The History of Baseball
29 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Where did baseball come from? Why is every stadium unique? And how do you make it to the Hall of Fam...
The Battle of Okinawa
27 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Please note, this episode contains discussion of suicide.On 1 April 1945, as the Second World War in...
President Chester A. Arthur: Redemption in Office?
23 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Vice President to a narrow election winner, Chester Arthur was a very unlikely President. But on Sep...
The Real Hamilton: An American Myth?
19 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
11 Tonys, a Grammy, a Pulitzer Prize and broken box office records - there's no denying the impact o...
American Castaways: Treachery & Survival in the Falklands
16 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today we dive into the little-known true story of American castaways abandoned on the Falkland Islan...
The Real Hamilton: Downfall, Duel & Death
13 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When Alexander Hamilton took a bullet to the abdomen on the morning of the 11th July 1804, he joined...
President James A. Garfield: Sex Cults & Assassination
08 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This may have been the second shortest Presidency in the history of the United States, but the term ...
The Real Hamilton: Lover, Adulterer, Family Man?
06 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Founding Father, first Secretary of the Treasury and focus of one of the world's first political sex...
Teddy Roosevelt: The Making of the Rough Rider President
02 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Theodore Roosevelt is arguably the most masculine president in American history. So how was he influ...
The Real Hamilton: Founding Father
28 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Who really was Alexander Hamilton, and what do we actually know about his life?A Founding Father, he...
President Rutherford B. Hayes: The First Great Depression
25 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Emerging victorious from an electoral quagmire in 1876, Rutherford B. Hayes became the 19th Presiden...
Founding Father: Who Was John Hancock?
22 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
An iconic signature on the Declaration of Independence - that is what John Hancock is best known for...
The 1921 Murder Farm Massacre: Slavery After the Civil War
18 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
During the spring of 1921, eleven bodies were found in in rural Georgia. These men were victims of h...
President Ulysses S. Grant: The Myth of the Butcher
15 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How does a heroic general of the Civil War become one of the lowest rated Presidents (at least until...
Ulysses S. Grant & the Civil War
11 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Strategic brilliance? Relentless determination? Unbeatable leadership and cooperation with Lincoln? ...
The Rise & Fall of Al Capone
08 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Al Capone is one of the most notorious gangsters in US history. His story of rags to riches, set aga...
NATO: 75 Years Deterring Armageddon
04 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It comprises more than half of the world's defence spending, but what is the North Atlantic Treaty O...
The Real Great Gatsby
01 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A wealthy man in his early 30s. An army man. A German immigrant. A bootlegger. A lover. Who was Jay ...
President Andrew Johnson: Reconstruction & The First Impeachment
28 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Three quarters of a million people dead in the Civil War. A country separated in to two. How do you ...
The Salem Witch Trials
24 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
More than 200 accused, 20 executed and a village plagued with hysteria. Were the Salem Witch Trials ...
Did the Cold War Ever End?
21 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Would the Cold War have happened if the nuclear bomb was never created? How did Gorbachev, Reagan an...
Irish in America: Poverty to Power
18 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
At least 23 of the Presidents of the United States can have their ancestry traced back to Ireland.So...
Lincoln: Love, Loss & Legacy
14 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
President and Commander-in-Chief at a major turning point in American History? Victim of a violent a...
The Rise & Fall of the Ku Klux Klan
11 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A far-right hate group known the world over, the Ku Klux Klan emerged in the aftermath of the Civil ...
Lincoln & the Civil War
07 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Inaugurated into the thick of secession and assassinated just weeks after Confederate surrender, the...
The Last Ship of the Atlantic Slave Trade
03 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In July 1860, half a century after the importation of captive slaves was banned under federal law, a...
Lincoln the President
29 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When it comes to US Presidents, it’s not easy to agree on much these days. But one thing that has ...
American History Tellers
27 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Cold War, Prohibition, the Gold Rush, the Space Race. Every part of your life - the words you sp...
The Truth about the American Dream: The Baldwin-Buckley Debate
25 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On February 18th, 1965, the University of Cambridge hosted one of the most legendary debates in hist...
D.B. Cooper & the 70s Hijacking Craze
22 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On 23 June 1972, a man boarded American Airlines Flight 119 in St Louis. He sat most of the way to T...
Tulsa Massacre: Violence, Resilience & Rebirth
19 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The city of Tulsa is perhaps best known in history books for the events of 1921. In 36 hours, hundre...
President James Buchanan: The Worst President Ever?
