HISTORY This Week Podcast By The HISTORY® Channel | Back Pocket Studios cover art

HISTORY This Week

HISTORY This Week

By: The HISTORY® Channel | Back Pocket Studios
Listen for free

About this listen

This week, something big happened. You might have never heard of it, but this moment changed the course of history. A HISTORY Channel original podcast, HISTORY This Week gives you insight into the people—both famous and unknown—whose decisions reshaped the world we live in today. Through interviews with experts and eyewitnesses, each episode will give you a new perspective on how history is written. Stay up-to-date at historythisweekpodcast.com and to get in touch, email us at historythisweek@history.com. HISTORY This Week is a production of Back Pocket Studios in partnership with the History Channel.© A&E Television Networks, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Social Sciences World
Episodes
  • The Forgotten Mentor Who Inspired Louis Armstrong
    Jun 23 2025
    June 28, 1928. Louis Armstrong is in the studio recording what he hopes will be another hit. His career is on the rise, but he’s not a household name yet. But he’s about to lay down a track – “West End Blues” – that won’t just change his career, but the entire genre of jazz. But Armstrong didn’t compose “West End Blues” – it was written by his mentor, a man only remembered by people who are really into the history of jazz, a cornet player named Joe “King” Oliver. Armstrong records this song likely as a favor to this father figure, someone who set him on the path to becoming an American icon. Oliver might be forgotten by many, but his role is undeniable. Before “What a Wonderful World” or “Hello Dolly,” how did Louis Armstrong get his start following King Oliver around New Orleans? And how did the complicated, sometimes fractured relationship with his mentor give rise to this legendary career? Special thanks to Ricky Riccardi, director of research collections at the Louis Armstrong House Museum in Queens, New York, and author of several books on Armstrong, including his most recent, Stomp Off, Let's Go: The Early Years of Louis Armstrong. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    39 mins
  • The Mutiny of Henry Hudson
    Jun 16 2025
    June 22, 1611. It’s been a long, cold winter. Henry Hudson and his crew have been stranded in the Canadian Arctic for months, living on the ice in wooden shacks - starving, sick, and ready to go home. And yet, Hudson wants to carry on and search for the Northwest Passage, a theoretical trading route to the Pacific that could bring him untold fortunes. His crew has had enough. How does this journey go so wrong? And what happens when you push a crew of sailors beyond the extreme? Special thanks to Peter Mancall, historian at the University of Southern California and author of Fatal Journey: The Final Expedition of Henry Hudson. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    38 mins
  • "Have You No Decency, Sir?"
    Jun 12 2025
    June 9, 1954. Senator Joseph McCarthy has accused the United States Army of having communists within its midst. After rising to power during a time of great fear in America, McCarthy's name has become synonymous with anti-communism – and with baseless, life-ruining accusations. But today, five simple words will take down one of the most notorious men in American political history. What made McCarthy so powerful in the first place? And how did that very same thing eventually bring him down? Thank you to our guest, Ellen Schrecker, historian, author and expert on McCarthyism. Thank you to Thomas Doherty, Professor of American Studies at Brandeis University, for speaking with us for this episode. He is the author of Cold War, Cool Medium: Television, McCarthyism, and American Culture. ** This episode originally aired June 8, 2020. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    30 mins
adbl_web_global_use_to_activate_webcro805_stickypopup
All stars
Most relevant  
This is the best history podcast I have found by far. It is interesting, the speakers aren't monotone and its very informative. I LOVE IT!

BEST History podcast EVER

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

to find and then tell a good story is difficult. You do it well!

love the stories!!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

This podcast is everything. I love it. If you are a history buff, you will love this. If you aren’t, you should listen anyway because you get history on digestible bits.

Love this podcast soooooo much!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.