15-Minute History

This week's pop quiz comes to us courtesy of a budding historian at Mr. Streeter's school! He asked about some details from our episode on George Patton a few weeks ago, and his questions were really deep and insightful. Thanks, Joshua, for sending these in--we love hearing from you (and everyone in our audience)!

Join us this week for a discussion on how and why the Americans revolted against King George III, the course that revolution took in the hearts and minds of the American people, and the hope seen at its end in the meeting between the King and America's ambassador, John Adams.Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and tell us about any topics you'd like us to cover as we continue our journey to America's 250th birthday next summer!

The 15-Minute History Podcast team welcomes you to a new season of Sketches in History. This segment, just for kids, shows that history isn’t just a story—it’s an adventure. Join Lottie Archer as she dives into her extraordinary notebook, where sketches from history come to life.In this episode, she goes back to early America to witness a great debate and compromise. She finds a building full of arguing state delegates. George Washington sits in the corner, his head bowed, as tensions in the room continue to rise. Then, one delegate rises to speak, and from this speech comes one of the greatest moments in American History. Your kids will learn about the compromise, how early Americans formed the Constitution, and experience the moments where its formation almost didn't happen!Listen and subscribe to the 15-Minute History podcast to hear Sketches in History every other Thursday. Got a favorite historical moment? Share it with us at 15minutehistory@gmail.com, and it might just make its way into the notebook!

America is often described as a nation of ideas because its founders risked everything for principles in which they believed. But the revolutionaries had to overcome fears in their own hearts and those of their more hesitant countrymen. In this episode, Jon takes us through how America found these ideas, overcame those fears, and clung to hope of victory.Join us for new episodes and discussions every Monday, and comment below with your questions and thoughts, or your own ideas, fears, and hopes. We love hearing from our audience!

In this week's episode, Joe and I discuss the Roman defeat at Teutoburg and how it reflected the Empire's military philosophy.Join us for pop quizzes and "Sketches in History" episodes every Thursday, and send us your thoughts in the comments below!

Join us for a discussion on last week's episode with our regular guest Dan Lindsey! Apologies for some audio issues when he first arrived--he was a bit too close to the microphone...Let us know your thoughts or ask questions in the comments below. We are excited to get this season going and hope you will join us every Monday for new episodes and discussions on American history.

Who were they? Were they even real? And why did they fade? Joe and Jon discuss some of history's most fascinating warriors in this week's pop quiz.Join us this season for regular pop quizzes and our special "Sketches in History" episodes for younger listeners every Thursday. And post your comments, questions, and thoughts below.

Season Nine is here!!!This year, we are joining Americans in celebrating our country's 250th birthday with episodes about our nation's history. In the season premier, Jon takes a look back at moments of political and cultural change to bring some context to the climate in America today.Join us next week for our discussion and post comments, questions, and thoughts below. We are thrilled to be back for a new season and hope you will join us as we walk in history's footsteps fifteen minutes at a time.

In this week's episode, Joe follows up from our last pop quiz and asks about the knowledge lost in the Library of Alexandria, how its destruction affected other civilizations, and why preserving access to information is so important.Join us on Monday for the start of Season 9!!

During the summer break, the 15-Minute History podcast team are republishing some of their favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on May 5, 2025.Season 9 begins Monday, October 7!___It was still dark. The group of men felt the breeze getting warmer as the eastern horizon began to show signs of light. One of the men, tall with no expression, watched as final preparations were made to a large object in front of the group. The others saw the anxiety in his face in a way that only those had had been around him could discern. The man walked forward, spoke with some of the technicians, and watched them haul it away. It was going to a tower, visible in the distance. Conversations around him continued, but only because it seemed like they had to. Somehow, the silence would have been louder. Not long after, notifications came from the tower; an all clear was given. At 5:29 a.m., a flash of light that was so brilliant it could be seen from 200 miles away blossomed in the desert. The mushroom cloud rose 40,000 feet into the air, and the shock wave was felt 100 miles from ground zero. The man who all that morning had worn no expression, would later recall remembering a Hindu scripture in that moment: "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds."Another man who witnessed the test described the overwhelming impression it left: "A new thing had just been born; a new control; a new understanding of man, which man had acquired over nature." Another observer said, "The lighting effects beggared description. The whole country was lighted by a searing light with the intensity many times that of the midday sun."Humanity had crossed a threshold.___Join us as we show you the Manhattan Project, the reason behind the development of nuclear weapons, and the ethical implications of such an invention.