American History Tellers
Episodes
Transcontinental Railroad | Work of Giants | 1
13 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In October 1860, railroad engineer Theodore Judah looked out across California’s Sierra Nevada range, dreaming of a railroad that would connect the ...
Listen Now: American Criminal
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The true crime history podcast American Criminal takes you inside the minds of our most notorious felons and outlaws, exploring the dark sid...
Jamestown | Chief Opechancanough | 5
06 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Many people are familiar with Powhatan, the Paramount Chief who ruled over a vast network of more than 30 tribes in the Chesapeake region when the Eng...
Jamestown | The Great Reforms | 4
30 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In April 1613, years of bloody warfare culminated in the kidnapping of the paramount chief Powhatan’s daughter Pocahontas. The English colonists in ...
Jamestown | The Starving Time | 3
23 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the summer of 1609, a hurricane struck a large English fleet bound for Virginia on a rescue mission. Some of the battered survivors safely landed i...
Jamestown | A Hell of Darkness | 2
16 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In January 1608, fire blazed through the English settlement in Jamestown, Virginia. Nearly every building was reduced to ash. The destruction meant th...
History Daily: Breaking the Sound Barrier
14 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
October 14, 1947. US Air Force Captain Chuck Yeager becomes the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound, a feat many aviators previously be...
Jamestown | Land of Milk and Honey | 1
09 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In December 1606, three ships carrying 104 settlers left England and set sail for Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay. Six months later, they arrived on a nar...
The Titanic | The Obsession | 4
02 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After the RMS Titanic sank in 1912, the ocean liner's fame only continued to grow. Today, Lindsay is joined by journalist Daniel Stone to discuss how ...
History Daily: Suleiman the Magnificent
30 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
September 30, 1520. Suleiman the Magnificent becomes Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and sets his sights on conquering Europe.You can listen ad-free in ...
The Titanic | Orphans of the Deep | 3
25 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On April 16, 1912, shocked survivors of the Titanic made their way to New York aboard the rescue ship, RMS Carpathia, and news of the tragedy began to...
The Titanic | She's Doomed | 2
18 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Just past midnight on April 15th, 1912, only 20 minutes after striking an iceberg, the Titanic began taking on water in her forward hull. Captain Edwa...
History Daily: The Wall Street Bombing
16 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
September 16, 1920. A horse-drawn wagon explodes in the middle of New York’s financial district, killing 30 people.You can listen ad-free in the Won...
The Titanic | Unsinkable | 1
11 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When the RMS Titanic launched in April of 1912, it was the pinnacle of luxury and the largest vessel to ever set sail. It was also an engineering marv...
Encore: Presidential Assassinations | Ricochet | 5
04 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In 1981, a gunman fired six shots at Ronald Reagan after the president gave a speech at a Washington D.C. hotel. Over the next several hours, split-se...
History Daily: The Great Fire of London Begins
02 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
September 2nd 1666: the Great Fire of London begins in a bakery on Pudding Lane, before quickly spreading and reducing one third of London to ashes. T...
Encore: Presidential Assassinations | Three Shots in Dallas | 4
28 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On November 22, 1963, John F. Kennedy was shot and killed while riding in his presidential limo through downtown Dallas. His violent and public death ...
Encore: Presidential Assassinations | Anarchist at the Exposition | 3
21 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In September 1901, President William McKinley visited the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York to deliver a speech celebrating American achiev...
History Daily: A Failed Coup in Moscow
19 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Description: August 19, 1991. A group of Communist Party hardliners attempt to save the collapsing Soviet Union by staging a coup against party leader...
Encore: Presidential Assassinations | Murder for Spoils | 2
14 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On April 14th, 1865, John Wilkes Booth shot President Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. Lincoln died hours later, shocking the w...
Encore: Presidential Assassinations | Protecting POTUS (NEW) | 1
07 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The job of guarding the President’s life belongs to the men and women of the United States Secret Service. There have been many highs and lows in th...
History Daily: The Lonesome Cowboys Raid
05 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
August 5, 1969. Police in Atlanta, Georgia raid a screening of Andy Warhol’s underground film Lonesome Cowboys, triggering a wave of protests that s...
First Ladies | No Handbook | 6
31 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There’s no job description for the role of First Lady of the United States. Betty Ford described it as being “much more than a 24-hour job.” Fir...
First Ladies | Michelle Obama | 5
24 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the summer of 1989, Michelle Robinson was an up and coming lawyer at a Chicago law firm when she met a charming associate named Barack Obama. The t...
History Daily: The End of the Warsaw Ghetto
22 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
July 22, 1942. The Nazis begin the evacuation of the Warsaw Ghetto, transporting hundreds of thousands of Jews to their deaths at the Treblinka Exterm...
