Best The History Channel Back Pocket Studios Podcasts (2025)

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How the Whitman Murders Redefined the American West 39:18

2d ago39:18

39:18

May 30, 1855. Five thousand Native Americans come to Walla Walla to negotiate a treaty. However, it’s not exactly a fair negotiation – the territorial governor basically tells these tribes that they have no choice but to live on reservations in order to maintain peace. This moment comes in the wake of a violent time in the Pacific Northwest, a peri…

1
A Vicious Beating on the Senate Floor 41:51

9d ago41:51

41:51

May 22, 1856. Charles Sumner isn’t worried about making friends in the Senate. His rhetoric is inflammatory, almost intentionally. He’s an ardent abolitionist in a time when people are still enslaved throughout the South. In his most recent speech, Sumner attacked his colleagues directly, especially pro-slavery Senator Andrew Butler. Butler’s cousi…

1
A Teenage Girl Saves France 38:14

13d ago38:14

38:14

May 16, 1920. Tens of thousands of people surround St. Peter’s Basilica to honor Joan of Arc, a French peasant girl who died nearly five hundred years before. Joan’s feats in battle—and her visions of God—have become legendary since her heyday during the Hundred Years' War. And today, the Catholic Church is making her a saint. But Joan was a real p…

1
McDonald’s Before McDonald’s 36:23

16d ago36:23

36:23

May 15, 1940. It’s opening day. San Bernardino, California is a city on the rise, and to meet this new demand for cheap, good food, two brothers have created a restaurant: McDonald’s Famous Barbecue. You can order a PB&J sandwich, barbecued pork, baked beans, and yes, a hamburger. It’s a work in progress, but Dick and Mac McDonald never stop innova…

1
Cinco de Mayo’s Civil War Connection 35:39

23d ago35:39

35:39

May 5, 1862. The French have landed in Mexico. Napoleon III wants to conquer the country and assert France’s imperial dominance in the Americas. In his way? The Mexican army, held up in the city of Puebla. The Battle of Puebla will come to define this struggle: a European monarch against a fledgling democracy, led by Benito Juárez. Mexico’s victory…

1
America’s Cold War Obsession with Greenland 36:41

1M ago36:41

36:41

April 27, 1951. The United States has been putting pressure on Denmark for a long time. Because the small European kingdom has something the Americans really, really want: Greenland. Today, they sign a treaty that will basically let the U.S. military build whatever it wants on this frozen island. They end up constructing an air base, but then turn …

1
Trailer: America's Cold War Obsession with Greenland 1:00

1M ago1:00

1:00

HISTORY This Week returns with new episodes this Monday! We're kicking things off with a look at America's longtime fascination with Greenland, and how the U.S. military used the island to expand its Cold War nuclear ambitions. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more abo…

1
A Concubine Rises to Rule China 42:10

1M ago42:10

42:10

April 27, 1856. In Beijing’s Forbidden City, one of the emperor’s consorts, a woman named Cixi, has given birth to a son – the emperor’s first heir. This landmark event is met with mass celebration. But in just five years time, the emperor will be dead and Cixi will be planning a coup to take power for herself. How will she ever succeed? Special th…

1
Introducing: What We Spend 11:12

1M ago11:12

11:12

Imagine if you could ask someone anything you wanted about their finances. On What We Spend, people from across the country and across the financial spectrum are opening their wallets—and their lives—to tell you everything: what they make, what they want, and—for one week—what they spend. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices …

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"Houston We’ve Had a Problem” (feat. Captain Jim Lovell) 33:48

1M ago33:48

33:48

April 14, 1970. Apollo 13 is a quarter million miles from Earth, speeding towards the Moon, when a sudden explosion rocks the ship. Against all odds, the astronauts pull off one of the most remarkable survival missions in NASA history. 55 years after this harrowing flight, Apollo 13 Commander Jim Lovell explains exactly what it took to save his spa…

1
The Titanic’s First and Last Voyage 39:41

2M ago39:41

39:41

April 10, 1912. As the RMS Titanic pulls away from a crowded port on the south coast of England, it almost crashes. Just in time, it’s able to turn off its engines and prevent a collision with a smaller ship. Four days later, though, a serious disaster will not be avoided, and the Titanic’s first voyage will be her last. But during her brief life, …

1
148 Tornadoes in 18 Hours 29:41

2M ago29:41

29:41

April 3, 1974. Across America, many people wake up this morning thinking it will be a normal day. But in the next 24 hours, almost 150 tornadoes will hit the United States. It will be the largest tornado outbreak in the nation's history. Why did so many deadly tornadoes hit on this one day? And how did it spur life-saving changes that are still wit…

1
Was Ethel Rosenberg A Spy? 43:37

2M ago43:37

43:37

March 29, 1951. The world is waiting for the jury’s verdict. Ethel and Julius Rosenberg have been accused of spying for the Soviet Union, conspiring to send atomic secrets to America’s enemy in the Cold War. Ethel and Julius are tried in court together, and after the jury finds both Rosenbergs guilty, they receive the same punishment – the death pe…

1
Revenge of the Ronin 33:17

2M ago33:17

33:17

March 20, 1703. Today, almost fifty men, scattered around the city of Edo, Japan, are waiting to die. They’re all former samurai who had served the same lord – and they all carried out a deadly revenge attack in his name. Their story will go down in history as the legend of the 47 Ronin. Why did these men decide that to be loyal samurai, they had t…

