History Shorts

In January 1897, a young woman named Elva Zona Heaster Shue was found dead inside her home in rural Greenbrier County . Her death was quickly ruled natural, despite troubling questions surrounding her husband, Erasmus Stribbling Trout Shue . The case seemed destined to fade into obscurity. Then Zona's mother began having dreams. In this episode of History Shorts , we explore one of the strangest m...

For more than a century, the Miss America Pageant has reflected America's changing ideas about beauty, femininity, ambition, and culture. What began as a tourist attraction in Atlantic City evolved into one of the most recognizable institutions in American life—launching careers, awarding scholarships, and sparking national debates along the way. In this episode of History Shorts , we explore the...

The next time a package arrives at your doorstep—tracked, inspected, and delivered by a company whose reputation depends on reliability—you can thank a group of people who lived hundreds of years before the modern corporation existed: medieval guilds. In this episode of History Shorts , we explore how the craftsmen and merchants of medieval Europe created many of the foundations of modern commerce...

Before he became the dictator of Germany,  Adolf Hitler was a political agitator whose movement often relied on intimidation and street violence. Few people dared challenge him in court. One man did—and for a time, he succeeded. In this episode of History Shorts , we tell the extraordinary story of Hans Litten , the young Jewish attorney who forced Hitler to testify under oath in a Berlin courtroo...

In the summer of 1909, G. Herman Gottlieb set out through New York City carrying two baskets filled with fresh catnip. His plan was simple: sell the herb to wealthy cat owners along Fifth Avenue. What he didn't account for was the city's stray cats. In this episode of History Shorts , we tell the bizarre true story of how a few dropped leaves of catnip attracted dozens of feline followers, turning...

In the spring of 1881, the days of the American frontier outlaw were numbered. Captured, convicted, and awaiting execution, Billy the Kid appeared to have reached the end of the trail. But Billy had one more astonishing chapter left to write. In this episode of History Shorts , we follow the legendary outlaw's daring escape from the courthouse jail in Lincoln . Facing the gallows, Billy seized a f...

In this episode, I sit down with acclaimed historian and cultural biographer David S. Reynolds to discuss his powerful new book, Two Ships: Jamestown 1619, Plymouth 1620, and the Struggle for the Soul of America . Just months apart in 1619 and 1620, two ships landed on American shores—the White Lion , bringing the first enslaved Africans to Jamestown, Virginia, and the Mayflower , carrying the Pil...

Few places in North America inspire as much mystery as the vast wilderness of Alaska. Stretching between the cities of Anchorage, Juneau, and Utqiagvik, the region known as the "Alaska Triangle" has become the focus of countless stories involving unexplained disappearances, missing aircraft, and people who seemingly vanished without a trace. In this episode of History Shorts , we investigate the l...

For centuries, the gladiators of Ancient Rome have been imagined as powerful men battling for glory in the arena. But hidden within the historical record is a far more surprising reality: some gladiators were women. In this episode of History Shorts , we uncover the fascinating story of Rome's female gladiators—known as gladiatrices . Drawing on ancient writings, archaeological evidence, and survi...

One of the greatest mysteries in biblical history begins with a disappearance. After the ancient Kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Neo-Assyrian Empire in the 8th century BC, ten of Israel's twelve tribes seemingly vanished from the historical record. What became of them has puzzled scholars, theologians, explorers, and believers for more than two thousand years. In this episode of History Sho...

Nearly five centuries before Christopher Columbus crossed the Atlantic, Norse explorers from Scandinavia may have already reached the shores of North America. Led by figures such as Leif Erikson , these Viking adventurers sailed west from Greenland into lands they called Vinland, establishing what may have been the first European foothold in the New World. In this episode of History Shorts , we ex...

Few mysteries surrounding the assassination of John F. Kennedy are as strange—or as unsettling—as the disappearance of his brain. After Kennedy's assassination in 1963, his brain was removed during the autopsy and stored as evidence for further medical examination. Then, somewhere along the way, it vanished. In this episode of History Shorts , we explore the bizarre mystery of JFK's missing brain...

