15-Minute History

Join us as we discuss Season Four of the 15-Minute History Podcast, ask each other questions we neglected throughout the season, and talk about Season Five and the bonus episodes you can expect during the break. 

Twenty-one men sat in the dock awaiting their fate. Once the leaders of Europe's mightiest nation who had strutted proudly across the world stage arrogantly proclaiming the supremacy of the Aryan race, their faces remained defiant as their empire lay in ruins outside. Some showed open contempt for the victors who now sat in judgment over them. Others sat quietly, their faces frozen and their eyes...

Join us as we discuss the Nuremberg Trials, the monsters who faced justice, and the radicalism that corrupted an entire nation.  

The last landing was unique. It was a 100-foot cliff facing the English Channel, situated between Utah and Omaha beach. At the top of the cliff were 155mm guns with a range of 3.5 miles that could fire on both Utah and Omaha beaches and cause maximum casualties. The challenges facing these men were obvious, with the sheer rock face and no cover, and they would be easy targets for the Germans. In a...

Join us as we discuss the impossible landing at Pointe du Hoc, its role in Operation Overlord, and the story of the heroic Rangers who scaled and took the hill under direct enemy fire. 

In Great Britain calls for negotiations with Hitler were on the rise, with some leaders in the House of Commons outright promoting it. Churchill wouldn’t hear of it. “I have thought carefully in these last days whether it was part of my duty to consider entering into negotiations with That Man,” he said in an informal meeting with his Cabinet. “I am convinced that every man of you would rise up an...

Join us as we discuss part two of the life of Winston Churchill, from his taking of the Premiership to the leading of the English people through one of the darkest periods in history.  

As stated by Andrew Roberts in his book, Churchill: Walking with Destiny , "Before the new MP had even taken his seat, he had fought in four wars, published five books, written 215 newspaper and magazine articles, participated in the greatest cavalry charge in a half a century and made a spectacular escape from prison. ‘At twenty-five, he had fought in more continents than any soldier in his tour...

Join us for part one of two discussions on the life of Winston Churchill, from his childhood to becoming the Prime Minister of Great Britain. 

In 1814, as the empire of Napoleon Bonaparte crumbled from the onslaught of the Sixth Coalition powers, the people of Paris felt the ground shudder as cannon shells burst outside the city walls. A year later, the returned emperor's defeat at Waterloo had brought the Germans back to their beloved "City of Lights." In 1870, Paris was besieged by the armies of Kaiser Wilhelm I, and twice during the F...

Join us as we teach you about the destructive history of the Krupp family, their empire, and the dangers of corporatism. 

Around him lay the carnage of battle, men killed or nursing wounds. Smoke filled the air and burned the colonel's lungs. His depleted regiment had already repelled three attacks by rebels charging up the hill and was nearing the end of their strength. And yet the grey-coats kept coming. His superior's orders rang in his ears, "You must hold the line." Looking around, he thought to himself, "What m...

Join us as we discuss the end of the American Civil War, the failings of Reconstruction, and the long-term effects of this conflict on our nation's history. 

The streets of Washington buzzed with the news. Now seven states had seceded from the Union, and the country stood on the brink. The White House saw streams of officials entering and leaving as the president summoned the Cabinet and members of Congress to find a solution to the country's plight. Most believed that his inaction the previous December had led to this moment, while others pointed to t...

Join us as we discuss the beginnings of the American Civil War, the vile and evil institution of slavery, and the beginning of the bloody process by which it was finally brought to an end. 

The concept of moving water from one place to the other has been on the minds of humans since their creation. Conversely, the desire to move soiled water away automatically has – at times – been considered equally important. The means by which this could be done has evolved as civilizations have come and gone. In all of them, a basic pattern emerged in plumbing conception and construction: the pat...

Join us as we discuss the history of plumbing, the influence of Thomas Crapper, and the legacy of the pipe, the path, and the seal.  

It is very common throughout history to see periods of great innovation and artistic expression follow times of great turmoil and death. The Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815) were some of the worst years in the history of Europe, and in their wake, many artists, writers, philosophers, and common people took stock of what they had just endured.   Join us as we teach you about the age of Romanticism and i...

Join us as we discuss the age of Romanticism and its effect on culture, art, and the sciences. 

"At the turn of the 18th century, the greatest nations in Europe, separated by only 21 miles of water, offered two distinct ideologies that would shape the new century. In England, there was democratic, constitutional monarchy; in France, the cataclysm of revolution had dragged the absolute King from the throne and replaced him with the Mob. Out of the maelstrom emerged a military leader, Napoleon...

Join us as we discuss the rise and fall of Napoleon Bonaparte, his effect on France and Europe, and the enduring legacy of his reign and influence. 

Join us as we teach you about the French Revolution, why it happened, how it transpired, and its effects on the world at the time and history as a whole.    Access this transcript at www.15minutehistorypodcast.org . Please leave us a review wherever you listen to this podcast. It really does help!

Join us as we discuss the French Revolution, why it happened, how it transpired, and its effects on the world at the time and history as a whole. 

Join us as we teach you about the first vaccines, two examples from recent history, how they work, and the impact they have had on the practice of medicine. 

Join us as we discuss the first vaccines, two examples from recent history, how they work, and the impact they have had on the practice of medicine and society as a whole.