History Shorts

In 1014, after a decisive victory over the Bulgarian Empire at the Battle of Kleidion, Byzantine Emperor Basil II made a decision that would echo through history. Thousands of captured Bulgarian soldiers were blinded, with one man in every hundred left with a single eye to guide the others home. When Tsar Samuel saw the shattered remnants of his army return, he is said to have suffered a fatal stroke just two days later.
Whether every detail unfolded exactly as later chroniclers described remains a subject of historical debate, but the story cemented Basil's legacy forever. He would be remembered not as "the Great," but as Bulgaroktonos—the Bulgar-Slayer.
In this episode of History Shorts, we examine one of the most infamous episodes of the medieval world, separating legend from evidence while exploring what it reveals about Byzantine warfare, imperial power, and the values of an age far removed from our own.
 
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In the summer of 1917, the U.S. Army stationed the Buffalo Soldiers of the 24th Infantry in Houston, Texas, where they encountered the harsh realities of Jim Crow segregation. After weeks of racial abuse, police violence, and growing tensions, a rumor that a fellow soldier had been killed sparked a deadly confrontation that became known as the Houston Riot of 1917.
The aftermath was swift and severe. More than 100 Black soldiers were convicted in the largest murder trial in U.S. military history, and 19 were executed—many after proceedings that failed to meet basic standards of due process. More than a century later, the Army acknowledged those injustices by overturning every conviction and granting the men honorable discharges.
In this episode of History Shorts, we explore the events that led to the Houston Riot, the flawed military trials that followed, and the long road to justice for the Buffalo Soldiers.
 
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Join me for an epic conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Eric Moskowitz about his gripping new book The Hardest, Longest Race: Henry Ford and the Cross-Country Contest That Changed America.
In 1909, a handful of fearless drivers tackled the first true transcontinental automobile race — 4,106 miles from New York to Seattle over terrible roads, mountains, mud bogs, and sabotage. At the center was Henry Ford and his underdog Model T in a story filled with grit, mechanical genius, ambition, deception, and high-stakes drama.
We explore how this wild endurance contest helped launch the automobile age, transformed American life, and revealed the cutthroat origins of the auto industry.
 
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The word "assassination" is spoken around the world, but its origins are rooted in one of history's most misunderstood groups. The medieval Nizari Ismailis have long been portrayed as a secretive cult of drug-fueled killers, a reputation shaped by hostile chroniclers and popularized centuries later by Marco Polo. Modern historians, however, find little evidence that the famous hashish story was ever true.
Instead, the Nizari Ismailis were a small Shia Muslim community surrounded by powerful enemies. Unable to compete with large armies, they relied on patience, intelligence, and carefully planned targeted killings to ensure their survival. Their mountain fortress at Alamut was also a renowned center of learning before its destruction by the Mongols.
In this episode of History Shorts, we separate myth from history, uncover the real origins of the word "assassin," and explore how centuries of legend transformed a persecuted religious minority into one of history's most enduring myths.
 
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While the Civil War raged on the battlefield, one of the Union's greatest victories came through espionage. In the heart of the Confederate capital, Elizabeth Van Lew quietly built a sophisticated spy network that reached into prisons, government offices—and even the Confederate White House itself.
To avoid suspicion, Van Lew deliberately cultivated a reputation as "Crazy Bet," convincing her neighbors she was harmless while secretly directing one of the most effective intelligence operations of the war. At the center of her network was Mary Bowser, a formerly enslaved woman with an extraordinary memory who gained access to Jefferson Davis's household and passed invaluable information to Union forces.
In this episode of History Shorts, discover the remarkable true story of two women whose courage, ingenuity, and sacrifice helped shape the outcome of the Civil War—and why their contributions were overlooked for generations.
 
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