History Shorts

The Intelligence Quotient, or IQ, arose from a convergence of scientific curiosity, educational reform, and darker impulses of the 20th century. Its history is equal parts ambition, innovation, and controversy—an evolving tale of how society has tried to quantify the unquantifiable.   SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast LEARN MORE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/ READ THE NEWSLETTER: https://historyshorts.substack.com/  

Members of the House of David religious community did not know when Jesus Christ would return to Earth, but they were certain that it would happen in Benton Harbor, Michigan. So, they built a settlement and waited for Christ’s return - all while playing baseball... yep.   SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast LEARN MORE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/ READ THE NEWSLETTER: https://historyshorts.substack.com/

Peter and Steve speak about his career, time with the History Channel, and his newest release, Presidents at War: How World War II Shaped a Generation of Presidents, from Eisenhower to JFK through Reagan and Bush. SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast LEARN MORE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/ READ THE NEWSLETTER: https://historyshorts.substack.com/  

There were hundreds, no, thousands, of typhoid carriers in New York City at the turn of the 20th century. Yet, only one of them was labeled a menace to society and banished to an island for life - that is, until Mary Mallon.   SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast LEARN MORE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/ READ THE NEWSLETTER: https://historyshorts.substack.com/

When the Spanish-American War broke out in 1898, a spirited group of volunteers from diverse walks of life banded together to form one of the most legendary fighting forces in American history—the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, better known as the Rough Riders. Their leader, none other than the future President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt. SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast LEARN MORE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/ READ THE NEWSLETTER: https://historyshorts.substack.com/

In what seems like a tale straight out of a historical thriller, there was once a real and sinister plan to steal the body of Abraham Lincoln, one of America's most revered presidents. The plot, which unfolded in 1876, eleven years after Lincoln's assassination, was a bizarre scheme involving counterfeiters, a criminal gang, and an undercover Secret Service agent. To this day, it remains one of the strangest episodes in American history.   SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast LEARN MORE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/ READ THE NEWSLETTER: https://historyshorts.substack.com/

In January 1872, one of the most extravagant diplomatic and cultural exchanges of the 19th century took place on the vast plains of Nebraska: Grand Duke Alexis Alexandrovich of Russia, son of Tsar Alexander II, embarked on a grand American buffalo hunt. The event was as much about diplomacy as it was about spectacle—a unique blending of Russian aristocracy, American military might, and Native American traditions. SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast LEARN MORE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/ READ THE NEWSLETTER: https://historyshorts.substack.com/  

The Fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975 (50 years ago this month) marked a dramatic and chaotic end to the Vietnam War, culminating in the capture of South Vietnam's capital by the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and the hurried evacuation of American personnel and South Vietnamese allies.  SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast LEARN MORE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/ READ THE NEWSLETTER: https://historyshorts.substack.com/  

The Iran-Contra Affair remains one of the most complex and controversial political scandals in American history. Involving secret arms deals, covert operations, and a direct violation of U.S. laws, the scandal not only tainted the Reagan presidency but also raised fundamental questions about the limits of executive power and accountability in a democratic society.   SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast LEARN MORE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/ READ THE NEWSLETTER: https://historyshorts.substack.com/

Join Peter for a conversation with Professor James M. McPherson, one of America's most celebrated historians of all time.    SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast LEARN MORE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/ READ THE NEWSLETTER: https://historyshorts.substack.com/