American History Tellers

Wondery

The Cold War, Prohibition, the Gold Rush, the Space Race. Every part of your life - the words you speak, the ideas you share - can be traced to our history, but how well do you really know the stories that made America? We'll take you to the events, the times and the people that shaped our nation. And we'll show you how our history affected them, their families and affects you today. Hosted by Lindsay Graham (not the Senator). From Wondery, the network behind American Scandal, Tides of History, American Innovations and more.

You can binge new seasons of American History Tellers early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts.

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Our Editor's Take

American History Tellers is a podcast that tells the story of the United States from the perspective of the people who lived through it. Host Lindsay Graham is a self-described history buff. In this podcast, he teams up with esteemed academic historians to tackle U.S. history from new perspectives. Unlike other sources, this podcast tells history as a story. It puts listeners in the shoes of those who came before them. Graham and his guests describe what it was like to be present to witness some of the most iconic moments of history. They bring bygone eras to life and give voice to ordinary people. American History Tellers is entertaining and enriching. You've never heard history told quite like this before.

This podcast wants people to stop thinking of history as a collection of boring facts. U.S. history turns out to be a compelling collection of stories. What was it like to answer a knock at the door from the FBI during the height of the Cold War? What did Prohibition do to waiters' tips? This podcast is history as you've never heard before, as everyday people lived it.

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Play Trailer

Introducing American History Tellers

Introducing American History Tellers

American History Tellers. Our History, Your Story. Premieres January 3rd.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Season 67

World War I | Preparedness | 1

World War I | Preparedness | 1

In June 1914, a gunman assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir apparent to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This event set off a chain reaction that plunged Europe’s major powers, and the wider world, into all-out war. President Woodrow Wilson was determined to keep the United States out of the conflict, but when German submarine attacks put American lives at risk, the American people would become divided over how to respond to the increasing threatSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

World War I | The Yanks Are Coming | 2

World War I | The Yanks Are Coming | 2

In the spring of 1917 the U.S. moved closer to entering the Great War. German submarines resumed attacks against American ships, and a secret German telegram urging Mexico to wage war on the U.S. came to light, enraging the public. As he prepared to lead the nation into the conflict, President Woodrow Wilson faced daunting challenges. He would have to transform the Army, reshape the economy and crack down on internal dissent. And for German-Americans, U.S. entry into the war would leave them caught between home and heritage.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

History Daily: The Hillsborough Stadium Disaster

History Daily: The Hillsborough Stadium Disaster

April 15, 1989: A crowd crush at a soccer game at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, England leads to the deaths of 97 Liverpool fans.You can listen ad-free in the Wondery or Amazon Music app. Or for all that and more, go to IntoHistory.com.History Daily is a co-production of Airship and Noiser.Go to HistoryDaily.com for more history, daily.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

World War I | The Spring Offensive | 3

World War I | The Spring Offensive | 3

In January 1918, after months of preparation and planning, American troops finally started to arrive in Europe in significant numbers. But the U.S. was still far from combat ready. Its economy was struggling to adapt to the demand for war supplies and the U.S. forces in Europe were still heavily reliant on British and French support. But America and the Allies were running out of time. Germany was preparing to launch an all-out assault on the Western Front in the hope of finally securing victory for the Kaiser.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

World War I | The Eleventh Hour | 4

World War I | The Eleventh Hour | 4

In the summer of 1918, the U.S. successfully led a critical offensive in northern France, finally giving the Allies the upper hand in the battle against Germany and the other Central Powers. And as the war reached its final months, President Woodrow Wilson hoped to use his 14 Point vision for peace to reshape the world in the United States’ favor. But his ambitious plan would encounter heavy opposition, from both America’s allies and Wilson's political opponents at home.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Season 66

Encore: Lewis and Clark I Into the Wild | 1

Encore: Lewis and Clark I Into the Wild | 1

In 1803, Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark began a westward journey that would transform America. Their mission was to head up the Missouri River and find a route through the uncharted west to the Pacific Ocean. The journey was full of risk. But no danger loomed larger in their minds than the Sioux – the powerful Native American confederacy of the plains. And it wouldn't be long before the two crossed paths.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

History Daily: The Execution of the Last Grand Master of the Knights Templar

History Daily: The Execution of the Last Grand Master of the Knights Templar

March 18, 1314. Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, is burned at the stake.You can listen ad-free in the Wondery or Amazon Music app. Or for all that and more, go to IntoHistory.comHistory Daily is a co-production of Airship and Noiser.Go to HistoryDaily.com for more history, daily.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Encore: Lewis and Clark I Across the Rockies | 2

Encore: Lewis and Clark I Across the Rockies | 2

In the spring of 1805, Lewis and Clark resumed their journey up the Missouri River in search of the Pacific. But to reach the ocean, they would have to cross the towering Rocky Mountains. It was a forbidding task, and one they couldn’t achieve alone. They would need the help of their young interpreter, Sacagawea, and her tribe, the Shoshone. But first, they had to locate the elusive Shoshone – and with winter fast approaching, time was running out.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Encore: Lewis and Clark I The Long Way Home | 3

Encore: Lewis and Clark I The Long Way Home | 3

After 18 months and over two thousand miles, Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery had reached the Pacific Ocean. Now, they would have to find their way back. And in a last-ditch bid for glory, they would split up the Corps into smaller groups, hoping to map more river routes and make contact with more Native American tribes. But the plan would backfire, putting the entire expedition at risk, even as the end of their journey was finally within reach.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

