The Incredible Escape of Robert Smalls
Robert Smalls was born into slavery in Beaufort, South Carolina in 1839. He escaped from enslavement during the U.S. Civil War, in a particularly dramatic fashion. Learn more about your ad-choices at...
15 Feb 201627min
Jimmy Doolittle and the Doolittle Raid
The Doolittle Raid was an attack on Japan launched by the U.S. in retaliation for Pearl Harbor. But the leader of the mission was a legend long before his daring efforts in WWII. Learn more about you...
10 Feb 201627min
A Brief History of the Pietà
While Michelangelo's sculpture of Mary holding the deceased body of Christ is the most famous depiction of that moment in art, that scene has been the focus of many works. And once, the famous version...
8 Feb 201635min
The Vanport Flood
On May 30, 1948, a flood destroyed Vanport, Oregon. What really makes the story more than a historical footnote is how it tied in to the racial makeup of both Portland and Oregon at the time. Learn m...
3 Feb 201629min
The Bawdy House Riots of 1668
In early modern London, there was a tradition of sorts where apprentices would amass on holidays and physically destroy brothels. One of the largest such riot took place during Easter week in 1668, an...
1 Feb 201628min
Queen Victoria: The Lady Hastings Scandal
Queen Victoria reigned for more than six decades, but her early years as ruler were peppered with a number of disastrous missteps. By participating in a horrible rumor campaign about her mother's lady...
27 Jan 201628min
The Honey War
The Honey War wasn't really about honey. It was a dispute over state lines. There are some bee trees in the mix, as well as some truly sub-par surveying work. It's a story full of silliness, pride and...
25 Jan 201630min
Courrières Mine Disaster of 1906
One of the worst mining tragedies in history, the explosion that sent fire through the Courrières mine tunnels claimed more than a thousand lives. It also created awareness of dangerous issues in mine...
20 Jan 201628min
