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
During the Gilded Age, companies paid employees in scrip redeemable at corporate stores instead of in hard cash. Is this similar to modern job benefits like health insurance and pensions?
Join us every Thursday for new pop quizzes, and stay tuned for the start of our new season in just a few weeks!
During the summer break, the 15-Minute History team will be republishing some of your favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on March 22, 2022.
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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 arm...
What was the Bank of the United States, and why did Andrew Jackson work so hard to destroy it?
And why is Eva Braun always referred to as Adolf Hitler's "mistress" even though he was not married?
Find out the answer to both questions on this week's pop quiz!
During the summer break, the 15-Minute History team will be republishing some of your favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on October 4, 2021.
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The steamboat passed the port and he looked out at the brown, muddy water. The heat was failing and the humidity began to soak his clothes. Soon it would be twilight and the lighting bugs would begin to flash on the shoreline. As the boat moved downriver, he saw an old wooden r...
Is America approaching an end similar to Rome's?
No.
But are there lessons from how the Roman Empire collapsed in the West that nations and leaders can apply to their own situations? Of course, so Joe and Jon explore those topics today.
Join us every Thursday this summer for new pop quizzes and on Mondays for rebroadcast episodes!
During the summer break, the 15-Minute History team will be republishing some of your favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on November 14, 2022.
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"I once knew a little boy whose mother and father died when he was six years old. He was a slave and had no one to care for him. He slept on a dirt floor in a hovel, and in cold weather would crawl into a meal bag head foremost and leave his feet in the ashes to keep them war...
Why do people continue to believe the worst about historical villains even if the facts prove they aren't quite as bad as some people thought?
Join us every Thursday this summer for new pop quizzes and on Mondays for rebroadcast episodes!
During the summer break, the 15-Minute History team will be republishing some of your favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on October 20, 2025.
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America is often described as a nation of ideas because its founders risked everything for principles in which they believed. But the revolutionaries had to overcome fears in their own hearts and those of their more hesitant countrymen. In this episode, Jon takes us through ho...
Why do politicians always call back to an idea--real or imagined--of the past? Is it as simple as wanting to make their country great again, or is there a deeper motivation?
Join us every Thursday this summer for new pop quizzes and on Mondays for rebroadcast episodes!
During the summer break, the 15-Minute History team will be republishing some of your favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on February 9, 2026.
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American progressives at the turn of the 20th century saw major flaws in the United States Constitution and worked to correct them through the process of amendments. Each one was the subject of debate and controversy, and all four made measurable changes to American society (t...
Would Britain have surrendered if Germany had destroyed its army at Dunkirk? This week, Joe and Jon explore one of the classic "what ifs" of the Second World War.
Join us every Thursday this summer for new pop quizzes and on Mondays for rebroadcast episodes!
During the summer break, the 15-Minute History team will be republishing some of your favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on December 1, 2025.
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Washington burns. The White House is in flames. But from the smoke and ashes, a nation discovers what it means to be American.
The War of 1812's darkest hour became its defining triumph. As British veterans fresh from defeating Napoleon torched the capital, as rockets rained on...
The Europeans may envy America's mighty air conditioners, but what would our country look like without this wondrous invention?
Join us every Thursday for new Pop Quizzes this summer!
During the summer break, the 15-Minute History team will be republishing some of your favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on November 17, 2025.
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Detroit falls without a fight. War Hawks demand blood. But on a blood-slick deck, four words become legend: Don’t give up the ship.
The War of 1812 is often dismissed as a minor conflict, overshadowed by the Revolution and the Civil War. But this overlooked war forged Am...
Jon didn't give his students a reading list this summer, but if he had, what books would he have assigned?
Join us every Monday for rebroadcast episodes this summer and on Thursdays for new Pop Quizzes!
(Even when they're late--Jon got his dates mixed up because he's a teacher on summer break...)
During the summer break, the 15-Minute History team will be republishing some of your favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on November 3, 2025.
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In the popular mind, John Adams' life and one term as President of the United States is often treated as a footnote alongside the careers of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington. But Adams left an indelible mark on his country's history. So as we continue...
How do we know when a political party goes "too far" on policy? And what happens when there is a backlash against their ideas?
Join us every week this summer for rebroadcast episodes and new pop quizzes!
During the summer break, the 15-Minute History team will be republishing some of your favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on January 26, 2026.
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"You must make your body." An asthmatic boy in wire-rimmed spectacles nods. Decades later, shot in the chest, he'll deliver a 90-minute speech: "It takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose."
Theodore Roosevelt is often reduced to caricature - the Rough Rider, the big game hunt...
To celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we've re-recorded an episode from season 1 entitled "Their Safety and Happiness," which looks at the historical and philosophical roots of the document. Joe and Jon then have a new discussion about America's best moments in history, the Declaration's role in our history, and dangerous fun involving fireworks!
We hope you all have a happy Independence Day--and tha...
A political question this week -- what are sanctuary cities and where do they come from?
Join us on Mondays this summer for rebroadcast episodes and on Thursdays for new Pop Quizzes. Stay tuned for some additional original content in the coming weeks!
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