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 ShortsAmerica's Stonehenge
Just off a quiet back road in Salem, New Hampshire, sits a baffling jumble of dolmen-like chambers, serpentine walls, and precisely aligned monoliths known…
History ShortsMad Gasser of Mattoon
In September 1944, while Allied troops battled overseas, the quiet Illinois town of Mattoon was seized by panic. Families awoke to a sickly-sweet odor, burning…
History ShortsKilling Wild Bill Hickok
Deadwood, Dakota Territory, 1876. A town of gold, grit, and gamblers. Among its rogues and prospectors walked a legend: Wild Bill Hickok, the Civil War scout…
History ShortsTODAY IN CONTEXT: Third Parties in American Politics- A History
In this episode of History Shorts, we explore the fascinating and often frustrating history of third parties in American politics, just as Elon Musk launches…
History ShortsBloody Bill Anderson (Civil War True Crime)
In the borderlands of Missouri, where the American Civil War devolved into personal feuds and guerrilla terror, one name echoed louder, and bloodier, than the…
History ShortsCOINTELPRO: America's Secret Surveillance Program
COINTELPRO (Counter Intelligence Program) remains one of the most contentious and clandestine operations in American history. Initiated by the FBI in 1956…
History ShortsCaptain James Cook's Final Voyage w/ Hampton Sides
In this wide-ranging and deeply insightful conversation, award-winning author and narrative historian Hampton Sides joins History Shorts to discuss his latest…
History ShortsThe Man in the Iron Mask
The tale of the "Man in the Iron Mask" is one of history's most intriguing and enigmatic mysteries. A figure imprisoned under the reign of Louis XIV, the Sun…
History ShortsThe Peggy Eaton Affair
The Peggy Eaton Affair, or Petticoat Affair, is one of the most intriguing political scandals in early U.S. history, involving President Andrew Jackson, his…
History ShortsThe Tuskegee Syphilis Study
The Tuskegee Syphilis Study stands as one of the most egregious medical scandals in U.S. history. Spanning from 1932 to 1972, this study followed 399 Black men…
History ShortsThe Bible's Greatest Battles
The Bible, while primarily a spiritual text, is rich with dramatic and often bloody tales of battle, where divine intervention and human ambition collide. From…
History ShortsFort Pillow Massacre (Civil War True Crime)
On April 12, 1864, the banks of the Mississippi River ran red with blood. At Fort Pillow in western Tennessee, Confederate troops under the command of Nathan…
History ShortsMystery of Sir Francis Drake's Treasure
For over four centuries, adventurers, historians, and fortune hunters have been drawn to the mystery of Sir Francis Drake's treasure. The legendary privateer…
History ShortsTODAY IN CONTEXT: The History of How We Celebrate July 4th
The Fourth of July is more than just barbecues, beach days, and booming fireworks. In this episode, we trace the fascinating journey of America's Independence…
History ShortsConversations: The Fragile Alliance of WWIIs 'Big Three,' w/ Tim Bouverie
In this special episode of History Shorts, host Peter Zablocki sits down with acclaimed British historian and author Tim Bouverie to discuss his compelling new…
History ShortsMichelangelo's David
Michelangelo's David stands as one of the most iconic sculptures in the history of art, a towering figure of strength, defiance, and human perfection. Over 17…
History ShortsVietnam: America's Lost War
The Vietnam War didn't begin with a declaration; it began with a decision. Then another. And another. In this overview, we trace the arc of America's tragic…
History ShortsFast & Furious PT Boats
They were made of wood, powered by gasoline, and crewed by men barely out of high school, yet they terrified Japanese convoys and launched the naval legend of…
History ShortsJefferson & Adams: Founding Frenemies?
