15-Minute History

Last week, we covered imperialism through two examples, King Leopold's Congo and India under the British Empire. This week, we discuss the hard questions about imperialism, starting in Berlin, where fourteen powers divided Africa without inviting anyone from the countries being redefined. What do you think? Let us know in your comments.

This season, we're giving the Pop Quizzes a break. Instead, every Thursday we'll have new content from each of our presenters. On the first Thursday of the month, we will be discussing recent political events through a historical lens. Today, Joe and Jon cover the promised $5,000 checks offered by President Donald Trump if his party wins the midterm elections, as well as the historical iro...

Welcome back to a new season of 15-Minute History! Jon, Joe, and the rest of the team are glad to be back for season 10, where we are looking at the forces that made us, both the good and the bad. It was November 15, 1884, and the German chancellor had company. Representatives from fourteen powers arrived at his home in Berlin that day, including Britain, France, Belgium, Portugal, and the United...

Was the Treaty of Versailles the cause of World War Two? And what might Germany have looked like without the political chaos that it caused? We hope you've enjoyed these summer pop quizzes. Join us next Monday for the start of Season Ten!!

New Season starting this coming Monday, October 6th! During the break, the 15-Minute History team will be republishing some of your favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on December 9, 2024. --- The benefits of hindsight let us examine faults in national policy through the lens of what followed. But in the midst of a global threat of nuclear war, the United States chose to support vicio...

What rights do citizens of US territories have, and what changes when their homes become states?

New Season starting on Monday, October 6th! During the break, the 15-Minute History team will be republishing some of your favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on May 5, 2025. --- 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 la...

Can conservatives promote the "common good" and public virtue using the power of government? This will be our last new pop quiz before the start of Season 10 in a few short weeks. We hope you've enjoyed these quizzes as much as we've enjoyed having these conversations!

During the summer break, the 15-Minute History team will be republishing some of your favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on February 12, 2024. --- As we look at villains in history, we want to look at actions and their effects. The policies of Lyndon Baines Johnson and Ho Chi Minh were the reflection of two leaders operating in different contexts. Though the method by which they exer...

Joe asked a perfectly legitimate question about the definition of prosperity, and within minutes Jon was ranting about other podcasters. The conversation then turned to the national debt's real impact on American life. Fun times!!

During the summer break, the 15-Minute History team will be republishing some of your favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on April 22, 2024. --- "In the chill of a drizzling rain on an October morning, I saw them loaded like cattle or sheep into six hundred and forty-five wagons and started toward the west. One can never forget the sadness and solemnity of that morning. Chief Joh...

During the Gilded Age, companies paid employees in scrip redeemable at corporate stores instead of in hard cash. Is this similar to modern job benefits like health insurance and pensions? Join us every Thursday for new pop quizzes, and stay tuned for the start of our new season in just a few weeks!

During the summer break, the 15-Minute History team will be republishing some of your favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on March 22, 2022. --- 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 Washingto...

What was the Bank of the United States, and why did Andrew Jackson work so hard to destroy it? And why is Eva Braun always referred to as Adolf Hitler's "mistress" even though he was not married? Find out the answer to both questions on this week's pop quiz!

During the summer break, the 15-Minute History team will be republishing some of your favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on October 4, 2021. --- The steamboat passed the port and he looked out at the brown, muddy water. The heat was failing and the humidity began to soak his clothes. Soon it would be twilight and the lighting bugs would begin to flash on the shoreline. As the boat mo...

Is America approaching an end similar to Rome's? No. But are there lessons from how the Roman Empire collapsed in the West that nations and leaders can apply to their own situations? Of course, so Joe and Jon explore those topics today. Join us every Thursday this summer for new pop quizzes and on Mondays for rebroadcast episodes!

During the summer break, the 15-Minute History team will be republishing some of your favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on November 14, 2022. --- "I once knew a little boy whose mother and father died when he was six years old. He was a slave and had no one to care for him. He slept on a dirt floor in a hovel, and in cold weather would crawl into a meal bag head foremost and le...

Why do people continue to believe the worst about historical villains even if the facts prove they aren't quite as bad as some people thought? Join us every Thursday this summer for new pop quizzes and on Mondays for rebroadcast episodes!

During the summer break, the 15-Minute History team will be republishing some of your favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on October 20, 2025. --- America is often described as a nation of ideas because its founders risked everything for principles in which they believed. But the revolutionaries had to overcome fears in their own hearts and those of their more hesitant countrymen. In...

Why do politicians always call back to an idea--real or imagined--of the past? Is it as simple as wanting to make their country great again, or is there a deeper motivation? Join us every Thursday this summer for new pop quizzes and on Mondays for rebroadcast episodes!

During the summer break, the 15-Minute History team will be republishing some of your favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on February 9, 2026. --- American progressives at the turn of the 20th century saw major flaws in the United States Constitution and worked to correct them through the process of amendments. Each one was the subject of debate and controversy, and all four made meas...

Would Britain have surrendered if Germany had destroyed its army at Dunkirk? This week, Joe and Jon explore one of the classic "what ifs" of the Second World War. Join us every Thursday this summer for new pop quizzes and on Mondays for rebroadcast episodes!

During the summer break, the 15-Minute History team will be republishing some of your favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on December 1, 2025. --- Washington burns. The White House is in flames. But from the smoke and ashes, a nation discovers what it means to be American. The War of 1812's darkest hour became its defining triumph. As British veterans fresh from defeating Napoleon...

The Europeans may envy America's mighty air conditioners, but what would our country look like without this wondrous invention? Join us every Thursday for new Pop Quizzes this summer!

During the summer break, the 15-Minute History team will be republishing some of your favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on November 17, 2025. --- Detroit falls without a fight. War Hawks demand blood. But on a blood-slick deck, four words become legend: Don’t give up the ship. The War of 1812 is often dismissed as a minor conflict, overshadowed by the Revolution and the Civil War. B...