History Daily: The Hale-Bopp Comet

History Daily: The Hale-Bopp Comet

April 1, 1997. The Hale-Bopp Comet reaches the closest point to the sun on its long loop through space, presenting a magnificent spectacle to stargazers on Earth.You can listen ad-free in the Wondery or Amazon Music app. Or for all that and more, go to IntoHistory.com.History Daily is a co-production of Airship and Noiser.Go to HistoryDaily.com for more history, daily.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Season 65

The Underground Railroad | The Light of Freedom | 1

The Underground Railroad | The Light of Freedom | 1

In the early 1800s, slavery rapidly expanded across the American South. But each year, thousands of courageous enslaved men, women, and children fled their owners in search of freedom. And in Philadelphia, secret allies came to their aid. Quaker abolitionists collaborated with free Black people to bring the freedom seekers to safety. It was the start of the Underground Railroad, a clandestine network of activists, safe houses, and escape routes that would help tens of thousands of enslaved people flee bondage in the decades before the Civil War and challenge the very roots of American slavery.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Underground Railroad | Vigilance | 2

The Underground Railroad | Vigilance | 2

In the 1830s, abolitionism became a political force to be reckoned with. In the face of harassment and mob violence, Black and white abolitionists staged rallies, published newspapers, and flooded Congress with antislavery petitions. Increasingly, they made up the rank and file of the Underground Railroad.But pro-slavery forces emboldened kidnappers to roam the streets of northern cities, hunting for fugitive slaves and free Black people, many of them children. In New York City, Black activists fought back with a radical new self-defense organization.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

History Daily: The Battle of Lugdunum

History Daily: The Battle of Lugdunum

February 19, 197 CE. Septimius Severus' victory at the Battle of Lugdunum finally establishes him as the sole ruler of the Roman Empire.You can listen ad-free in the Wondery or Amazon Music app. Or for all that and more, go to IntoHistory.comHistory Daily is a co-production of Airship and Noiser.Go to HistoryDaily.com for more history, daily.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Underground Railroad | Crossing the Line | 3

The Underground Railroad | Crossing the Line | 3

On the morning of April 16th, 1848, dozens of Washington, D.C. slaveowners woke up to find that their slaves were gone. The previous night, 77 enslaved men, women, and children had quietly run away and boarded a ship docked in the Potomac River.It was the largest single escape attempt by enslaved people in American history. And it sparked riots in the streets of Washington and heated battles in government. Slaveowners and their allies in Congress grew more determined than ever to stem the tide of fugitive slaves.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Underground Railroad | Journey’s End | 4

The Underground Railroad | Journey’s End | 4

In December 1850, Harriet Tubman saved three family members from an auction block in a daring rescue in Cambridge, Maryland. It was the start of one of the most legendary careers in the annals of the Underground Railroad.Underground activists like Tubman faced enormous danger under the newly passed Fugitive Slave Act. But they refused to accept a law they deemed unjust. In the 1850s, they brazenly defied slave hunters and federal officials, sparking a series of violent clashes.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Underground Railroad | Harriet Tubman’s Goodbye Song | 5

The Underground Railroad | Harriet Tubman’s Goodbye Song | 5

In 1849, Harriet Tubman escaped her enslaver in Maryland and freed herself. Over the next several years she took great personal risks, traveling back below the Mason-Dixon line at least a dozen times to free family and friends as a conductor on the Underground Railroad. Today, Lindsay is joined by Angela Crenshaw, Director of the Maryland State Park Service, who helped lead the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park. Crenshaw shares her deep admiration for Tubman and provides insights into her life – from trapping muskrats in the swamps as a child to leading a raid behind Confederate lines during the Civil War.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Season 64

The Manhattan Project | Chain Reaction | 1

The Manhattan Project | Chain Reaction | 1

In December 1938, a team of German physicists achieved an astonishing scientific breakthrough: they split the nucleus of a uranium atom. In the United States, news of the discovery sparked fear in the scientific community. Atomic fission could power a devastating new weapon, and Adolf Hitler’s Germany had a head start.In response, President Roosevelt launched an unprecedented mobilization of American science and industry. The race was on to assemble the team that would design and build the first atomic bomb.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Manhattan Project | Secret Cities | 2

The Manhattan Project | Secret Cities | 2

In Spring of 1943, hundreds of scientists and technicians moved to a remote location in the mountains of New Mexico to work at a secret laboratory. Under the guidance of their leader, J. Robert Oppenheimer, they rushed to figure out how to channel the power of an atomic chain reaction to create a bomb. Meanwhile, secret plants in Tennessee and Washington sprung up overnight to produce the uranium and plutonium that would fuel the weapon.But the leaders of the Manhattan Project faced another challenge: how to keep such a sprawling enterprise hidden from enemies and prevent the designs from falling into the wrong hands.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

History Daily: The Northern Cheyenne Face Off Against the US Army

History Daily: The Northern Cheyenne Face Off Against the US Army

January 22, 1879. After years of displacement, the northern Cheyenne, led by Chief Morning Star, face off against the U.S. Army in an attempt to return to their ancestral lands.You can listen ad-free in the Wondery or Amazon Music app. Or for all that and more, go to IntoHistory.com.History Daily is a co-production of Airship and Noiser.Go to HistoryDaily.com for more history, daily.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Manhattan Project | Devastating Success | 3

The Manhattan Project | Devastating Success | 3

In Spring of 1945, the tides of World War 2 turned. Germany surrendered to the Allies, but Japan vowed to keep fighting. To prevent further casualties, America knew they would have to demonstrate their power, and force Japan to surrender quickly. At Los Alamos, J. Robert Oppenheimer and his team raced to get ready for the first physical test of an atomic bomb. But as the scientists grew closer to seeing their creation in action, new questions arose about how, and if, such a powerful weapon should be used. Unleashing their creation might deliver a critical turning point in the war, but could also open the door to a dangerous and complicated new era for humanity.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.