History Shorts

While some men in NASA and the U.S. government in the 1950s and 1960s thought women couldn't handle space, the 13 women selected for an experimental Mercury 13 program were ready to prove them wrong. https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tourists descend on Paris, the city of lights, by millions each year. Yet, as they take their selfies in front of the Eiffel Tower, many do not realize that deep below their feet is an extensive network of eerie and intriguing underground tunnels and chambers full of millions of human remains - unless you already got your tour ticket to check them out. https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcas...

Let's see how well you know the origins of some popular (and not all that popular anymore) foods. https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Fourth Weekend Series deals with the origins of the great monotheistic religions of World History. So why are we talking about Hinduism, which has 33 million gods (according to some interpretations)? Well, listen to find out. https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join Peter as he speaks with Dr. Colleen J. Shogan, the 11th Archivist of the United States. As the nation's record keeper, Dr. Shogan is responsible for preserving, protecting, and sharing the history of the United States.   https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fidel Castro was a controversial figure throughout his life, and that included multiple assassination attempts against him, most of them attributed to the CIA - and more interestingly, all epic failures - no matter how creative or borderline ridiculous they got. https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Way before cell phones, email, or even smoke signals, human beings had found a way to communicate across long distances - their secret weapon - a pigeon. Instead of asking why or how? Knowing what we know now about the feathered messengers' uncanny ability to return home, we should instead be asking…. Why are they not still used today? Or are they? https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Le...

When it comes to war propaganda, arguably none is surrounded by more lore than the seductive radio personalities of Axis Sally and Tokyo Rose employed by Nazi Germany and Japan, respectively, to undermine the morale of Allied troops. But did you know that while the former was a real American traitor, the latter's story is much more complicated and might even include a conspiracy and a set-up? http...

Henry VIII, the iconic Tudor king of England, is perhaps most famously remembered for his six marriages. His relentless pursuit of a male heir, combined with complex political and religious motivations, led to a tumultuous personal and dynastic history. But, while everyone always concentrates on his wives, marriages, and that whole Church of England thing, the story of his legacy, namely his child...

This episode may not be suitable for our younger listeners. Are you ready to test your knowledge of some of American history's most infamous cults? https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our last episode of the Mysteries Series deals with the mystery of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. While no attempt was made to solve the mystery of the identities of the men buried in the tomb at Arlington National Cemetary, one was solved nonetheless. https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bestselling historian, author of 13 books, and the nation's leading expert on America's elite and special operations units. https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apart from the Statue of Liberty and/or the White House, the Liberty Bell might be the most enduring symbol of America. It undeniably draws millions of tourists to Philadelphia each year. Yet, to this day, nobody can categorically agree on how the bell came to possess its most defining feature—the infamous crack. https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visi...

While it would be impossible to name all influential Native American figures in American History, some figures arguably best represent the hundreds of tribal leaders who did everything they could to preserve the history and culture of their threatened people. https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The plot of the first American novel, published in 1789, the same year George Washington was sworn in as the First President of the United States, The Power of Sympathy by William Hill Brown, was not as revered as its author might have hoped. After all, its sensational and scandalous themes of seduction, incest, and even suicide - already too much for the fledging United States society - might act...

When it comes to mysteries in history, that of the vanishing treasure room seems to transcend time. The story of the Amber Room involves the Enlightenment, the nazis, and the Cold War Soviets. Eventually stolen by Hitler's forces - its fate remains, to this day, one of the greatest art mysteries of the 20th century. https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. V...

I will tell you how these historically famous people died, and you figure out who I am talking about! https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Historians have yet to solve the mystery—and not for lack of trying. Who betrayed Anne Frank? https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This month's spotlight guest is an inspiration for many historians and history storytellers: Mr. Dan Carlin of the Hardcore History Podcast. Peter and Dan discuss the inspiration behind their appreciation for the study of history, how the discipline has evolved over the years, and how podcasts present a unique approach to storytelling. https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Learn more abou...

While ancient South Americans were used to chocolate, in 1500, it was still unknown to Europeans. But then came the age of exploration. Within one hundred years, the food referred to as the "gift from the gods" had conquered the Eropean continent—starting an obsession that continues to this very day. https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.f...

Often forgotten today, one of American history's biggest pioneers, Victoria Woodhull, ran for president in 1872 to her detractors calling her a witch or a prostitute. https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, Bonfire Night is a lighthearted social event in Britain - one that grew out of one of the most dramatic episodes in English history, the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The peculiar events surrounding the takeover of the Incas in 1522 and the arrest and eventual execution of the kingdom's emperor, Atahualpa, would cement Pizzaro as one of the bloodiest and most controversial conquistadors in the history of exploration - and that's saying something. https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ready to test your knowledge of the Great Depression? https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the years, the discovery of Mesolithic and Neolithic civilizations hidden for millennia under the earth's water and sand has challenged our understanding of human history and the development of early societies. But are all of these ancient cities that we often hear about actually real, or are they mostly just wishful thinking? https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Learn more about yo...