15-Minute History

What was the Bank of the United States, and why did Andrew Jackson work so hard to destroy it?
And why is Eva Braun always referred to as Adolf Hitler's "mistress" even though he was not married?
Find out the answer to both questions on this week's pop quiz!

During the summer break, the 15-Minute History team will be republishing some of your favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on October 4, 2021.
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The steamboat passed the port and he looked out at the brown, muddy water. The heat was failing and the humidity began to soak his clothes. Soon it would be twilight and the lighting bugs would begin to flash on the shoreline. As the boat moved downriver, he saw an old wooden raft hitched to a tree near the shore. It had a battered steering rudder, and the logs that were tied together looked so beaten he would have guessed it impossible to serve any function other than kindling. He watched the water move the raft back and forth and smiled to himself, thinking about the hands that made it and what possible experiences someone might have on a craft like that.

He turned to the north in the direction they were heading and wondered how a craft like that could get up the river without capsizing. He wondered what would have happened if he had a craft like that. It didn’t make sense now, but it would have been wonderful for his youth. He wondered how he might have used it. He wondered, and he dreamed.
Join us as we teach you about Mark Twain, his life, and his contribution to the literary world.

Is America approaching an end similar to Rome's?
No.
But are there lessons from how the Roman Empire collapsed in the West that nations and leaders can apply to their own situations? Of course, so Joe and Jon explore those topics today.
Join us every Thursday this summer for new pop quizzes and on Mondays for rebroadcast episodes!

During the summer break, the 15-Minute History team will be republishing some of your favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on November 14, 2022.
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"I once knew a little boy whose mother and father died when he was six years old. He was a slave and had no one to care for him. He slept on a dirt floor in a hovel, and in cold weather would crawl into a meal bag head foremost and leave his feet in the ashes to keep them warm. Often he would roast an ear of corn and eat it to satisfy his hunger, and many times has he crawled under the barn or stable and secured eggs, which he would roast in the fire and eat.
That boy did not wear pants like you do, but a tow linen shirt. Schools were unknown to him, and he learned to spell from an old Webster's spelling-book and to read and write from posters on cellar and barn doors, while boys and men would help him. He would then preach and speak, and soon became well known. He became Presidential Elector, United States Marshal, United States Recorder, United States diplomat, and accumulated some wealth. He wore broadcloth and didn't have to divide crumbs with the dogs under the table. That boy was Frederick Douglas."
Join us as we teach you about Fredrick Douglas, his early life, his escape to freedom, and his profound effect on ending slavery in the United States.

Why do people continue to believe the worst about historical villains even if the facts prove they aren't quite as bad as some people thought?
Join us every Thursday this summer for new pop quizzes and on Mondays for rebroadcast episodes!