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 ShortsHistory's Most Stolen Painting
For nearly six centuries, one masterpiece has captivated worshippers, mystified thieves, and survived war, fire, and disappearance more times than any other…
History ShortsThe Death of Stalin's Wife
In November 1932, the Soviet Union's most powerful man woke to shocking news: his wife was dead under circumstances that would remain shrouded in secrecy for…
History ShortsThe Fox Sisters Who Talked to the Dead
In the quiet village of Hydesville, New York, two young sisters claimed they could speak with the dead—and unknowingly launched one of the most influential…
History ShortsThe Big Stick Policy
At the dawn of the 20th century, the United States began stepping onto the world stage with a new kind of confidence—one shaped by power, diplomacy, and a…
History ShortsConversations: Family of Spies, w/ Christine Kuehn
In this Conversation Series episode of History Shorts, Peter sits down with Christine Kuehn and her husband, Mark, to unpack the extraordinary true story…
History ShortsHow 'Dark' Were the Greek Dark Ages?
After the collapse of the great Mycenaean palaces around 1200 BCE, the ancient Greek world entered a mysterious era often called the Greek Dark Ages—a time…
History ShortsGeorge Washington's Spies
Long before modern intelligence agencies existed, George Washington relied on an unlikely network of merchants, tavern keepers, and ordinary civilians…
History ShortsBerlin: The Brutal Last Chapter of WWII
In the spring of 1945, as Nazi Germany collapsed under relentless pressure, the final battle for the German capital became one of the most brutal chapters of…
History ShortsPen Pals with the President
Before he became one of America's most unexpected reform presidents, Chester A. Arthur was widely dismissed as a creature of political machines—a man few…
History ShortsThe Roaring 20s
It was an age of jazz and speakeasies, stock tickers and skyscrapers—an era that looked unstoppable. In the wake of World War I, the United States surged…
History ShortsSaint Louis IX: The Perfect Medieval King?
In an age defined by war, cruelty, and dynastic ambition, one king earned a reputation so extraordinary that he was later declared a saint. Louis IX of France…
History ShortsConversations: The Real Story Behind the Blood Countess, w/ Shelley Puhak
In this special Conversation Series episode of History Shorts, Peter sits down with Shelley Puhak to explore her gripping new book, The Blood Countess — a…
History ShortsGermany vs. Japan: The Forgotten Conflict of WWI
Before they were allies in World War II, Germany and Japan were enemies. In the opening months of World War I, Japan entered the war not as a future Axis…
History ShortsPenny Auctions: Defiance in the Great Depression
During the darkest years of the Great Depression, Americans didn't just lose jobs, homes, and savings—they lost faith in the systems meant to protect them. Out…
History ShortsCharlemagne: The Man Who Rebuilt Europe
In the chaos left behind by the fall of Rome, Europe fractured into violence, petty kingdoms, and fading memory. Then one man began stitching it back together…
History ShortsThe Sesame Street Story
In 1969, amid urban inequality, educational gaps, and a rapidly changing America, a revolutionary idea took shape: what if television could teach—and teach…
History ShortsHarvard Professor Finds 'Perfect Woman'
In 1908, Dudley Allen Sargent, a professor at Harvard University, shocked the nation by announcing he had scientifically identified the "perfect woman." Her…
History ShortsThe Story of the Smithsonian Institution
n this episode of History Shorts, we explore how an unlikely bequest sparked the creation of America's great national museums, the struggles to bring them to…
History ShortsConversations: Lessons from Alternative History, w/ Harry Turtledove
In this Conversation Series episode of History Shorts, Peter sits down with the undisputed master of alternative history, Harry Turtledove, to explore how a…
History ShortsMutiny on the Bounty
In 1789, one of the most famous rebellions in maritime history exploded aboard the British ship HMS Bounty. After months at sea under the harsh command of…
History ShortsThe Somme, 1916
In the summer of 1916, along a quiet stretch of countryside in northern France, one of the deadliest battles in human history erupted — and forever changed the…
History ShortsAmazons: Warrior Women of Myth and Legend
In the ancient Greek imagination, there existed a society unlike any other — a nation of fierce, independent women who lived by the sword, rode into battle on…
History Shorts22nd Amendment: Putting a Clock on the Presidency
For nearly 150 years, the presidency followed an unwritten rule set by George Washington: two terms, then step aside. But in the chaos of the Great Depression…
History ShortsThe Monroe Doctrine
In 1823, the United States was still a young, fragile nation — yet President James Monroe issued a bold warning to the great empires of Europe that would…
History ShortsHussars: History's Most Terrrifying Cavalry
Thunder rolled across Europe's battlefields — not from the sky, but from hooves. For over two centuries, the Winged Hussars of Poland-Lithuania were the most…
History ShortsConversations: Our Man in Tokyo Before Pearl Harbor, w/ Steve Kemper
During World War II, while most Americans were fleeing Axis territory, one man stayed behind in the heart of Imperial Japan. In this special conversation…
History ShortsVatican City: The Smallest Nation
Tucked within the heart of Rome lies the smallest country on Earth — yet for nearly two thousand years, Vatican City has stood at the center of global power…
History ShortsThe Cats of History
From ancient temples to royal courts, battlefields to libraries, cats have quietly — and sometimes dramatically — shaped human history. In ancient Egypt, they…
History ShortsThe Age of Metternich: Europe After Napoleon
After Napoleon's defeat, Europe stood on the edge of chaos. Empires had collapsed, borders were in ruins, and revolutionary ideas were spreading like wildfire…
History ShortsKilling Peter and Paul
In the summer of 64 AD, Rome burned, and Emperor Nero needed someone to blame. As flames consumed the Eternal City, rumors swirled that the emperor himself had…
History ShortsHo Chi Minh Trail: Vietnam's Invisible Weapon
In this episode of History Shorts, we unravel the story of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, the vast, secretive logistics network that became the lifeline of North…
History ShortsThe Fall of the Ottoman Empire
For more than six centuries, the Ottoman Empire stood at the crossroads of continents, ruling over vast territories, commanding powerful armies, and shaping…
History ShortsConversations: Preserving History at the National Museum of the U.S.A.F. w/ Meghan Anderson
In this episode, we're joined by Meghan Anderson, Manuscript Curator in the Research Division at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, where…
History ShortsBrutus: The Man Who Killed Caesar
History remembers him as a traitor, but Brutus believed he was saving the Republic. In this episode of History Shorts, we trace the dramatic rise and…
History ShortsUllamaliztli: The Deadly Sport of Mesoamerica
Long before stadiums, scoreboards, or professional leagues, Mesoamerican civilizations played a game where sport, ritual, and the cosmos collided. In this…
History ShortsThe Castrated Angel Singers of Rome
For centuries, their voices were said to sound unearthly, pure, soaring, and unlike anything heard before or since. In this episode of History Shorts, we…
History ShortsPulaski: The Father of American Cavalry
In this episode of History Shorts, we tell the dramatic, transatlantic story of the Polish nobleman who helped shape the American Revolution from the saddle…
History ShortsThe Great Awakenings: When America Found Religion
At two pivotal moments in American history, waves of religious revival swept across the colonies and the young United States, reshaping faith, politics, reform…
History ShortsDid President Van Buren Invent How We Do Politics Today?
Nicknamed "The Little Magician," Martin Van Buren was one of the most skilled political operators in American history, and one of its most misunderstood…
History ShortsConversations: Spies in My Blood, w/ Alex Storozynski
In this powerful interview, History Shorts welcomes Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist, historian, and author Alex Storozynski to discuss his gripping book…
History ShortsThe Dred Scott Decision that shook America
In 1857, the United States Supreme Court issued one of the most devastating rulings in its history: Dred Scott v. Sandford. At its center was Dred Scott, an…
History ShortsIke's Heart Attack That made America Health-Conscious
In September 1955, the most powerful man in the world, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, suffered a heart attack while in office. The news stunned the nation. At…
History ShortsKilling Margaret Thatcher
In the early hours of October 12, 1984, a bomb detonated inside the Grand Hotel in Brighton, ripping through the building just feet from where British Prime…
History ShortsAmerica's Century of Foreign Regime Change
For more than a century, the United States has played a decisive—often secretive—role in the rise and fall of governments around the world. From Cold War coups…
History ShortsThe Rise and Fall of the Mongol Empire
In the early 13th century, a nomadic warrior from the windswept steppes of Central Asia forged the largest contiguous land empire the world has ever known…
History ShortsKosciuszko's Last Will and Jefferson's Broken Promise
When Tadeusz Kościuszko, the Polish patriot and Revolutionary War hero, wrote his final will, he entrusted it to one man he believed shared his ideals of…
History ShortsConversations: Unmasking Thomas Jefferson? w/ Andrew Burstein
In this episode of History Shorts, we sit down with acclaimed historian Andrew Burstein to discuss his newest book, Being Thomas Jefferson, a deeply human…
History ShortsHistory's Most "Unkillable" Soldier: Adrian Carton de Wiart
Shot through the face. Blinded in one eye. His hand shattered so badly he tore off his own fingers. Survived plane crashes. Escaped a prisoner-of-war camp…
History ShortsMorristown 1779: The Winter That Nearly Ended the Revolution
The winter of 1779–1780 was the coldest the American colonies had seen in generations, and for George Washington and the Continental Army, it was a season of…
History ShortsVoltaire and Frederick's Messy Friendship
In the 18th century, two of Europe's most formidable intellects believed they had found a kindred spirit in each other. One was a king who dreamed of ruling…
History ShortsCopernicus Moves the Earth
In the 16th century, one quiet canon and mathematician made a claim so radical it shattered humanity's place in the universe. Nicolaus Copernicus didn't just…
History ShortsBrief History of Cemeteries
Cemeteries are more than resting places for the dead; they are mirrors of the societies that built them. From ancient burial mounds and medieval churchyards to…
History ShortsThe Mann Act: America's Morality Law
Passed in 1910, the Mann Act was meant to protect women from exploitation. Instead, it became one of the most powerful and abused moral weapons in American…
History ShortsConversations: How Our History Shows What We Can Overcome, w/ Greg Jackson
In this special interview episode, Prof. Greg Jackson, the creator and voice behind the wildly popular History That Doesn't Suck, joins History Shorts for a…
History ShortsKilling Philip II of Macedon
In 336 BCE, at the height of his power, King Philip II of Macedon entered a grand theater to celebrate a royal wedding. He never left alive. In this episode of…
History ShortsHistory's Worst Nun? Juana Inés de la Cruz
She was called disobedient. Arrogant. Dangerous. She is now remembered as one of the greatest minds of the Spanish-speaking world. In this episode of History…
History ShortsJudicial Life Appointments Gone Wrong
The U.S. Constitution grants Supreme Court justices life tenure to protect judicial independence. But what happens when that protection becomes a liability?…
History ShortsLaika: First Casualty of the Space Race
In November 1957, at the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 2 into orbit. On board was not a pilot or a scientist—but a small stray dog…
History ShortsA Brief History of Cannibalism
Cannibalism sits at the outer edge of human history, invoked as taboo, weaponized as propaganda, and whispered about in moments of extreme survival. Yet it…
History ShortsMythbusting Paul Revere's Ride
"Listen, my children, and you shall hear…" With those famous words, an event that unfolded in darkness and confusion became one of the most enduring legends in…