-hosted radio programs that aired between 1994 and 2004. He has described his political philosophy as "Neoprudentist", taking a skeptical approach to evaluation of the current political trends and forces. He fosters discussion by developing and presenting self-deprecating ("Martian") thought experiments on solutions to current problems. The podcasts are said to be broadcast "almost live from the end of runway two here at the Emerald International Airport."

Carlin obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from the University of Colorado Boulder. He broke into the television news business in Los Angeles in the late 1980s and covered the 1992 Los Angeles riots. He has worked as a television news reporter, an author, a columnist, and a radio talk show host. No longer broadcasting on terrestrial radio, Carlin has achieved recognition in internet radio, podcasting, and the blogosphere.

Dan Carlin (born November 14, 1965) is an American political commentator, historian and podcaster. Once a professional radio host, Carlin eventually took his show to the Internet, and he now hosts three popular independent podcasts: Hardcore History, Hardcore History: Addendum, and Common Sense.