15 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
From 1857 to 1861, James Buchanan held the office of President of the United States. It was a pivota...
The Clinton Scandals
11 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
From financial to conspiratorial to sexual, the words 'Clinton' and 'scandal' are regularly found in...
Facebook at Twenty: From College Dorms to Court Cases
07 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Where did the idea for Facebook come from? How has the site evolved? And how has it changed the worl...
Origins of the Civil War
05 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The war between the Union and the Confederacy is a major turning point in the history of the United ...
President Franklin Pierce: Tragedies & Trade-Offs
01 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We're creeping closer and closer to the Civil War in our chronology of presidents, and this episode'...
The Apache Wars
29 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What were the Apache Wars? How did they begin? And how did the end of the Mexican-American War impac...
Masters of the Air: WW2's Bloody 100th Bombers
25 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How did the 100th bomber group get a reputation for being unlucky? Who were they? And what was their...
The Watergate Scandal
21 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Wiretapping, White House tapes and the possibility of impeachment. On June 17, 1972, a break-in at t...
President Millard Fillmore: The Most Handsome President?
18 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How did a president lose his entire cabinet so soon after taking office? What was his role in the We...
The Making of Martin Luther King Jr.
15 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Who introduced Martin Luther King Jr. to activism? Why is the influence of mothers so often understa...
The Election That Changed Politics: 1968
11 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Chaos, collusion and the Chennault Affair. What made the election of 1968 so unusual?Luke Nichter jo...
President Zachary Taylor
08 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Once the most popular man in America, hero of the Mexican-American war Zachary Taylor is our twelfth...
The Tet Offensive: Turning Point of the Vietnam War?
04 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
January, 1968. Fighting in Vietnam has been ongoing since the 1950s. Ho Chi Minh and the leaders of ...
The Tudors & the American West Coast
01 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the summer of 1579, Francis Drake had to land in a ‘fair and good bay’ on the western coast o...
Prohibition
28 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On 17 January 1920, the 18th Amendment came into effect in the United States. It made the manufactur...
The Kennedy Curse
25 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What was it about the Kennedys that attracted so much tragedy, that many believed them to be cursed?...
President James K. Polk: Lies, Warmongering & the Myth of Success
20 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Is this the only president to have achieved all of their campaign promises? James K. Polk, the 11th ...
The Amish: Origins and Society
18 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Simple living, plain dress and pacifism. This is not a lifestyle typical of the United States. So ho...
Tea, Tax & Revolution: Boston Tea Party Aftermath
14 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Why did the Boston Tea Party happen? Why Boston? And how did the events of December 1773 fit in to t...
The Boston Tea Party Explained
11 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On December 16th 1773, Bostonian colonists took a stand against the British Crown in the Boston Tea ...
President John Tyler: The 'Accidental' President
06 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
He may have been the tenth President, but John Tyler - 'His Accidency' - was a pioneer in many ways....
The Rise & Fall of Political Parties
04 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The two party division of the US political system is as evident as ever as we warm up to the 2024 el...
Operation Downfall: What if the Allies Invaded Japan?
30 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How would the Allied forces have forced the surrender of Japan had they not dropped the bombs on Hir...
President William Henry Harrison: 32 Days in Office
27 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The ninth President of the United States holds two unique records. William Henry Harrison delivered ...
Napoleon in America
23 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Napoleon Bonaparte. From military leader to revolutionary to Emperor of the French, his conquests an...
JFK Assassination: A Witness Remembers
20 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On November 22nd 1963, President John F. Kennedy was shot dead. The ensuing years have been filled w...
JFK: The Most Popular President?
16 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Who was JFK? How popular was he in his lifetime? And how did his untimely death impact the world's m...
The Gettysburg Address
13 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What makes the Gettysburg Address one of the most famous speeches in history? Did Lincoln reall...
President Martin Van Buren
09 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The 'Little Magician', the 'Sly Fox' or - to our expert guest - a 6.5/10 president. We're onto Presi...
Vikings in America
05 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What is a Viking? Did they really make it to the United States? And if so, how far did they get?Don ...
Killers of the Flower Moon: Native Americans & the FBI
02 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
During the first half of the 20th century, dozens of murders plagued the oil-rich Osage Nation. The ...
New Orleans Voodoo
30 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you've ever watched a Voodoo scene in a horror movie, you might be forgiven for envisioning zombi...
President Andrew Jackson
26 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The seventh person to hold the position of President is arguably one of the most divisive.A strong-w...
The Real Wild West
23 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Clint Eastwood, Robert Redford, John Wayne. We've seen them roping and wrangling and defeating their...
