History is best understood through the people who spend their lives inside it!

With 100+ conversations in the archive, the easiest way to find a specific guest or book is to search for their name wherever you listen to podcasts.

You can also browse by topic below.

FEATURED GUESTS

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Peter speaks with a true master of storytelling and insight, Malcolm Gladwell. A staff writer for The New Yorker since 1996, Malcolm has captivated millions with his groundbreaking books, which blend psychology, sociology, and real-world narratives to challenge how we perceive the world. On this episode of the History Shorts Conversations Series, Malcolm and Peter discuss Gladwell's latest release, the Revenge of the Tipping Point.

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Join us for an unforgettable conversation with legendary filmmaker Ken Burns, the master of historical storytelling. We dive deep into his career-defining documentaries, exploring the research, artistry, and personal philosophy that bring history to life on screen. From untold stories to his upcoming project, The American Revolution, Ken shares insights into the power of narrative, the responsibility of telling history, and what continues to inspire him after decades of filmmaking.

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In this riveting episode of History Shorts, host Peter Zablocki welcomes one of America's most celebrated historians, Rick Atkinson, to discuss the second installment of his Revolutionary War trilogy: The Fate of Day. Together, they explore the pivotal years of 1777 to 1780, a period that saw both near-collapse and unexpected momentum for the American cause. Atkinson shares insights into the decisive Battles of Saratoga, the harrowing winter at Valley Forge, and the shifting loyalties in a war that was as much a civil war as it was a war for independence.

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This month's spotlight guest is an inspiration for many historians and history storytellers: Mr. Dan Carlin of the Hardcore History Podcast. Peter and Dan discuss what inspired their appreciation for history, how the discipline has evolved over the years, and how podcasts offer a unique approach to storytelling.

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In this wide-ranging conversation, award-winning author and narrative historian Hampton Sides joins History Shorts to discuss his latest book, The Wide Wide Sea, a gripping account of Captain James Cook’s third and final voyage in search of the Northwest Passage. From stories of colonial contact in Polynesia to the legacy of exploration and the unexpected consequences that followed, Sides reflects on what drew him to the subject and what makes narrative history so compelling. Along the way, he shares personal stories of growing up in Memphis, his early journalism career, his friendship with the son of Civil War historian Shelby Foote, and what it means to bring history alive on the page.

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In this week’s Conversation Series, Peter sits down with acclaimed historian H.W. Brands to explore his sweeping new biography, American Patriarch. The discussion dives into the life and legacy of one of America’s most consequential—and controversial—founding figures, unpacking the contradictions between public ideals and private realities that helped shape a nation.

Brands brings his signature storytelling and scholarly depth to the conversation, revealing the human side of a figure often cast in marble. Together, they examine the political vision, personal ambition, and enduring influence that continue to echo through American history today.

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In this engaging episode, travel guru Rick Steves joins us to discuss his lifelong philosophy on traveling, sharing how embracing vulnerability and cultural immersion can combat isolationism and spark personal growth.

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Harris returns to ancient Rome to tell the story of Marcus Agrippa — the brilliant general, master engineer, and lifelong right-hand man to Augustus. In this wide-ranging interview, he discusses how he approached writing from Agrippa’s perspective, the complicated friendship and power dynamic at the heart of the book, the challenges of limited historical sources, and the contemporary resonance of a republic giving way to one-man rule.

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In this thought-provoking episode of History Shorts, bestselling author John Green joins us, not to talk about fiction, but about the real-world epidemic that once shaped everything from art to architecture, medicine to morality. His new book, Everything Is Tuberculosis, traces how tuberculosis (TB) didn’t just ravage lungs, it infected our language, our culture, and our sense of beauty and tragedy. Together, we dive into how TB shaped the Romantic era, influenced urban design, gave us the sanatorium and the selfie, and why it became a metaphor for everything from genius to grief.

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In this episode of History Shorts, I sit down with James McPherson, the Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and author of Battle Cry of Freedom, to discuss the lessons the Civil War still holds for Americans today. McPherson reflects on the conflict’s enduring relevance—from the unfinished work of freedom and equality to the dangers of political division and the meaning of national unity. He shares how the war’s central questions about liberty, citizenship, and the nature of the Union continue to shape our debates more than 160 years later. A clear-eyed look at what the Civil War can still teach us.

