Secret WW2: Salon Kitty

In 1862, as Union troops occupied the Confederate stronghold of New Orleans, a new kind of warfare began, not one of bullets and bayonets, but of politics, psychology, and raw power. At the center stood Major General Benjamin Butler, a man whose mere name inspired terror and loathing across the South and even drew embarrassment among Northern allies. Branded the “Beast,” the “Butcher of New Orleans,” and “Spoons Butler,” his brief but incendiary tenure in New Orleans became one of the most controversial chapters of the Civil War. From his infamous General Order No. 28, which enraged women and diplomats alike, to his military trials, press censorship, executions, and alleged looting of the city’s wealth, Butler ruled with a combination of iron-fisted control and political theater. But was he a tyrant or a tactician? Did he save New Orleans from chaos, or humiliate it into submission? In this episode, we unpack the many faces of Benjamin Butler: reformer and opportunist, conqueror and governor, villain and visionary. His story is a study in how war is fought not just with weapons, but with symbols, policies, and power plays.   DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE! SPONSORED BY THE PODCAST REPUBLIC: https://www.podcastrepublic.net/    LEARN MORE AT: www.historyshortspodcast.com SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast ADVERTISE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/advertise    SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast LEARN MORE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/

27 Jul 11min

In one of the most astonishing chapters in American political history, Eugene V. Debs, a fiery labor leader, devout democratic socialist, and perennial presidential candidate, ran for President of the United States from a federal prison cell in 1920. And nearly a million Americans voted for him.   DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE! SPONSORED BY THE PODCAST REPUBLIC: https://www.podcastrepublic.net/    LEARN MORE AT: www.historyshortspodcast.com SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast ADVERTISE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/advertise    SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast LEARN MORE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/

26 Jul 12min

In this illuminating episode of History Shorts, Peter welcomes acclaimed historian and author Ross King, the bestselling writer behind Brunelleschi's Dome, Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling, Leonardo and the Last Supper, and most recently, The Shortest History of Italy. In this wide-ranging conversation, Ross shares what drew him to Renaissance Florence and 19th-century France, and why these moments of artistic revolution continue to resonate centuries later. Ross reveals how the Renaissance wasn’t about rejecting the past, but rather reimagining it. We explore how timeless works of art, from Michelangelo's David to Leonardo's Last Supper, emerged from painstaking craftsmanship, cultural rebirth, and sometimes, even personal failure. He also discusses the loss and preservation of art through time, including how Michelangelo’s work narrowly escaped destruction during WWII. And we look ahead at his next book: The Shortest History of Ancient Rome. Highlights: What it takes to create something truly timeless How the Renaissance redefined beauty, proportion, and harmony The legacy and downfall of illuminated manuscripts in the wake of the printing press How Vespasiano da Bisticci, the "bookseller of Florence," helped fuel the Renaissance The dangers of misinformation, from Gutenberg to Google Behind the scenes of writing a 3,000-year history in under 250 pages   SUBSCRIBE, LEAVE A REVIEW, OR A RATING! SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast  LEARN MORE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/  BUY DR. KING'S BOOKS   EPISODE SPONSOR: https://www.thecollector.com/  Peter's This Week's Top Picks from The Collector: 8 Works of Michelangelo You Should Know The Word Renaissance: Meaning, History, and Cultural Impact

25 Jul 35min

May 4, 1970, an ordinary spring day turned tragic at Kent State University. What began as a student protest against the Vietnam War ended in horror, as the Ohio National Guard opened fire on unarmed students, killing four and wounding nine. The Kent State shooting became a national flashpoint, forever altering the conversation about civil liberties, state power, and the cost of dissent. DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE! SPONSORED BY THE PODCAST REPUBLIC: https://www.podcastrepublic.net/    LEARN MORE AT: www.historyshortspodcast.com SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast ADVERTISE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/advertise    SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast LEARN MORE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/

24 Jul 12min

In the final throes of the Civil War, a chilling discovery near Richmond sent shockwaves through both Union and Confederate camps. On the body of a slain young Union officer—Colonel Ulric Dahlgren, Confederate soldiers found secret papers allegedly ordering the assassination of Jefferson Davis and the burning of Richmond. If authentic, these “Dahlgren Papers” represented one of the most explosive assassination plots in U.S. military history. DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE! SPONSORED BY THE PODCAST REPUBLIC: https://www.podcastrepublic.net/    LEARN MORE AT: www.historyshortspodcast.com SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast ADVERTISE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/advertise    SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast LEARN MORE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/

23 Jul 11min

To some, Jesse James was a gallant outlaw, a populist folk hero who struck back at greedy railroads and corrupt institutions, sharing his loot with poor farmers in a manner befitting a prairie Robin Hood. To others, he was a cold-blooded murderer, a Confederate guerrilla who never let go of the Civil War and who cloaked his crimes in politics and self-righteousness. The truth, as always, lies somewhere between legend and ledger.  DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE! SPONSORED BY THE PODCAST REPUBLIC: https://www.podcastrepublic.net/    LEARN MORE AT: www.historyshortspodcast.com SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast ADVERTISE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/advertise    SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast LEARN MORE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/

22 Jul 11min

Before dawn on December 15, 1890, a gunshot rang out on the Standing Rock Reservation, and Sitting Bull, the legendary Lakota chief, was dead. His assassination, carried out by Native police under U.S. government orders, marked not just the end of a man but the symbolic death of Native resistance on the Northern Plains.   DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE! SPONSORED BY THE PODCAST REPUBLIC: https://www.podcastrepublic.net/    LEARN MORE AT: www.historyshortspodcast.com SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast ADVERTISE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/advertise    SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast LEARN MORE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/

22 Jul 10min

Benedict Arnold: the name alone still echoes with betrayal. But behind the infamous label of “traitor” lies a story that’s far more complex, and far more human. Once hailed as a hero of the American Revolution, Arnold’s fall from grace was not a sudden plunge, but a slow unraveling of pride, frustration, ambition, and perceived injustice. In this episode of History Shorts, we explore the dramatic arc of Benedict Arnold’s life, from his fearless leadership at Quebec and Saratoga to his covert dealings with the British and ultimate defection. Was Arnold merely a villain, or was he a brilliant, wounded patriot who felt abandoned by the cause he once gave everything to defend? You’ve heard the name. Now hear the story. DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE! SPONSORED BY THE PODCAST REPUBLIC: https://www.podcastrepublic.net/    LEARN MORE AT: www.historyshortspodcast.com SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast ADVERTISE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/advertise    SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast LEARN MORE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/

21 Jul 11min