Shows / History Shorts
History Shorts
Dive into the past with award-winning historian Peter Zablocki in this captivating daily podcast! Uncover hidden stories you never knew existed. And don't miss Friday Conversations where Peter teams up with top experts for riveting, in-depth discussions that bring history to life.
Episodes
History ShortsCapturing Al Capone
For years, Al Capone ruled Chicago's underworld with near impunity—bootlegging, bribery, and violence keeping him one step ahead of the law. But in the end, it…
History ShortsConversations: 1970s - The Decade that Made the Marathon Cool
What transformed marathon running from a fringe obsession into a cultural phenomenon—and why did it happen in the 1970s? In this episode of History Shorts, I'm…
History ShortsJFK vs. Israel: The Forgotten Standoff
In the early 1960s, at the height of the Cold War, a little-known confrontation unfolded behind closed doors—one that placed the John F. Kennedy administration…
History ShortsThe Women of the Nazi SS
When we think of the machinery of the Third Reich, the image is almost always male—but that picture is incomplete. In this episode of History Shorts, we…
History ShortsTeddy Wins the Nobel Peace Prize
In 1906, Theodore Roosevelt became the first American to win the Nobel Peace Prize—but not for a speech or a treaty signed in Washington. Instead, it was his…
History ShortsThe Miracle of Fatima
In 1917, in the small village of Fátima, three shepherd children claimed to witness a series of apparitions that would captivate the world. As their visions…
History ShortsThe Bay of Pigs Invasion
In April 1961, a covert mission backed by the United States unfolded on the shores of Cuba—and collapsed in spectacular fashion. The Bay of Pigs Invasion was…
History ShortsJohn Tyler and the Presidency Nobody Wanted Him to Have
When William Henry Harrison died just 31 days into his presidency, the nation faced an unprecedented constitutional crisis: what exactly happens when a…
History ShortsThe Rise and Fall of Sparta
From the legendary stand at Thermopylae and the fearsome warriors of 300, to the brutal training system and the enigmatic helots, Sparta has fascinated people…
History ShortsThe London Bridge Comes to Arizona
It sounds like the setup to a joke—but it's entirely true: one of the most famous bridges in the world now sits in the middle of the Arizona desert. In this…
History ShortsThe Jesuits of Hiroshima
On the morning of August 6, 1945, as the world changed forever over Hiroshima, a small group of Jesuit priests found themselves at the center of the…
History ShortsThe Morristown Ghost Hoax of 1788
In the winter of 1788, the quiet town of Morristown was gripped by fear. Strange lights flickered in the darkness, eerie sounds echoed through the night, and…
History ShortsRussia & The Third Rome Prophecy
After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, a powerful idea began to take shape in the forests and courts of Eastern Europe: that Moscow was now the rightful…
History ShortsThe Bena Tshadi Lightning Strike
In 1998, a quiet soccer match in the Democratic Republic of the Congo turned into one of the most chilling—and unexplained—incidents in modern sports history…
History ShortsThe Vestal Virgins of Rome
In the heart of ancient Rome stood a group of women unlike any others—the Vestal Virgins. Chosen as young girls and sworn to thirty years of service, these…
History ShortsConversations: The Lost Cities of El Norte, w/ Peter Stark
In this week's Conversation Series, Peter sits down with bestselling historian and adventurer Peter Stark to discuss his gripping new book, The Lost Cities of…
History ShortsLegend of the Loveland Frogman
Few American legends are as strange—or as stubbornly persistent—as the Loveland Frogman. First reported in the 1950s along the banks of the Little Miami River…
History ShortsWho Was Muhammad? The Story of Islam's Prophet
The life of Prophet Muhammad is one of the most transformative stories in world history—one that reshaped not only the Arabian Peninsula, but the course of…
History ShortsGrisly Papal Deaths
The papacy is often seen as one of the most sacred institutions in history—but behind the grandeur of St. Peter's lies a far darker story. In this episode, we…
History ShortsThe Last U.S. Cavalry Charge in History
In January 1942—amid the chaos of Japan's rapid advance in the Pacific—an echo of an older kind of warfare thundered across the battlefield. In this episode…
History ShortsAudie Murphy and the Cost of Courage
Before he became one of the most decorated soldiers in American history, Audie Murphy was just a quiet, underage teenager from Texas looking for a way out. In…
History ShortsKilling Hypatia
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History ShortsConversations: A Road Trip Through U.S. History, w/ Beverly Gage
In this episode of the History Shorts Conversation Series, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Beverly Gage joins us to discuss her new book This Land Is Your…
History ShortsThe Fall of Valerian and Rome's Darkest Hour
In the third century, the mighty Roman Empire faced one of its most humiliating and devastating moments. In this episode, we explore the shocking downfall of…
History ShortsBattle of Hastings
In 1066, the fate of England was decided on a single battlefield. In this episode, we dive into the dramatic clash at Battle of Hastings, where William the…
History ShortsThe Man Who Became John Paul II
Before the world knew him as Pope John Paul II, he was Karol Wojtyła—a young man shaped by war, loss, and quiet resistance. In this episode, we trace Wojtyła's…
History ShortsThe Untold Story of WWII War Brides
In the final days of World War II, as victory drew near and soldiers prepared to return home, thousands carried something unexpected with them: love stories…
History ShortsThe Pig War of 1859: The Most Peaceful War in History?
