15-Minute History
Walking in the footsteps of history, fifteen minutes at a time. Join us for a 15-minute episode covering a person, place, or event in history, and stay for an extended discussion. New episodes and discussions every week.
Episodes
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!!
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!
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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.
T...
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!
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!
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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 w...
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!
During the summer break, the 15-Minute History podcast team are republishing some of their favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on June 12, 2023.
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The dull hum of aircraft filled the morning air. German soldiers looked up from the French town of St. Lô, expecting to see a few enemy fighters bearing down on them. Their hearts froze in their chests as nearly a thousand bombers emerged from the clouds. They had heard of t...
This week, Joe asked about the soldiers who guard political leaders and why they sometimes turn on those whom they are sworn to protect. Why does it happen? What are the results? And could it happen today?
Join us every Thursday for pop quizzes, and comment below with your thoughts, questions, and suggestions for new episodes!
During the summer break, the 15-Minute History podcast team are republishing some of their favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on February 10, 2025.
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Seven years ago, Joe and I began this podcast with a two-part episode on the Second World War in Europe. Today, we fulfill a promise to longtime listeners with the first installment of the Pacific War--from Pearl Harbor to Midway. Join us next week for the second part ne...
This week's pop quiz takes a historic approach to Marketing 101. Joe gives us his thoughts on recent trends at American Eagle, Cracker Barrel, Budweiser, and a gun company that shall not be named. By looking at how these companies have performed recently in their brand appeal, we can draw some lessons about how businesses interact with customers and be more aware of changes in their messaging strategies.
Join us every Thursday u...
Join Jon, Joe, and longtime guest host Dan as they discuss pivotal moments in history that could have gone very wrong, the effects of their outcomes, and the power of individual choice in each one.
If you would like to hear more discussions like this, let us know at 15minutehistory@gmail.com. As always, be sure to like, comment, and subscribe!
Welcome to the Pop Quiz! Every Thursday, one of the hosts will ask the other a question about history they must answer.
Have an idea for a topic? Send it to us at 15minutehistory@gmail.com or submit it to our website at https://www.15minutehistorypodcast.org. We promise not to give him any hints.
During the summer break, the 15-Minute History podcast team are republishing some of their favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on November 18, 2024.
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Kim Philby, Donald Maclean, Guy Burgess, Anthony Blunt, and John Cairncross—passed almost 17,000 classified documents to the Soviet Union for 30+ years. The information was so extensive and the volume so large, that Soviet intelligence initially suspected some of it migh...
What is the Demon Cat of Washington? Where does folklore originate in culture? How do historians read folklore? Join us for this extended pop quiz as Joe and Jon discuss folklore and its effect on history.
And post your ideas for new episodes, comments, and questions in the comments. You make this show a success and we love to hear from you!
During the summer break, the 15-Minute History podcast team are republishing some of their favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on May 4, 2023.
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On the morning of January 26th, Murphy and his men saw movement in the tree line ahead. As the morning fog cleared, over two hundred German infantrymen and six Mark VI Tiger Tanks appeared and began a counterattack.
I will stop here for a moment and give you an opportunity to ...
Was Charlemagne real? Did we land on the moon? Who are the real villains in history? Join us in this week's conversation about myths vs. reality and theory vs. facts when it comes to history.
And post your ideas for new episodes, comments, and questions in the comments. You make this show a success and we love to hear from you!
During the summer break, the 15-Minute History podcast team are republishing some of their favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on January 16, 2024.
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Xerxes I, also known as Xerxes the Great, was a Persian king who ruled over the vast Achaemenid Empire from 486 BCE to 465 BCE. He was the son of King Darius I and Atossa, the daughter of Cyrus the Great. This lineage protected Xerxes during his time as a prince and solid...
As Churchill once said, "Truth must be surrounded by a bodyguard of lies," and this is never more true in wartime (or a presidential campaign). This week we discuss a deception operation during World War Two, its effect on the war, and the anatomy of both humans and the continent of Europe!
We love hearing from you, so post your comments, questions, and ideas for new pop quizzes below.
During the summer break, the 15-Minute History podcast team are republishing some of their favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on February 26, 2024.
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Two men stood in a large room shouting at one another, raging over family and war or accusing each other of incompetence and cowardice. A third man stood nearby, servant of one and friend to both. In a corner, a young woman cowered with her face bruised and her body shak...
Do we need government regulations to protect employees in the workplace? Can labor unions go too far in efforts to safeguard their members? And did the sinking of RMS Titanic have something to do with shoddy health & safety measures?
Post your comments, questions, and thoughts about new pop quizzes below!
Samuel Colt’s name is forever linked to the company he founded and the revolver he called the “Peacemaker.” Born in Connecticut in 1814, he was steeped in America’s gun culture from an early age. His grandfather had served in George Washington’s army, and Samuel inherited an old flintlock pistol from the family hero when he was only six. At the age of fifteen, while working in his father’s textile plant, he built a galvanic cell (b...
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