Lectures in History

Northwestern professor Ken Alder presented an image of an 1851 Colt Navy Revolver and asked why the gun was one of the first mass produced technologies in the United States. Professor Alder chronicled the origins of American mass production through gunmaking. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 14 December 2025

Vassar College professor Robert Brigham discussed his upcoming memoir about his search for his biological father, who served as a Marine in Vietnam. This event was part of the 2025 LCpl. Benjamin W. Schmidt Symposium on War, Conflict, and Society at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 7 December 2025

Chef, humanitarian, and author Jose Andres discussed his career, his global relief efforts with World Central Kitchen, his books, and his love of food with David M. Rubenstein. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 30 November 2025

In September 1975, 17 days apart, two women, one in Sacramento and the other in San Francisco, attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford. The first attempt on September the 5th came from Annette Squeaky Fromm. The Charles Manson follower spent over 30 years in prison, is out on parole, and is 76 years old. The other attempt came on the non-entrance side of St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco on September the 24th, 1975. The shooter, Sara Jane Moore, served 32 years in prison and died almost 50 years to the day on September the 24th, 2025. Author Geri Spieler wrote the book "Housewife Assassin" in 2009. She talked to and exchanged letters with Sara Jane Moore on several occasions. Here's her up-to-date story about the woman who tried to kill President Ford Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 23 November 2025

The 1967 Six-Day War, 1973 Yom Kippur War, and 2023 Israel-Hamas War have all garnered the United States' diplomatic involvement. Trinity College Professor James Stocker looks at the history of the U.S. negotiating ends to Israeli-Arab conflicts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 16 November 2025

Author David Grann joins David M. Rubenstein to discuss his books, including "Killers of the Flower Moon" and "The Wager," and visits the vault of the Folger Shakespeare Library. This is an episode of C-SPAN's new series America's Book Club. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 8 November 2025

On September 14, 1847, Winfield Scott's Army marched into Mexico City, marking the final stages of the Mexican-American War. University of Texas professor Aaron O'Connell chronicles the war's causes, the divisions it inflamed, and its aftermath. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 1 November 2025

During Reconstruction, a campaign to overthrow the South Carolina government succeeded, triggering a constitutional crisis. University of North Carolina professor and author of "Sedition," Marcus Gadson, analyzed the history behind this event. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 26 October 2025

This week on the Lectures in History podcast: The mystery of the Roanoke Colony’s disappearance. In 1587, English settlers established a colony on Roanoke Island, off the coast of present-day North Carolina — only to vanish without a trace soon after. Gettysburg College Professor Timothy Shannon explores what we know about the lost colony, the people who lived there, and the theories behind one of early America’s greatest mysteries. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 19 October 2025

What happened when General Custer and Crazy Horse faced off in battle? Stetson University Professor David Morton chronicles the 1876 Great Sioux War in the South Dakota Black Hills. Stetson University is located in Deland, Florida. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 12 October 2025

United States Army War College history professor Michael Neiberg discusses Vichy France and the Anglo-American relationship during World War II. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 5 October 2025

When Kentucky in 1792 became a state, it had a choice; keep slavery or abolish it. University of Kentucky professor Melanie Goan teaches a class on the state's relationship with the institution of slavery until the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 28 September 2025

William & Mary Bray School Lab director Maureen Elgersman Lee discusses the history of the 18th-century Williamsburg Bray School for Black children and the legacies of the 300 to 400 scholars it enrolled. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 21 September 2025

The 1992 Republican National Convention speeches by former President Ronald Reagan and Pat Buchanan - who had run for the GOP nomination that year against incumbent President George H.W. Bush - was the topic of a class taught by University of Kansas political communication professor Robert Rowland. The University of Kansas is in Lawrence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 14 September 2025

