Lectures in History

Episodes

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  Vietnam War Espionage 04.10.2026 1h 19m

  University of Wisconsin professor Alfred McCoy explored how espionage played a critical role during the Vietnam War. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Comparing Federal & State Constitutions 27.09.2026 46m

  San Diego State University professor Edward Blum examines the state constitutions created before the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1787. He explores how states approached questions of political power, representation, and individual rights—and how those early experiments in government helped shape the federal Constitution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  1776 Then and Now - Early American Political Thought 20.09.2026 1h 18m

  The Founding Fathers have inspired many writers and politicians, but who inspired the Founding Fathers? Washington University in St. Louis professor Fannie Bialek looked at the people who inspired early American political thought. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  9/11: Air National Guard Pilot Heather Penney Recalls Her Mission 12.09.2026 39m

  This week on Lectures in History — from the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., the story of one Air National Guard pilot’s experience on September 11th, 2001. Heather Penney was one of the first F-16 pilots scrambled from Andrews Air Force Base after the terrorist attacks. She discusses her mission that day, including the possibility that she might have had to bring down United Airlines Flight 93, which had been hijacked by terrorists. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Thomas Jefferson, the Qur’an and His Study of Islam 05.09.2026 1h

  Washington University hosts its “1776: Then and Now” lecture series. This lecture examines why Thomas Jefferson owned a Qur’an and explores his study of Islam and its influence on his thinking about religion and religious freedom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Music and Race Throughout History 30.08.2026 1h 29m

  Santa Clara University music professor Christina Zanfagna teaches a class about the relationship between race and music throughout history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Michael Beschloss Explores the Revolutionary War, Civil War & 20th Century America 23.08.2026 1h 2m

  Bestselling presidential historian Michael Beschloss joins David M. Rubenstein for a wide-ranging conversation on American history. They discuss the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and the pivotal events and presidents that shaped the United States in the twentieth century.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  The American Revolution Era and the Rest of the World 15.08.2026 1h 11m

  Washington University hosted a series of lectures called "1776: Then and Now." This lecture examined the international context of the American Revolution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Why Did America Declare Independence? 09.08.2026 1h 13m

  ashington University hosted a series of lectures called "1776: Then and Now." This lecture examined the reasons behind the Declaration of Independence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Was America Founded as a Secular or Christian Nation? 02.08.2026 59m

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  Appalachia's Role in America's Founding 26.07.2026 1h 25m

  History Professor Aaron Aster of Maryville College (TN) explores Appalachia's role in the founding of the United States, including how the American Revolution unfolded alongside conflicts among European and indigenous people over control of the land. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Why Did America Declare Independence? 18.07.2026 1h 14m

  Washington University hosted a series of lectures called "1776: Then and Now." This lecture examined the reasons behind the Declaration of Independence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  International Context of the American Revolution 11.07.2026 1h 11m

  This week, professor and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Kathleen DuVal examines the international context of the American Revolution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Revolutionary War Leadership 05.07.2026 59m

  Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, author Rick Atkinson, and retired Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford discussed Revolutionary War leadership at an event held at George Washington's Mount Vernon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Religion & The American Revolution 28.06.2026 1h 3m

  Washington University hosts a series of lectures called "1776: Then and Now" with the first exploring religion in Revolutionary America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  U.S. Court System in Revolutionary War 21.06.2026 1h 20m

  How did a rebel nation establish a federal court system? Utah Valley University professor Matthew Brogdon shows how the U.S. court system formed during the Revolutionary War. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Revolutionary War Roots of the Civil War 14.06.2026 1h 29m

  Bancroft and Pulitzer Prize winning historian Gordon Wood delivered a talk titled "The Revolutionary Roots of the Civil War." Professor Wood discussed the Founders views on slavery and argued that the Civil War was inevitable. The James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation hosted this event Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  When the Sea Came Alive - An Oral History Of D-Day 07.06.2026 1h 15m

  Author Garrett Graff discussed his oral history of the allied invasion of Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944. This event took place at the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College in New York City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  The Serial Killer H.H. Holmes 31.05.2026 50m

  Nebraska history professor James Garza teaches a class on H.H. Holmes, described as "America's First Serial Killer," and his crimes during the Gilded Age. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  FEED DROP A250: Abraham Lincoln and Conditions Leading to the Civil War 24.05.2026 1h 12m

  Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edda Fields-Black and other scholars gathered by the Abraham Lincoln Institute explored Lincoln and the paths leading up to the Civil War. The event took place at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices