15-Minute History

Samuel Colt’s name is forever linked to the company he founded and the revolver he called the “Peacemaker.” Born in Connecticut in 1814, he was steeped in America’s gun culture from an early age. His grandfather had served in George Washington’s army, and Samuel inherited an old flintlock pistol from the family hero when he was only six. At the age of fifteen, while working in his father’s textile...

What started as a simple question about The War of Jenkin's Ear devolved into a mighty whirlwind on social media, immortality, and Jon's opinion of Elon Musk! Let us know your thoughts or ask questions in the comments below, and tell us if you have ideas about new pop quizzes as well.

During the summer break, the 15-Minute History podcast team are republishing some of their favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on March 20, 2020. ___ The world's most powerful communist leader ultimately signed his own resignation with a capitalist's pen on Christmas Day 1991. This episode traces the stunning reversal of the Cold War from 1979, when the Soviet Union seemed poi...

Why, in medieval times, were holy relics so popular? Was the church displaying them to give people hope in the divine or for financial gain, or both? In this pop quiz, Joe and Jon discuss the possible answers while asking the fundamental question: Do these holy objects actually have power? Join us every Thursday this summer for new pop quizzes and leave a comment below with a topic you'd like...

During the summer break, the 15-Minute History podcast team are republishing some of their favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on July 12, 2021. ___ The raft floated in the midst of the River Niemen. On it were two beautiful pavilions, one for the Emperor of the French and the other for the Czar and Autocrat of All the Russias. In the French tent, Napoleon Bonaparte argued with his fo...

With economics being all the rage these days and everyone on social media becoming experts in tariff and spending policy, Joe and Jon discuss one of the most serious economic problems a country can face. Join us every Thursday this summer for new pop quizzes and leave a comment below with a topic you'd like us to cover!

During the summer break, the 15-Minute History podcast team are republishing some of their favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on August 30, 2021. ___ From 1531-1532, Pizzaro and his group conquered and destroyed the Inca Civilization. Climbing the Andes Mountains, they probably never questioned the ability of the Inca Empire to feed itself in the absence of cattle and wheat. That was...

Recently, Jon mentioned "Sherman's Neckties" in an episode that referenced the American Civil War. Now it's time to talk about these fascinating--and terrifying--examples of psychological warfare! Join us every Thursday this summer for new pop quizzes, and comment below with any topics you'd like us to cover.

Where does utopianism come from? Can we really create a perfect world, and did the colonists think they could create utopia in the New World? And why did Jon pick this topic? Join us for answers to these questions and more in our last discussion of the season! We want to thank everyone who joined us each week this past year. We'll have some pop quizzes and other new content coming to you during th...

The 15-Minute History Podcast team brings you a new segment, just for kids, called Sketches in History, where 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, she goes back to Egypt for yet another ancient discovery. She witnesses French soldiers building a fort, only to discove...

This season has been about good and bad ideas, and we are concluding with Jon's thoughts on a journey he's been on through early American history. In his 1989 book Albion's Seed , Dr. David Hackett Fischer describes how four groups of English settlers brought utopian ideals to the New World and created the foundations of what became the United States. Jon takes us through these English...

This week, Joe and I discuss how warfare is evolving on the battlefields of Ukraine, the role drones and other new technologies are changing the battlespace, and whether or not we are headed directly into the world of the Terminator!

Join us for a discussion on the Divine Right of Kings and how it continues to shape modern political systems in our world today! Leave a comment below with any questions--we love to hear from our audience! (Also, please forgive us for the rather abrupt end with no closing comments--Jon forgot to include that in the recording!)

The 15-Minute History Podcast team brings you a new segment, just for kids, called Sketches in History, where 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, she visits a grand symphony hall filled with anticipation, as the audience eagerly awaits the performance of one of the...

Throughout history, leaders have claimed their positions in a variety of ways: military conquests, electoral mandates, revolutionary uprisings, and more. But probably the most common and certainly the furthest from modern democratic sensibilities is the divine right of kings. While it is present in a variety of religious and social traditions, most audiences today are familiar with the Judeo-Chris...

In this double pop quiz, Jon answers a question from an audience member and then discusses the Overton Window and how the range of "acceptable" political discourse changes over time. Join us every other week for these pop quizzes during the summer, and comment below with any topics you'd like us to cover!

Join us as we discuss the history of the Magna Carta, how it changed English governance, and its influence on all democracies and constitutional federal republics that came after.

The 15-Minute History Podcast team brings you a new segment, just for kids, called Sketches in History, where 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, she travels aboard a ship with a mission. Sailors are working frantically to drop a cable into the Atlantic Ocean while...

It’s raining. The men in the group are drenched and have been so almost all day. Nobles in their finest attire stand ankle-deep in mud, their expressions a mixture of triumph and apprehension. Before them, a thin, gray-faced king looks at the document. His jaw clenches. "You would strip me of my God-given rights?" the king yells, his voice thick with contempt. "We would remind Your...

In part two of this pop quiz series, Joe and I discuss the New Deal's long-term legacy and the controversial idea that anything can really be "free." As always, we love to hear from you, so leave a comment on this episode with any questions or thoughts, and you can also give us a topic that you'd like us to discuss in another pop quiz this summer!

This week, the team wanted to revisit one of the most popular episodes from last season. A new, exciting episode is coming to you on Monday. ____ “I was fifteen years old when the Khmer Rouge came to power in April 1975. I can still remember how overwhelmed with joy I was that the war had finally ended. It did not matter who won. I and many Cambodians wanted peace at any price. The civil war had t...

The 15-Minute History Podcast team brings you a new segment, just for kids, called Sketches in History, where 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, she travels to a divided country. Crowds are breaking down a barrier that until that moment had separated a city and nat...

Join us as we discuss the Manhattan Project, the reason behind the development of nuclear weapons, and the ethical implications of such an invention.

In this first of a two-part pop quiz on the New Deal, Joe and I chat about the real origins of the Great Depression and how we still feel its effects today. Join us for the rest of this conversation in two weeks!

It was still dark. The group of men felt the breeze getting warmer as the eastern horizon began to show signs of light. One of the men, tall with no expression, watched as final preparations were made to a large object in front of the group. The others saw the anxiety in his face in a way that only those had had been around him could discern. The man walked forward, spoke with some of the technici...