History Shorts

In June 1977, one of the most infamous prisoners in America briefly slipped through the bars of one of the nation's toughest prisons. The man was James Earl Ray—the convicted killer of Martin Luther King Jr.—and his escape sent shockwaves across the country.
Ray had been serving a 99-year sentence at Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary, a fortress-like facility tucked deep in the mountains of Tennessee and widely considered one of the most secure prisons in the United States. Yet on June 10, 1977, Ray and six other inmates managed to break out, launching one of the largest manhunts in Tennessee history.
 
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When Americans think of the leadership of the American Revolutionary War, one name immediately comes to mind: George Washington. But before Washington ever took command of the Continental Army, another man briefly held that title—and today, he is largely forgotten.
That man was Artemas Ward, a Massachusetts general who found himself suddenly leading the rebel forces in the earliest days of the revolution. In the chaotic aftermath of the Battles of Lexington and Concord in April 1775, colonial militias surrounded British forces in Boston. Someone had to organize and command this improvised army—and Ward became the senior officer placed in charge.
 
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What can the ruins of Pompeii really tell us about the people who lived there—and whose stories have been forgotten for nearly two thousand years?
In this episode of the History Shorts Conversation Series, host Peter Zablocki sits down with historian and classicist Jess Venner to discuss her new book, The Lost Voices of Pompeii. While Pompeii is one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world, Dr. Venner argues that the traditional story of the city has long overlooked the lives of its most ordinary residents.
Follow Jess on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifeinthepastlane_/ 
Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Voices-Pompeii-Death-Pompeiis-ebook/dp/B0FBRX1VJ1 
 
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In December 1936, the British monarchy faced one of the greatest constitutional crises in its history. The king of the United Kingdom, Edward VIII, made a decision that shocked the world: he would give up the throne for love.
At the center of the controversy was Wallis Simpson, an American divorcée whom Edward was determined to marry. But in a Britain still deeply tied to tradition—and with the king serving as the head of the Church of England—the prospect of the monarch marrying a twice-divorced woman whose former husbands were still living was politically explosive.
 
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For nearly a thousand years, kings, generals, and ordinary travelers journeyed to a sacred mountainside in Greece seeking answers from the gods. At the heart of this pilgrimage stood one of the most mysterious figures in the ancient world—the Oracle of Delphi.
Located at the sanctuary of Delphi, the oracle served as the prophetic voice of Apollo. The woman who delivered these messages, known as the Pythia, would sit upon a tripod inside the temple, entering a trance-like state before uttering cryptic prophecies that priests then interpreted for visitors.
 
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