Best Laika Podcasts (2026)

1
Laika: First Casualty of the Space Race 13:07

Play Pause

1d ago13:07

13:07

In November 1957, at the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 2 into orbit. On board was not a pilot or a scientist—but a small stray dog named Laika. Her mission was never meant to return. DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE! SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPo…

1
History's Worst Nun? Juana Inés de la Cruz 11:22

18m ago11:22

11:22

She was called disobedient. Arrogant. Dangerous. She is now remembered as one of the greatest minds of the Spanish-speaking world. In this episode of History Shorts, we revisit the life of Juana Inés de la Cruz—a 17th-century nun whose brilliance and independence made her a problem for Church authorities. DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATIN…

1
Judicial Life Appointments Gone Wrong 11:37

2h ago11:37

11:37

The U.S. Constitution grants Supreme Court justices life tenure to protect judicial independence. But what happens when that protection becomes a liability? DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE! SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast ADVERTISE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/…

1
A Brief History of Cannibalism 11:20

2d ago11:20

11:20

Cannibalism sits at the outer edge of human history, invoked as taboo, weaponized as propaganda, and whispered about in moments of extreme survival. Yet it appears again and again across cultures, centuries, and continents, not as myth alone, but as documented reality. In this episode, we trace the long and complex history of cannibalism, separatin…

1
Mythbusting Paul Revere's Ride 11:49

3d ago11:49

11:49

"Listen, my children, and you shall hear…" With those famous words, an event that unfolded in darkness and confusion became one of the most enduring legends in American history. But Paul Revere's midnight ride was not born a myth. It was shaped into one. DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE! SUPPORT THE SHO…

1
An American Journalist, a German Serial Killer, & Paris on the Eve of WWII, w/ Mark Braude 32:15

4d ago32:15

32:15

In this interview episode, I'm joined by author Mark Braude to dive into his latest book, The Typewriter and the Guillotine: An American Journalist, a German Serial Killer, and Paris on the Eve of WWII—a gripping blend of biography and true-crime set in the City of Light just before it went dark. Braude takes us into interwar Paris, where an Americ…

1
Carville: U.S.' Forgotten Leper City 12:46

5d ago12:46

12:46

Hidden behind iron gates along the Mississippi River stood a place most Americans never wanted to acknowledge, and many pretended didn't exist. For nearly a century, men, women, and even children diagnosed with Hansen's disease were sent to Carville National Leprosarium, a secluded institution that became both a prison and a refuge. DON'T FORGET TO…

1
Biblical Monsters 14:00

6d ago14:00

14:00

The Bible is often read as a book of law, prophecy, and moral teaching, but woven through its pages are creatures that feel more at home in myth and nightmare than Sunday school. From fire-breathing sea serpents to land beasts of impossible strength, the ancient world imagined monsters not as fantasy, but as living symbols of chaos, fear, and divin…

1
The Great Depression Serial Killer of Cleveland 13:24

7d ago13:24

13:24

In the depths of the Great Depression, Cleveland became the hunting ground for a killer the newspapers struggled to name, and the police couldn't catch. Beginning in 1935, dismembered, often decapitated bodies started appearing near the industrial flats and shantytowns along Kingsbury Run, a bleak corridor of rail lines, smoke, and makeshift shelte…

1
Sultana: Civil War's Last Forgotten Disaster 12:48

8d ago12:48

12:48

In the spring of 1865, just days after the Civil War ended and President Lincoln was laid to rest, one final tragedy struck a nation desperate to move on. On the night of April 27, the overcrowded Union steamboat Sultana exploded on the Mississippi River, killing an estimated 1,800 people, mostly recently freed Union prisoners of war returning home…

1
When Bloodletting was the Cure 14:20

9d ago14:20

14:20

For more than two thousand years, one medical treatment dominated Western medicine: bloodletting. From ancient Greece to the 19th century, physicians believed that draining a patient's blood could cure illness, restore balance, and save lives. Instead, it often hastened death. DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN A…

1
WWII's Battle Against Venereal Disease 12:04

10d ago12:04

12:04

During World War II, the U.S. military fought enemies on beaches, in jungles, and in the skies, but it also faced a quieter, deeply embarrassing crisis within its own ranks. Venereal disease sidelined hundreds of thousands of American servicemen, threatening combat readiness, morale, and the outcome of the war itself. In this episode, we explore ho…

1
Why History Matters, with David McCullough 21:15

11d ago21:15

21:15

In this interview episode, I'm joined by Dorie McCullough Lawson and Michael Hill, the editors behind History Matters, a powerful collection drawn from the words and work of David McCullough. Together, they open a window into how one of America's most beloved historians understood the purpose of history, not as trivia or nostalgia, but as a civic r…