First Ladies | Betty Ford | 4
17 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In 1974, Betty Ford was thrust onto the world stage when Richard Nixon resigned and her husband, Gerald, rose from VP to become the 38th President of ...
First Ladies | Eleanor Roosevelt | 3
10 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In 1905, Eleanor Roosevelt married her distant cousin Franklin, beginning a remarkable and complicated union. During her husband’s years as Presiden...
First Ladies | Mary Todd Lincoln | 2
03 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In 1842, Mary Todd married Abraham Lincoln in Springfield, Illinois after a stormy romance. Despite their many differences, the couple bonded over a s...
First Ladies | Martha Washington | 1
26 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In 1757, 26-year-old Martha Dandridge Custis was the wealthiest widow in Virginia when she caught the eye of George Washington, a young military hero ...
History Daily: The End of the Münster Rebellion
24 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
June 24, 1535. A radical political uprising comes to an end when the city of Münster falls to an Bishop’s army.You can listen ad-free in the Wonder...
Benjamin Franklin | The Flame of Liberty | 2
19 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the spring of 1775, Benjamin Franklin left London for America after years of fruitless attempts to ease tensions with the British government. By th...
Benjamin Franklin | Join or Die | 1
12 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In 1723, a teenage Benjamin Franklin arrived in Philadelphia ready to reinvent himself. He was a penniless apprentice printer with a hunger for knowle...
History Daily: The First Execution of the Salem Witch Trials
10 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
June 10, 1692. Accusations of witchcraft spark hysteria in a town in Massachusetts, leading to the execution of Bridget Bishop – the first vic...
The Hidden History of the White House | 1
05 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The new book from American History Tellers, The Hidden History of the White House: Power Struggles, Scandals, and Defining Moments, is available now f...
The Pinkerton Detective Agency | Behind The Brand | 4
29 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Allan Pinkerton started the Pinkerton National Detective Agency to catch robbers, counterfeiters and spies. For a time, Pinkerton detectives enjoyed t...
History Daily: A B-24 Crash Survivor Begins a Fight for Survival
27 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
May 27, 1943: A B-24 bomber crashes in the Pacific Ocean, beginning a two year ordeal at sea and in Japanese captivity for former Olympic athlete Loui...
The Pinkerton Detective Agency | The Public Eye | 3
22 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
By the late 1800s, the Pinkerton Detective Agency faced public criticism for their anti-labor practices. So the company pivoted, sending Pinkerton det...
The Pinkerton Detective Agency | Brothers and Sons | 2
15 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the mid-1870s the Pinkerton Detective Agency’s fame was growing, and founder Allan Pinkerton began to pen bestselling books that promoted his and...
History Daily: The Attempted Assassination of Pope John Paul II
13 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
May 13th 1981: Pope John Paul II is shot in a mysterious assassination plot with potential ties to the KGB.You can listen ad-free in the Wondery or Am...
The Pinkerton Detective Agency | "We Never Sleep" | 1
08 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the early 1850s, Scottish immigrant Allan Pinkerton stumbled upon a counterfeiting operation while gathering wood for his barrel-making business. A...
World War I | "Heaven, Hell, or Hoboken" | 5
01 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After the United States declared war on Germany in April 1917, America scrambled to assemble boot camps across the country to train a fighting force t...
History Daily: Rock Musical Rent Debuts on Broadway
29 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
April 29, 1996. New musical Rent premieres on Broadway, only a few months after the death of the show’s creator.You can listen ad-free in the Wonder...
World War I | The Eleventh Hour | 4
24 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the summer of 1918, the U.S. successfully led a critical offensive in northern France, finally giving the Allies the upper hand in the battle again...
World War I | The Spring Offensive | 3
17 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In January 1918, after months of preparation and planning, American troops finally started to arrive in Europe in significant numbers. But the U.S. wa...
History Daily: The Hillsborough Stadium Disaster
15 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
April 15, 1989: A crowd crush at a soccer game at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, England leads to the deaths of 97 Liverpool fans.You can listen a...
World War I | The Yanks Are Coming | 2
10 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the spring of 1917 the U.S. moved closer to entering the Great War. German submarines resumed attacks against American ships, and a secret German t...
World War I | Preparedness | 1
03 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In June 1914, a gunman assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir apparent to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This event set off a chain reaction th...
History Daily: The Hale-Bopp Comet
01 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
April 1, 1997. The Hale-Bopp Comet reaches the closest point to the sun on its long loop through space, presenting a magnificent spectacle to stargaze...
Encore: Lewis and Clark I The Long Way Home | 3
27 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After 18 months and over two thousand miles, Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery had reached the Pacific Ocean. Now, they would have to find their ...
Encore: Lewis and Clark I Across the Rockies | 2
20 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the spring of 1805, Lewis and Clark resumed their journey up the Missouri River in search of the Pacific. But to reach the ocean, they would have t...
