We've Been Here Before | A Discussion on America's Political Realignments
Join us for a discussion on last week's episode with our regular guest Dan Lindsey! Apologies for some audio issues when he first arrived--he was a bit too close to the microphone...Let us know your thoughts or ask questions in the comments below. We are excited to get this season going and hope you will join us every Monday for new episodes and discussions on American history.
13 Okt 42min
Pop Quiz | The Viking Berserkers
Who were they? Were they even real? And why did they fade? Joe and Jon discuss some of history's most fascinating warriors in this week's pop quiz.Join us this season for regular pop quizzes and our special "Sketches in History" episodes for younger listeners every Thursday. And post your comments, questions, and thoughts below.
9 Okt 4min
NEW Episode | We've Been Here Before
Season Nine is here!!!This year, we are joining Americans in celebrating our country's 250th birthday with episodes about our nation's history. In the season premier, Jon takes a look back at moments of political and cultural change to bring some context to the climate in America today.Join us next week for our discussion and post comments, questions, and thoughts below. We are thrilled to be back for a new season and hope you will join us as we walk in history's footsteps fifteen minutes at a time.
6 Okt 17min
Pop Quiz | Lost Knowledge through a Thousand Cuts
In this week's episode, Joe follows up from our last pop quiz and asks about the knowledge lost in the Library of Alexandria, how its destruction affected other civilizations, and why preserving access to information is so important.Join us on Monday for the start of Season 9!!
2 Okt 8min
The Manhattan Project | Scientific Achievement vs Ethical Responsibility (Republish)
During the summer break, the 15-Minute History podcast team are republishing some of their favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on May 5, 2025.Season 9 begins Monday, October 7!___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 technicians, and watched them haul it away. It was going to a tower, visible in the distance. Conversations around him continued, but only because it seemed like they had to. Somehow, the silence would have been louder. Not long after, notifications came from the tower; an all clear was given. At 5:29 a.m., a flash of light that was so brilliant it could be seen from 200 miles away blossomed in the desert. The mushroom cloud rose 40,000 feet into the air, and the shock wave was felt 100 miles from ground zero. The man who all that morning had worn no expression, would later recall remembering a Hindu scripture in that moment: "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds."Another man who witnessed the test described the overwhelming impression it left: "A new thing had just been born; a new control; a new understanding of man, which man had acquired over nature." Another observer said, "The lighting effects beggared description. The whole country was lighted by a searing light with the intensity many times that of the midday sun."Humanity had crossed a threshold.___Join us as we show you the Manhattan Project, the reason behind the development of nuclear weapons, and the ethical implications of such an invention.
29 Sep 17min
Pop Quiz | Lost Technology
In this week's pop quiz, Joe asks about why and how military technologies fade from the battlefield.Join us each week as we approach the start of the new season for new pop quizzes each Thursday. Comment below with your thoughts and ideas for new episodes!
25 Sep 5min
J.R.R. Tolkien | Optimism (Republish)
During the summer break, the 15-Minute History podcast team are republishing some of their favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on October 10, 2022. Season 9 begins Monday, October 7!___Familiar to millions as the author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien believed that myths used stories of heroes to inspire generations of readers. He began his writing career with a children’s book, and when his publisher asked for a sequel, Tolkien had to give it some thought. For much of his life, he had lamented the fact that much of English mythology had been destroyed by invading armies or imported from abroad. (For example, the most famous English myth, that of King Arthur, was a blend of Scottish and French stories.) On putting pen to paper for the first time on his magnum opus, The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien began to craft an alternate mythology for his homeland that would tell heroic tales that, he believed, were lacking in modern Britain.Join us as we teach you about heroism through the eyes of J.R.R. Tolkien, how he incorporated heroism into stories, and how history influenced his view of heroes in fiction and real life.
22 Sep 12min
Pop Quiz | A New Dark Age?
In this episode, Joe asks about the changes in culture and education after the collapse of Rome, and we discuss some historical parallels to our own day.Join us each week for Pop Quizzes, and comment below with your thoughts and suggestions for new episodes!
18 Sep 13min
