Conversations: How the American Revolution was a Global Conflict, w/ Richard Bell
Release Date: 11/28/2025
Conversations: Why the Year 1776 Still Matters Today, w/ Edward J. Larson
History Shorts
What did America really declare in 1776, and why does it still matter today? In this episode of History Shorts, Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Edward J. Larson joins us to discuss his newest book, Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Matters. Together, we unpack the political courage, moral contradictions, and enduring ideals that shaped America’s founding moment, and explore how the debates of the 18th century still echo in today’s struggles over freedom, unity, and democracy. DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE! CHECK OUT EDWARD'S BOOK:...
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How Mata Hari Became the World's Most Famous Spy
History Shorts
She danced her way into the halls of Europe’s elite, captivated generals and diplomats, and became the most infamous alleged double agent of World War I. But behind the veils, the rumors, and the sensational headlines, who was Mata Hari really? 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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The Forgotten World of House Detectives
History Shorts
Long before private eyes stalked dimly lit alleys in pulp novels, America had a different kind of detective, one who didn’t chase murderers or mobsters, but runaway maids, jewel thieves, con artists, adulterers, and anyone slipping in or out of a hotel under suspicious circumstances. They were called House Detectives, and from the 1890s through the 1950s, they were the quiet, watchful guardians of America’s great hotels. 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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How the Normans Changed the World
History Shorts
In this episode, we explore how a small band of Viking descendants from Normandy reshaped medieval Europe forever. From William the Conqueror’s seismic victory at Hastings in 1066, which fused Scandinavian grit with French culture and permanently altered England’s language, law, and aristocracy, to their lightning conquest of southern Italy and Sicily, the Normans built empires, revolutionized castle warfare, and kick-started the Crusades with ruthless energy and astonishing adaptability. Join us to discover why these medieval adventurers were the ultimate game-changers of the 11th and...
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The Final Days of Napoleon
History Shorts
He ruled Europe with an iron will, crowned himself emperor, and reshaped the modern world, but in the end, even Napoleon Bonaparte couldn’t conquer fate. In this episode of History Shorts, we trace the extraordinary final chapters of Napoleon’s life: from his first exile on the Mediterranean island of Elba, to his daring escape, his brief return to glory during the Hundred Days, and his ultimate downfall at Waterloo that sent him to his final prison, the lonely, windswept island of Saint Helena. DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!...
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Weekend Show #2: History of the ‘Weekend’
History Shorts
Welcome to the second episode of the History Shorts Weekend Show, a soon-to-be weekly Patreon-exclusive variety series offering a lighter, more reflective companion to the main podcast. Think storyteller’s lounge meets historian’s notebook: part commentary, part narrative, part behind-the-scenes look at the stories shaping both past and present. THIS WEEK: The unofficial dawn of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s. The surprising origins of the modern weekend. How a quiet fluctuation in recent economic data may one day mark the beginning of a major historical shift in America’s...
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Conversations: Three Roads to Gettysburg, w/ Tim McGrath
History Shorts
In the pivotal summer of 1863, three extraordinary paths converged on a small Pennsylvania town, forever altering the course of the American Civil War. Petert sits down with acclaimed historian Tim McGrath to explore his latest book, Three Roads to Gettysburg: Meade, Lee, Lincoln, and the Battle that Changed the War. BUY TIM'S BOOK: SUPPORT HISTORY SHORTS: ADVERTISE: LEARN MORE: EPISODE SPONSORED BY THE COLLECTOR:
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Eddie Slovik: The Only American Killed for Desertion in WWII
History Shorts
In this gripping episode, we tell the haunting story of Private Eddie Slovik, the only American soldier executed for desertion during World War II among tens of thousands who fled the front lines. Terrified of combat and repeatedly honest about his refusal to fight, Slovik was court-martialed and shot by firing squad in January 1945 as General Eisenhower sought to set a brutal example amid the carnage of the Battle of the Bulge. Seventy-five years later, his case still sparks fierce debate: was Slovik a coward, a scapegoat, or a tragic victim of a broken system? DON’T FORGET TO...
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Conversations: How the American Revolution was a Global Conflict, w/ Richard Bell
History Shorts
In this engaging episode, Peter speaks with author and historian Richard Bell about re-framing the American Revolution in the context of a global conflict. DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE! CHECK OUT RICHARD'S BOOKS: SUPPORT THE SHOW: ADVERTISE: LEARN MORE: EPISODE SPONSORED BY THE COLLECTOR: THIS WEEK'S THE COLLECTOR.COM'S ARTICLE SELECTION:
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The Lost Labyrinth of Egypt
History Shorts
Long before the pyramids captured the world’s imagination, ancient writers described a structure so vast, so mysterious, and so extraordinary that even the Egyptians considered it a marvel: the Labyrinth of Hawara. Said to contain thousands of chambers, secret passages, underground levels, and a hidden tomb, the Labyrinth became one of antiquity’s greatest legends, and then it vanished. DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE! SUPPORT THE SHOW: ADVERTISE: LEARN MORE: SPONSORED BY:
info_outlineDON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!
CHECK OUT RICHARD'S BOOKS: https://www.richard-bell.com/
SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast
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EPISODE SPONSORED BY THE COLLECTOR: www.thecollector.com
THIS WEEK'S THE COLLECTOR.COM'S ARTICLE SELECTION: