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15 Minute History — History
15 Minute History

15 Minute History is a history podcast designed for historians, enthusiasts, and newbies alike. This is a joint project of Hemispheres, the international outreach consortium at the University of Texas at Austin, and Not Even Past, a website with articles on a wide variety of historical issues, produced by the History Department at the University of Texas at Austin.

This podcast series is devoted to short, accessible discussions of important topics in world history, United States history, and Texas history with the award winning faculty and graduate students at the University of Texas at Austin, and distinguished visitors to our campus. They are meant to be a resource for both teachers and students, and can be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in history.

For more information and to hear our complete back catalog of episodes, visit our website!

Texas Podcast Network is brought to you by The University of Texas at Austin. Podcasts are produced by faculty members and staffers at UT Austin who work with University Communications to craft content that adheres to journalistic best practices. The University of Texas at Austin offers these podcasts at no charge. Podcasts appearing on the network and this webpage represent the views of the hosts, not of The University of Texas at Austin.

Latest Episodes:

Episode 154: The Nature of Empire: Power, Ecology and Knowledge Apr 01, 2025

Show notes

How the environment has been perceived, valued and manipulated by humans since prehistoric times. But in the last millennium, empires brought something new into the mix — the organization of local knowledge and practices into bureaucratic and military systems that centralized power — and indeed, funded it. We’re joined today by Sumit Guha, a UT professor of history focused on demography and agriculture. Professor Guha is the author of, Ecologies of Empire in South Asia, 1400–1900 , which looks at how the Mughal and British Empires transformed the landscape of the Indian subcontinent — and indeed, how they transformed environmental knowledge itself. It’s a fascinating journey over 500 years that raises plenty of questions for today as humans grapple with climate change, extreme weather and the loss of wilderness.

Episode 153: Horses and Humans throughout History Feb 11, 2025

Show notes

Horses and humans have gone hand in hand for centuries. Our guest today is CU Boulder professor William Taylor, whose new book "Hoof Beats” takes us across thousands of years and miles to explore how horses helped create the human world we live in today. In doing so, Taylor challenges our understanding of prehistory and reflects on what our relationship with horses means for the future of humanity and the world around us.

Episode 152: Rethinking the Slave Trade Feb 11, 2025

Show notes

Beginning in the 15th century, European history took a dark turn with the rapid expansion of the slave trade. We’re joined today by Emory professor David Eltis, the co- editor of www.slavevoyages.org that draws on thousands of records — ship logs, registers, letters and government records — to understand the mechanics of the trade. His new book, Atlantic Cataclysm, utilizes these records to offer a new interpretation of transatlantic slavery centered on the Iberian rather than French or British Americas.

Episode 151: Henri Christophe: First and Last King of Haiti Feb 05, 2025

Show notes

Between 1807 and 1820, Haiti was led by it’s first and last king, Henri Christophe. A contemporary of Robespierre and Napoleon, Washington and Hamilton, his life was as colorful, controversial and as tragic as any from his age. He presided over a Haitian state that was opulent and cultured on one hand, brutal and repressive on the other. Today I’m joined by Yale professor Marlene Daut, whose new book, "The First and Last King of Haiti", charts the rise and fall of this revolutionary, enigmatic and largely forgotten figure who despite all his flaws pioneered a vision of black sovereignty amidst almost impossible circumstances.

Episode 150: America First: The Debate Then and Now Dec 09, 2024

Show notes

In the late 1930s, War in Europe seemed inevitable. Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, a fierce debate was underway — if war comes to Europe, should America get involved or stay out?

On one side of the debate was President Franklin Roosevelt — who favored intervention — and on the other, Charles Lindbergh — the most famous aviator of his day, the son of a congressman and the de facto spokesperson for the “America First” committee. At the time, it was the latest round in a debate that has raged in America since the 18th century.

Our guest today is UT professor HW Brands whose new book is, America First Roosevelt vs. Lindbergh in the Shadow of War. We discuss how the interventionist/isolationist debate panned out in the ’30s and ’40s, why those are imperfect terms for the two sides, and how the interventionist consensus is more fragile today than at any point since Pearl Harbor.

Episode 149: A crisis of confidence – America in 1876 Dec 04, 2024

Show notes

Two years from now, America will enter its 250th year as a nation. For some, it will be a day to celebrate without question. But, for others it may be something of an anti-climax, or at least a chance to reflect upon the continuing gap between the promise and reality of the American project. Today, I’m joined by UT professor Jeremi Suri to discuss the lay of the land in 1876 — America’s 100th birthday. That year witnessed another incredibly tight and contentious election rife with accusations of voter fraud and corrupt bargains. Jeremi is the author of Civil War by Other Means: America’s Long and Unfinished Fight for Democracy and The Impossible Presidency: The Rise and Fall of America's Highest Office.

Episode 148: US China relations in the 1970s Jul 22, 2024

Show notes

During the 1970s, relations between the US and China were transformed. Previously the two nations were cold war enemies. But Kazushi Minami argues that the '70s saw Americans reimagine China as a country of opportunities, while Chinese reinterpreted the US as an agent of modernization, capable of enriching their country. Crucial to this process was "people's diplomacy" the title of Minami's book on US-China relations which focuses on how Americans and Chinese from all walks of life engaged in people-to-people exchanges across the realms of business, culture and sport. Minami teaches history at Osaka University in Japan.

Episode 147: The Court Packing Crisis Jun 28, 2024

Show notes

In 1937, American politics was gripped by President Roosevelt's court packing plan. Frustrated with what he perceived to be an aging, obstructionist Supreme Court, Roosevelt pressed congress to expand the court from 9 to 15 members. Stepping into the ensuing maelstrom was Texas congressman Hatton Sumners, chair of the House judiciary committee, ally of Roosevelt and an opponent of the plan. We're joined today by Josiah Daniel. Now a full time legal historian, Daniel was a partner in the intl. law firm Vinson & Elkins. He received his JD in Law and MA in History from UT Austin.

Episode 146: Black Labor in Boston May 23, 2024

Show notes

The historian Henry Adams once wrote that, “the American boy of 1854 stood nearer the year 1 than to the year 1900.” Changes during that period were indeed profound in Adam’s home town of Boston. And yet, for the majority of the city’s black men and women, life and work in 1900 were not that different from the 1850s — despite Boston’s proud progressive history. We're joined today by Professor Jackie Jones, whose new Pulitzer Prize-winning book “No Right to An Honest Living” traces the Struggles of Boston’s Black Workers in the Civil War Era. Professor Jones’ book not only reconstructs black life — and indeed white hypocrisy — in compelling detail, it also shows the incredible value that labor history furnishes us with for understanding the past.

Episode 145: Student Protests May 09, 2024

Show notes

Over the course of the academic year, student protests have roiled college campuses like at no other time in recent memory. Going further back though, historians see plenty of parallels — as well as some key differences — with student protest movements focused on Vietnam (1960s/70s) and South Africa (1980s/90s.) Today we're joined today by Jeremi Suri, a professor in UT Austin’s Department of History and LBJ School of Public Affairs. Jeremi is the author and editor of eleven books on politics and foreign policy, most recently: Civil War By Other Means: America’s Long and Unfinished Fight for Democracy, and also Power and Protest: Global Revolution and the Rise of Détente.

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