Podcasts · History · Society & Culture

HISTORY This Week

The HISTORY® Channel | Back Pocket Studios

300 episodes

Visit htwpod.com for ad-free listening and bonus content!This week, something big happened. You might have never heard of it, but this moment changed the course of history. A HISTORY Channel original podcast, HISTORY This Week gives you insight into the people—both famous and unknown—whose decisions reshaped the world we live in today. Through interviews with experts and eyewitnesses, each episode will give you a new perspective on how history is written. Stay up-to-date at historythisweekpodcast.com and to get in touch, email us at historythisweek@history.com.HISTORY This Week is a production of Back Pocket Studios in partnership with the History Channel.

Episodes page 2 of 6

  1. Disneyland on a Deadline

    · 27 min · S7 E2

    March 1, 1951. Two Texas horse trainers sit down to lunch with Walt Disney. They assume he wants to use their animals in a movie. Instead, Walt leans in and tells them about something that doesn’t exist yet. Not a…

  2. How To Dig a Train Tunnel Under the Hudson River

    · 33 min · S7 E1

    February 14, 1905. A stick of dynamite detonates under the Hudson River — and the ground above swallows a locomotive whole. It's the latest setback in an audacious plan to tunnel beneath the river and bring trains into…

  3. Trailer: HTW Season Premiere This Monday!

    · 1:03

    HISTORY This Week will return with new episodes this Monday, February 16th, with a story about the most vital train tunnels in the United States. The North River Tunnels—their formal name—connect New Jersey to Penn…

  4. Shut Out of the Majors, They Created Their Own

    · 28 min

    Feb 13, 1920. For over thirty years, Black baseball players have been locked out of the major leagues. So on this day in Kansas City, Rube Foster, a former pitcher and now a team owner, is trying to make his own league…

  5. The Great Comic Book Scare

    · 28 min

    February 4, 1955. In a New York courtroom, the Comics Czar takes the stand. He’s in charge of enforcing a new code, meant to keep comic books from corrupting America’s youth, and he’s here to prove that his work has…

  6. The Dogs Who Saved Nome, Alaska

    · 34 min

    On January 5, 2026, Jirdes Winther Baxter passed away at 101 years old — the last known survivor of the 1925 diphtheria epidemic in Nome, Alaska. A few years ago, we told the story of the Serum Run: the desperate…

  7. From Hitler to Hippies: The Surprising Origins of the VW Beetle | Presenting Business History

    · 35 min

    How did the VW Beetle go from Hitler’s dream car to beloved hippie icon? Today, we’re sharing an episode from a new podcast, Business History. Hosts Jacob Goldstein and Robert Smith bring to life the greatest…

  8. Houdini Defies Death

    · 26 min

    January 25, 1908. Harry Houdini is the most famous magician in America. He’s known for his escapes – from handcuffs, boxes, jail cells, even a giant football. But the escape act is getting old, and ticket sales aren’t…

  9. The Great Boston Molasses Flood

    · 17 min

    January 15, 1919. Boston PD receives a call: “Send all available rescue personnel...there's a wave of molasses coming down Commercial Street." The bizarre flood decimated Boston's North End. How did it happen? And why…

  10. Tuskegee Top Gun

    · 28 min

    Editor’s note: This episode originally aired January 9, 2023. Lt. Col. Harry Stewart Jr. passed away in February 2025 at the age of 100. Lt. Col. James Harvey III still resides in New Jersey, now 102 years old. --…

  11. King Tut’s Tomb and the Battle for Egypt’s Past

    · 36 min

    January 3, 1924. Archeologists crowd into an ancient Egyptian tomb to uncover what awaits them in the unopened burial chamber. The world is waiting to find out. That’s because two years before, the discovery of the…

  12. The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree: A History In Lights (from The Bowery Boys)

    · 42 min

    The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree has brought joy and sparkle to Midtown Manhattan since the early 1930s. The annual festivities may seem steady and timeless but this holiday icon actually has a surprisingly…

  13. A Scrooge for the Ages

    · 24 min

    December 27, 1853. On a freezing, snowy night in Birmingham, England, 2,000 people have lined up outside the town hall. They’ve braved the temperatures for a landmark performance, Charles Dickens’ first reading of A…

  14. Sam Adams Brews Rebellion in Boston Harbor

    · 34 min

    December 16, 1773. Samuel Adams sits in a crowded meeting of American colonists at Boston’s Old South Meeting House. He’s watching small groups of men slip quietly out the door. Once outside, the men don disguises and…

  15. The Thalidomide Disaster and the Doctors Who Uncovered the Truth

    · 23 min

    December 18, 1970. Decades after the end of WWII, a Nazi doctor is on trial. Today is judgment day in a long, difficult legal battle, but this case isn’t about war crimes. The German pharmaceutical company Grunenthal…