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In this Conversation Series episode of History Shorts, Peter sits down with the undisputed master of alternative history, Harry Turtledove. From Civil War battlefields altered by future technology to alien invasions colliding with World War II in his sweeping Worldwar, Turtledove has spent decades asking one powerful question: what if? In this wide-ranging conversation, he reveals how real historical research underpins even his wildest scenarios, why turning points matter more than famous figures, and how alternate history helps us better understand the world we actually live in.

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In this episode of History Shorts, I speak with Alan Taylor, the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, about the complicated history of the United States. Taylor explores how the American story has always been more contested, diverse, and uneven than the traditional narrative suggests—from the competing visions of the founding era to the long struggles over power, liberty, and belonging. He discusses why understanding these complexities is essential to making sense of the nation’s past and present. A thoughtful conversation with one of the leading scholars of early American history.

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What does it take for a nation to survive after the state is gone?

For 123 years, from 1795 to 1918, Poland did not exist on the map. It had been partitioned three times, divided among Russia, Prussia, and Austria, and written off as a finished chapter of European history. And yet the nation outlasted the states that had swallowed it.

In this conversation, historian Norman Davies — author of God’s Playground, Rising ’44, and Vanished Kingdoms — takes up that question. What actually held Poles together when there was no Polish state: language, the Church, Romantic poetry, political habit, or the pressure of the empires trying to erase them?

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In this episode of History Shorts, I speak with Max Hastings, the acclaimed journalist and military historian, about the Falklands War and the power of storytelling. Hastings reflects on covering the 1982 conflict as a correspondent, the human and strategic dimensions of the campaign, and how narrative shapes the way wars are remembered. He discusses why the Falklands still resonates and what it reveals about the relationship between history, journalism, and the stories we tell about conflict. A sharp and personal conversation with one of Britain’s leading chroniclers of modern war.

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In this episode of History Shorts, I sit down with Joseph J. Ellis, the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, for a conversation about the Founding Fathers. Ellis discusses the men behind the American founding—their rivalries, compromises, and contradictions—and why their ideas and conflicts still shape the nation’s political life. He reflects on the challenges of understanding the founders as both idealists and flawed human beings, and on the enduring power of the stories we tell about them. A nuanced look at the origins of the United States with one of its most insightful chroniclers.

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AMERICAN HISTORY

Catherine Katz (Award-Winning Author) - The Hindenburg Disaster

Eric Moskowitz (Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author) - The Insane 1909 Coast-to-Coast Race That Changed America.

Scott Geenberger (Bestselling Author) - Morris, The Forsaken Founder.

Kostya Kennedy (Award-Winning Author)- Paul Revere's Ride.

Joseph Kelly (Award-Winning Author) - Fascism Did Not Come From Europe.

Alex Wright (Award-Winning Author) - The Newspaper Revolution and Birth of America's Media Empire.

Sarah M.S. Pearsall (Bestselling Author) - How the American Revolution was Global.

Katherine Grandjean (Bestselling Author) - America's First Serial Killers & the Dark Side of the Revolution.

David S. Reynolds (Bestselling Author) - The Two Ships That Divided America.

Beverly Gage (Pulitzer Prize-Winning Historian) - Road Trip Through American History.

Martin Dugard (#1 New York Times Bestselling Author) - 1970s- The Decade that Made the Marathon Cool.

H.W. Brands (Two-Time Pulitzer Prize Finalist) - What George Washington Can Still Teach America Today

Peter Stark (New York Times Bestselling Historian) - The Lost Cities of El Norte.

Christine Kuehn (New York Times Bestselling Author) - What if you found out your family were Nazi Spies?

Colin Woodard (Award-Winning Journalist and Bestselling Author of Nations Apart) - How Clashing Regional Cultures Shattered America.

David Nasaw (Two-Time Pulitzer-Prize Finalist) - How the 'Greatest Generation' is Also the 'Wounded Generation.

Matthew Restall (Historian and Author of The Nine Lives of Columbus) - How much do you really know about Christopher Columbus?

H.W. Brands (Two-Time Pulitzer Prize Finalist) - Why history always has more stories to tell.

Jeffrey Rosen (CEO and President of the National Constitution Center) - How the Jefferson/Hamilton debate still defines us today.

