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.
201
Hear Me Out: Policing Can’t Be Reformed And Mus...
Some systems are just too broken to fix.
31 min
202
A Word: The Ballot, the Bullet, and the Truth
MLK’s condemnation of Malcolm X never happened. Why that matters now.
34 min
203
A Word: Dungeons, Dragons, and Diversity
How “blerds” and other geeks of color are diversifying hobby games.
32 min
204
Decoder Ring: Who Owns the Tooth Fairy?
The Tooth Fairy’s freak flag is still flying.
34 min
205
A Word: Becoming “The Black Mozart”
Actor Kelvin Harrison Jr., star of “Chevalier,” on bringing forgotten virtuoso Joseph Bologne to film.
18 min
206
What Next: Charles In Charge
A coronation is a good time to ask of the monarchy “Do we have to?”
21 min
207
What Next: America’s Rich History of Gun Control
How “originalist” arguments against gun control distort actual history.
21 min
208
Decoder Ring: Why You Can’t Find a Damn Parking...
Parking is a mess we’ve gotten ourselves into. We can get ourselves out of it.
33 min
209
Hear Me Out: The Iraq War Was a Necessary Evil
Iraqis are freer now than they would have been without us.
28 min
210
Decoder Ring: The Artist Who Was Both Loved and...
The painter LeRoy Neiman was adored by many Americans—but not the art critics.
33 min
211
Political Gabfest Reads: The Art of Writing Pol...
Alexandra Petri’s new book Alexandra Petri’s US History asks “What would sexting between John and Abigail Adams have been like?” among other burning questions.
21 min
212
Decoder Ring: The Curious Case of Columbo's Mes...
Why does no one remember the T.V. detective’s Cold War missive?
36 min
213
Hi-Phi Nation: Living in a Zoopolis
What Would It Look Like to Give Animals Full Legal Rights?
44 min
214
What Next: He Couldn’t Teach ‘Slavery Was Wrong...
More teachers are leaving their jobs as a wave of restrictive legislation targets educators across the country.
25 min
215
Decoder Ring: The Curious Case of Columbo's Mes...
Was the cigar-chomping detective also a Cold War diplomat?
39 min
216
A Word: The Battle for Eatonville
Classic novel Their Eyes Were Watching God immortalized Eatonville, Florida. Will the town survive?
24 min
217
Hear Me Out: Secession Could Be A Good Thing
Slate’s new podcast tackles increasing, nationwide calls for secession.
33 min
218
A Word: When a Race War Threat Was Real
Martin Luther King Jr.’s murder broke Black America’s spirit. It never fully healed.
28 min
219
What Next: A Disability Rights Icon’s Long Legacy
Judy Heumann changed the world for disabled people—and her mentees are the future of this on-going movement.
25 min
220
What Next: Does Steven Spielberg Have an Oscars...
It’s hard to call the most commercially-successful director of all time “underappreciated” but Spielberg’s relationship with the Academy hasn’t been particularly rosy.
25 min
221
The Waves: What Ballet’s Best Choreographer Des...
Ballet’s most famous choreographer left an amazing legacy–and many hurt women in his wake.
26 min
222
The Waves: The Inherent Fear in Being a Woman
The dread you feel walking alone at night is part nature, and part nurture.
33 min
223
A Word: Surviving “Driving While Black”
The original “Green Book” was a literal life-saver for Black travelers.
26 min
224
What Next: How Florida’s School Censorship Spreads
This culture war didn't start with canceling AP African American Studies. It's not ending there, either.
25 min
225
ICYMI: American Girl’s Addy Is More Than a Slave
It seems like every six months another person brings this discourse back online.
35 min