Dec 2019

Best of 2019: Nefertiti

Here’s one of our listeners’ most requested episodes of 2019: This famous Queen ruled Egypt during the mid-14th century, BC, over a period of immense religious upheaval. With her husband, she conspired to convert all of Egypt from the traditional polytheistic religion to the wors ... Show More

44m 3s

Dec 2019

Father Miguel Hidalgo

For centuries, Mexico lived under the rule of Spain. In that time, a discriminatory caste system was created to keep non-Europeans in their place. However, one priest, inspired by the thinkers of the Enlightenment, would cast the first stone and help bring about Mexico’s independ ... Show More

48m 8s

Nov 2019

Pope Gregory XIII

Best remembered for his invention of the calendar we still use today, Pope Gregory XIII became a voice for reform in the Catholic Church by pulling the Vatican out of the dark ages and into the modern era. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

49m 45s

Dec 2023

Great American Authors | Mark Twain: Voice of a Nation | 3

In the late 1850s, a young man named Samuel Clemens started out piloting steamboats on the Mississippi River. Within a few years, he embarked on a writing career, adopting the pen name that became famous: Mark Twain. Armed with a wry sense of humor and a natural flair for storyte ... Show More

41m 54s

Oct 2024

Mark Twain Was a Terrible Investor, Part One: The Legend of "Josh"

Today, Mark Twain is widely thought of as one of America's greatest authors -- but he was also, get this, a terrible investor. Inspired by his father's unfailing (and unsuccessful) efforts to become a business tycoon, Twain spent loads of time and money backing inventions that ei ... Show More

43m 24s

Apr 23

The Story of the Town That Created Mark Twain: Hannibal, Missouri

On this episode of Our American Stories, the river town of Hannibal, Missouri, spared Mark Twain from nothing, exposing him to poverty, death, racism, and the need to make decisions for himself. Here's Richard Garey, a Mark Twain aficionado, with the story of this all-important t ... Show More

20m 18s

Nov 2023

Joshua Chamberlain: From Stuttering Child to Civil War Hero to Polyglot Governor of Maine

Before 1862, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain had rarely left his home state of Maine, where he was a trained minister and mild-mannered professor at Bowdoin College. His colleagues were shocked when he volunteered for the Union army, but he was undeterred and later became known as on ... Show More

27 m

Feb 2025

Butch Cassidy

Leader of the Wild Bunch gang, Butch Cassidy was a legendary American criminal who engineered infamous bank and train robberies across the West in the late 19th century. His charisma and careful planning ensured he eluded capture for years. And when, in 1901, he fled the law to S ... Show More

58m 42s

Nov 2024

Winston Churchill | Born To Rule | 1

One of the most famous leaders of the twentieth century, Winston Churchill is far more than just WWII. The ‘pretty baby’, who as a boisterous boy fought for the attention of his aristocratic parents eventually emerged into adulthood as a soldier and war journalist. Soon he finds ... Show More

45m 30s

Mar 2020

“The Boxcar Killer” Robert Joseph Silvera Jr.

He was a freight hopper who rode the rails of the western United States for over a decade. Robert Joseph Silvera Jr. was responsible for more than 30 slayings in that time, most of his victims being fellow transients—earning him the nickname, “The Boxcar Killer.” Learn more about ... Show More

43m 17s

Jul 2024

Lincoln: 1864

On this episode of Our American Stories, Abraham Lincoln knew his presidency would go the way of the war. Hear how, even through the year 1864, the war was not going well. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informat ... Show More

9m 29s

Sep 2024

ON BENJAMIN FRANKLIN Episode 3: Industry

Few people remember that Benjamin Franklin was America’s wealthiest self-made man. After being denied a formal education and then indentured to his own brother, he launched America's first media empire. But while Franklin could be a ruthless businessman, he was out for more than ... Show More

29m 10s

Jul 2023

John Muir’s Quest to Save the Great Outdoors

July 19, 1869. Naturalist John Muir watches the sun rise over the Sierra Nevada mountains. He’ll write in his journal of the stirring birds, glowing treetops, and even rocks that “seem to thrill with life.” He’s so taken with this landscape that he’ll decide to stay in the Yosemi ... Show More

30m 34s