Richard Bell (Author of The American Revolution and the Fate of the World) - How the American Revolution was a Global Conflict.

Matthew Algeo (Award-Winning Author of New York's Secret Subway) - NYC's Secret Subway & the Origins of Mass Transit.

Alex Wellerstein (Bestselling Author) - Truman's Real Decision on Dropping the Atomic Bomb.

Jonathan Eig (Pulitzer-Prize-Winning Author) - MLK by those who knew him.

Edward J. Larson (Pulitzer-Prize-Winning Historian) - Why 1776 matters.

William and Philip Taubman (Pulitzer Prize-Winning Historian and Award-Winning Journalist) - Is it time to reevaluate Robert McNamara?

Ray Raphael (New York Times Bestselling Author of Founding Myths) - America's Founding Myths

Eden Collinsworth (Author of The Improbable Victoria Woodhull) - Suffrage, Free Love, & the First Woman to Run for President.

Sharon McMahon (New York Times Bestselling Author) - The unsung heroes of America's history.

Edward J. Larson (Pulitizer-Prize-Winning Historian) - How history and science go hand in hand.

Brenda Wineapple (Bestselling Author of Keeping the Faith) - Why the Scopes Trial still matters today.

Kathryn Olivarius (Award-Winning Historian and Author of Necropolis) - Would you eat black vomit to become inoculated against Yellow Fever?

Scott Ellsworth (New York Times Bestselling Author of Midnight on the Potomac) - Revisiting the last year of the Civil War.

Andrew Burnstein (A Jefferson Scholar and Award-Winning Author) - The Heart and Soul, Secret Affairs, & Unexplored Alliances of Thomas Jefferson.

THE AMERICAN WEST

Tom Clavin (New York Times Bestselling Author) - The Last Stands of Custer, Crazy Horse, & Sitting Bull.

Samuel Marquis (Award-Winning Author) - King William's War: The Iroquois & America’s Forgotten Conflict.

Paul Andrew Hutton (New York Times Bestselling Author of The Undiscovered Country) - Triumph, Tragedy, and the Shaping of the American West.

Mark Lee Gardner (Bestselling Author and Authority on the American West) - The real story of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday.

S.C. Gwynne (Pulitzer Prize Finalist and New York Times Bestselling Author) - The Comanche.

Tore Olsson (Author of Red Dead's History) - How the Red Dead Redemption games mirror real history.

Tom Clavin (New York Times Bestselling Author) - How 'wild' was the Wild West?

MILITARY HISTORY

A.J. Baime (New York Times Bestselling Historian) - The Rise of American Air Power in WWII

Leon Carroll (New York Times Bestselling Author) - Ghosts of Sicily: Navy-Mob Alliance vs. Nazis.

Robert M. Edsel (New York Times Bestselling Author) - How do you repay those who died for your freedom?

Tim McGrath (Historian and Author of Three Roads to Gettysburg) - Meade, Lee, Lincoln, and the Battle of Gettysburg.

Sara Vladic (New York Times Bestselling Author) - How a Motley Crew of Characters Stopped the Invasion of America in WWII.

Steve Kemper (Award-winning Historian and Author) - Our Man in Tokyo Before Pearl Harbor.

Rick Beyer (New York Times Bestselling Author) - WWII's Ghost Army.

Gregg Zoroya (Award-winning Author of Unremitting) - The Marine "Bastard" Battalion and the 2004 Battle of Ramadi.

Roger Moorhouse (Bestselling Author of The Forgers) - Forging passports to save Jews from the Holocaust.

Patrick O'Donnell (New York Times Bestselling Author) - The Untold Story of Lincoln's Special Forces.

Greg Waters (Curator of the National Medal of Honor Museum) - What does the Medal of Honor mean to those who earned it?

Neal Bascomb (New York Times Bestselling Author) - Destroying the Nazi Atomic Bomb Program.

James Donovan (Bestselling Author) - One of the most crucial battles for Normandy during WWII.

James Bradley (New York Times Bestselling author of Flags of Our Fathers) - Flags of Our Fathers.

Clare Mulley (Award-Winning Historian and Author) - WWII's Agent Zo.

Damien Lewis (#1 Bestselling Historian and Author) - The clandestine world of Josephine Baker.

Richard Rubin (Bestselling Author of The Last of the Doughboys) - What was it like to talk to WWI Veterans?

