15-Minute History

During the summer break, the 15-Minute History team will be republishing some of your favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on December 1, 2025.
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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.

The Europeans may envy America's mighty air conditioners, but what would our country look like without this wondrous invention?
Join us every Thursday for new Pop Quizzes this summer!

During the summer break, the 15-Minute History team will be republishing some of your favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on November 17, 2025.
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Detroit falls without a fight. War Hawks demand blood. But on a blood-slick deck, four words become legend: Don’t give up the ship.

The War of 1812 is often dismissed as a minor conflict, overshadowed by the Revolution and the Civil War. But this overlooked war forged American identity through fire and defiance on land and sea.
Join us as we launch our two-episode exploration of the War of 1812. In this first installment, we experience the gathering storm of grievances - from British impressment and economic strangulation to frontier clashes with Tecumseh's confederacy - that propelled a young nation into battle, the early disasters that followed, and the pivotal moment on Lake Erie when the tide of the war turned.

Jon didn't give his students a reading list this summer, but if he had, what books would he have assigned?
Join us every Monday for rebroadcast episodes this summer and on Thursdays for new Pop Quizzes!
(Even when they're late--Jon got his dates mixed up because he's a teacher on summer break...)

During the summer break, the 15-Minute History team will be republishing some of your favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on November 3, 2025.
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In the popular mind, John Adams' life and one term as President of the United States is often treated as a footnote alongside the careers of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington. But Adams left an indelible mark on his country's history. So as we continue our look into the revolutionary period, this episode shares three elements from his life that capture the essence of this fascinating man.