1
JFK's Hidden Health Crisis 14:04

12d ago14:04

14:04

To the American public, John F. Kennedy embodied youth, energy, and vigor—a president who promised a New Frontier and appeared to stride confidently into history. Behind the scenes, however, the reality was far different. In this episode, we examine the extensive and carefully hidden medical struggles that defined Kennedy's life and presidency. Fro…

1
The Teenager Who Invented the Television 13:50

14d ago13:50

13:50

Television reshaped the modern world, but its invention did not begin in a laboratory funded by a major corporation. It started in a plowed field. As a teenager growing up on a Utah farm, Philo Farnsworth sketched an idea that would change how humanity communicates: a system to transmit moving images electronically. Years later, that teenage insigh…

1
Bigfoot: America's Most Enduring Legend 13:25

15d ago13:25

13:25

Long before grainy videos and blurry photographs flooded the internet, stories of a mysterious, human-like creature roaming the forests of North America were already deeply rooted in Indigenous traditions. Known by many names—Sasquatch, Skookum, or simply "the wild man"—Bigfoot has haunted campfire stories, newspaper headlines, and scientific debat…

1
What is the Secret to Happiness? Harvard's 80 Year Old Study's Findings 11:03

16d ago11:03

11:03

In the late 1930s, Harvard researchers began an unprecedented study: tracking hundreds of people across their entire lives to answer a deceptively simple question: what makes us happy? For more than eight decades, through wars, marriages, careers, illnesses, triumphs, and heartbreaks, scientists followed participants from youth to old age, gatherin…

1
The Forgotten Kingdom of Man and the Isles 12:49

17d ago12:49

12:49

Long before modern borders carved neat lines across the Irish Sea, there existed a maritime realm so unusual, so strategically placed, that its rulers commanded not just land, but the waters that bound Britain, Ireland, and Scandinavia together. Known as the Kingdom of Man and the Isles, this forgotten dominion once stretched across the Hebrides an…

1
Killing George Washington 12:10

18d ago12:10

12:10

In the summer of 1776, just as the ink of independence was drying and the Continental Army staggered under inexperience, disease, and desertion, a silent threat crept dangerously close to General George Washington. This wasn't a British field assault or naval bombardment. It was something more intimate, more treacherous: a conspiracy from within hi…

1
'The Greatest Generation' OR 'The 'Wounded Generation'? w/ David Nasaw 25:11

19d ago25:11

25:11

In this episode, Peter speaks with Dr. David Nasaw, a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist, about his new book, The Wounded Generation: Coming Home After World War II. We discuss moving beyond the triumphant 'Greatest Generation' myth, toward uncovering the unhealed physical and psychological scars that millions of veterans carried home. CHECK OUT DAVI…

1
The Freemasons 12:53

20d ago12:53

12:53

For centuries, the Freemasons have stood at the crossroads of fact and myth, secrecy and symbolism. Presidents, revolutionaries, artists, and ordinary craftsmen have all taken oaths behind closed lodge doors, giving rise to a legacy both admired and feared. In this episode, we cut through conspiracy chatter and look at the institution itself: its m…

1
Napoleon's Missing Penis: A History No One Asked For 12:55

21d ago12:55

12:55

History remembers Napoleon as the iron-willed conqueror of Europe, the architect of empire, the man who crowned himself. But beneath the legend lies a stranger, more human story, one of what happened to his penis (and how it found itself in a shoebox in New Jersey). DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE! SUP…

1
Sacagawea: Beyond the Myth 11:40

22d ago11:40

11:40

She has been cast as the smiling guide, the willing helper, the gentle symbol of American westward expansion. But the real Sacagawea was more than a footnote to Lewis and Clark; she was a kidnapped Shoshone girl who navigated not just mountains and rivers, but men, power, empire, and survival. DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIE…

1
Belleau Wood: The Battle That Made the Marines 11:56

23d ago11:56

11:56

June 1918. A choking forest. Gas, machine-gun nests, and a German advance cutting toward Paris. Into that hell marched a fighting force the world barely knew: the United States Marine Corps. Belleau Wood was not just another World War I clash; it was the moment the Marines became the Marines. Their counterattacks were relentless, their losses stagg…

1
Killing Che Guevara 14:36

24d ago14:36

14:36

Few figures of the 20th century are as mythologized, or as polarizing, as Ernesto "Che" Guevara. To some, he was the heroic doctor-turned-revolutionary who fought against imperialism from Cuba to the Congo. To others, he was a ruthless ideologue whose vision demanded bloodshed. In this episode, we cut through the legend to uncover the real man behi…

1
'The Conqueror' Movie Curse 12:27

25d ago12:27

12:27

In 1956, Hollywood set out to make an epic. Instead, it created one of the most cursed productions in film history. The Conqueror, starring John Wayne as Genghis Khan, was filmed in the Utah desert, downwind from a Nevada nuclear testing site. At the time, officials insisted the area was safe. Decades later, the cast and crew would look back in hor…