History Daily: The Execution of the Last Grand Master of the Knights Templar
15 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
March 18, 1314. Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, is burned at the stake.You can listen ad-free in the Wondery or Amazon...
Encore: Lewis and Clark I Into the Wild | 1
13 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In 1803, Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark began a westward journey that would transform America. Their mission was to head up the Missouri ...
The Underground Railroad | Harriet Tubman’s Goodbye Song | 5
06 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In 1849, Harriet Tubman escaped her enslaver in Maryland and freed herself. Over the next several years she took great personal risks, traveling back ...
The Underground Railroad | Journey’s End | 4
28 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In December 1850, Harriet Tubman saved three family members from an auction block in a daring rescue in Cambridge, Maryland. It was the start of one o...
The Underground Railroad | Crossing the Line | 3
21 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On the morning of April 16th, 1848, dozens of Washington, D.C. slaveowners woke up to find that their slaves were gone. The previous night, 77 enslave...
History Daily: The Battle of Lugdunum
20 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
February 19, 197 CE. Septimius Severus' victory at the Battle of Lugdunum finally establishes him as the sole ruler of the Roman Empire.You can listen...
The Underground Railroad | Vigilance | 2
14 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the 1830s, abolitionism became a political force to be reckoned with. In the face of harassment and mob violence, Black and white abolitionists sta...
The Underground Railroad | The Light of Freedom | 1
07 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the early 1800s, slavery rapidly expanded across the American South. But each year, thousands of courageous enslaved men, women, and children fled ...
The Manhattan Project | 'Oppenheimer' with Kai Bird | 4
31 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Following the success of the Manhattan Project, the U.S. sought to develop a potentially more powerful and deadly weapon – the Hydrogen Bomb. Despit...
The Manhattan Project | Devastating Success | 3
24 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In Spring of 1945, the tides of World War 2 turned. Germany surrendered to the Allies, but Japan vowed to keep fighting. To prevent further casualties...
History Daily: The Northern Cheyenne Face Off Against the US Army
22 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
January 22, 1879. After years of displacement, the northern Cheyenne, led by Chief Morning Star, face off against the U.S. Army in an attempt to retur...
The Manhattan Project | Secret Cities | 2
17 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In Spring of 1943, hundreds of scientists and technicians moved to a remote location in the mountains of New Mexico to work at a secret laborator...
The Manhattan Project | Chain Reaction | 1
10 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In December 1938, a team of German physicists achieved an astonishing scientific breakthrough: they split the nucleus of a uranium atom. In the United...
Great American Authors | The Enduring Message of James Baldwin | 7
03 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In 1948, James Baldwin left for France, hoping to find an escape from the racism he experienced in America. But Baldwin returned to the U.S. frequentl...
Great American Authors | Harper Lee: Mockingbird | 6
27 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In 1949, aspiring writer Nelle Harper Lee moved from her home in small-town Alabama to New York City. She was following in the footsteps of her childh...
Great American Authors | James Baldwin: The Exile | 5
20 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Born into poverty in Harlem in 1924, James Baldwin rose to become a celebrated novelist, essayist, playwright, and poet, and a leading voice in the Ci...
History Daily: The “Christmas Bombing” of North Vietnam
18 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
December 18, 1972. After peace talks break down, US President Richard Nixon announces the start of the “Christmas Bombing” of North See Priva...
Great American Authors | John Steinbeck: The Observer | 4
13 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Growing up in the Salinas Valley of Northern California, John Steinbeck dreamed of becoming a professional writer. In his youth he took on odd jobs an...
Great American Authors | Mark Twain: Voice of a Nation | 3
06 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the late 1850s, a young man named Samuel Clemens started out piloting steamboats on the Mississippi River. Within a few years, he embarked on a wri...
History Daily: Pan Am Shuts Down for Good
04 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
December 4, 1991. After 64 years dominating the skies, a series of poor financial decisions forces Pan American Airways to shut down.You can listen ad...
Great American Authors | Louisa May Alcott: The Breadwinner | 2
29 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In 1840, eight-year-old Louisa May Alcott moved to the small town of Concord, Massachusetts with her family. There, she spent her days wandering throu...
Great American Authors | Edgar Allan Poe: Master of Macabre | 1
22 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In February 1826, 17-year-old Edgar Allan Poe was a promising student at the University of Virginia. But within a few months, gambling debts forced hi...
History Daily: Fire at Windsor Castle
20 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
November 20, 1992. After a year of bad press for Britain's royals, Windsor castle catches fire, raising questions about the cost and future of the Bri...
1906 San Francisco Earthquake | Out of the Ruins | 4
15 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire reduced the city to rubble and ash, reporters fanned out across the burning landscape. The San Franci...
1906 San Francisco Earthquake | The Last Stand | 3
08 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the wake of a devastating earthquake that rocked the city of San Francisco, thousands of people were left homeless. The military set up temporary c...
