For the Ages: A History Podcast

1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History--and How It Shattered a Nation

The story of the 1929 stock market crash and the Great Depression that followed goes far beyond the events of “Black Tuesday.” New York Times bestselling author Andrew Ro

America’s Deadliest Election: The Cautionary Tale of the Most Violent Election in American History

One hundred and fifty years before the events of January 7, 2021, the 1872 Louisiana gubernatorial election—arguably the most contentious in American history, with both p

Age of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash from 1600 to the Present

The early decades of the twenty-first century may be the most revolutionary period in modern history, with tectonic shifts in globalization, technology, identity, and geo

Abraham Lincoln: His Life and Times

Few people know Abraham Lincoln as intimately as Harold Holzer. The author, co-author, or editor of over 50 books on Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War era, Holzer has exp

Viva la revolución: Spain's Role in American Military Conflicts

Spain’s involvement in early American history might feel limited, but Spanish people and their descendants have been involved in American military conflicts, both through

The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777-1780

By winter 1777, the Continental Army was exhausted, having barely escaped annihilation by the world’s most formidable fighting force. Two years into the war, King George,

Night Flyer: Harriet Tubman and the Faith Dreams of a Free People

For many Americans, Harriet Tubman can seem more like a character out of myth than a flesh-and-blood historical figure. Many know of Tubman’s escape from slavery and her

Mark Twain

Mark Twain was America’s first literary celebrity, a master of his craft whose legacy hangs over our literary tradition. Twain’s words captured the nation’s imagination b

Baseball's Past and Present

Known as “America’s pastime,” baseball is much more than a game in the United States. Both a source of national pride and symbol of our identity, the sport is also a wind

An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s

It’s been said that if you remember the ‘60s, you weren’t really there, but when Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin and her late husband, Dick, started

The Pursuit of Liberty: How Hamilton vs. Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle Over Power in America

The argument over states’ rights versus a strong federal government is far from a new debate in this country. Before the divisions of today, two men represented contrasti

A Conversation with Oscar Tang on Business, Art, and Civic Leadership

Born in wartime Shanghai and brought to the United States at age eleven with no knowledge of English, financier and philanthropist Oscar Tang reflects on a life shaped by

Conducting New York’s Legacy

From his childhood in Venezuela’s famed El Sistema music education program to his rise as one of the world’s leading conductors, Gustavo Dudamel reflects on the experienc

Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Matters

At the beginning of 1776, virtually no one in the colonies was advocating independence. What changed over the course of one year? From Thomas Paine’s Common Sense in Janu

McNamara at War: A New History

Secretary of defense and friend and ally to two presidents, Robert S. McNamara was one of the most controversial men in American history for his role in the Vietnam War.

The American Revolution: An Intimate History

The American Revolution was three wars rolled into one: a fight for independence, a civil conflict, and a struggle between nations. In this conversation with David M. Rub

Annapolis Goes to War: The Naval Academy Class of 1940 and its Trial by Fire in World War II

The teenagers who made up the US Naval Academy class of 1940 arrived in Annapolis as boys on the eve of Hitler’s aggression and graduated as Europe collapsed, only to fin

Glorious Lessons: John Trumbull, Painter of the American Revolution

History may be written by the victors, but it is illustrated by its painters, and perhaps few so famously or evocatively as John Trumbull—American Revolution army officer

A Place Called Yellowstone: The Epic History of the World’s First National Park

Covering 2.2 million acres, Yellowstone National Park is a geographic behemoth and, as the birthplace of America’s national park system, a cultural giant as well. But sin

Dinner with the President: Food, Politics, and a History of Breaking Bread at the White House

Some of the most significant moments in American history have occurred over meals, as US presidents broke bread to strengthen alliances, diffuse tensions, and broker peac