1
Xmas Banter Break - Super Mario Bros The Movie 39:59

25d ago39:59

39:59

We're on our Xmas break! While we're off getting fat on Turkey, enjoy some of our Banter Breaks. This month it's a full house as we all watched Super Mario Bros The Movie 1993! Scifer found an extended cut full or previously removed extras, so you know we're real OG Mario Heads. Spoilers, of course, for Super Mario Bros The Movie from 1993…

1
Conversations: Life and Legacy of King James VI and I, w/ Clare Jackson 19:55

26d ago19:55

19:55

Dr. Clare Jackson, Honorary Professor of Early Modern History at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, and a renowned expert on 17th-century Britain, joins us to discuss her latest book, The Mirror of Great Britain: A Life of King James VI and I, a captivating biography that brings to life one of history's most intriguing monarchs. BUY CLARE'S BOOK: https://www…

1
Jesse Strang & the Kingdom Hidden Inside America 12:19

27d ago12:19

12:19

In one of the most extraordinary and almost forgotten chapters in American history, a man named James Jesse Strang crowned himself king on U.S. soil. This episode unravels the rise of the self-declared monarch who founded a breakaway kingdom in the mid-19th century, complete with royal robes, loyal subjects, political power, and a remote island rea…

1
Actium: The Battle That Shaped the Roman Empire 13:14

28d ago13:14

13:14

The Battle of Actium was the moment the ancient world pivoted. On September 2, 31 BCE, in the waters off western Greece, two colossal visions for Rome collided: Octavian's disciplined, expansionist republic-turned-empire, and the glamorous, multinational alliance of Mark Antony and Cleopatra. What unfolded was not just a naval showdown but a clash …

1
The Silk Road: Inside the World's First Global Network 13:03

29d ago13:03

13:03

For over two thousand years, the Silk Road shaped the destiny of continents. More than a single road, it was a vast web of caravan routes stretching from the imperial courts of China to the markets of the Mediterranean, carrying not just silk but ideas, religions, technologies, and entire worldviews. This episode explores how merchants, monks, sold…

1
Vietnam War's Secret Phoenix Program 13:35

1M ago13:35

13:35

The Phoenix Program remains one of the most controversial and least understood operations of the Vietnam War, a shadow war fought in the alleys, jungles, and hidden villages of South Vietnam. Created jointly by the CIA and U.S. military intelligence, the program aimed to dismantle the Viet Cong's covert political infrastructure by any means necessa…

1
The Short-Lived Fascist Republic of Salo 11:26

1M ago11:26

11:26

In the final, collapsing chapter of World War II, Benito Mussolini re-emerged, not as the iron-fisted dictator who once ruled Italy, but as a puppet leader clinging to power in a crumbling regime known as the Italian Social Republic, or the Republic of Salò. Backed by Nazi Germany and despised by much of his own population, this fragile "state" bec…

1
Miracle Mike: The Headless Chicken 10:14

1M ago10:14

10:14

In the summer of 1945, a small farm in Fruita, Colorado, became the stage for one of the strangest true stories in American history. This is the tale of Mike, the chicken who lived for eighteen months without a head. DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE! SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistorySh…

1
Conversations: Why the Year 1776 Still Matters Today, w/ Edward J. Larson 40:34

1M ago40:34

40:34

What did America really declare in 1776, and why does it still matter today? In this episode of History Shorts, Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Edward J. Larson joins us to discuss his newest book, Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Matters. Together, we unpack the political courage, moral contradictions, and enduring ideals that shaped America's fo…

1
How Mata Hari Became the World's Most Famous Spy 10:40

1M ago10:40

10:40

She danced her way into the halls of Europe's elite, captivated generals and diplomats, and became the most infamous alleged double agent of World War I. But behind the veils, the rumors, and the sensational headlines, who was Mata Hari really? DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE! SUPPORT THE SHOW: https:/…

1
The Forgotten World of House Detectives 9:59

1M ago9:59

9:59

Long before private eyes stalked dimly lit alleys in pulp novels, America had a different kind of detective, one who didn't chase murderers or mobsters, but runaway maids, jewel thieves, con artists, adulterers, and anyone slipping in or out of a hotel under suspicious circumstances. They were called House Detectives, and from the 1890s through the…

1
How the Normans Changed the World 9:01

1M ago9:01

9:01

In this episode, we explore how a small band of Viking descendants from Normandy reshaped medieval Europe forever. From William the Conqueror's seismic victory at Hastings in 1066, which fused Scandinavian grit with French culture and permanently altered England's language, law, and aristocracy, to their lightning conquest of southern Italy and Sic…