1906 San Francisco Earthquake | The Sky Burned | 2
01 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Less than 24 hours after a devastating earthquake struck San Francisco, fires were raging across the city. Firefighters watched helplessly as the flam...
1906 San Francisco Earthquake | The Earth Shook | 1
25 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the early morning hours of April 18th, 1906, residents of San Francisco were awakened by the violent shaking of a massive earthquake. People on the...
Salem Witch Trials | A Descendant Remembers | 5
18 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the midst of the public hysteria surrounding the Salem Witch Trials, a respected Puritan woman named Rebecca Nurse was accused of using witchcraft ...
History Daily: The Unearthing of the Cardiff Giant
16 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
October 16, 1869. An American trickster masterminds the discovery of a mysterious petrified giant in upstate New York.You can listen ad-free in the Wo...
Salem Witch Trials | A Great Delusion | 4
11 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
By September 1692, the witch panic in Salem, Massachusetts had sent 11 women and men to the gallows. Dozens more languished in jail awaiting trial.But...
Salem Witch Trials | Specter of Injustice | 3
04 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In May 1692, William Phips, the new royal governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, sailed into Boston Harbor and was immediately faced with an unprec...
Salem Witch Trials | The Devil Against Us | 2
27 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
By the first week of March 1692, three Salem women had been jailed for witchcraft, and accusations continued to spread. Authorities publicly questione...
Salem Witch Trials | An Evil Hand | 1
20 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In January 1692, two young girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts began behaving strangely. They screamed, barked like dogs, and writhed on the floor. ...
Encore: The WWII Home Front | United We Win | 2
13 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As the nation’s factories and shipyards ramped up production for the war, the demand for labor exploded. Millions of women and minorities entered th...
Encore: The WWII Home Front | Arsenal of Democracy | 1
06 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On December 7, 1941, hundreds of Japanese warplanes rained death and destruction down on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor—shocking the nation and...
Encore: Supreme Court Landmarks | Jane Roe | 7
30 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In 1970, a 22-year-old woman in Texas named Norma McCorvey tried and failed to get an abortion from her doctor. Abortion was illegal in Texas, just as...
Encore: Supreme Court Landmarks | A Recount in Florida | 6
23 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The morning of Nov. 8, 2000, Americans woke up to an undecided election. Pollsters had predicted a close race between Vice President Al Gore and Texas...
Encore: Supreme Court Landmarks | The Warren Court | 5
16 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Before the 1950s, the Supreme Court was best known as an institution that adhered to the status quo. It often sought to protect the rights of property...
Encore: Supreme Court Landmarks | Loaded Weapon | 4
09 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Through most of 1941, as fighting raged across Europe, the United States held back from entering the war. That all changed in December, when Japanese ...
Encore: Supreme Court Landmarks | Separate and Unequal | 3
02 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After the Civil War, America began to rebuild a shattered nation. For the first time, the country could create a society without slavery, and a nation...
Encore: Supreme Court Landmarks | The Cherokee Cases | 2
26 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the early 1800s, the United States was growing rapidly, seeking land and resources for its expanding population. But the growth threatened Native A...
Encore: Supreme Court Landmarks | The Predicament of John Marshall | 1
19 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After the War of Independence, the new American government created the Supreme Court to be the final word on disputes that the states couldn’t settl...
Reconstruction Era | Counter Narratives | 7
12 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After Federal troops withdrew from the South in 1877, Reconstruction officially came to an end, and the battle to control the narrative began. For the...
Reconstruction Era | The Great Betrayal | 6
05 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In 1876, Republican Rutherford B. Hayes and Democrat Samuel Tilden vied for the presidency. But when Election Day was over, no clear winner emerged. A...
Reconstruction Era | The Panic | 5
28 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On Easter Sunday, 1873, an armed white mob battled a Black militia over control of a courthouse in a rural Louisiana parish. In the end, as many as 15...
Reconstruction Era | The Bloody Chasm | 4
21 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In 1870, the ratification of the 15th Amendment enshrined Black men’s right to vote in the Constitution. Senator Hiram Revels became the first Black...
Reconstruction Era | Impeachment | 3
14 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the spring of 1867, over President Andrew Johnson’s veto, the Republican-controlled Congress passed the Reconstruction Acts, putting the U.S. Arm...
Reconstruction Era | The Radical Revolution | 2
07 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In December 1865, the first postwar Congress convened in Washington, D.C. With Black Southerners still facing rampant violence and discrimination, the...
Reconstruction Era | From the Ashes of War | 1
31 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the spring of 1865, the United States celebrated the end of four years of Civil War. As American soldiers laid down their weapons, four million for...
United Farm Workers | The Fall | 3
24 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
By the early 1970s the United Farm Workers had won a series of successes in California and were attempting to extend their reach into other states. Bu...