Medieval North America: Gods of Thunder
19 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
From 800 to 1300 CE, a great religious movement swept Mesoamerica, the Southwest, and the Mississipp...
Battle of the Alamo
16 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A 13 day siege. 90 minutes of fighting. An almost 200 year legacy and the most popular tourist site ...
President John Quincy Adams
12 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
John Quincy Adams didn't just share a name with his father. He also followed in his footsteps to tak...
What if the South Won the Civil War?
09 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What if the Civil War had ended differently, with the South seceding from the Union? Would slavery h...
Origins of the Vietnam War
05 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In 1969, at the height of US presence, there were over half a million Americans in Vietnam.But why w...
The American Buffalo with Ken Burns
02 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
'It's one of those threads you pull on and immediately you're connected to the whole fabric of Ameri...
President James Monroe
28 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Serving from 1817 to 1825, James Monroe's presidency was only the fifth presidency of the United Sta...
Battle of Little Bighorn
24 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Not one of the US forces led by General George Custer into the attack on 25 June 1876 survived. But ...
Sabotage & Secret Weapons: The WW2 Dirty Tricks Department
21 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What is a bat bomb? Why would you cover a fox in radioactive paint? And who are the masterminds behi...
Three Mile Island: Nuclear Accident in Pennsylvania
18 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's the worst accident in US commercial nuclear power history. In March 1979, the Unit 2 reactor at...
President James Madison
14 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
His life is one of firsts for the United States. Having contributed to the Federalist Papers, the Co...
9/11: Toxic Gas, PTSD & Rebuilding
11 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
New York was a city of 8 million people in 2001. A city that would be changed forever by the events ...
The Mexican-American War
07 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In 1848, after almost two years of fighting, the US annexation of former Mexican territory was signe...
Oppenheimer: What If America Never Dropped the Atomic Bomb?
04 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The new Oppenheimer movie has everyone asking questions about the atomic bombs dropped on Japan in 1...
President Thomas Jefferson
31 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, so how did it work out...
The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake
28 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
45 seconds. An estimated 7.9 on today's Richter scale. The deadliest earthquake in US history.In thi...
Prehistoric North America
24 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What could the prehistoric artists of North America have in common with the graffiti artists of toda...
Pocahontas: The True Story
21 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Despite her's being a household name, how much do we really know about Pocahontas? Where did she com...
President John Adams
17 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sequels are always hit and miss. So what must it have been like to be the second President of the Un...
The Texas Chicken Ranch: Famous Brothel to Broadway
14 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When it closed in 1973, the Texas Chicken Ranch was the oldest continually operating brothel in the ...
The Pueblo Revolt
10 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On August 10 1680, the Pueblo people began the most successful uprising against colonial power in No...
The Magna Carta in America
07 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What does a document written in 1215 in England have to do with the United States? The Magna Carta h...
President George Washington
03 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
He was the victorious Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary W...
Robert E Lee: Life & Legacy
31 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
He is undoubtedly the most famous member of the Confederate forces. But it wasn't always set to be t...
Birth of the US Government: The Constitutional Convention
27 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Beginning with the enduring words, 'We the People of the United States', the US Constitution is the ...
Barbie: German Sex Doll to American Icon
24 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
She's an icon, a polymath, a fashionista, and she's absolutely everywhere right now.Where did Barbie...
Mormons & The Founding of Salt Lake City
20 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Church of the Latter Day Saints is one shrouded in mystery, whispers of polygamy and is often sy...
A History of American Childhood
17 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
School, play and much less work: the idealised childhood is a very separate part of life. But how di...
Nixon in Moscow: The Kitchen Debate
13 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Richard Nixon and Nikita Khrushchev. Leading figures of the United States and the Soviet Union respe...
LSD in New York: Research, Recreation and Radicalism
10 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Why should we associate LSD and its psychedelic effects with New York as much as we associate it wit...
The Crossfire of Gettysburg
06 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Gettysburg is synonymous with the bloodiest battle in the history of the United States. But before i...
The Battle of Gettysburg
03 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The first three days of July 1863 saw the bloodiest single battle of the American Civil War. This cl...
Stonewall
29 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What made June 28 1969 a landmark occasion for LGBTQ+ rights?How was Stonewall different from the up...
Amelia Earhart
26 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On July 2 1937, Amelia Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, took off on what was supposed to be t...
The CIA & MI6: The Real Special Relationship?
22 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Behind the handshakes of leading politicians, beyond the trade deals and beneath mutually beneficial...