It started with a pig. In 1859, on a small island in the Pacific Northwest, an American farmer shot a British-owned pig that had wandered into his garden. What…
History ShortsStalin Gives Mariya a Tank
When Mariya Oktyabrskaya's husband was killed fighting the Nazis, she didn't just mourn—she took action. Selling everything she owned, she wrote directly to…
History ShortsConversations: What the Seven Deadly Sins Can Teach Us About Living, w/ Peter Jones
What if the best self-help advice wasn't written yesterday — but over 700 years ago? Historian Peter Jones joins us to explore how concepts like pride, envy…
History ShortsMalta, 1565: The Siege That Saved Europe
In 1565, one small island became the frontline of a clash that would shape the future of Europe. When the Ottoman Empire launched a massive invasion of Malta…
History ShortsThe Riddle that Killed Homer
He gave the world The Iliad and The Odyssey—epics that have endured for nearly three thousand years. But according to legend, Homer's life didn't end in…
History ShortsThe Debate over Hawaii Annexation
In the late 19th century, a distant island kingdom became the center of one of America's most heated political debates. Was the annexation of Hawaii a bold…
History ShortsUSO: Entertainment on the Front Lines
Before TikTok, before livestreams, and long before instant communication with home, there was one organization dedicated to bringing a piece of America to…
History ShortsJames Earl Ray Escapes from Prison
In June 1977, one of the most infamous prisoners in America briefly slipped through the bars of one of the nation's toughest prisons. The man was James Earl…
History ShortsArtemas Ward - America's First Commander in Chief
When Americans think of the leadership of the American Revolutionary War, one name immediately comes to mind: George Washington. But before Washington ever…
History ShortsConversations: The Lost Voices of Pompeii, w/ Jess Venner
What can the ruins of Pompeii really tell us about the people who lived there—and whose stories have been forgotten for nearly two thousand years? In this…
History ShortsThe Abdication of King Edward VIII
In December 1936, the British monarchy faced one of the greatest constitutional crises in its history. The king of the United Kingdom, Edward VIII, made a…
History ShortsThe Rise and Fall of the Oracle at Delphi
For nearly a thousand years, kings, generals, and ordinary travelers journeyed to a sacred mountainside in Greece seeking answers from the gods. At the heart…
History ShortsEva Brown: Hitler's Invisible Woman
For most of the Second World War, the woman closest to one of history's most notorious dictators remained almost entirely hidden from public view. Her name was…
History ShortsThe American Expeditionary Forces of WWI
When the United States entered World War I in April 1917, it faced a daunting reality: the American Army was small, inexperienced in modern industrial warfare…
History ShortsThe Lost Tomb of Queen Hetepheres
In 1925, archaeologists working on the Giza Plateau uncovered something extraordinary—a hidden chamber sealed for over four thousand years. Inside lay a…
History ShortsMost Fascinating Presidential Pardons
Few powers granted to the American presidency are as sweeping—or as controversial—as the power to pardon. Written directly into the Constitution, the authority…
History ShortsConversations: Seven Daughters of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, w/ Veronica Buckley
In this episode of History Shorts Podcast, we dive into the fascinating lives of the seven daughters of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria—Marianna, Marie…
History ShortsThe A-Team: When Teenage Athletes Replaced Migrant Farmworkers
In the mid-1960s, America faced a growing labor crisis in its agricultural fields. For decades, farms across the country had depended heavily on migrant…
History ShortsDepartment of War - Defense - then War Again
For much of American history, the nation's military was not overseen by a single unified department. Instead, it was divided between separate branches like the…
History ShortsCromwell
In the chaos of civil war, one man rose from relative obscurity to rule England without a crown. Oliver Cromwell, a Puritan soldier and fierce opponent of…
History ShortsThe Real Gangs of New York
Long before Hollywood dramatized it, New York City in the mid-19th century was a battleground of rival gangs, political machines, and neighborhoods fighting…
History ShortsMahan and the Influence of Sea Power
In the late 19th century, one naval officer reshaped how the world understood power itself—not through speeches or battlefield heroics, but through a book…
History ShortsHistory of the Paperbacks
It's small. Portable. Affordable. Easy to slip into a coat pocket or toss into a suitcase. But the paperback book didn't just change how we read—it changed who…
History ShortsConversations: How a Motley Crew of Characters Stopped the Invasion of America, w/ Sara Vladic
In this gripping Conversation Series episode, historian and investigative author Sara Vladic joins History Shorts to discuss her explosive new book, The…
History ShortsWhy American Troops Mutinied After VE Day
The war was over—but for thousands of American soldiers stationed overseas, the fight felt far from finished. In late 1945 and early 1946, frustration boiled…
History ShortsThe Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was a vast, secret network of safe houses, guides, abolitionists, and ordinary citizens who risked fines, imprisonment, and even death…
History ShortsWhat did the Founders Think About Religion?
Were America's Founding Fathers devout Christians, skeptical deists, or something more complicated? The answer is far less simple—and far more interesting—than…
History ShortsThe Flying Tigers
Before the United States officially entered World War II, a small band of American volunteer pilots took to the skies over China to fight a war that wasn't yet…
History ShortsThe Man Who Jumped from Space
In the thin, freezing edge of Earth's atmosphere, long before private spaceflight captured headlines, one man stepped out of a balloon gondola and fell toward…
History ShortsThe Patty Hearst Kidnapping Ordeal
In 1974, America watched in shock as newspaper heiress Patty Hearst was kidnapped from her California apartment by a radical group calling itself the…
History ShortsConversations: Berlin During WWII, w/ Ian Buruma
In this special Conversation Series episode of History Shorts, host Peter Zablocki sits down with acclaimed historian and author Ian Buruma to discuss his…
History ShortsThe Man Who Exposed the Mafia
For decades, the American Mafia thrived in secrecy—its structure hidden behind silence, fear, and a strict code of loyalty. That began to change in the early…
History ShortsThe Rise and Fall of Rommel
He was one of the most famous commanders of World War II—admired by allies and enemies alike, feared on the battlefield, and ultimately caught between loyalty…