Sir Richard J. Evans has been writing about Germany and Adolf Hitler for his entire professional life. He was knighted in Britain in 2012 for his service to scholarship. From 2003-2008, Professor Evans published a trilogy of the Third Reich with a total of over 2,500 pages. His latest book is titled "Hitler's People: The Faces of the Third Reich." In his preface, Sir Richard, a former professor at Cambridge University writes: "The individuals who stand at the center of this book range from the top to the bottom, from Hitler all the way down to the lowest of the Nazi party." There are 22 chapters. Learn more about your ad choices.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 7 September 2025

Professor James Broussard taught a class on the lead-up to the American Revolution. He described actions by the British government, such as the Stamp Act and stationing British troops in Boston, that American colonists began to view as an overreach of power Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 31 August 2025

University of Utah Professor Eric Hinderaker taught a class about western settlement before, during and after the American Revolution. Using the Kentucky territory as an example, he described the conflicts and relationships between the new federal government, settlers and Native Americans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 24 August 2025

Law professor and author Joyce Lee Malcolm discussed Benedict Arnold's triumphs as an American army general in the Revolutionary War and questioned whether his legacy as a notorious American traitor is entirely accurate. Professor Malcolm is the author of, The Tragedy of Benedict Arnold: An American Life. This one hour talk was hosted by the University of Mary Washington as part of their Great Lives Lecture Series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 17 August 2025

Historian Garrett Graff discusses his oral history of the development, testing and deployment of the atomic bomb in August 1945. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 10 August 2025

Ithaca College professor Michael Trotti discussed the escalating tensions between colonists and the British government before the American Revolution. Ithaca College is located in New York. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 27 July 2025

George Mason University religious studies department chair John Turner teaches a class on the history of Islam and Judaism in America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 31 May 2025

University of Texas history professor Mark Lawrence discusses the rise of Ronald Reagan, his impact on the conservative movement, and the Reagan Administration's performance in his first term. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 18 May 2025

Tulane University history professor Keely Smith discusses Native American alliances during the Revolutionary War and how the U.S. government and American society viewed various tribes during the early Republic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 11 May 2025

As a follow up to our recent podcast regarding the life and times of Anne Frank, we asked author Alexandra Ritchie to tell us more about the horrors of World War II and Poland. Ritchie, a citizen of Canada, now lives in the city which is the title of her book, Warsaw. Her focus is on 1944 and what was called the Warsaw Uprising. In her introduction, she writes, "Himmler and Hitler had decided that the entire population remaining in one of Europe's great capital cities was to be murdered in cold blood. Himmler referred to Warsaw as the great abscess, which was to be completely destroyed." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 4 May 2025

American University professor Laura Beers teaches a class on Winston Churchill and the "special relationship" between Great Britain and the U.S during World War II and the Cold War Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 27 April 2025

Tulane University history professor Jana Lipman discusses Cold War refugees from Cuba and Vietnam and the impact of the Refugee Act of 1980. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 20 April 2025

Santa Clara University history professor Sonia Gomez discusses the intimate relationships between people of different racial and ethnic backgrounds that occurred in Hawaii and Japan during and immediately after World War II. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 13 April 2025

University of Dallas history professor Susan Hanssen discusses the legacy and cultural importance of the 1918 Pulitzer Prize winning book, "The Education of Henry Adams." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 6 April 2025

Santa Clara University art history professor Andrea Pappas discusses the mid-19th century American landscape painting movement known as the Hudson River School. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 29 March 2025

University of Texas history professor Bruce Hunt discusses the development of the atomic bomb during World War II and the role of the Army Corps of Engineers General Leslie Groves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 23 March 2025

Historian Heath Hardage Lee, author of "The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon," talks about the life and times of the former First Lady (1969-74). She says that Pat Nixon, who was voted "Most Admired Woman in the World" in 1972, was largely mis-portrayed by the press, who characterized her as being elusive and "plastic." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 15 March 2025

Georgetown University history professor Darragh Gannon discusses the Irish diaspora and the role of the United States during "The Troubles" and in the Northen Ireland peace process. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 9 March 2025

University of Southern California sociology professor Brittany Friedman discusses the formation and evolution of American prison gangs in the 20th and 21st centuries. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 2 March 2025

