The First and Last Emperor of America

In 1897, a Swedish engineer set out to reach the North Pole ... by balloon. With two companions, a crate of champagne, and the faith of a nation, he rose into the Arctic fog — and vanished. Decades later, their frozen journals and undeveloped film emerged from the ice, revealing ... Show More

The Florentine Diamond was one of the crown jewels (sorry) of the Habsburgs—a 137-carat diamond that had come from the court of the Duke of Tuscany. But after World War I, when the Austrian Empire collapsed, the royal family fled to Switzerland, taking the diamond with them. From ... Show More

Antoine Lavoisier was a French chemist, who gave us the name for oxygen and other terminology that we still use today. But he was also a wealthy man who collected taxes and served the Ancien régime, and when the revolution came, the elements were ripe for explosion. Support Noble ... Show More

<p>He was an art patron. He loved science. He spoke many languages. He was also known for a dark temper and instability, and his poor decisions as a ruler are credited with leading to the Thirty years War.</p><p> </p> Learn more about your ad-choices at <a href="https://www.ihear ... Show More

Colchester claimed to be psychic and probably did warn President Abraham Lincoln that he was going to be assassinated. He became an icon for Spiritualism in the U.S. in the 19th century, only to be rejected by that same movement.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.i ... Show More

<p>It's no secret that people in the US often tend to mythologize the Founding Fathers -- so it shouldn't come as a surprise that people also, often, claim George Washington wasn't actually the first US president. What gives? Tune in to learn more.</p><p> </p> Learn more about yo ... Show More

In the early 1930s a consortium of America's wealthiest men conspires to overthrow President Roosevelt and institute a fascist state. This is the story of how they almost succeeded. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listene ... Show More

<p>The Ottoman Empire's Suleiman the Magnificent was a head of state, a poet, a reformer of the military and a goldsmith. His reign had a significant impact on the law, literature and art of the Ottoman Empire.</p><p> </p> Learn more about your ad-choices at <a href="https://www. ... Show More

Fair was a contemporary of Levi Strauss, living and working in San Francisco around the same time as the denim magnate, but though Fair often appears on lists of the richest men in U.S. history, he doesn’t have the same name recognition. Learn more about your ad-choices at https: ... Show More

King Christian VII ruled in the 18th century, and during his reign, his physician finagled a surprising amount of power, and basically ruled the country.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

Born in Africa and transported as a slave to America, this Revolutionary War era poet became the darling of London and charmed notable figures of American history along the way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices 

<p>In the early 1930s a consortium of America's wealthiest men conspires to overthrow President Roosevelt and institute a fascist state. This is the story of how they almost succeeded.</p><p> </p> Learn more about your ad-choices at <a href="https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com"> ... Show More

On this episode of Our American Stories, Kentucky journalist Sam Terry tells the story of William King Solomon, a gravedigger who may have saved the town of Lexington during the Cholera epidemic of 1833; and TJ Stiles tells the humble story of Cornelius Vanderbilt and how he beca ... Show More