15-Minute History

• What to Watch | History in Movies Part IV

  "Based on a true story." "Inspired by actual events." "The following actually happened."These five words might be Hollywood's greatest magic trick, transforming entertainment into education, fiction into fact, and Brad Pitt's abs into ancient Greek warfare. More Americans learn their history from movies than from any other source. Think about that for a moment. Our understanding of the past - of who we were, what we've done, and where we're going - can be shaped more by screenwriters than scholars, more by CGI than citations.So what happens when Hollywood gets it wrong? When the decade-long siege of Troy gets compressed into a long weekend? When a president's decision to invade Iraq gets reduced to daddy issues?And yet - what about when they get it right? When a film captures not just the facts but the feeling of a moment? When Colin Firth's king reminds us that history turns on personal struggles as much as grand strategies? When Spielberg refuses to look away from humanity's darkest hour and finds light anyway?Join Jon, Dan, and Joe as they wade through Hollywood's version of history - celebrating the films that honor the past and calling out the ones that butcher it for a buck. From newsrooms to royal courts, from Warsaw ghettos to Trojan beaches, we're asking the question that matters: in an age where movies are our history teachers, what exactly are we teaching ourselves? And more importantly - who gets to decide what's worth remembering?

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• Pop Quiz | "15-Minute Rage-Bait"

  Why do dumb ideas keep popping up like weeds? Why do people embrace them despite mountains of evidence they don't work and huge piles of bodies left in their wake? Are they true believers or just grifters? And should 15-Minute History rebrand itself into "fifteen minutes of rage-bait"?Join us each Thursday for Pop Quizzes and Sketches in History, and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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• The War of 1812 | A Discussion - Myths, Realities, and Ideals

  "Don't give up the ship." "The Star-Spangled Banner." "Old Hickory." The Battle of New Orleans.The War of 1812 gave us some of America's most enduring symbols and phrases. But did it actually change anything? The treaty that ended it resolved almost nothing. The boundaries stayed the same. Impressment wasn't even mentioned. And the greatest American victory came after the war was technically over.So why does this "Second War of Independence" matter? Was it a pointless conflict that nearly destroyed a fragile young nation? Or the crucible that finally transformed thirteen squabbling former colonies into something that felt like a country?Join us as we dig into the contradictions, debate the consequences, and explore what the War of 1812 actually accomplished - or didn't. From the myths we tell ourselves to the realities on the ground, from Baltimore's ramparts to New Orleans' muddy fields, we're questioning everything about America's most misunderstood war. And before we're done, we'll grapple with something deeper: the ideals this nation was founded on - and how those very same ideals, however imperfectly realized, eventually gave us the tools to right some of our gravest wrongs.

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• Sketches in History | Don't Give Up the Ship (Part 2)

  The 15-Minute History Podcast team welcomes you back to another Sketches in History. This segment, just for kids, shows that history isn't just a story, it's an adventure. Join Lottie Archer as she dives into her extraordinary notebook, where sketches from history come to life.In this episode, she returns to September 10, 1813, to witness the dramatic conclusion of the Battle of Lake Erie. After Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry's flagship USS Lawrence was destroyed, the 28-year-old commander makes a daring decision that changes everything. Rowing through enemy fire to reach the USS Niagara, Perry raises his "Don't Give Up the Ship" flag once more and sails directly at British ships. In this episode, your kids will learn about grit, witness the first time an entire British fleet surrendered, and discover how the tides began to turn in the War of 1812. Experience what it's like to stand on the deck of the Niagara as Perry transforms certain defeat into triumphant victory!Listen and subscribe to the 15-Minute History podcast to hear Sketches in History every other Thursday. Got a favorite historical moment? Share it with us at [email protected], and it might just make its way into the notebook!

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• War of 1812 (Part 2) | The Fire That Reforged a Nation

  Washington burns. The White House is in flames. But from the smoke and ashes, a nation discovers what it means to be American.The War of 1812's darkest hour became its defining triumph. As British veterans fresh from defeating Napoleon torched the capital, as rockets rained on Fort McHenry, as peace was signed but war raged on, Americans transformed humiliation into legend.Join us for the explosive conclusion of our two-part series on the War of 1812. In this second installment, we witness Perry's amazing victory on Lake Erie, the death of the great Tecumseh, the night America's capital burned to the ground, and Andrew Jackson's stunning victory at New Orleans - a battle that remade American identity, fought two weeks after the war had already ended.

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