Episodes

There is no greater test of leadership in the world today than the presidency of the United States. In this episode, we interview Talmage Boston about leadership lessons we can learn from America's greatest chief executives. ...

Abraham Lincoln once described democracy as "government of the people, by the people, for the people," but what exactly did that mean? In this episode, renowned Lincoln scholar Allen Guelzo explains our 16th president's visio...

Few presidents have been as mocked and vilified as Warren G. Harding, but few have examined the difficult circumstances he faced upon entering office -- an economic depression, social unrest, and violent extremism. During the...

Franklin Roosevelt, the only president to serve more than two terms, is one of the most popular and beloved leaders in American history. At the same time, he is also one of the most hated. Critics often point to what they con...

There are few things more nostalgic than a train. Politicians know this all too well, so it's no surprise that trains have played a prominent role in American political campaigns. In this episode, Edward Segal explains how pr...

America has an unmatched record when it comes to the peaceful transfer of power. According to legal scholar Roy E. Brownell II, however, our country is not that far off from a presidential succession crisis. In this episode, ...

To his critics, he was a drunkard and a butcher who failed his way upward in life. To his admirers, he was nothing less than the savior of the nation. Few presidents have had their reputation fluctuate so dramatically as Ulys...

In 1920, Warren G. Harding was elected president in one of the greatest landslides in American history. His margin of victory* over his opponent James Cox exceeded those of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F....

Theodore Roosevelt is often described as America's first modern president, setting a standard by which future presidents would be judged. In this episode, we interview historian Michael Patrick Cullinane about how Roosevelt t...

Original Title: The Septuagint – It Really is Greek to MeOriginal Release Date: 6/30/2023Transcript URL: https://share.descript.com/view/S74PWXbhjWZ Description: The Septuagint is the most important translations you’ve never ...

Jimmy Carter has lived a remarkable life. He was on his way to becoming a Navy admiral, but instead became a peanut farmer. He had one of the unlikeliest rises to the presidency, but saw his popularity plummet and was voted o...

Ulysses S. Grant is famous as the victorious general of the Civil War, but as president, he successfully waged another war -- one to defeat the infamous Ku Klux Klan. In this episode, we interview Fergus M. Bordewich about th...

When Woodrow Wilson left office in 1921, the first era of American progressivism came to an end. By then, however, he and former President Theodore Roosevelt had forever altered the course of American history. They had transf...

It's one of the great what-ifs in American history: had President John F. Kennedy not been assassinated, would he have escalated involvement in Vietnam in the same way his successor Lyndon Johnson did? Some say yes, while oth...

Today is the 60th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. To commemorate this pivotal event in American history, we are releasing this excerpt from our episode "The Price of Ambition Part 3 | John F. Ke...

Few Americans know much about William McKinley, but one could argue he did more for civil rights than almost all of his predecessors. In this episode, we interview Benjamin R. Justesen about the 25th president's forgotten cru...

SHOW NOTES: In this episode of Key Battles of American History, host James Early and Sean follow a long-established Key Battles tradition by giving brief overviews of the postwar lives and careers of the major leaders, Axis and Allies, discussed in...

We tend to see events like the founding of America as inevitable, but as Bret Baier observes, it was anything but. It took a great deal of blood and treasure and even a little bit of luck to establish the United States. No le...

American schoolchildren learn one thing about Richard Nixon: that he's the only U.S. president in history to resign. He's been portrayed in countless books, movies, and documentaries as the most disturbed, paranoid, and corru...

In this special compilation episode, Josh Cohen of Eyewitness History shares his favorite interview moments and stories from people who witnessed some of history’s most extraordinary events. First up, revisit his conversation...

Original Episode Title: Teddy Roosevelt Nearly Died in a Cavalry Charge Against German Machine Guns in WW1 Suggested Show Notes/Description: Teddy Roosevelt faced many challenges at the end of his life. Racked by rheumatism, ...

It was the most controversial election in American history. Was it 2016? Or 2020? No -- according to Luke A. Nichter, it was 1968. In this episode, we interview Professor Nichter about that pivotal election and how it changed...

In his first term, Woodrow Wilson succeeded in remaking the United States. In his second term, he had even grander ambitions: to remake the world and end, once and for all, the scourge of war. In this episode, we examine whet...

HISTORY OF NORTH AMERICA: Explore one of the most glorious Mesoamerican societies and encounter the Pre-Hispanic Mexico ancient culture & civilization that was the Aztec Empire with this special episode from the History of No...