Show overview
Lectures in History has been publishing since 2014, and across the 12 years since has built a catalogue of 405 episodes. That works out to roughly 450 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a fortnightly cadence.
Episodes typically run an hour to ninety minutes — most land between 57 min and 1h 16m — and the run-time is fairly consistent across the catalogue. It is catalogued as a EN-US-language News show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 4 days ago, with 19 episodes already out so far this year. The busiest year was 2024, with 56 episodes published. Published by C-SPAN.
From the publisher
Go back to school with the country's top professors lecturing on a variety of topics in American history. New episodes posted every Saturday evening. From C-SPAN, the network that brings you "After Words" and "C-SPAN's The Weekly" podcasts.
Latest Episodes
View all 405 episodesRed Dead's History - A Video Game, An Obsession, and America's Violent Past
FEED DROP: BN+ - Bob Crawford, "America's Founding Son"
FEED DROP: America's Book Club with Beverly Gage
"Whiteness" & U.S. Citizenship
Allen Guelzo on Abraham Lincoln
FEED DROP BN+: Investigative Journalist Seth Harp Explores The Fort Bragg Cartel
2002 George W. Bush Speech Making the Case for Military Action in Iraq
The October 2002 speech by George W. Bush making the case for military action in Iraq was the topic of a class taught by University of Kansas political communication professor Robert Rowland. The University of Kansas is in Lawrence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
President Jimmy Carter's Impact On the End of the Cold War
Gonzaga history professor Robert Donnelly argues that Jimmy Carter's role in ending the Cold War has largely been overlooked. He looks at how the 39th president's policies weakened the Soviet Empire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
FEED DROP: BN+ David Sirota "Master Plan"
David Sirota, who is based in Denver, Colorado, has some very strong views about money and politics. His book is called "Master Plan: The Hidden Plot to Legalize Corruption in America." There are 11 chapters which reflect the 11 episodes of his podcast, "Master Plan." In order to tell his story, he points his finger at the 1971 Powell secret memo. That's former US Supreme Court Associate Justice Lewis Powell, who served on the Supreme Court from 1972 to 1987. He died in 1998 at age 90. Author Sirota, who is 50, writes that the Powell memo laid out a comprehensive step-by-step strategy for corporate America to regain control, protect its interests, and reshape the political and legal system of the United States to favor business. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Hawaiian History and Culture
Gonzaga University professor Veta Schlimgen chronicles the history of Hawaii and how it maintained its culture after becoming a U.S. state in 1959. Gonzaga University is located in Spokane, Washington. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Supreme Court Cases and Privacy
History professor Lawrence Cappello analyzes Supreme Court cases that address the right to privacy, focusing on police and phone wiretaps. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Spanish-American War
University of Louisville history professor Matthew Goldberg chronicles the 1898 Spanish-American War, fought primarily in Cuba, Guam, and the Philippines. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Reaganomics
Brigham Young University professor Grant Madsen examines supply-side economics which was termed "Reaganomics." Brigham Young University is located in Provo, Utah. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Marion Orr "House of Diggs"
Brown University professor Marion Orr lectures on the life & legacy of Congressman Charles Diggs, Jr. The Michigan Democrat founded the Congressional Black Caucus and was the only federal official to attend the trial of Emmett Till's killers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The History of the Space Program
In 1957, the beeps from Sputnik, a small Russian satellite, sent the USSR & US into a space race. Teasel Muir-Harmony of the Air & Space Museum chronicles the history of space travel and how the U.S. landed on the Moon and how we're going back in 2026. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Williamsburg Revolutionary War Encampment
William & Mary lecturer Robyn Schroeder discusses the Williamsburg, Virginia, site where colonial troops built an encampment ahead of the 1781 battle of Yorktown during the Revolutionary War. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How Martin Luther King Jr. Used Political Strategy
Boise State history professor Jill Gill lectures on Martin Luther King Jr.'s political strategies in the Civil Rights Movement up until his assassination in 1968. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Blake Gilpin on Reconstruction-Era Supreme Court Cases That Led to Jim Crow Segregation
Tulane professor Blake Gilpin discusses three Reconstruction-era Supreme Court cases and how they led to the establishment of Jim Crow segregation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Kentucky and Slavery: From Statehood to the Civil War
When Kentucky in 1792 became a state, it had a choice; keep slavery or abolish it. University of Kentucky professor Melanie Goan teaches a class on the state's relationship with the institution of slavery until the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
FEED DROP: America 250 Battle of Bunker Hill Commemoration
The National Park Service and other groups held a ceremony in Boston marking the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices