History is best understood through the people who spend their lives inside it.
History Shorts: Conversations is a weekly long-form interview series hosted by Peter Zablocki — historian, professor, and author — featuring the writers, filmmakers, educators, and scholars who have dedicated their careers to bringing the past to life.
Each episode is an unhurried, in-depth conversation — the kind that goes beyond the book jacket and the press release and gets at the real questions: Why does this story matter? What does history ask of us? And what happens when we finally get it right?
With nearly 100 episodes in the archive and a guest roster that includes Pulitzer Prize winners, bestselling authors, and some of the most influential history communicators in the world, History Shorts: Conversations has become a respected long-form history interview series in podcasting.
History Shorts: Conversations has welcomed nearly 100 guests across three years of weekly episodes, with a new guest every Friday.
Browse All Episodes BELOW
The Two Ships That Divided America. Conversation with David S. Reynolds (Bestselling Author)
Road Trip Through American History: Conversation with Beverly Gage (Pulitzer Prize Winning Historian)
1970s- The Decade that Made the Marathon Cool: Conversation with Martin Dugard (#1 New York Times Bestselling Author)
What George Washington Can Still Teach America Today: Conversation with H.W. Brands (Two-Time Pulitzer Prize Finalist)
The Lost Cities of El Norte: Conversation with Peter Stark (New York Times Bestselling Historian)
What if you found out your family were Nazi Spies? Conversation with Christine Kuehn (New York Times Bestselling Author)
How Clashing Regional Cultures Shattered America: Conversation with Colin Woodard (Award-Winning Journalist and Bestselling Author of Nations Apart)
How the 'Greatest Generation' is Also the 'Wounded Generation.' Conversation with David Nasaw (Two-Time Pulitzer-Prize Finalist)
How much do you really know about Christopher Columbus? Conversation with Matthew Restall (Historian and Author of The Nine Lives of Columbus)
Why history always has more stories to tell: Conversation with H.W. Brands (Two-Time Pulitzer Prize Finalist)
How the Jefferson/Hamilton debate still defines us today: Conversation with Jeffrey Rosen (CEO and President of the National Constitution Center)
How the American Revolution was a Global Conflict: Conversation with Richard Bell (Author of The American Revolution and the Fate of the World)
NYC's Secret Subway & the Origins of Mass Transit: Conversation with Matthew Algeo (Award-Winning Author of New York's Secret Subway)
Truman's Real Decision on Dropping the Atomic Bomb: Conversation with Alex Wellerstein (Bestselling Author)
MLK by those who knew him: Conversation with Jonathan Eig (Pulitzer-Prize Winning Author)
Why 1776 matters: Conversation with Edward J. Larson (Pulitzer-Prize Winning Historian)
Is it time to reevaluate Robert McNamara? Conversation with William and Philip Taubman (Pulitzer Prize Winning Historian and Award-Winning Journalist)
America's Founding Myths: Conversation with Ray Raphael (New York Times Bestselling Author of Founding Myths)
Suffrage, Free Love, & the First Woman to Run for President: Conversation with Eden Collinsworth (Author of The Improbable Victoria Woodhull
The unsung heroes of America's history: Conversation with Sharon McMahon (New York Times Bestselling Author)
How history and science go hand in hand: Conversation with Edward J. Larson (Pulitizer-Prize Winning Historian)
Why the Scopes Trial still matters today: Conversation with Brenda Wineapple (Bestselling Author of Keeping the Faith)
Would you eat black vomit to become inoculated against Yellow Fever? Conversation with Kathryn Olivarius (Award-Winning Historian and Author of Necropolis)
Revisiting the last year of the Civil War: Conversation with Scott Ellsworth (New York Times Bestselling Author of Midnight on the Potomac)
The Heart and Soul, Secret Affairs, & Unexplored Alliances of Thomas Jefferson: Conversation with Andrew Burnstein (A Jefferson Scholar and Award-Winning Author)
How 'wild' was the Wild West? Conversation with Tom Clavin (New York Times Bestselling Author)
Triumph, Tragedy, and the Shaping of the American West: Conversation with Paul Andrew Hutton (New York Times Bestselling Author of The Undiscovered Country)
The real story of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday: Conversation with Mark Lee Gardner (Bestselling Author and Authority on the American West)
The Comanche: Conversation with S.C. Gwynne (Pulitzer-Prize Finalist and New York Times Bestselling Author)
How the Red Dead Redemption games mirror real history: Conversation with Tore Olsson (Author of Red Dead's History)
How do you repay those who died for your freedom? Conversation with Robert M. Edsel (New York Times Bestselling Author)