Two giants of American history, one a combative Yankee lawyer, the other a philosophical Virginia planter, helped birth a nation, then nearly destroyed their…
History ShortsCuster's Last Stand
In the summer of 1876, as America celebrated its centennial, a stunning defeat unfolded on the plains of Montana. Lt. Colonel George Custer and over 200…
History ShortsThe Kings' Crusade
In the wake of Jerusalem's fall to Saladin in 1187, three of Europe's mightiest monarchs, Richard the Lionheart of England, Philip Augustus of France, and…
History ShortsConversations: The Mystery Behind Socrates' Death w/ Matt Gatton
Peter speaks with Matt Gatton about his newest book, The Shadows of Socrates, which reframes Socrates not merely as a martyr for free speech but as a…
History ShortsThe Pill, the Nurse, and the Revolution
Few medical breakthroughs have changed the world as profoundly as the birth control pill, and few people were as instrumental in that transformation as…
History ShortsThe Last Nazi Fuhrer
When Adolf Hitler shot himself in a Berlin bunker, the Nazi regime didn't die with him, not immediately. In an eerie coda to World War II, Grand Admiral Karl…
History ShortsRome's Five Good Emperors
For 84 remarkable years, from 96 to 180 CE, the Roman Empire was guided not by the worst instincts of autocracy, but by its best hopes. In this episode, we…
History ShortsThe "Other" Rosa Parks
Before Rosa Parks made history by refusing to give up her seat in Montgomery, Alabama, there was another young woman, just 15 years old, who had done the very…
History ShortsToday in Context: Iran/U.S Relations: A History
TODAY IN CONTEXT BONUS: The animosity between the United States and Iran is one of the most enduring geopolitical rivalries in modern history, rooted in a mix…
History ShortsFrozen Hell of the Chosin Reservoir
In the frigid mountains of North Korea in the winter of 1950, 30,000 United Nations troops, led by the U.S. Marines, faced encirclement by over 120,000 Chinese…
History ShortsKilling Trotsky
On August 20, 1940, in a quiet Mexico City study, one of the last living architects of the Russian Revolution was struck down, not by a rival revolutionary…
History ShortsConversations: Which Founding Father Would Get the Highest SAT Score? w/ Joseph Ellis
Peter speaks with Joseph J. Ellis, a Two-Time Pulitzer-Prize winner, about his newest book, The Great Contradiction: The Tragic Side of the American Founding…
History ShortsReformation: The Hammer that Shook the World
In 1517, a German monk named Martin Luther nailed 95 theses to a church door in Wittenberg, and shattered the religious unity of Europe. What began as a…
History ShortsSink the Bismarck!
In May 1941, the Royal Navy launched one of the most relentless and emotional naval pursuits in history. Their target? The Bismarck, the pride of the Nazi…
History ShortsDid Taft Get Stuck in a Tub?
Of all the legends surrounding American presidents, none is quite as enduring, or as delightfully absurd, as the tale of William Howard Taft getting stuck in a…
History ShortsManhunt for Jefferson Davis
In the waning days of the Civil War, with Richmond in ruins and Confederate armies surrendering across the South, one man refused to accept defeat: Jefferson…
History ShortsHow U.S. Reporters Started China's Boxer Rebellion
Journalists are supposed to cover the story, not become it. But in 1900, four ambitious American war correspondents, armed with pens, revolvers, and an…
History ShortsCamp Leach: Ghosts of WWI Research
Beneath one of Washington, D.C.'s most prestigious neighborhoods lies a toxic legacy few Americans know about. In this chilling episode, we uncover the…
History ShortsConversations: Would you eat black vomit to fight off Yellow Fever? w/ Kathryn Olivarius
We want to hear from you! Help shape the future of History Shorts by taking our quick 2-minute survey: Take a 2-Minute Listener Survey! Your feedback means the…
History ShortsWhat Plato Warned Us About Reality
We want to hear from you! Help shape the future of History Shorts by taking our quick 2-minute survey: Take a 2-Minute Listener Survey! Your feedback means the…
History ShortsA Prince Among Slaves
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History ShortsIndentured Servants Who Became Presidents