  16. How a Forgotten Explorer’s Secret Mission Unlocked the Pacific

    · 32 min

    December 1, 1564. Spanish vessels left a secret port in Mexico about two weeks ago. Their goal: to sail across the Pacific and back, charting a new route for international trade, and giving Spain an edge against its…

  17. A Meteorite Hits Ann Hodges

    · 34 min

    November 30, 1954. At about 12:45 in the afternoon, a space rock comes plummeting through the roof of a house in Sylacauga, Alabama. It bounces off a stand-up radio, ricochets around the living room, and collides with…

  18. Ken Burns Reimagines the American Revolution | A Conversation with Ken Burns & Sarah Botstein

    · 36 min · S6 E25

    November 16, 1776. George Washington rows toward Manhattan to inspect the fort that bears his name, only to meet a full-scale British assault already underway. By afternoon, Fort Washington has fallen, and General…

  19. The Grinnell 14 Take On the Bomb (feat. Peter Coyote)

    · 25 min · S6 E24

    November 16, 1961. Fourteen college students from Iowa have driven nearly a thousand miles to the White House. They’re fasting, protesting, and calling for an end to nuclear bomb testing. These students, later known as…

  20. The Forgotten Life & Tragic Death of President James Garfield | A Conversation with ‘Death by Lightning’ Creator Mike Makowsky

    · 33 min · S6 E23

    November 3, 1880. Congressman James Garfield wakes up on his quiet farm in Ohio to learn that he’s been elected President of the United States. He never campaigned to be on the ticket. He never wanted the presidency.…

  21. The Haunting Case of H.H. Holmes

    · 31 min

    October 28, 1895. It’s the first day of a murder trial in Philadelphia, and H.H. Holmes has been left to represent himself. His lawyers say they haven’t had time to prepare for his case, although they may just want to…

  22. Land of the Free? The Real Story Behind the Star-Spangled Banner

    · 28 min · Bonus

    October 19, 1814. An eager audience files into the Holliday Street Theater in Baltimore, about to see a debut performance, described as a “much-admired new song.” The composer of this song, Francis Scott Key, had…

  23. They Saw What the United Nations Couldn’t

    · 30 min · S6 E22

    October 24, 1945. The Charter of the United Nations is signed, promising to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.” Back when the charter was drafted a few months earlier in San Francisco, delegates from…

  24. How LEGO Rebuilt the Toy Itself

    · 28 min · S6 E21

    October, 1955. In living rooms across Denmark, children tear open the box of a brand-new toy: the LEGO System in Play. Inside are plastic bricks, a printed playmat of roads, little houses and trees — everything in…

  25. Stalin’s War on Genetics

    · 38 min · S6 E20

    October 11, 1955. Nearly three hundred of the Soviet Union’s top scientists sign a secret letter demanding the removal of one man: Trofim Lysenko. For decades, Lysenko had Joseph Stalin’s ear, ruling Soviet biology…

  26. The Bone Wars

    · 32 min

    October 4, 1915. President Woodrow Wilson designates Dinosaur National Monument as a national historic site. That’s a big deal, right? There must’ve been a grand ribbon-cutting ceremony, maybe even a parade. But no. In…

  27. When Nintendo (and Mario) Rescued Video Games

    · 27 min · S6 E19

    September 27, 1986. You’re a kid in the mid-80s. You get home from school, flip on the TV, and see something strange: a commercial where a giant egg hatches behind a family’s console, revealing a toy robot. His name is…

  28. The First Lady Who Tamed the Bull Moose

    · 38 min · S6 E18

    September 14, 1901. Midnight in the Adirondacks. A pounding knock at the door jolts Theodore and Edith Roosevelt awake. William McKinley is dead. Hours later, Theodore will be sworn in as the youngest president in U.S.…

  29. Presenting: The C-Word

    · 2:33 · Bonus

    With every episode, Lena Dunham and Alissa Bennett take you on a historical deep dive into the life of a woman society dismissed by calling her mad, sad, or just plain bad: Lindsay Lohan, Judy Garland, Winona Ryder,…

  30. An Astronomer Hunts a KGB Hacker

    · 28 min · S6 E17

    September 10, 1986. It’s just before 8am when Cliff Stoll’s pager jolts him awake. A computer at Lawrence Berkeley Lab has flagged a problem: a tiny 75-cent accounting error. But when Stoll rushes to his office, he…

  31. Shaving Russia

    · 26 min

    Sept 5, 1698. Tsar Peter the Great of Russia returns home from a year-long European tour. When noblemen, religious figures, and friends gather to welcome him home, Peter pulls out a straight razor, holds it to their…

  32. José Cuervo Rebuilds a Tequila Empire

    · 34 min · S6 E16

    August 28, 1920. In the town of Tequila, fireworks burst overhead as people celebrate Mexico’s independence. Then… gunshots. Malachías Cuervo, heir to the famous tequila dynasty, has just reignited a bitter feud with…

