Slate History

A feed with the best history coverage from Slate’s wide range of podcasts. From narrative shows like Slow Burn, One Year, and Decoder Ring, to timely analysis from ICYMI and What Next, you’ll get the fascinating stories and vital context you need to understand where we came from and where we're going. 

History
Society & Culture
1
Gabfest Reads | Finding Connection in the After...
Yael van der Wouden’s new book The Safekeep explores paranoia, loneliness, and obsession in the post-World War II Dutch countryside.
27 min
2
Hit Parade | The Freewheelin’ Edition Part 1
A Complete Unknown depicts Bob Dylan’s ’60s cultural explosion—but all his chart-topping albums came decades later.
58 min
3
Culture Gabfest: Babygirls and Nickel Boys
This week, the hosts discuss two awards contenders and the Justin Baldoni v. Blake Lively debacle.
71 min
4
Hit Parade | The Bridge: Slate Music Club 2024
35 min
5
Hit Parade | I’d Like to Teach the World to Buy...
38 min
6
Gabfest Reads: The Life and Legacy of John Lewis
David Greenberg’s new biography on the Civil Rights icon shows what makes Lewis a legend.
32 min
7
Decoder Ring | Mailbag: Fruit Snacks, Waterbeds...
How fruity candy got a “healthful” rebrand, the rise and fall of the softest (and sexiest) bed, and more listener questions.
45 min
8
Hit Parade | I’d Like to Teach the World to Buy...
53 min
9
Outward: How Lesbian Artists Turned Renaissance...
The story of a lesbian princess and her lover’s project to restore an Italian estate in ruin
29 min
10
Hit Parade | Say a Little Prayer Edition Part 2
How Aretha Franklin became not only the Queen of Soul but a massive pop star, earning respect with amazing grace.
52 min
11
Outward: What Southern LGBTQ History Can Teach Us
Jules Gill-Peterson talks with the co-founders of Invisible Histories to talk about their work preserving stories of the LGBTQ South and the lessons we all need to learn from them
40 min
12
Hit Parade: Say a Little Prayer Edition Part 1
How Aretha Franklin became not only the Queen of Soul but a massive pop star, earning respect with amazing grace.
55 min
13
Culture Gabfest: Can Stolen Artifacts Return Ti...
This week, the hosts discuss Dahomey, Rachel Bloom’s new special, and Mark Zuckerberg’s new clothes.
54 min
14
Hit Parade: With or Without U2 Edition Part 2
How Bono and the boys pivoted from the earnest ’80s to the ironic ’90s. They’ve always been both cool and cringe.
52 min
15
Slow Burn: The Rise of Fox News - Ep. 6: What H...
Some of the people who built Fox News now wonder how much they’re to blame for what it’s become.
71 min
16
Outward: The Amicus Brief for U.S. v. Skrmetti ...
Outward’s own Jules takes us behind her contributions to an amicus brief for an upcoming Supreme Court case that will have a massive impact on trans healthcare rights
37 min
17
Slow Burn: The Rise of Fox News - Ep. 5: Ludacr...
For the American left, Fox News was an enemy to be destroyed—but maybe also emulated.
58 min
18
Decoder Ring: Selling Out (Encore)
How we all became sellouts.
47 min
19
Slow Burn: The Rise of Fox News - Ep. 4: Beacon...
The Daily Show Ridiculed Fox News. And Fox News Loved It.
59 min
20
Well, Now: What It’s Really Like to Take Ozempic
In Magic Pill, journalist Johann Hari dives into the science and history of GLP-1 drugs for weight loss, all the while taking Ozempic himself.
49 min
21
Slow Burn: The Rise of Fox News - Ep. 3: The Ot...
Life at CNN was pretty darn sweet. Then came Fox News.
51 min
22
Hit Parade: What’s 1984 Got to Do with It Editi...
57 min
23
Calling Dick Tracy! It’s Warren Beatty Again
Why is Oscar-winner Warren Beatty still playing comic book detective Dick Tracy, 30 years later?
42 min
24
Well, Now: The Truth About IUDs
IUDs are safe and extremely effective, but they could be much better.
30 min
25
Slow Burn: The Rise of Fox News - Ep. 2: A Netw...
The Fox News story began with the death of a dream.
54 min