History Shorts

Everyone has heard of the great Greek philosopher Socrates, who lived in Athens in the 5th Century BC and, together with his student Plato and the latter's pupil Aristotle, formed the basis of modern philosophical thought. But did you know that the famous thinker was sentenced to death by the Athenian jury in 399 BCE on charges of impiety and corrupting the youth of Athens? https://www.patreon.com...

Among the various wars of the twentieth century is one less known, albeit not less significant. At its height, the conflict forced the involvement of NATO forces and the International Court of Justice. At its center lay an object fought over for centuries, glorified by economies of the past and present, and one that fueled the settlement of North America - Cod. https://www.patreon.com/c/HistorySho...

You probably remember learning about the legendary figure in American History, Molly Pitcher in grammar school. But did you know that the famous Revolutionary War heroine probably never existed? Well, maybe. https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since the First World War, the story of Alvin York has often been used as an example of unwavering bravery and heroism. But did you know that even in today's world of hollywood exaggerating its depiction of warfare for better effect, it still pails to York's actual actions on the Western Front in 1917? https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone...

The name Jim Crow is often used to describe the segregation laws, rules, and customs that came to be after the Civil War and Reconstruction, but did you know that there never was a person named Jim Crow? Well, kind of. https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Catherine the Great of Russia, whose reign extended from 1729 to 1796, needs no introduction, but did you know that to become "great," Catherine had to first get rid of her troublesome husband, Peter III of Russia? https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you believe the internet, Pope Gregory IX issued a papal bill in the 13 century that declared cats as instruments of satan, which led to huge numbers of them being killed. This, in turn, as many websites would have you believe, led to the bubonic plague. So, how true is this story? Well, while it contains some separate truths, the narrative, as a whole, could not be more wrong.  https://www.pat...

Join us for a short conversation with James Bradley, the New York Times #1 bestselling author of such works as Flags of Our Fathers , Flyboys , The Imperial Cruise , and The China Mirage . https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For any of us who have seen a portrait of Napoleon, we have undoubtedly noticed that he always placed a hand inside his vest or shirt when posing. There is no doubt he popularized the existing trend. But did you know that to this day, historians cannot quite agree if there was more to it than that? https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/...

During World War II, Canada significantly supported the Allied forces and contributed to the war effort. But did you know that its reputation as a country of great riches among the inmates of one the conflict's most infamous death camps, Auschwitz, resulted in its name being used to define a dark aspect of camp life? https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Learn more about your ad choices....

For centuries, the Catholic Pope has held a position of immense importance within the Catholic Church, a spiritual leader and a representative of Christ on earth. But did you know that between 1378 and 1417, the Catholic Church fell into crisis mode when not one but three individuals could claim to be the rightful Pope? https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Learn more about your ad choice...

History students have undoubtedly heard the story of the famed World War I, the all-African American 369th Infantry Regiment of the U.S. Army, the Harlem Hellfighters. But did you know that apart from their heroic feet on the battlefield, its members, specifically the Harlem Hellfighter Regimental Band, left an even bigger impression by introducing the world to Jazz music? https://www.patreon.com/...

It was not a national crisis of narcolepsy nor a curious phenomenon of unexplainable proportions, but did you know that on the night of Wednesday, September 2, 1752, the inhabitants of Britain and its colonies around the world, went to bed only to wake up twelve days later? https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The following episode contains sensitive information - listener discretion is advised.  Nazi crimes need no introduction - with millions of lives lost to Adolf Hitler's regime. But did you know that amidst the carnage of World War II, the German propaganda machine of a supposedly benevolent and ordered state had a hard time disclosing the fact that a Nazi serial killer was on the loose among its o...

The impact of Peter the Great on Russia was perhaps greater than even the most famous absolute ruler, Louis XIV, had on France. But did you know that as part of his modernization program of the 1680s, Peter forced all Russian men to shave off their beards or face a heavy tax? https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have all heard their last names, yet many of us do not know much of the men behind them. But did you know that the world's most known temperature scales are based on real men, Anders Celcius and Daniel Fahrenheit? https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One does not need to be an art specialist, nor even like art for that matter, to have heard of the famed artist Pablo Picasso or Leonardo DaVinci's 1507 painting, the Mona Lisa. But did you know that back in 1911, Picasso was arrested and interrogated for potentially stealing DaVinci's most famous painting? https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit mega...

The term Kamikaze is most commonly associated with a specific type of suicide attack carried out by Japanese pilots during World War II. But did you know the term has historical roots in the context of two attempted Mongol invasions of Japan in 1274 and 1281? https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sure, there were once proponents of the theory that the earth was flat, but all of those theories were eventually dispelled during the 15th century's age of exploration. Still, did you know that as recently as the 1800s, an American man named John Symmes attempted to convince the world that the earth was hollow? And he almost succeeded! https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Learn more abo...

In the 1950s and 1960s, there was no bigger male star in Hollywood than Cary Grant. But did you know that in stark contrast to the confident and stylish persona he cultivated on screen, Grant also participated in an experimental psychotherapy program that saw him take LSD more than 100 times? https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoi...

Most of us have heard about the infamous, tyrannical, and erratic Roman emperor of all time, Caligula, but did you know that the despotic ruler was so distraught after the death of his sister, Drusilla, that he imposed a year of mourning for all people across the Roman Empire?  https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1620, the Mayflower embarked on a famous voyage from Plymouth, England, to the New World, carrying a group of English Separatists known as the Pilgrims. It was these people that established the first permanent European settlement in North America. But did you know that the Mayflower also carried with it a man who would become the first person to be lawfully convicted of murder in the new world?...

Perhaps you have visited the United States capital of Washington D.C. and marveled at its architecture, which includes such staples as the White House, the Capitol Building, and the Supreme Court, BUT did you know that since America's founding, no less than nine cities have served as the nation's capital? https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaph...

Harriet Tubman likened to the biblical character Moses, is known throughout history for leading more than 300 slaves to freedom along the Underground Railroad. But did you know that during the Civil War, the unassuming lady traded her conductor job to become a spy and a military operative for the Union? https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphon...

Historians to this day cannot agree as to whether the 15th President of the United States, James Buchanan, was gay. But did you know that the former president's bond with his lifelong roommate William Rufus King was once called by the executive himself as "the best and purest communion"? https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices