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Conversations: The story behind Apple TV's Masters of the Air, w/ Donald L. Miller

History Shorts

Release Date: 03/21/2025

The Rise and Fall of the Mongol Empire show art The Rise and Fall of the Mongol Empire

History Shorts

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. Under Genghis Khan and his successors, the Mongol Empire exploded outward, conquering cities, shattering armies, and redrawing the map of Eurasia in a single lifetime.   DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE! SUPPORT THE SHOW:  ADVERTISE:   LEARN MORE:  SPONSORED BY:  

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Kosciuszko's Last Will and Jefferson's Broken Promise show art Kosciuszko's Last Will and Jefferson's Broken Promise

History Shorts

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 liberty: Thomas Jefferson. The will was explicit and radical. Kościuszko directed that his American assets be used to purchase enslaved people, including Jefferson’s own slaves, and free them, educate them, and set them up as independent citizens. Jefferson accepted the role of executor. And then… he did nothing.   DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE! SUPPORT THE SHOW: ...

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Conversations: Unmasking Thomas Jefferson? w/ Andrew Burstein show art Conversations: Unmasking Thomas Jefferson? w/ Andrew Burstein

History Shorts

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 portrait of one of America’s most complex founders. Moving beyond marble statues and textbook myths, Burstein invites us inside Jefferson’s inner world: his ambitions and anxieties, his brilliance and blind spots, his ideals and contradictions. Together, we explore how Jefferson understood himself, how he navigated power, friendship, politics, and aging, and how a man who wrote so eloquently about liberty could remain entangled in...

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History’s Most “Unkillable” Soldier: Adrian Carton de Wiart show art History’s Most “Unkillable” Soldier: Adrian Carton de Wiart

History Shorts

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. Fought in three major wars across four continents. And somehow, Adrian Carton de Wiart kept going.   DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE! SUPPORT THE SHOW:  ADVERTISE:   LEARN MORE:  SPONSORED BY:  

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Morristown 1779: The Winter That Nearly Ended the Revolution show art Morristown 1779: The Winter That Nearly Ended the Revolution

History Shorts

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 hunger, mutiny, and near collapse. Encamped in Morristown, Washington’s soldiers faced brutal temperatures, empty supply wagons, unpaid wages, and a civilian population stretched to its limits.   DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE! SUPPORT THE SHOW:  ADVERTISE:   LEARN MORE:  SPONSORED BY:  

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Voltaire and Frederick's Messy Friendship show art Voltaire and Frederick's Messy Friendship

History Shorts

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 through reason. The other was the era’s sharpest critic of power, superstition, and hypocrisy. Together, Frederick the Great and Voltaire forged one of history’s most fascinating and combustible friendships.   DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE! SUPPORT THE SHOW:  ADVERTISE:   LEARN MORE:  SPONSORED BY:  

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Copernicus Moves the Earth show art Copernicus Moves the Earth

History Shorts

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 challenge astronomers; he challenged kings, churches, and centuries of inherited truth. This episode tells the story of how Copernicus overturned the ancient belief that Earth stood motionless at the center of creation and replaced it with a sun-centered cosmos.   DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE! SUPPORT THE SHOW:  ADVERTISE:   LEARN MORE:  SPONSORED...

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Brief History of Cemeteries show art Brief History of Cemeteries

History Shorts

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 sprawling Victorian “cities of the dead” and today’s memorial parks, cemeteries reveal how humans have understood death, memory, religion, class, and public health. In this episode of History Shorts, we trace how burial practices evolved across centuries, and why cemeteries moved from the heart of towns to the edges of cities.   DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE! SUPPORT THE...

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The Mann Act: America’s Morality Law show art The Mann Act: America’s Morality Law

History Shorts

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 law. In this episode of History Shorts, we unpack the story of the Mann Act, a federal law that criminalized transporting women across state lines for “immoral purposes.” Vaguely worded and aggressively enforced, the law quickly expanded far beyond its original intent, allowing prosecutors to target consensual relationships, interracial couples, political enemies, and cultural figures who challenged social norms.   DON’T FORGET...

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Conversations: How Our History Shows What We Can Overcome, w/ Greg Jackson show art Conversations: How Our History Shows What We Can Overcome, w/ Greg Jackson

History Shorts

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 wide-ranging conversation about how history can be rigorous, entertaining, and deeply relevant all at once.   PRE-ORDER GREG'S BOOK:     SUPPORT THE SHOW:  ADVERTISE:   LEARN MORE:    EPISODE SPONSORED BY THE COLLECTOR:  

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More Episodes

Join Peter as he speaks with Prof. Donald L. Miller, the author of Masters of the Air, which has recently been turned into an Apple TV series. 

 

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