15-Minute History

Join us and our special guest Father Dominic Verner, Ph.D. candidate, for a discussion on the life and times of Bartolome de Las Casas and his effect on world history. 

Bartolomé de Las Casas was born in Spain in 1484 into a wealthy merchant family. At the age of eighteen, he emigrated with his father Pedro to the new Spanish colony on Hispaniola (the island that is today divided between the nations of Haiti and the Dominican Republic). Pedro de Las Casas obtained a large farm, or hacienda, from the governor along with dozens of slaves. As landowners, the family participated in terrible slave raids across the West Indies to bring thousands of poor souls to the colonies. Bartolomé was disturbed by what he saw, and the horrors set him on a path toward vocal opposition to his government’s inhuman policies toward Native Americans. Join us as we teach you about Bartolomé de Las Casas and his lifelong pursuit of ending the mistreatment and enslavement of indigenous peoples. 

Five months into the First World War, as the European powers were hurling their young men into barbed wire and machine-gun fire, Pope Benedict XV issued a plea "that the guns may fall silent at least upon the night the angels sang." The governments of the warring nations ignored the pontiff's call, and generals ordered their men to continue to fight while the rest of the Christian world celebrated the birth of Jesus. But as midnight approached on Christmas Eve in multiple sectors along the Western and Eastern fronts, officers spoke in hushed tones in English, German, French, and Russian about giving the soldiers under their command a break from the terrors of war. Artillery that had fired constantly since the late summer fell silent, and when the new day began, all was quiet. Join us as we teach you about the Christmas Truce of 1914. From all of us here at 15-Minute History, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. See you in 2022!

Join us as we discuss Jordan Peterson, his influences, his writings, and his effect on society today. 

Join Jon and Dan as they each discuss three historical figures and their effect on world history. 

Join us as we teach you about Jordan Peterson, the effect of his philosophy on today's society, and the means by which he affects change (for the good or bad) across the globe. 

Join us as we share three stories about Thanksgiving and explore the art of being thankful. This episode originally ran in 2019. 

Join us as we discuss Fyodor Dostoyevsky, his life, his influences, and his genius.

He looked up at the white sky. The flakes did come into view until they came through the holes in the roof. A breeze blew through the building. Men around him huddled close together. He didn’t smell the stink anymore. It was all the same smell.  Among the flakes now contrasting with the dark of the roof, he centered on one that moved slowly down to him. It went to and fro, back and forth, until it seemed to hover, suspended and clean, uncorrupted by the world and the filth and the pain that it was falling into. Then it fell. And when it touched his arm he watched it absorb the dirt and blood and suddenly it looked like rot. He turned back to the sky and repented. His voice was the only one he could hear. Join us as we teach you about Fyodor Dostoyevsky, his influences, his style, and his impact on our world today. 

Join us as we discuss Ceasear Augustus, his life, and how his actions directed the rise of one of the largest empires in the history of the world.