By the time she died in 2005, Rosa Parks was known around the world as an icon of activism. Her act of defiance one ordinary Thursday afternoon in Montgomery, Alabama catapulted her to the forefront of the battle for racial equality in America. But what was her story before that fateful moment in 1955? What course did her life take afterward?

This is a Short History of Rosa Parks.

Written by Kate Simants. With thanks to Dr. Danielle McGuire, historian, and author of At the Dark End of the Street, and Kim Trent, President of the Rosa Parks Foundation.

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Cloaked in secrecy, discussed by even the most hardened criminals as a place of terror, US Penitentiary Alcatraz is the most feared institution in the American penal system. From 1934 to 1963 more than 1500 prisoners pass through its gates, including Machine-Gun Kelly and Scarface himself, Alphonse Capone. But how did this island rock capture the public imagination? What was life really like inside?

This is a Short History of Alcatraz.

Written by Kate Simants. With thanks to Jolene Babyak, Alcatraz Historian and author of Breaking the Rock: The Great Escape from Alcatraz.

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In 1511, a Spanish lifeboat makes land on the Yucatán coast in modern-day Mexico. Thirteen days ago, the crew's caravel was wrecked on a reef. But their adventure is far from over. Now, they are about to become some of the first Europeans to make contact with the Maya. Custodians of an ancient civilisation, at one time tens of millions of Maya people inhabited a swathe of the Americas. But who were they and what did they do? Where did they go once their society collapsed? And how are their modern-day descendants beginning to bring the past back to life?

This is a Short History of the Maya.

Written by Dan Smith. With thanks to David Stuart, Professor of Mesoamerican Art and Writing at the University of Texas at Austin.

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After multiple coups by the Soviet Union, astronaut Alan B. Shepard has just become the first American in space. But this is only the beginning. Now, NASA have the moon in their sights, but it's still a long way off. For either the USA or the USSR to succeed, they'll need newer and better technology. The 1960s are about to become the defining decade in space exploration. Who will touch down first on Earth's nearest neighbour? This is a Short History of the Moon Landing.

Written by Luke Kuhns. With thanks to Robert Godwin, Historian, and author of multiple books on the Space Race.

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Humanity has always looked to the heavens, pondering what is really out there. But how did space travel turn from fantasy into reality? In the aftermath of World War Two, a group of scientists from Nazi Germany arrives in the United States. Their task? To kickstart America's space program. Meanwhile, in the Soviet Union a covert team of engineers begins work on a series of rockets and satellites. The starting gun has been fired. Who will make it up there first?

This is a Short History of the Space Race.

Written by Luke Kuhns. With thanks to Robert Godwin, historian, and author of multiple books on the Space Race.

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In October 1347, a ghostly fleet of trading ships docks at a port in Sicily. The crew members – dead already, or well on their way – bear bubonic plague. The ‘Great Pestilence’ will ravage the populations of three continents over the next decade. What changes to society will result from this, the most devastating pandemic in history? How will people make sense of the terrible scenes before them? Are their methods of dealing with disease really as misguided as they seem?

This is a Short History of the Black Death.

Written by Dan Smith. With thanks to Dr. Eleanor Janega, teacher of medieval history at the London School of Economics.

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In November 1922, in Egypt's Valley of the Kings, a young water boy called Hussein Abdul Rasoul makes a remarkable discovery. A set of stone steps lies concealed beneath the desert sand - a staircase leading to a long-lost tomb. The mummified pharaoh within will capture the imagination of generations to come, becoming the very embodiment of Ancient Egypt. What do we know of this boy king and his premature end? And why the extraordinary opulence of his burial chamber?

This is a Short History of Tutankhamun.

Written by Luke Kuhns. With thanks to Dr. Chris Naughton, Egyptologist and author of King Tutankhamun Tells All!

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What happens when a volcano erupts just six miles from a bustling city? In 79 AD Mount Vesuvius is regarded as a source of bounty by those who live in its shadow. But one of history’s most infamous natural disasters soon unfolds. How did the lucky ones make their escape? And how did this Roman settlement become such an extraordinary archaeological site?

This is a Short History of Pompeii and the Vesuvius Eruption.

Written by Dan Smith. With thanks to Kevin Dicus, Professor of Classical Archeology at the University of Oregon.

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On January 24th, 1848, a carpenter from Coloma plunges a hand into the American River and pulls out gold. This discovery triggers an explosion of findings, as people flock to the region seeking fortune and reinvention. But what were the chances of striking gold? What obstacles did would-be prospectors encounter along the way? And did the rush to the American West ever really end?

This is a Short History of the California Gold Rush.

Written by Luke Kuhns. With thanks to Dr. Malcolm Rohrbough, Professor of History at the University of Iowa and author of Days of Gold: The California Gold Rush and the American Nation.

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In the early 18th century, one man makes his name as the most notorious pirate of all time. The legend of Edward Thatch has spawned television shows, novels, and major motion pictures. Stories abound of his wild eyes striking fear into enemy hearts, of the six pistols strapped to his chest, and of his arrival in battle with his jet-black beard set ablaze. But how much is fact and how much fiction?

This is a Short History of Blackbeard the Pirate.

Written by Luke Kuhns. With thanks to Colin Woodard, author of The Republic of Pirates: Being the true and surprising story of the Caribbean pirates and the man who brought them down.

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