The Complicated History of Miss America
For more than a century, the Miss America Pageant has reflected America's changing ideas about beauty, femininity, ambition, and culture. What began as a tourist attraction in Atlantic City evolved in...
10 Juni 11min
How Medieval Guilds Invented Modern Commerce
The next time a package arrives at your doorstep—tracked, inspected, and delivered by a company whose reputation depends on reliability—you can thank a group of people who lived hundreds of years befo...
9 Juni 12min
Hitler on Trial: The Lawyer Who Put the Fuhrer on the Stand
Before he became the dictator of Germany, Adolf Hitler was a political agitator whose movement often relied on intimidation and street violence. Few people dared challenge him in court. One man did—an...
8 Juni 12min
The Catnip Riot of 1909
In the summer of 1909, G. Herman Gottlieb set out through New York City carrying two baskets filled with fresh catnip. His plan was simple: sell the herb to wealthy cat owners along Fifth Avenue. What...
7 Juni 12min
One Last Run: Billy the Kid's Great Escape
In the spring of 1881, the days of the American frontier outlaw were numbered. Captured, convicted, and awaiting execution, Billy the Kid appeared to have reached the end of the trail. But Billy had o...
6 Juni 14min
The Two Ships that Divided America, w/ David S. Reynolds
In this episode, I sit down with acclaimed historian and cultural biographer David S. Reynolds to discuss his powerful new book, Two Ships: Jamestown 1619, Plymouth 1620, and the Struggle for the Soul...
5 Juni 24min
The Alaska Triangle - America's Own Bermuda Triangle
Few places in North America inspire as much mystery as the vast wilderness of Alaska. Stretching between the cities of Anchorage, Juneau, and Utqiagvik, the region known as the "Alaska Triangle" has b...
4 Juni 14min
Rome's Forgotten Female Gladiators
For centuries, the gladiators of Ancient Rome have been imagined as powerful men battling for glory in the arena. But hidden within the historical record is a far more surprising reality: some gladiat...
3 Juni 11min