David Sears (Historian of the Pacific War) - Battle of Saipan

Donald Miller (New York Times Bestselling Author of Masters of the Air) - The story behind Apple TV's Masters of the Air.

Matt Seelinger (Chief Historian at the U.S. Army Historical Foundation) - How much did the U.S. help win World War I?

Becky Aikman (Bestselling Author of Spitfires) - The American women who flew in the face of danger during World War II.

Giles Milton (Bestselling Author of The Stalin Affair) - Was Stalin always a step ahead of Churchill and FDR?

Martin Dugard (New York Times Bestselling Author of Taking Midway) - Why there is always more to say about the Battle of Midway.

Roger Moorhouse (Bestselling Author of Wolfpack) - Inside Hitler's U-Boat War.

Jack H. Jacobs (Medal of Honor Recipient) - The Meaning of Courage.

Martin Dugard (New York Times Bestselling Co-Author of the 'Killing' Series) - Battle of Britain.

Tim Bouverie (Award-Winning Historian and Author) - The Fragile Alliance of WWII's Big Three.

James C. Nelson (Bestselling Author and Historian of WWI) - The True Story of Sgt. York.

WORLD HISTORY

Norman Davies (New York Times Bestselling Historian) - Poland: What It Takes for a Nation to Survive.

Ben Macintyre (Bestselling Author) - Cold War's Most Extraordinary Spy.

Jane Rogoyska (Award-winning Author) - The Dark WWII History of Paris's Hotel Lutetia.

Harry Sidebottom (Internationally Bestselling Author) - A Day in the Life of a Gladiator.

Thomas Asbridge (Internationally Bestselling Author) - The Black Death:A Global History of Humanity’s Deadliest Pandemic.

Douglas Brunt (New York Times Bestselling Author) - Emanuel Nobel - The Forgotten Billionaire who Powered the World.

Peter Jones (Award-Winning Medieval Historian) - Self-Help From the Middle Ages.

Andrew Bayliss (Award-Winning Historian) - The Rise and Fall of Sparta.

Jess Venner (Award-Winning Ancient Historian) - The Lost Voices of Pompeii.

Shelley Puhak (Bestselling Author) - Was the Blood Countess Really a Serial Killer?

Veronica Buckley (Award-Winning Historian) - Seven Daughters of Empress Maria Theresa.

Ian Buruma (Bestselling Author) - Stay Alive - Life in Berlin During World War II.

Roger Crowley (Sunday Times History Book of the Year Author) - The 16th-century contest that shaped the world.

Alex Storozynski (Pulitzer Prize-Winning Historian) - Spies in My Blood.

Clare Jackson (Historian and Author of The Mirror of Great Britain) - Life and Legacy of King James VI and I.

Tom Standage (Editor of the Economist and New York Times Bestselling Author) - A History of the World in 6 Glasses.

Adam Zamoyski (Renowned Historian of European and Polish History) - Why Napoleon does not get enough credit.

David Chaffetz (Award-Winning Author of Raiders, Rulers, and Traders) - The Horse and Rise of Empires.

Ross King (New York Times Bestselling Author of Renaissance History) - Can art still provoke societal change as it did during the Renaissance?

Catherine Fletcher (Professor and Author of The Roads to Rome: A History) - How did Rome's roads shape history?

Norman Davies (Renowned Historian of Polish and European History) - Poland's Place in World History.

William Dalrymple (New York Times Bestselling Author of The Golden Road) - How Ancient India Transformed the World.

Matt Gatton (Author of Shadows of Socrates) - Was Socrates executed for heresy?

Jack El-Hai (Author of The Nazi and the Psychiatrist) - The Nazi and the Psychiatrist - the book behind the film "Nuremberg."

Moudhy Al-Rashid (Scholar and Author of Between Two Rivers) - Mesopotamia and the Birth of History.

Katarzyna Person (Director of the Warsaw Ghetto Museum) - The Story of the Warsaw Ghetto.

Ben Macintyre (#1 Bestselling Author) - Why writing about flawed historical characters is more fun.

Andrew Pettegree (Historian & Recipient of Order of the British Empire) - What role do books play in wars?

Martyn Rady (Bestselling Historian and Author) - When the Habsburgs Ruled the World.

Anthony Tucker Jones (Bestselling Military Historian) - Winston Churchill during the Cold War.

