Top History Podcasts

The April 1999 massacre at Columbine High School hurtled the United States into an era of mass shootings. Now, a quarter century later, the horrors of that day have become an almost regular facet of American life, and gun violence a record-smashing epidemic. Clad in both camouflage and Kevlar, 21st-century America is a bastion of freedom where workplaces require active shooter protocols, schools run lockdown drills, and the Second Amendment has become a religion unto itself.

Guns are a uniquely American problem, but the U.S. wasn’t always like this. LONG SHADOW: IN GUNS WE TRUST explores the story of the people — some names you'll know, some you won't — who changed the way America relates to guns, for better or worse. This season, host Garrett Graff, in collaboration with The Trace, chronicles how firearms moved from being an ordinary part of the background of rural life to a menacing element of modern American life.

Crackling with rich archival tape and riveting eyewitness and expert interviews, this narrative podcast examines threads of history that are vitally relevant to our current political climate. In LONG SHADOW’s Signal Award-winning first season, Graff, a Pulitzer-finalist and a best-selling author and historian, examined the lingering questions of 9/11, the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil. Season two, which won an Edward R. Murrow Award for best podcast, chronicled how bloody tragedies at the hands of federal agents led to the rise of American far-right extremism and ultimately the January 6 insurrection. The Peabody Award-nominated season three, winner of the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award and three Signal Awards (best history podcast, best documentary podcast, and best activism, public service & social impact podcast) will help listeners understand how simply carrying firearms has become its own act of defiance, and how a very specific, carefully manufactured fear has driven explosive demand for guns across America. 

How did we get here? Subscribe and listen to LONG SHADOW to find out.

LONG SHADOW: IN GUNS WE TRUST is produced by Long Lead and Campside Media in collaboration with The Trace, and is distributed by PRX.

A father-daughter podcast where I interview my father, Robert Chau, on exactly how he survived and escaped the Khmer Rouge aka 1970's Cambodian Genocide. We will follow along his journey on how a starving boy crawling out of Cambodia become a serial American entrepreneur. After 50 years, he deserves a chance to finally share his story. 

Get ready for a fun, lively, and sometimes slightly offbeat dive into the history of the Lone Star State! From well-known legends to hidden gems, we’re here to rediscover the people, places, and events that shaped Texas into the fascinating tapestry it is today. Whether we’re unraveling tall tales, debunking myths, or spotlighting forgotten heroes, each episode is packed with humor, curiosity, and a love for all things Texas.

Perfect for your commute, a walk in the park, or a long road trip, these bite-sized episodes are your gateway to exploring Texas history like never before. So, pull up a chair, hit play, and join us as we unbox the untold stories of the state we’re proud to call home!

Louisa May Alcott may be best known for the beloved book Little Women, but her story doesn’t begin or end with her famous novel. On Let Genius Burn, we separate the layers of Louisa’s life to learn more about who she really was--and all the ways her legacy continues to resonate today. We’ll explore the traumatic year of her childhood spent in an experimental utopian community, her service as a Civil War nurse, her final years of wealth and celebrity as a children’s author--and more intimate details and little-known stories of Louisa’s life. Instead of a retelling of Louisa May Alcott’s biography, each episode in the 8-part series examines Louisa's life through a different lens--Louisa as a celebrity, writer, activist, daughter, and more-- highlighting her complexity as a person, woman, and historical figure. Ahead of her time, Louisa railed against the limitations of her gender and fought for women’s suffrage. She craved literary greatness, but was weighed down by the financial needs of her family. Through writing scandalous Gothic thrillers, she found a way to voice her own inner turmoil. In the end, she achieved extraordinary financial success, but creative fulfillment remained elusive.We’ll examine all of this and more on Let Genius Burn. Find more on Instagram and Facebook @letgeniusburn or at letgeniusburn.com.