Yale University professor Marlene Daut discusses the life and legacy of slave, revolutionary, and king Henry Christophe and how the United States and other foreign powers reacted to the 1791 Haitian revolution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 23 February 2025

Indiana University history professor Juan Mora discusses the U.S. Border Patrol and how 20th century immigration laws shaped the creation and development of immigration agencies Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 16 February 2025

College of William & Mary lecturer Amy Stallings discusses the history of the 1607 Jamestown settlement in Virginia and efforts over four centuries to preserve and remember the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 3 February 2025

Duke University professor Cecilia Marquez discusses Latino migration trends in the 20th and early 21st centuries and how Latinos shaped the culture, development and economics of the American South. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 26 January 2025

Louisiana State University journalism professor John Maxwell Hamilton discusses U.S. government propaganda efforts during World War I. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 19 January 2025

Hillsdale College professor Richard Gamble teaches a class on civic faith, and how American nationalism incorporated religious elements and symbolism during the Cold War. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 12 January 2025

President John Kennedy's 1961 inaugural address was the topic of a class taught by University of Kansas political communication professor Robert Rowland. The University of Kansas is in Lawrence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 5 January 2025

Georgetown University professor Bonnie Morris talked about discrimination against women in sports and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any federally funded education program or activity.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 29 December 2024

York College professor Jacqueline Beatty discussed women’s rights and changing political power during the American Revolution and the early years of the Republic. York College is located in York, Pennsylvania. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 29 December 2024

Iowa State University professor Tracy Lucht talked about women journalists in the late-19th and early 20th centuries. She described the careers of some pioneers, such as Nellie Bly and Dorothy Dix, and the societal pressures for women writers to balance traditional femininity and a career in journalism.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 29 December 2024

Professor Donald Spivey talked about the legacy of pitcher Satchel Paige and Negro Leagues baseball. Satchel Paige was the first Negro Leagues player to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Professor Spivey also explained the ways that Paige and other Negro Leagues players and owners contributed to the struggle for civil rights, including fighting Jim Crow laws, financially supporting groups like the NAACP, and fostering friendships with white players in Major League Baseball.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 22 December 2024

Professor Joan Waugh talked about the rise of baseball as a national activity, spectator event, and business. She described the efforts of baseball club owners to codify the rules of the games, establish a national league, and attract a broad middle class audience. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 22 December 2024

Pepperdine University professor Loretta Hunnicutt taught a class about baseball during the Great Depression. She looked at the role of baseball in American culture and the origins of sports journalism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 22 December 2024

University of Maryland history professor Michael discussed, in the second of a two part lecture, the 1893 trial of Lizzie Borden. She was accused of murdering her father and stepmother with an axe. The murders and trial received widespread publicity at the time and Lizzie Borden became a lasting figure in American popular culture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 15 December 2024

University of Maryland history professor Michael Ross discussed the 1893 trial of Lizzie Borden, who was accused of murdering her father and stepmother with an axe. The murders and trial received widespread publicity at the time and Lizzie Borden became a lasting figure in American popular culture. This is the first of a two-part lecture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 8 December 2024

Richard Brookhiser has written and edited for National Review magazine for over 50 years. He has also written books about George Washington, James Madison, John Marshall, Alexander Hamilton, and "gentleman revolutionary" Gouverneur Morris. Now comes his latest, "Glorious Lessons: John Trumbull, Painter of the American Revolution." Trumbull, who lived between 1756 and 1843, was most famous for his 4 very large paintings about the Revolutionary War on the walls of the rotunda in the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 30 November 2024

In the first week of publication of Erik Larson's latest book, "The Demon of Unrest," sales put it at the very top of the bestseller list. It's about the start of the Civil War, with a focus on the five months between Abraham Lincoln's election and the day of the first shot fired on Fort Sumter, which is off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina. That was April 12, 1861. In his introduction, Erik Larson writes: "I invite you now to step into the past, to that time of fear and dissension…I suspect your sense of dread will be all the more pronounced in light of today's political discord…" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 23 November 2024