James Crossland (Author of Rogue Agent) - A story of Britain's forgotten rogue agent.

William Geroux (Author of The Fifteen) - Murders in German POW camps across the U.S.

Mark Braude (New York Times Bestselling Author) - The Typewriter and the Guillotine - An American Journalist, a German Serial Killer, and Paris on the Eve of WWII.

POLITICAL & PRESIDENTIAL HISTORY

Walter Stahr (New York Times Bestselling Author) - Who was the real President Taft?

Max Boot (Pulitzer Prize Finalist) - Separating Reagan, the man, from the myth.

Anita McBride (Former Chief of Staff to Laura Bush) - Inside the White House and the Role of First Ladies.

Kurt Graham (Director of the Truman Presidential Library) - Legacy of Harry S. Truman.

Brady Carlson (Author of Dead Presidents) - Visiting the graves of all American Presidents.

Steven Gillon (New York Times Bestselling Author) - Future Presidents who fought in World War II.

Carol Berkin (Renowned Historian of Early American History) - Why did NJ give women the right to vote in 1776, only to then take it away?

Laurence Jurdem (Historian and Author of The Rough Rider and the Professor) - How important was Henry Cabot Lodge to TR's Success?

Ken Khachigian (Speechwriter and Presidential Advisor to Presidents Nixon and Reagan) - Writing speeches for Presidents Nixon and Reagan.

Zakeer Tameez (Author of Charles Sumner: The Conscience of a Nation) - Charles Sumner - The Civil Rights leader of the 19th century?

Harold Holzer (Award-Winning Lincoln Scholar) - Why there is always more to say about Lincoln.

David Pietrusza (Bestselling Historian and Authority on American Elections) - America's Most Contentious Elections.

Lindsay Chervinsky (Award-Winning Presidential Historian) - Why John Adams gets a bad rap.

Kate Andersen Brower (New York Times Bestselling Author) - The Legacy of Former First Ladies.

HISTORICAL FICTION

James R. Benn (Bestselling author of the WWII Billy Boyle mystery novels) - Creating a fictional hero in a real world of WWII.

Jeff Shaara (New York Times bestselling historical fiction author) - How historical fiction brings the past to life.

HISTORY FOR THE CURIOUS MIND

Hans Zeiger (Jack Miller Center President) - Reviving Civic Education in American Classrooms.

Odd Arne Westad (Award-Winning Historian) - Are We Heading Toward Great Power War?

Cory Graff (Curator at the National WWII Museum) - Inside the National WWII Museum.

Christopher Warren (Curator at the National WWI Museum) - Inside the National WWI Museum.

Greg Jackson (Host of History That Doesn't Sucks) - How "Pursuit of Happiness" Defines America.

James Romm (Award-Winning Author) - Life Lessons from the Lost Greek Plays.

Cody Cassidy (Bestselling Author of Surviving History) - Can you outrun a dinosaur?

Dorie McCullough Lawson and Michael Hill (Editors of History Matters) - Why History Matters (According to David McCullough).

Coleen Shogan (11th Archivist of the United States) - What is the job of the U.S. National Archives?

Roman Krznaric (Renowned Social Philosopher) - What are some positive lessons from history we can learn?

Stewart (Brittlestar) Reynolds (Author and YouTube Comedian and Commentator) - Lessons from cats for surviving fascism.

Sabin Howard (Master Sculptor of the National WWI Memorial) - The power of art in the historical narrative.

Cathy Gorn (Executive Director of the National History Day) - The importance of having a National History Day.

Steve Heimler (Host of Heimler's History YouTube Channel) - Learning History from YouTube.

Brendan Gillis (American Historical Association Director of Teaching and Learning) - What is actually being taught in our history classrooms?

Meilan Solly (History Editor of the Smithsonian Magazine) - What it's like to make scholars readable and relevant.

Sam Kean (New York Times Bestselling Author of Dinner With King Tut) - Learning about the past through the five senses.

Meghan Anderson (Manuscript Curator at the U.S.A.F. ) - Preserving History at the National Museum of U.S.A.F.

James Cheshire (Britain's Only Professor of Cartography) - When maps stop being tools and become narratives.

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For general inquiries, comments, and topic suggestions, e-mail Peter at peter@historyshortspodcast.com

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