Conversations: What is actually taught in our history classrooms, w/ Brendan Gillis
Release Date: 05/02/2025
Sex, STDs, and the Lewis & Clark Expedition
History Shorts
The epic journey of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark across the uncharted American West has long been celebrated as one of the most remarkable feats of exploration in U.S. history. But beneath the heroic narrative of adventure and scientific discovery lies a more uncomfortable, yet historically vital reality: venereal disease—particularly syphilis—was a constant and deeply disruptive problem for the men of the expedition. It was a hidden affliction that not only shaped individual fates but also reflected the broader medical, social, and sexual dynamics of early 19th-century America....
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Circuit Judges of the American West
History Shorts
The frontier was a land of promise and peril, wide, unsettled, and often lawless. In this space between civilization and wilderness, one figure became both symbol and servant of order: the circuit judge. Mounted on horseback and armed with little more than a Bible, a law book, and an unshakable belief in justice, these roving magistrates brought the authority of the courts to some of the most remote corners of early America. DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE! SPONSORED BY THE PODCAST REPUBLIC: LEARN MORE AT: SUPPORT THE SHOW: ...
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Conversations: Was Charles Sumner the most important Civil Rights Leader of the 19th Century, w/ Zaakir Tameez
History Shorts
In this compelling episode of History Shorts, we’re joined by scholar and author Zaakir Tameez to discuss his new book, Charles Sumner: The Conscience of a Nation. Tameez sheds new light on the life and legacy of one of America’s most uncompromising abolitionists and moral voices during the 19th century, a man whose fierce opposition to slavery, eloquent speeches, and refusal to compromise would leave a permanent mark on American democracy. From the infamous caning on the Senate floor to his complex relationships with Lincoln and Reconstruction, Tameez repositions Sumner not just as a...
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Lincoln's Forgotten Vice President
History Shorts
In 1860, as the nation teetered on the brink of civil war, the Republican Party crafted a ticket designed to bridge the divides of a fractured Union. Abraham Lincoln, a self‑taught prairie lawyer from Illinois, needed balance, someone seasoned, staunchly anti‑slavery, and from the East. The choice was not the man that you likely remember that became the president after Lincoln’s assassination, that was the second term vice president. I am talking about Hannibal Hamlin, a former Jacksonian Democrat turned radical abolitionist from Maine. Though relatively unknown to the public, Hamlin...
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Conversations: The American women who flew in World War II, w/ Becky Aikman
History Shorts
Before America officially entered World War II, a group of daring young American women made history, only to be forgotten by it. In this episode, author Becky Aikman joins History Shorts to discuss her groundbreaking new book, Spitfires: The American Women Pilots Who Flew for Britain in World War II. Aikman takes us behind the scenes of her five-year journey uncovering the thrilling, heartbreaking, and near-unbelievable stories of the 25 American women who joined Britain’s Air Transport Auxiliary, flying combat aircraft across war zones—before they were even allowed to do so in their...
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Tsar Nicholas' Forbidden Love for a Ballerina
History Shorts
In the glittering court of imperial St. Petersburg, amid opulent balls and the orchestral sweep of Wagner and Tchaikovsky, a forbidden romance once stirred hearts and defied decorum. The man destined to become Russia’s last Tsar, Nicholas Alexandrovich, found himself irresistibly drawn to a ballerina who moved like a goddess on stage and held his fate in her poised grasp. Mathilde Kschessinska, the enchanting Prima Ballerina of the Mariinsky Theatre, captivated more than audiences; she captured a Tsarevich - or did she? DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU...
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The Great Train Robbery of 1963
History Shorts
On August 8, 1963, just after 3 a.m., the quiet Buckinghamshire countryside was electrified by one of the most daring heists in British history. A Royal Mail train hurtling down the West Coast Main Line was stopped at a signal deliberately manipulated by a meticulously planned gang drifting in blue boiler suits. In under twenty minutes, they had ripped open sacks of cash, bundles worth £2.6 million, ransacked the train, and vanished into the night. This was not a robbery; it was a feat of criminal spectacle that gripped the nation, inspired lasting legends, and fundamentally changed both...
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The Search for Cleopatra's Tomb
History Shorts
Few names from antiquity evoke the same mystique, glamour, and controversy as Cleopatra VII, the last active ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt. A queen both revered and reviled across centuries of historical retellings, she has been cast variously as a seductive manipulator, a brilliant political strategist, a tragic lover, and an ambitious ruler who dared to challenge Rome’s expanding grip. Yet for all the drama and detail surrounding her life, Cleopatra’s final resting place remains one of the great archaeological mysteries of the ancient world. Despite centuries of speculation and...
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The Vatican's WWII Spy Network
History Shorts
When it comes to the shadowy world of World War II espionage, the Vatican might seem an unlikely player. After all, enclosed behind the ancient walls of the Holy See, the spiritual heart of Roman Catholicism maintained an image of neutrality and detachment. Yet beneath the marble floors and hushed halls of the Vatican, a hidden war raged; a covert struggle fought not with weapons, but with whispers, parchment, and secret meetings. Behind the public façade of impartiality, Pope Pius XII and a tight network of clergy, diplomats, and lay operatives orchestrated one of the most elusive and...
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Conversations: How Habsburgs Transformed Europe, w/ Martyn Rady
History Shorts
In this captivating episode, we sit down with Dr. Martyn Rady, a renowned British historian and preeminent expert on Central Europe, to unravel the layered legacies of the Habsburg Empire. From his early love of history (sparked by history-teacher parents) to the surprising global reach of Habsburg rule, Rady brings both wit and wisdom to the mic. We explore how the Habsburgs’ dynastic empire spanned continents, managed competing national identities, and enacted tens of thousands of edicts, some so obscure they were never published. Dr. Rady challenges common perceptions of empire and...
info_outlinePeter speaks with the Director of Teaching and Learning at the American Historical Association about the organization's newest and largest-ever survey of history education in American secondary schools.
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