Sultana: Civil War's Last Forgotten Disaster
History Shorts
In the spring of 1865, just days after the Civil War ended and President Lincoln was laid to rest, one final tragedy struck a nation desperate to move on. On the night of April 27, the overcrowded Union steamboat Sultana exploded on the Mississippi River, killing an estimated 1,800 people, mostly recently freed Union prisoners of war returning home. 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_outline
When Bloodletting was the Cure
History Shorts
For more than two thousand years, one medical treatment dominated Western medicine: bloodletting. From ancient Greece to the 19th century, physicians believed that draining a patient’s blood could cure illness, restore balance, and save lives. Instead, it often hastened death. 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_outline
WWII's Battle Against Venereal Disease
History Shorts
During World War II, the U.S. military fought enemies on beaches, in jungles, and in the skies, but it also faced a quieter, deeply embarrassing crisis within its own ranks. Venereal disease sidelined hundreds of thousands of American servicemen, threatening combat readiness, morale, and the outcome of the war itself. In this episode, we explore how sexually transmitted infections became one of the most serious medical challenges facing the U.S. armed forces during World War II, and how the military responded with an unprecedented campaign of education, discipline, treatment, and propaganda....
info_outline
Why History Matters, with David McCullough
History Shorts
In this interview episode, I’m joined by Dorie McCullough Lawson and Michael Hill, the editors behind History Matters, a powerful collection drawn from the words and work of David McCullough. Together, they open a window into how one of America’s most beloved historians understood the purpose of history, not as trivia or nostalgia, but as a civic responsibility. We talk about how the book was shaped, what guided their editorial choices, and how McCullough’s speeches, essays, and reflections speak directly to the present moment. From democracy and citizenship to curiosity, humility, and...
info_outline
JFK's Hidden Health Crisis
History Shorts
To the American public, John F. Kennedy embodied youth, energy, and vigor—a president who promised a New Frontier and appeared to stride confidently into history. Behind the scenes, however, the reality was far different. In this episode, we examine the extensive and carefully hidden medical struggles that defined Kennedy’s life and presidency. From chronic pain and debilitating back injuries to Addison’s disease and a pharmacy of daily medications, JFK governed the United States while battling constant illness, often in silence. DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A...
info_outline
The Teenager Who Invented the Television
History Shorts
Television reshaped the modern world, but its invention did not begin in a laboratory funded by a major corporation. It started in a plowed field. As a teenager growing up on a Utah farm, Philo Farnsworth sketched an idea that would change how humanity communicates: a system to transmit moving images electronically. Years later, that teenage insight became the foundation of television, setting off one of the most bitter and consequential patent battles in American history. DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE! SUPPORT THE SHOW: ...
info_outline
Bigfoot: America's Most Enduring Legend
History Shorts
Long before grainy videos and blurry photographs flooded the internet, stories of a mysterious, human-like creature roaming the forests of North America were already deeply rooted in Indigenous traditions. Known by many names—Sasquatch, Skookum, or simply “the wild man”—Bigfoot has haunted campfire stories, newspaper headlines, and scientific debates for centuries. 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_outline
What is the Secret to Happiness? Harvard's 80 Year Old Study's Findings
History Shorts
In the late 1930s, Harvard researchers began an unprecedented study: tracking hundreds of people across their entire lives to answer a deceptively simple question: what makes us happy? For more than eight decades, through wars, marriages, careers, illnesses, triumphs, and heartbreaks, scientists followed participants from youth to old age, gathering tens of thousands of data points in what became the longest-running study of human happiness ever conducted. DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE! SUPPORT THE SHOW: ADVERTISE: ...
info_outline
The Forgotten Kingdom of Man and the Isles
History Shorts
Long before modern borders carved neat lines across the Irish Sea, there existed a maritime realm so unusual, so strategically placed, that its rulers commanded not just land, but the waters that bound Britain, Ireland, and Scandinavia together. Known as the Kingdom of Man and the Isles, this forgotten dominion once stretched across the Hebrides and the Isle of Man, a Viking-Gaelic hybrid monarchy where Norse warlords, Celtic chiefs, and Christian bishops all vied for legitimacy and tribute. DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE! SUPPORT...
info_outline
Killing George Washington
History Shorts
In the summer of 1776, just as the ink of independence was drying and the Continental Army staggered under inexperience, disease, and desertion, a silent threat crept dangerously close to General George Washington. This wasn’t a British field assault or naval bombardment. It was something more intimate, more treacherous: a conspiracy from within his own guard. 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_outlineShe 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: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast
ADVERTISE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/advertise
LEARN MORE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/
SPONSORED BY: https://www.podcastrepublic.net/get-it-now