1
Six Men, Two Bombs, One Grave Injustice 40:40

3M ago40:40

40:40

March 14, 1991. The Birmingham Six have been in prison for 16 years. Each of these six Irishmen was found guilty of 21 counts of murder back in 1975 – held responsible for bombs detonated at two popular pubs in Birmingham, England. They were accused of being part of an IRA terror campaign, but have maintained their innocence since the moment they w…

1
Introducing: Campus Files 12:03

3M ago12:03

12:03

College holds a mythic place in American culture, but behind the polished campus tours and glossy brochures lies a far more complicated reality. Each episode of Campus Files uncovers a new story that rocked a college or university. Consider this your unofficial campus tour. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://…

1
Freud & Jung: The Original Dream Team 38:33

3M ago38:33

38:33

March 3rd, 1907. Dr. Sigmund Freud invites a guest into his office, Dr. Carl Jung. This is a meeting of the minds, about... the mind. Psychology. Freud and Jung will spend the next 13 hours discussing the unconscious, the hidden forces in our brains that guide our thoughts and decisions. They're two of the first doctors to explore this mysterious t…

1
Hitler Stands Trial 36:47

3M ago36:47

36:47

February 26, 1924. 10 Defendants enter a courtroom in Munich. They are being charged with an attempted coup. They tried to overthrow the government of the Weimar Republic… and almost succeeded. All eyes are on the second defendant to enter the room. When the judge reads this man’s name into the record, he identifies him as a Munich writer named Ado…

1
Tesla Electrifies the World 41:59

3M ago41:59

41:59

February 24, 1893. Most homes don't have electricity. And yet, one of the technology's pioneers, Nikola Tesla, is about to give the world a glimpse into a fully electrified future. He takes the stage at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, and begins a demonstration. He shoots sparks out of his hands, makes himself glow, and turns on some lightb…

1
America’s Restaurants Meet the Michelin Man 35:24

3M ago35:24

35:24

February 23, 2005. New York City's culinary elite gather at Gotham Hall. Tuxedoed waiters pass around champagne flutes and decadent hors d'oeuvres, as famous chefs like Eric Ripert and Anthony Bourdain pose for photos and gossip with their peers before the night’s main event: an announcement that could change their lives and the fate of America's d…

1
When America Almost Had Universal Healthcare 36:00

4M ago36:00

36:00

February 15, 1935. The American Medical Association, the AMA, is holding an emergency meeting in Chicago. The crisis? The possibility that the federal government is about to pass universal health insurance. Health insurance is a new concept in America at this time, but President Franklin Roosevelt's administration is looking to include it in a pack…

1
Anatomy of a Campus Heist 45:02

4M ago45:02

45:02

February 11, 2005. FBI agents bust down the door of a cinder block house near the University of Kentucky campus. Amid flash grenades and screaming teens, they arrest three students – plus a fourth student in a nearby dorm. The crime? Stealing almost $750,000 of rare books and manuscripts from the library at Transylvania University. Why did four fre…

1
Could the Challenger Disaster Have Been Prevented? 41:57

4M ago41:57

41:57

January 28, 1986. It's freezing in Central Florida, a historically cold day. That's bad news for citrus growers, and for NASA, which is scheduled to launch the Space Shuttle Challenger from Cape Canaveral this morning. Engineers have ben cautioning NASA that cold temperatures can make space launches dangerous. And yet, NASA decides to move ahead. T…

1
MLK Bonus: The Civil Rights Children's Crusade 31:45

4M ago31:45

31:45

To further celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we're re-releasing our classic episode about the Children's Crusade, an effort to bring the youth of Birmingham, Alabama into the Civil Rights Movement in order to affect change across the country. April 20, 1963. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. walks out of Alabama’s Birmingham Jail after being held …

1
The Hit Song that Gave Us MLK Day 35:34

4M ago35:34

35:34

January 15, 1969. It's been less than a year since the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Friends, family, and followers are gathered at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where Dr. King preached. They are there to remember him on his birthday, honor his legacy, and present a goal: an official celebration of his birthday every year, a hol…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

The History Channel Back Pocket Studios Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

1
HISTORY This Week

The HISTORY® Channel | Back Pocket Studios

1
How the Whitman Murders Redefined the American West 39:18

1
A Vicious Beating on the Senate Floor 41:51

1
A Teenage Girl Saves France 38:14

1
McDonald’s Before McDonald’s 36:23

1
Cinco de Mayo’s Civil War Connection 35:39

1
America’s Cold War Obsession with Greenland 36:41

1
Trailer: America's Cold War Obsession with Greenland 1:00

1
A Concubine Rises to Rule China 42:10

1
Introducing: What We Spend 11:12

1
"Houston We’ve Had a Problem” (feat. Captain Jim Lovell) 33:48

1
The Titanic’s First and Last Voyage 39:41

1
148 Tornadoes in 18 Hours 29:41

1
Was Ethel Rosenberg A Spy? 43:37

1
Revenge of the Ronin 33:17

1
Six Men, Two Bombs, One Grave Injustice 40:40

1
Introducing: Campus Files 12:03

1
Freud & Jung: The Original Dream Team 38:33

1
Hitler Stands Trial 36:47

1
Tesla Electrifies the World 41:59

1
America’s Restaurants Meet the Michelin Man 35:24

1
When America Almost Had Universal Healthcare 36:00

1
Anatomy of a Campus Heist 45:02

1
Could the Challenger Disaster Have Been Prevented? 41:57

1
MLK Bonus: The Civil Rights Children's Crusade 31:45

1
The Hit Song that Gave Us MLK Day 35:34

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