“In 431 BC, the long simmering rivalry between the city-states of Athens and Sparta erupted into open warfare, and for more than a generation the two were locked in a life-and-death struggle. The war embroiled the entire Greek world,

On Saturday, July 18, 1863, the 54thMassachusetts Regiment attacked Fort Wagner, a Confederate fortification defending Charleston Harbor. The assault began at about 7:45 PM. Within two hours, of the 624 men who made the attack, 54 were killed,

In 1573, an alchemist named Anna Zieglerin gave her patron, the Duke of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel, the recipe for something she called “the lion's blood” which she claimed could “stimulate the growth of plants, create gemstones,

Today's conversation is a little different. Usually I talk to people who have already written a book. But today's guest Lindsay Chervinsky is in the process of writing a book. I thought it was a good opportunity for listeners to see how the sausage get...

Hello, from January 18, to June 28, 1919, the fate of the world seemed as if it would be decided in Paris. There leaders of the victorious powers met to determine the nature of the peace it would imposed upon Germany, and its allies,

"Herodotus, from Halicarnassus, here displays his enquiries, that human achievement may be spared the ravages of time, and that everything great and astounding, and all the glory of those exploits which served to display Greeks and barbarians alike to ...

In late 19thcentury Japan, samurai were considered an “anachronistic embarassment, unproductive and useless.” Western dress spread rapidly throughout society. Castles were demolished by local governments. Yet, today,

First an apology. This conversation was recorded in the lobby of a hotel, and at times you'll get to listen in on other people's conversations. It's some of the worst audio ever on this podcast; I certainly hope we never have worse.

John Hooper got around, both geographically, intellectually, and spiritually. In 1535, he was a Cistercian monk, facing the dissolution of his monastery. Twenty years later he was burned at the stake by the Catholic monarch of England for being a Prote...

Another "Behind the Book" bonus episode, and one very appropriate for Memorial Day. This time I'm talking with John Slaughter, in his office at the Cowpens National Battlefield. John is the Superintendent of the Southern Campaign of the American Revolu...