Meade, Lee, Lincoln, and the Battle of Gettysburg: Conversation with Tim McGrath (Historian and Author of Three Roads to Gettysburg)
How a Motley Crew of Characters Stopped the Invasion of America in WWII: Conversation with Sara Vladic (New York Times Bestselling Author)
Our Man in Tokyo Before Pearl Harbor.: Conversation with Steve Kemper (Award-winning Historian and Author)
WWII's Ghost Army: Conversation with Rick Beyer (New York Times Bestselling Author)
The Marine "Bastard" Battalion and the 2004 Battle of Ramadi: Conversation with Gregg Zoroya (Award-winning Author of Unremitting)
Forging passports to save Jews from the Holocaust. Conversation with Roger Moorhouse (Bestselling Author of The Forgers)
The Untold Story of Lincoln's Special Forces: Conversation with Patrick O'Donnell (New York Times Bestselling Author)
What does the Medal of Honor mean to those who earned it? Conversation with Greg Waters (Curator of the National Medal of Honor Museum)
Destroying the Nazi Atomic Bomb Program: Conversation with Neal Bascomb (New York Times Bestselling Author)
One of the most crucial battles for Normandy during WWII: Conversation with James Donovan (Bestselling Author)
Flags of Our Fathers: Conversation with James Bradley (New York Times Bestselling author of Flags of Our Fathers)
WWII's Agent Zo: Conversation with Clare Mulley (Award Winnig Historian and Author)
The clandestine world of Josephine Baker: Conversation with Damien Lewis (#1 Bestselling Historian and Author)
What was it like to talk to WWI Veterans? Conversation with Richard Rubin (Bestselling Author of The Last of the Doughboys)
Battle of Saipan: Conversation with David Sears (Historian of the Pacific War)
The story behind Apple TV's Masters of the Air: Conversation with Donald Miller (New York Times Bestselling Author of Masters of the Air)
How much did the U.S. help win World War I? Conversation with Matt Seelinger (Chief Historian at the U.S. Army Historical Foundation)
The American women who flew in the face of danger during World War II: Conversation with Becky Aikman (Bestselling Author of Spitfires)
Was Stalin always a step ahead of Churchill and FDR? Conversation with Giles Milton (Bestselling Author of The Stalin Affair)
Why there is always more to say about the Battle of Midway: Conversation with Martin Dugard (New York Times Bestselling Author of Taking Midway)
Inside Hitler's U-Boat War: Conversation with Roger Moorhouse (Bestselling Author of Wolfpack)
The Meaning of Courage: Conversation with Jack H. Jacobs (Medal of Honor Recipient)
Battle of Britain: Conversation with Martin Dugard (New York Times Bestselling Co-Author of the 'Killing' Series)
The Fragile Alliance of WWII's Big Three: Conversation with Tim Bouverie (Award-Winning Historian and Author)
The True Story of Sgt. York. Conversation with James C. Nelson (Bestselling Author and Historian of WWI)
Emanuel Nobel - The Forgotten Billionaire who Powered the World: Conversation with Douglas Brunt (New York Times Bestselling Author)
Self-Help From the Middle Ages: Conversation with Peter Jones (Award-Winning Medieval Historian)
The Rise and Fall of Sparta: Conversation with Andrew Bayliss (Award-Winning Historian)
The Lost Voices of Pompeii: Conversation with Jess Venner (Award-Winning Ancient Historian)
Was the Blood Countess Really a Serial Killer? Conversation with Shelley Puhak (Bestselling Author)
Seven Daughters of Empress Maria Theresa: Conversation with Veronica Buckley (Award-Winning Historian)
Stay Alive - Life in Berlin During World War II: Conversation with Ian Buruma (Bestselling Author)
The 16th-century contest that shaped the world: Conversation with Roger Crowley (Sunday Times History Book of the Year Author)
Spies in My Blood: Conversation with Alex Storozynski (Pulitzer-Prize Winning Historian)
Life and Legacy of King James VI and I: Conversation with Clare Jackson (Historian and Author of The Mirror of Great Britain)
A History of the World in 6 Glasses: Conversation with Tom Standage (Editor of the Economist and New York Times Bestselling Author)
Why Napoleon does not get enough credit: Conversation with Adam Zamoyski (Renowned Historian of European and Polish History)
The Horse and Rise of Empires: Conversation with David Chaffetz (Award-Winning Author of Raiders, Rulers, and Traders)
Can art still provoke societal change as it did during the Renaissance? Conversation with Ross King (New York Times Bestselling Author of Renaissance History)
How did Rome's roads shape history? Conversation with Catherine Fletcher (Professor and Author of The Roads to Rome: A History)
Poland's Place in World History: Conversation with Norman Davies (Renowned Historian of Polish and European History)
How Ancient India Transformed the World: Conversation with William Dalrymple (New York Times Bestselling Author of The Golden Road)
Was Socrates executed for heresy? Conversation with Matt Gatton (Author of Shadows of Socrates)