We want to hear from you! Help shape the future of History Shorts by taking our quick 2-minute survey: Take a 2-Minute Listener Survey! Your feedback means the…
History ShortsWhen H.W. Bush Got Shot Down in the Pacific
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History ShortsChinese Exclusion Act: U.S.' First Immigration Ban
It was the first federal law to single out an entire race, and it changed the trajectory of U.S. immigration policy forever. In this episode of History Shorts…
History ShortsFranco-Prussian War Forges Modern Europe
Before World War I reshaped Europe, there was the Franco-Prussian War, a short but seismic conflict that redrew borders, toppled empires, and gave birth to a…
History ShortsTODAY IN CONTEXT: History of D-Day Celebrations
June 6, 1944—D-Day—marked the beginning of the end of World War II. But the way America remembers that day has changed dramatically over the decades. In this…
History ShortsConversations: How We Almost Lost the Revolutionary War, w/ Rick Atkinson
In this riveting episode of History Shorts, host Peter Zablocki welcomes one of America's most celebrated historians, Rick Atkinson, to discuss the second…
History ShortsReagan's Joke that Bombed
In this gripping episode of History Shorts, we unravel the story behind one of the most dangerous jokes in modern political history, President Ronald Reagan's…
History ShortsPlayboy Bunnies and Operation Babylift
In the chaotic final days of the Vietnam War, as Saigon teetered on collapse, the U.S. launched Operation Babylift, a dramatic and deeply emotional effort to…
History ShortsThe "Other" Great Depressions
The 1929 stock market crash is burned into America's memory, but it wasn't the first economic catastrophe that rocked the United States! In this episode of…
History ShortsHamilton Jr. Battles Burr in Court
Long after the fatal duel at Weehawken, the names Hamilton and Burr would meet again, this time, not on a dueling ground, but in a courtroom. In this episode…
History ShortsSchism: Catholic vs. Orthodox Christianity
The Great Divide That Still Shapes Christianity Today In 1054, Christianity officially split in two. But what really caused the Great Schism - and why does it…
History ShortsUnsolved: Did Hitler Kill His Niece?
The Mystery of Geli Raubal - and the Woman Who Knew Too Much In 1931, Adolf Hitler's young niece, Geli Raubal, was found dead in his Munich apartment…
History ShortsTODAY IN CONTEXT: The Grandson of a President Born in 1700s Just Died
In this episode of TODAY IN CONTEXT, we explore the astonishing life of Harrison Ruffin Tyler, born in 1928, and the grandson of President John Tyler, who…
History ShortsConversations: A Forgotten Charge that Helped Win D-Day with James Donovan
D-Day stories often focus on Omaha Beach or paratroopers behind enemy lines. But few know the harrowing story of the La Fiere Bridge charge, a nearly suicidal…
History ShortsThe Sinister World of Brothers Grimm
Fairy Tales You Were Never Meant to Hear as a Kid Before Disney, there was darkness. In this chilling episode, we explore the original, uncensored tales…
History ShortsTeddy's Last Stand: the Bull Moose Party
The Election That Almost Broke American Politics In 1912, Theodore Roosevelt returned to politics with fury - and a new party. The result? One of the wildest…
History ShortsSecrets of Egypt's Book of the Dead
Spells, Scrolls, and the Soul's Journey Through the Afterlife It wasn't a book - it was a passport to eternity. In this episode, we crack open the ancient…
History ShortsWhat is your favorite Little Golden Book?
Before there were Kindles and iPads, there was a golden spine on every child's bookshelf. This week on History Shorts, we take a nostalgic deep dive into the…
History ShortsConversations: Making scholars readable and relevant, with Meilan Solly
"Historians will say, 'Everyone knows this 1833 law.' But our readers don't, and it's my job to bridge that gap." - Meilan Solly Why are we so obsessed with…
History ShortsUnsolved: Was Mozart Poisoned?
A Genius Dead at 35- But Was It Murder? Mozart's final days were filled with illness, mystery... and a haunting suspicion: Did someone kill the world's…
History ShortsDido: The Legendary Queen of Carthage
She fled a murderous brother, founded one of the ancient world's greatest cities, and broke a Roman hero's heart. But who was Dido - queen, exile, sorceress…