1
The Final Days of Napoleon 10:28

1M ago10:28

10:28

He ruled Europe with an iron will, crowned himself emperor, and reshaped the modern world, but in the end, even Napoleon Bonaparte couldn't conquer fate. In this episode of History Shorts, we trace the extraordinary final chapters of Napoleon's life: from his first exile on the Mediterranean island of Elba, to his daring escape, his brief return to…

1
Weekend Show #2: History of the 'Weekend' 12:44

1M ago12:44

12:44

Welcome to the second episode of the History Shorts Weekend Show, a soon-to-be weekly Patreon-exclusive variety series offering a lighter, more reflective companion to the main podcast. Think storyteller's lounge meets historian's notebook: part commentary, part narrative, part behind-the-scenes look at the stories shaping both past and present. TH…

1
Conversations: Three Roads to Gettysburg, w/ Tim McGrath 33:49

1M ago33:49

33:49

In the pivotal summer of 1863, three extraordinary paths converged on a small Pennsylvania town, forever altering the course of the American Civil War. Petert sits down with acclaimed historian Tim McGrath to explore his latest book, Three Roads to Gettysburg: Meade, Lee, Lincoln, and the Battle that Changed the War. BUY TIM'S BOOK: https://www.ama…

1
Eddie Slovik: The Only American Killed for Desertion in WWII 10:22

1M ago10:22

10:22

In this gripping episode, we tell the haunting story of Private Eddie Slovik, the only American soldier executed for desertion during World War II among tens of thousands who fled the front lines. Terrified of combat and repeatedly honest about his refusal to fight, Slovik was court-martialed and shot by firing squad in January 1945 as General Eise…

1
Conversations: How the American Revolution was a Global Conflict, w/ Richard Bell 28:00

1M ago28:00

28:00

In this engaging episode, Peter speaks with author and historian Richard Bell about re-framing the American Revolution in the context of a global conflict. DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE! CHECK OUT RICHARD'S BOOKS: https://www.richard-bell.com/ SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShorts…

1
The Lost Labyrinth of Egypt 9:10

1M ago9:10

9:10

Long before the pyramids captured the world's imagination, ancient writers described a structure so vast, so mysterious, and so extraordinary that even the Egyptians considered it a marvel: the Labyrinth of Hawara. Said to contain thousands of chambers, secret passages, underground levels, and a hidden tomb, the Labyrinth became one of antiquity's …

1
S04E18 - To The Dreamlands (Karmageddon) 1:02:38

1M ago1:02:38

1:02:38

Frisk is gone, Tohdo is hurt and the crews enemies are working together as Baph leads them to safety in her little section of the strange Moon. Like what you hear? Cosmopunk is a comedy sci-fi-fantasy podcast set in Paizo’s Starfinder universe and releasing every two weeks! Subscribe to us on ITUNES, SPOTIFY, PODBEAN or wherever you listen to your …

1
The Madness of Emperor Caligula 10:50

1M ago10:50

10:50

In the year 37 CE, Rome welcomed a new emperor who was young, charismatic, and adored by the people. Within months, that same emperor, Caligula, descended into a reign so unhinged, so theatrical, and so violently unpredictable that even Rome, a city used to tyrants, was stunned. This episode explores the wild myths and the documented madness: the w…

1
The Woman Spy Who Outsmarted Hoover's FBI 10:55

1M ago10:55

10:55

In the late 1940s, as America entered the paranoid dawn of the Cold War, a brilliant young Justice Department analyst named Judith Coplon was accused of stealing classified FBI documents for the Soviet Union. Her arrest shocked Washington, not only because she was one of the earliest alleged Soviet moles inside the U.S. government, but because her …

1
The Labor Revolt that Shook America (Pullman Strike) 11:06

1M ago11:06

11:06

In 1894, a company town outside Chicago erupted into one of the most explosive labor battles in American history. When workers at the Pullman Palace Car Company walked off the job, their strike grew into a nationwide showdown between labor, capital, and the federal government — shutting down railroads across the country. This History Shorts episode…

1
History Shorts Weekend Show #1 13:46

1M ago13:46

13:46

Welcome to the very first episode of the History Shorts Weekend Show: a soon-to-be weekly Patreon Exclusive, but for now, offered as a full public preview. This lighter-toned, less-scripted companion to the main History Shorts feed brings together storytelling, commentary, historical insight, and exclusive clips from the Conversation Series vault. …

1
Conversations: The Nazi and the Psychiatrist - the Book Behind the film 'Nuremberg' w. Jack El-Hai 25:52

2M ago25:52

25:52

In this episode of History Shorts, I sit down with acclaimed author Jack El-Hai to explore the extraordinary true story behind his book The Nazi and the Psychiatrist, now adapted into the 2025 film Nuremberg. We discuss the tense, unsettling relationship between U.S. Army psychiatrist Douglas Kelley and captured Nazi leaders like Hermann Göring, an…