15-Minute History

How do we know when a political party goes "too far" on policy? And what happens when there is a backlash against their ideas? Join us every week this summer for rebroadcast episodes and new pop quizzes!

During the summer break, the 15-Minute History team will be republishing some of your favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on January 26, 2026. --- "You must make your body." An asthmatic boy in wire-rimmed spectacles nods. Decades later, shot in the chest, he'll deliver a 90-minute speech: "It takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose." Theodore Roosevelt is of...

To celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we've re-recorded an episode from season 1 entitled "Their Safety and Happiness," which looks at the historical and philosophical roots of the document. Joe and Jon then have a new discussion about America's best moments in history, the Declaration's role in our history, and dangerous fun involving fireworks! We hope you all ha...

A political question this week -- what are sanctuary cities and where do they come from? Join us on Mondays this summer for rebroadcast episodes and on Thursdays for new Pop Quizzes. Stay tuned for some additional original content in the coming weeks!

To celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we've re-recorded an episode from season 1 entitled "Their Safety and Happiness," which looks at the historical and philosophical roots of the document. We hope you all have a happy Independence Day!

Winston Churchill's insights into the Second World War's outbreak are a fascinating combination of prediction and justification. He knew Germany was a threat, but his postwar memoirs also include knowledge learned during and after the conflict that make it difficult for historians to judge how much he knew as Hitler rose to power. In this episode, Joe asks about how the war could have been...

How did the Central Intelligence Agency both flourish and decline during the Cold War? What effects did both the Suez Crisis and Hungarian Revolution have on the wider world? And how might the world look different in a few years now that the post-Cold War international order is breaking down?

Welcome back to Sketches in History! This segment, just for kids, shows that history isn't just a story; it's an adventure. Join Lottie Archer as she dives into her extraordinary notebook, where sketches from history come to life! In this episode, Lottie finds a torn piece of paper tucked beneath a heavy book on her grandfather's desk: a handwritten note in small, slanted pencil, with...

Presidents have always had to balance economic costs with national security. In the 1950s, Dwight Eisenhower took what he called a "new look" at defense policy, which made fundamental changes to how the United States confronted worldwide threats--and had dramatic consequences for allies, enemies, and innocent bystanders. Join us every Monday for episodes and discussions, and on Thursdays...

How close has America actually come to falling apart? Not in the way politicians throw the word "crisis" around today, but in real, documented, military-was-deployed, states-were-leaving moments. In this Pop Quiz episode, Jon walks through the moments that nearly broke the republic, what these moments had in common, and the one thread that kept pulling us back from the edge each time. Jo...

Join us as we discuss the trial of Alger Hiss, why Whittaker Chambers became disillusioned with communism, the Rosenbergs, and the effects of the Red Scare on American society. Join us every Monday for episodes and discussions and on Thursdays for pop quizzes and Sketches in History!

Welcome back to Sketches in History! This segment, just for kids, shows that history isn't just a story; it's an adventure. Join Lottie Archer as she dives into her extraordinary notebook, where sketches from history come to life! In this episode, Lottie finds two things tucked beneath the lamp on her grandfather's desk: a folded newspaper with the headline HISS CONVICTED OF PERJURY an...

It is August 3, 1948, and a former Communist Party member named Whittaker Chambers walks into a House committee room in Washington, D.C., and says something that no one in the room ever expected to hear. Alger Hiss is a spy. Hiss was not some offhand bureaucrat. He had helped organize the United Nations and attended Yalta. He had been, for much of the 1940s, one of the most respected foreign polic...

Why are conspiracy theories everywhere online these days? Why is everyone mad at someone else for every problem in their lives? And what does history teach us about this kind of environment? Join us every Thursday for pop quizzes and Sketches in History!

" We shall not fail now. Let us move forward steadfastly together into the storm and through the storm. " - Winston Churchill, February 1942 This Memorial Day, we're republishing our favorite episode where we brought together both parts of our original Storm of War series into one complete telling of the Second World War, with speeches from Churchill, Eisenhower, and others who led t...

Jon didn't remember to publish a pop quiz yesterday--but it was the last day of school and his brain was a bit full. So please accept our apologies and listen to this episode about what historians choose to remember and why!

Our beloved interloper Dan returns to join us for a conversation about the Korean War and how it influenced later conflicts and the role of the military in political affairs. He also shares his thoughts on Lewis "Chesty" Puller and comments on the Marine Corps' role in the American military. You won't want to miss it!

Welcome back to Sketches in History! This segment, just for kids, shows that history isn't just a story, it's an adventure. Join Lottie Archer as she dives into her extraordinary notebook, where sketches from history come to life! In this episode, Lottie finds a dented olive-green tin on her grandfather's desk, cold to the touch, with a folded note tucked underneath in careful pencil h...

The cold froze rifles in their hands, turned oil to sludge, and stiffened fingers until pulling a trigger became an exercise in willpower. Men slept in shallow foxholes they'd hacked out of frozen ground, ate C-rations turned to ice, and wrapped themselves in as many layers as they could. Decades later, the veterans of America's X Corps recalled the weather more than anything else. Join us...

Let's have a conversation about what historians may have missed about the Founders of the United States, what may have been glossed over, and the reasons for both. Join us every Thursday for Pop Quizzes and Sketches in History, and be sure to tune in on Mondays for our episodes and discussions. We love to hear from you as well, so post your comments below!

How did the American home change once the soldiers returned from the war. How long did it take for the country to recognize that its injustices were choices? And why did American culture seem to break in the decades that followed the war? Join us every Monday for episodes and discussions and on Thursdays for pop quizzes and "Sketches in History."

Welcome back to Sketches in History! This segment, just for kids, shows that history isn't just a story, it's an adventure. Join Lottie Archer as she dives into her extraordinary notebook, where sketches from history come to life! In this episode, Lottie finds a small piece of metal on her grandfather's desk, shiny silver on top and duller gray underneath, a row of tiny holes punched through it in...

It's tempting to view the Second World War primarily through the lens of combat, but students of American history must also look at the transformation that occurred on the home front, in the rhythms of daily life, and of the structure of the nation itself. This is the story of how the United States of America reinvented itself at home while its soldiers fought in the greatest war on history&#3...

The French nation has a reputation for being willing to surrender in battle, but is that a fair assessment? This question came from an audience member, and we love getting these from you all. So leave a comment below if you have question you'd like Joe and Jon to answer!

Henry Ford paid his workers more than anyone thought reasonable, then beat them when they tried to organize. He put ordinary Americans on the open road and gave Nazi Germany a hero to admire. This week, we're sitting with the uncomfortable reality that both things are equally, undeniably true. What do you think? Can a legacy be great and monstrous at the same time, or does one eventually cance...