  33. The True Winnie-the-Pooh

    · 27 min · Bonus

    August 24, 1914. A train pulls up to the lumber town of White River, Ontario, carrying a regiment of Canadian troops on board. On the tracks where they disembark is a small black bear cub. An army veterinarian decides…

  34. Egypt’s Last Hieroglyph and the Fiery Archbishop of Alexandria

    · 30 min · S6 E15

    August 24, 394. On the walls of a fading Egyptian temple, a priest carves what will become the last known hieroglyph in history. At the same moment, in Alexandria, a fiery archbishop named Theophilus is rising to…

  35. The Shark Attacks That Made Us Fear the Water

    · 30 min · S6 E14

    August 15, 1915. American diplomat J. T. Du Bois publishes a letter in The New York Times. It’s not about diplomacy or foreign affairs. This letter is about sharks. It’s Du Bois’ attempt to prove to the American public…

  36. When Nazis Killed Nazis in the Middle of America

    · 38 min · S6 E13

    August 7, 1943. Off the coast of Venezuela, a Nazi U-boat is under siege. For nine days, it’s hunted by Allied aircraft across the Caribbean, until its engines fail and its commander gives the order: abandon ship.…

  37. Barbie for President!

    · 33 min

    July 29th, 1992. The Baltimore Sun runs a feature about a surprise candidate in the upcoming presidential race: Barbie. The 11.5-inch icon of girlhood and glamor is running for office – and flying off the shelves. But…

  38. Anarchists, Lovers, and the Birth of the FBI

    · 45 min · S6 E12

    July 23rd, 1892. Henry Clay Frick is one of America’s leading industrialists. To Alexander Berkman, he’s one of America’s leading villains. Berkman is an anarchist, along with his partner, Emma Goldman. They believe…

  39. Solving a Royal Murder Mystery | Philippa Langley Investigates the Princes in the Tower

    · 36 min · S6 E11

    July 17, 1674. During renovations at the Tower of London, construction workers digging beneath a stone staircase make a chilling discovery—two child-sized skeletons buried ten feet underground. And King Charles II…

  40. Operation Mincemeat Revisited | Episode + Bonus Interview with Natasha Hodgson

    · 45 min

    When we first aired "Operation Mincemeat" back in 2020, it was a daring WWII thriller that felt almost too wild to be true. Now, it’s not just history — it’s a hit Broadway musical. This week, we're revisiting our…

  41. Superman Takes Flight

    · 32 min · S6 E10

    July 7, 1938. Superman has the villain in his grasp. They soar through the air, then slam into the ground. This villain wants to start a war. Our hero won’t let that happen. At this point, Superman only has two comic…

  42. The Colosseum Becomes a Wonder | A Conversation with Barry Strauss & Alison Futrell

    · 30 min

    July 7, 2007. In a dramatic ceremony featuring pop stars, fireworks, and smoke cannons, the Colosseum is named one of the seven new wonders of the world. It’s an appropriately over-the-top blowout for an arena which,…

  43. The Forgotten Mentor Who Inspired Louis Armstrong

    · 32 min · S6 E9

    June 28, 1928. Louis Armstrong is in the studio recording what he hopes will be another hit. His career is on the rise, but he’s not a household name yet. But he’s about to lay down a track – “West End Blues” – that…

  44. The Mutiny of Henry Hudson

    · 31 min · S6 E8

    June 22, 1611. It’s been a long, cold winter. Henry Hudson and his crew have been stranded in the Canadian Arctic for months, living on the ice in wooden shacks - starving, sick, and ready to go home. And yet, Hudson…

  45. "Have You No Decency, Sir?"

    · 24 min · Bonus

    June 9, 1954. Senator Joseph McCarthy has accused the United States Army of having communists within its midst. After rising to power during a time of great fear in America, McCarthy's name has become synonymous with…

  46. Jumping Off a High Dive on a Horse (While Blind)

    · 37 min · S6 E7

    June 14, 1938. It’s 8:30 PM at Lake Worth Casino in Fort Worth, Texas. All eyes are on a huge high-dive platform, 40 feet in the air. And at the top? A woman… on a horse. Horse diving is one of the most popular acts…

  47. Inside the Nazis’ Supernatural Obsession | A Conversation with Historian Eric Kurlander

    · 34 min · S6 E6

    June 4, 1941. Reinhard Heydrich transmits a message to all regional governors in the Third Reich: prepare for “action against occult teachings.” Heydrich is carrying out the orders of Adolf Hitler, who is furious at…

  48. How the Whitman Murders Redefined the American West

    · 32 min · S6 E5

    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…

  49. A Vicious Beating on the Senate Floor

    · 35 min · S6 E4

    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…

  50. A Teenage Girl Saves France

    · 31 min · Bonus

    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…

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