The Nazi and the Psychiatrist - the book behind the film "Nuremberg." Conversation with Jack El-Hai (Author of The Nazi and the Psychiatrist)
Mesopotamia and the Birth of History: Conversation with Moudhy Al-Rashid (Scholar and Author of Between Two Rivers)
The Story of the Warsaw Ghetto: Conversation with Katarzyna Person (Director of the Warsaw Ghetto Museum)
Why writing about flawed historical characters is more fun: Conversation with Ben Macintyre (#1 Bestselling Author)
What role do books play in wars? Conversation with Andrew Pettegree (Historian & Recipient of Order of the British Empire)
When the Habsburgs Ruled the World: Conversation with Martyn Rady (Bestselling Historian and Author)
Winston Churchill during the Cold War: Conversation with Anthony Tucker Jones (Bestselling Military Historian)
A story of Britain's forgotten rogue agent: Conversation with James Crossland (Author of Rogue Agent)
Murders in German POW camps across the U.S. Conversation with William Geroux (Author of The Fifteen)
The Typewriter and the Guillotine - An American Journalist, a German Serial Killer, and Paris on the Eve of WWII: Conversation with Mark Braude (New York Times Bestselling Author)
POLITICAL (& PRESIDENTIAL) HISTORY
Separating Reagan, the man, from the myth: Conversation with Max Boot (Pulitzer-Prize Finalist)
Legacy of Harry S. Truman: Conversation with Kurt Graham (Director of the Truman Presidential Library)
Visiting the graves of all American Presidents. Conversation with Brady Carlson (Author of Dead Presidents)
Future Presidents who fought in World War II: Conversation with Steven Gillon (New York Times Bestselling Author)
Why did NJ give women the right to vote in 1776, only to then take it away? Conversation with Carol Berkin (Renowned Historian of Early American History)
How important was Henry Cabot Lodge to TR's Success? Conversation with Laurence Jurdem (Historian and Author of The Rough Rider and the Professor)
Writing speeches for Presidents Nixon and Reagan: Conversation with Ken Khachigian (Speechwriter and Presidential Advisor to Presidents Nixon and Reagan)
Charles Sumner - The Civil Rights leader of the 19th century? Conversation with Zakeer Tameez (Author of Charles Sumner: The Conscience of a Nation)
Why there is always more to say about Lincoln: Conversation with Harold Holzer (Award-Winning Lincoln Scholar)
America's Most Contentious Elections: Conversation with David Pietrusza (Bestselling Historian and Authority on American Elections)
Why John Adams gets a bad rap: Conversation with Lindsay Chervinsky (Award-Winning Presidential Historian)
The Legacy of Former First Ladies: Conversation with Kate Andersen Brower (New York Times Bestselling Author)
Creating a fictional hero in a real world of WWII: Conversation with James R. Benn (Bestselling author of the WWII Billy Boyle mystery novels)
How historical fiction brings the past to life: Conversation with Jeff Shaara (New York Times Bestselling Author of Historical Fiction)
GENERAL HISTORY FOR THE CURIOUS MIND
How "Pursuit of Happiness" Defines America: Conversation with Greg Jackson (Host of History That Doesn't Sucks)
Can you outrun a dinosaur? Conversation with Cody Cassidy (Bestselling Author of Surviving History)
Why History Matters (According to David McCullough): Conversation with Dorie McCullough Lawson and Michael Hill (Editors of History Matters)
What is the job of the U.S. National Archives? Conversation with Coleen Shogan (11th Archivist of the United States)
What are some positive lessons from history we can learn? Conversation with Roman Krznaric (Renowned Social Philosopher)
Lessons from cats for surviving fascism: Conversation with Stewart (Brittlestar) Reynolds (Author and YouTube Comedian and Commentator)
The power of art in the historical narrative: Conversation with Sabin Howard (Master Sculptor of the National WWI Memorial)
The importance of having a National History Day: Conversation with Cathy Gorn (Executive Director of the National History Day)
Learning History from YouTube: Conversation with Steve Heimler (Host of Heimler's History YouTube Channel)
What is actually being taught in our history classrooms? Conversation with Brendan Gillis (American Historical Association Director of Teaching and Learning)
What it's like to make scholars readable and relevant: Conversation with Meilan Solly (History Editor of the Smithsonian Magazine)
Learning about the past through the five senses: Conversation with Sam Kean (New York Times Bestselling Author of Dinner With King Tut)
Preserving History at the National Museum of U.S.A.F.: Conversation with Meghan Anderson (Manuscript Curator at the U.S.A.F. )
When maps stop being tools and become narratives: Conversation with James Cheshire (Britain's Only Professor of Cartography)
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