History Shorts

Few powers granted to the American presidency are as sweeping—or as controversial—as the power to pardon. Written directly into the Constitution, the authority allows the president to forgive federal ...

21 Maalis 12min

In this episode of History Shorts Podcast, we dive into the fascinating lives of the seven daughters of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria—Marianna, Marie Christine, Elisabeth, Amalie, Josepha, Carolina...

20 Maalis 18min

In the mid-1960s, America faced a growing labor crisis in its agricultural fields. For decades, farms across the country had depended heavily on migrant labor—much of it organized through the Bracero ...

19 Maalis 10min

For much of American history, the nation's military was not overseen by a single unified department. Instead, it was divided between separate branches like the United States Department of War and the ...

18 Maalis 11min

In the chaos of civil war, one man rose from relative obscurity to rule England without a crown. Oliver Cromwell, a Puritan soldier and fierce opponent of royal authority, emerged as one of the most p...

17 Maalis 11min

Long before Hollywood dramatized it, New York City in the mid-19th century was a battleground of rival gangs, political machines, and neighborhoods fighting for control of the streets. In crowded dist...

16 Maalis 10min

In the late 19th century, one naval officer reshaped how the world understood power itself—not through speeches or battlefield heroics, but through a book. Alfred Thayer Mahan, a U.S. Navy captain and...

15 Maalis 9min

It's small. Portable. Affordable. Easy to slip into a coat pocket or toss into a suitcase. But the paperback book didn't just change how we read—it changed who could read. Before the 20th century, boo...

14 Maalis 10min