15-Minute History14 Juli 2025

What If? | A Lasting Peace at Tilsit (Republish)

During the summer break, the 15-Minute History podcast team are republishing some of their favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on July 12, 2021.

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The raft floated in the midst of the River Niemen. On it were two beautiful pavilions, one for the Emperor of the French and the other for the Czar and Autocrat of All the Russias. In the French tent, Napoleon Bonaparte argued with his foreign minister, Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand, over how harsh the peace terms with the defeated Russians should be. Talleyrand, a servant of every revolutionary government since 1789, was a snake in silk stockings, but he knew foreign policy better than anyone else in the emperor’s entourage. He begged the emperor to treat Russia gently and put an end to fifteen years of war. But Napoleon, flush with the victory at Friedland earlier that year, was determined to humiliate Alexander I, and Talleyrand, ever the obedient servant in public, fell silent. What if Napoleon had heeded Talleyrand’s advice in 1807 and treated the Russians with more respect? What would our world look like today if history had taken a different course? In this series of bonus episodes on “15-Minute History,” Joe and I will be sharing some of our favorite “What If?” scenarios from this series with you. Building on the theme of Season Four, learning from history, we hope to provide some lessons on how individuals shape the destinies of large groups and entire nations.

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War of 1812 (Part 2) | The Fire That Reforged a Nation (Republish)

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.---Washington burns. The White House is in fl...

27 Juli 0s

Pop Quiz | Air Conditioning

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!

23 Juli 0s

The War of 1812 (Part 1): Humiliation, Hawks, and Heroism (Republish)

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.---Detroit falls without a fight. War Hawks ...

20 Juli 0s

Pop Quiz | Summer Reading List

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...

16 Juli 3min

John Adams | "I Know I Am Right" (Repost)

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.---In the popular mind, John Adams' life and ...

13 Juli 14min

Pop Quiz | Extremism and the "Political Pendulum"

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 quizze...

9 Juli 3min

Theodore Roosevelt | A Strenuous Life (Republish)

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.---"You must make your body." An asthmatic bo...

8 Juli 21min

Summer Special | America's 250th Birthday!

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...

4 Juli 21min