History Shorts

Welcome to the very first episode of the History Shorts Weekend Show: a soon-to-be weekly Patreon Exclusive, but for now, offered as a full public preview. This lighter-toned, less-scripted companion to the main History Shorts feed brings together storytelling, commentary, historical insight, and exclusive clips from the Conversation Series vault.

Think of it as your weekend coffee companion: part history magazine, part variety show, and part behind-the-scenes peek into what's coming next on the podcast.

This Week in History (Nov 23–29) From the first Roman gladiatorial games in 534 BCE to the birth of the Macy's Parade, and MORE!

Today's News (For Tomorrow's History Books) Governments begin drafting the first major regulations for AI-generated political ads and deepfake voices. Will future historians see this as the beginning of a new era of information trust?

Short Story of the Week: "The First Computer Hack in History (1903)" Long before cyberspace existed, a stage magician named Nevil Maskelyne hijacked Guglielmo Marconi's wireless telegraph demonstration in front of the Royal Institution. What began as a prank became the world's first live cyberattack, and a warning about the dangers of unencrypted communication that still echoes in today's digital world.

Historian Spotlight: A preview clip from my upcoming conversation with historian Richard Bell, discussing his new book The American Revolution and the Fate of the World — available next Friday in the Conversation Series.

For the Good of the Order: A reflection inspired by a line from Marcus Aurelius: "You have power over your mind — not outside events." History may be filled with battles, crises, and breakthroughs, but at its core, it is the story of how humans respond to circumstances beyond their control.

If you enjoy this preview episode, consider joining our paid community on Patreon for ad-free episodes, bonus shows, early releases, and exclusive Weekend Show content: patreon.com/HistoryShortsPodcast

And don't forget to check out our website for transcripts, notes, and more: www.historyshortspodcast.com

In this episode of History Shorts, I sit down with acclaimed author Jack El-Hai to explore the extraordinary true story behind his book The Nazi and the Psychiatrist, now adapted into the 2025 film Nuremberg. We discuss the tense, unsettling relationship between U.S. Army psychiatrist Douglas Kelley and captured Nazi leaders like Hermann Göring, and how Kelley's groundbreaking evaluations shaped our understanding of evil, responsibility, and the psychology behind mass violence.

CHECK OUT JACK'S BOOK: https://www.amazon.com/Nazi-Psychiatrist-Hermann-Douglas-Meeting/dp/1610394631

SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast

ADVERTISE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/advertise

LEARN MORE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/

EPISODE SPONSORED BY THE COLLECTOR: www.thecollector.com

In 1940, deep within Poland's Katyn Forest, thousands of Polish officers vanished, erased by Stalin's secret orders. For decades, the truth was buried beneath Soviet lies and Cold War silence. This History Shorts episode uncovers one of World War II's most shocking and politically explosive cover-ups, the massacre Moscow tried to erase from 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

Today on History Shorts, we're joined by acclaimed journalist and historian Colin Woodard, the author of Nations Apart: How Clashing Regional Cultures Shattered America, his latest work exploring the deep-rooted cultural divisions that have shaped, and continue to shape, our nation.

BUY COLIN'S BOOKS: https://colinwoodard.com/

SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast

ADVERTISE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/advertise

LEARN MORE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/

EPISODE SPONSORED BY THE COLLECTOR: www.thecollector.com

She's been called the Mona Lisa of the North, a girl frozen in time, her gaze both intimate and unreachable. In this episode of History Shorts, we uncover the story behind Johannes Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring, one of the most mysterious paintings in the world.

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

Long before modern dictators rewrote the past, one Egyptian pharaoh tried to rewrite the very gods. In this episode of History Shorts, we uncover the astonishing story of Akhenaten, the heretic king who defied 2,000 years of tradition, abandoned the old gods of Egypt, and built an entirely new capital dedicated to one deity: the sun disk, Aten.

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

Before Hollywood turned them into ghost-hunting legends, Ed and Lorraine Warren were real people, devout Catholics, self-taught demonologists, and the most controversial paranormal investigators of the 20th century.

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

In the early 1980s, a small town along the Meramec River in Missouri vanished, not from flood or fire, but from poison. This episode of History Shorts uncovers the chilling true story of Times Beach, a once-idyllic community that became America's most infamous ghost town after being contaminated with deadly dioxin.

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

In this episode of History Shorts, we trace the curious and troubling story of Unity Mitford, a young British socialite born into privilege, and her infatuation with Adolf Hitler. We'll explore how she journeyed to Nazi Germany, embedded herself in Hitler's inner circle, became an ardent supporter of fascism and antisemitism, and attempted to live out a fantasy of ideological romance that ended in tragedy.

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

Before America won its independence, one man crossed the ocean to secure its future. In Paris, Benjamin Franklin used wit, charm, and sheer diplomacy to turn skeptics into allies and change the course of the Revolution. This History Shorts episode follows the Founding Father who fought not with muskets, but with words.

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