The Free City of Danzig

Thomas Jefferson, as President, faced the challenge of the Barbary States—North African pirate nations demanding tribute from American merchant ships—in the early 19th century. Refusing to continue paying ransom, Jefferson deployed the U.S. Navy and Marines, marking the first significant overseas military action in American history and establishing the young nation’s resolve to protect its interests abroad. The conflict, particularly the daring 1805 attack on Tripoli’s harbor, enhanced Jefferson’s reputation and laid the groundwork for a permanent U.S. naval presence in the Mediterranean.   DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE! SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast ADVERTISE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/advertise  LEARN MORE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/ SPONSORED BY: https://www.podcastrepublic.net/get-it-now

10 Sep 12min

Scientology was founded in the early 1950s by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, who published Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health in 1950, promoting a system he claimed could cure psychological and physical ailments through a process called auditing. The movement evolved into the Church of Scientology, establishing a highly organized religious structure, celebrity outreach, and controversial practices, including aggressive legal and public relations campaigns. Over the decades, it has faced criticism for alleged exploitation, secrecy, and harassment of critics, while maintaining a devoted international following.   DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE! SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast ADVERTISE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/advertise  LEARN MORE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/ SPONSORED BY: https://www.podcastrepublic.net/get-it-now

9 Sep 11min

In 1932, during the depths of the Great Depression, roughly 17,000 World War I veterans, known as the Bonus Army, marched on Washington, D.C., demanding early payment of a promised service bonus not due until 1945. They set up makeshift camps in the capital, but tensions escalated when Congress refused their demands, and President Hoover ordered the U.S. Army to forcibly remove them. The eviction turned violent, with soldiers burning the veterans’ camps and using tear gas, leaving a lasting stain on Hoover’s presidency and deepening public anger over the government’s handling of the economic crisis.   DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE! SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast ADVERTISE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/advertise  LEARN MORE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/ SPONSORED BY: https://www.podcastrepublic.net/get-it-now

8 Sep 13min

TODAY IN CONTEXT BONUS EPISODE: President Trump’s recent call for federal intervention in Chicago sparked widespread backlash... Today's Bonus episode traces this moment through U.S. history, from the Pullman Strike of 1894 and federal troop deployments in the Gilded Age, through urban unrest in the 1960s and 1990s, showing a recurring pattern of presidents stepping into city crises amid sensationalized media coverage. By examining these precedents, from Cleveland to Johnson, Nixon, and Bush, the episode points to how federal involvement in American cities has long provoked political tension, social consequences, and lasting debates over law, order, and civil rights. DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!   SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast ADVERTISE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/advertise  LEARN MORE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/

7 Sep 13min

LIMITED SERIES 11: SECRET WW2 - Operation Himmler was a covert Nazi German operation in 1939 designed to fabricate Polish aggression against Germany, using staged attacks on German territory as a pretext for invading Poland. These false-flag incidents, including the infamous Gleiwitz radio station attack, were part of Hitler’s propaganda strategy to justify the outbreak of World War II to both the German public and the international community.   DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE! SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast ADVERTISE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/advertise  LEARN MORE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/ SPONSORED BY: https://www.podcastrepublic.net/get-it-now

7 Sep 12min

In 1893, amid a severe economic depression, President Grover Cleveland secretly underwent surgery aboard a yacht to remove a cancerous tumor from his mouth, a procedure kept hidden from the public to avoid further destabilizing confidence in the U.S. economy. This unprecedented secrecy, involving a team of physicians and an anesthetized Cleveland under the cover of night, remains one of the most remarkable examples of presidential discretion in American history. DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE! SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast ADVERTISE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/advertise  LEARN MORE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/ SPONSORED BY: https://www.podcastrepublic.net/get-it-now

6 Sep 10min

In this captivating episode, we sit down with historian Scott Ellsworth to discuss his latest book, Midnight on the Potomac: The Last Year of the Civil War, the Lincoln Assassination, and the Rebirth of America. Ellsworth offers a fresh perspective on the Civil War’s final year, revealing new insights into John Wilkes Booth’s collaboration with the Confederate Secret Service, the pivotal roles of marginalized figures, and the profound political and social transformations that shaped America’s rebirth.  BUY ELLSWORTH'S BOOKS HERE   DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!   SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast ADVERTISE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/advertise  LEARN MORE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/   SPONSORED BY THE COLLECTOR: www.thecollector.com  THIS WEEK'S THE COLLECTOR.COM'S ARTICLE SELECTION:  The Lost Cause Philosophy Abraham Lincoln's Assassination

5 Sep 22min

The Florentine Renaissance saw two of its greatest minds, Lorenzo Ghiberti and Filippo Brunelleschi, locked in a fierce competition: Ghiberti ultimately won the commission for the elaborate bronze doors of the Baptistery with his exquisite relief work, while Brunelleschi went on to revolutionize architecture by engineering the massive, self-supporting dome of the Florence Cathedral. Their rivalry not only highlighted their extraordinary talents but also set a benchmark for artistic and engineering innovation that defined the era.  DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE! SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast ADVERTISE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/advertise  LEARN MORE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/ SPONSORED BY: https://www.podcastrepublic.net/get-it-now

4 Sep 13min