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15-Minute History

15-Minute History

15-Minute History Podcast 500 Episodes Aug 20, 2026

Walking in the footsteps of history, fifteen minutes at a time. Join us for a 15-minute episode covering a person, place, or event in history, and stay for an extended discussion. New episodes and discussions every week.

Episodes

Pop Quiz | Lessons from Rome's Fall
Pop Quiz | Lessons from Rome's Fall Aug 20, 2026 00:06:20 Is America approaching an end similar to Rome's?No.But are there lessons from how the Roman Empire collapsed in the West that nations and leaders can apply to their own situations? Of course, so Joe and Jon explore those topics today.Join us every Thursday this summer for new pop quizzes and on Mondays for rebroadcast episodes!
Fredrick Douglas | Pinnacle of Freedom (Repost)
Fredrick Douglas | Pinnacle of Freedom (Repost) Aug 17, 2026 00:15:45 During the summer break, the 15-Minute History team will be republishing some of your favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on November 14, 2022.---"I once knew a little boy whose mother and father died when he was six years old. He was a slave and had no one to care for him. He slept on a dirt floor in a hovel, and in cold weather would crawl into a meal bag head foremost and leav
Pop Quiz | The Image of a Villain
Pop Quiz | The Image of a Villain Aug 13, 2026 00:04:30 Why do people continue to believe the worst about historical villains even if the facts prove they aren't quite as bad as some people thought?Join us every Thursday this summer for new pop quizzes and on Mondays for rebroadcast episodes!
Casting the Dice | The American Revolution (Repost)
Casting the Dice | The American Revolution (Repost) Aug 10, 2026 00:14:59 During the summer break, the 15-Minute History team will be republishing some of your favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on October 20, 2025.---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 th
Pop Quiz | The Glorious Past
Pop Quiz | The Glorious Past Aug 6, 2026 00:04:41 Why do politicians always call back to an idea--real or imagined--of the past? Is it as simple as wanting to make their country great again, or is there a deeper motivation?Join us every Thursday this summer for new pop quizzes and on Mondays for rebroadcast episodes!
Changing the Constitution | The Progressive Amendments (Repost)
Changing the Constitution | The Progressive Amendments (Repost) Aug 3, 2026 00:15:08 During the summer break, the 15-Minute History team will be republishing some of your favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on February 9, 2026.---American progressives at the turn of the 20th century saw major flaws in the United States Constitution and worked to correct them through the process of amendments. Each one was the subject of debate and controversy, and all four made measur
Pop Quiz | The Dunkirk "What If"
Pop Quiz | The Dunkirk "What If" Jul 30, 2026 00:04:35 Would Britain have surrendered if Germany had destroyed its army at Dunkirk? This week, Joe and Jon explore one of the classic "what ifs" of the Second World War.Join us every Thursday this summer for new pop quizzes and on Mondays for rebroadcast episodes!
War of 1812 (Part 2) | The Fire That Reforged a Nation (Republish)
War of 1812 (Part 2) | The Fire That Reforged a Nation (Republish) Jul 27, 2026 00:18:35 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 flames. But from the smoke and ashes, a nation discovers what it means to be American.The War of 1812's darkest hour became its defining triumph. As British veterans fresh from defeating Napoleon to
Pop Quiz | Air Conditioning
Pop Quiz | Air Conditioning Jul 23, 2026 00:03:45 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!
The War of 1812 (Part 1): Humiliation, Hawks, and Heroism (Republish)
The War of 1812 (Part 1): Humiliation, Hawks, and Heroism (Republish) Jul 20, 2026 00:19:59 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 demand blood. But on a blood-slick deck, four words become legend: Don’t give up the ship.The War of 1812 is often dismissed as a minor conflict, overshadowed by the Revolution and the Civil War. But
Pop Quiz | Summer Reading List
Pop Quiz | Summer Reading List Jul 16, 2026 00:03:06 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!(Even when they're late--Jon got his dates mixed up because he's a teacher on summer break...)
John Adams | "I Know I Am Right" (Repost)
John Adams | "I Know I Am Right" (Repost) Jul 13, 2026 00:14:21 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 one term as President of the United States is often treated as a footnote alongside the careers of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington. But Adams left an indelible mark on h

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