In 2002, one of the strangest heists in modern history unfolded inside a NASA facility in Houston . A group of young interns and accomplices broke into a space center vault and stole something almost unimaginable: genuine lunar samples collected during the Apollo Program . In this episode of History Shorts , we explore the bizarre true story behind the theft of priceless Moon rocks—scientific trea...

In this episode of History Shorts Conversations, historian and bestselling author Robert M. Edsel joins us to discuss his powerful new book, Remember Us — a deeply moving story about American sacrifice, Dutch liberation, and the enduring promise to never forget those who gave everything during World War II. Together, we explore the emotional bond forged between ordinary Dutch civilians and the you...

Few objects in history and legend have inspired as much fascination as the Holy Grail —the mysterious cup said to have been used by Jesus at the Last Supper and later tied to miracles, eternal life, and divine power. For centuries, kings, knights, scholars, and treasure hunters have searched for it, convinced that somewhere, somehow, the Grail still exists. In this episode of History Shorts , we t...

As the American Civil War came to a chaotic end in 1865, rumors began to spread about a missing fortune belonging to the collapsing Confederacy. According to legend, millions in Confederate gold vanished during the final days of the war—hidden, stolen, or secretly transported before Union forces could seize it. In this episode of History Shorts , we explore the enduring mystery of the so-called Co...

In June 1944, as Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy in Europe, another brutal invasion was unfolding thousands of miles away in the Pacific. The  Battle of Saipan would become one of the most important—and devastating—campaigns of World War II. In this episode of History Shorts , we explore why the tiny island of Saipan mattered so much to both the United States and Japan. American forc...

To the armies of Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece , the Celtic tribes of Europe seemed wild, fearless, and utterly unpredictable. Among the most enduring stories about them was one especially shocking claim: that some Celtic warriors entered battle completely naked. But was it true—or simply propaganda meant to portray them as savage barbarians? In this episode of History Shorts , we explore the hi...

In the 1920s, one of the world's most prestigious luxury brands found itself humiliated by an insult it never saw coming. The story centers on Maharaja Jai Singh II and Rolls-Royce —a clash between colonial arrogance and royal revenge that became the stuff of legend. According to the tale, the Maharaja visited a Rolls-Royce showroom in London dressed modestly, only to be ignored or disrespected by...

For centuries, the name Juan Ponce de León has been tied to one of history's most famous legends: the search for the Fountain of Youth. According to popular myth, the Spanish conquistador sailed through the Caribbean in pursuit of magical waters said to restore youth and grant immortality. But how much of that story is actually true? In this episode of History Shorts , we separate legend from hist...

In this episode of History Shorts Conversations , historian and author Alex Wellerstein joins the show to discuss his powerful new book, The Most Awful Responsibility: Truman and the Secret Struggle for Control of the Atomic Age . Together, we explore the tense and uncertain days following World War II, when President Harry Truman suddenly found himself in control of the most destructive weapon ev...

During World War I, rumors spread through the trenches about a supposed fallen hero whose "grave" became an object of reverence among soldiers. Men reportedly saluted it, spoke of it with respect, and treated it as the resting place of a patriot lost in the chaos of war. But the truth behind the legend was far less glorious—and far more absurd. In this episode of History Shorts , we uncover the bi...

Long before modern laboratories, expiration dates, or government inspections, an unlikely group helped make drinking safer for ordinary people: medieval monks. Inside the monasteries of Medieval Europe , brewing beer became both a spiritual practice and a scientific one—leading to innovations that unintentionally laid the groundwork for modern food safety. In this episode of History Shorts , we ex...

Beneath the cold, dark waters of the Great Lakes lies a hidden world of lost ships, vanished crews, and remarkably preserved wrecks frozen in time. For centuries, violent storms, sudden fog, and unpredictable waters have turned the lakes into one of the most dangerous maritime regions in the world. In this episode of History Shorts , we dive into the haunting history of the Great Lakes shipwrecks—...

In the dark alleys and crowded homes of London during the Victorian era, poison became the weapon of choice for murderers seeking a silent and seemingly untraceable death. Arsenic could be bought cheaply and easily, earning it the chilling nickname: "inheritance powder." In this episode of History Shorts , we explore how a wave of suspicious deaths forced investigators, doctors, and chemists to pi...