American History Tellers

Ranking history

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Latest episodes

• The Age of Pirates | Women of the High Seas | 4

  November 2, 2022 · 42 min

  During the Golden Age of Piracy, two female pirates became infamous despite their short careers. Anne Bonny and Mary Read went down as some of the fiercest pirates in popular mythology.. Dr. Rebecca Simon is a historian of early modern…

• The Age of Pirates | Blackbeard and the Flying Gang | 3

  October 26, 2022 · 42 min

  In 1717, the pirate known as Blackbeard launched an attack along the Atlantic seaboard, disrupting international trade and striking terror into sea captains and colonial governors. Working with his sidekick, the “Gentleman Pirate” Stede…

• The Age of Pirates | Captain Kid's Adventure | 2

  October 19, 2022 · 43 min

  As England waged war against France in 1689, Scottish sailor William Kidd led a deadly mutiny aboard a French privateer in the Caribbean. It was his first act in becoming one of the most feared sea captains of his generation. After Kidd…

• The Age of Pirates | A Gold Chain Or A Wooden Leg | 1

  October 12, 2022 · 41 min

  At the end of the 17th century, pirates stalked the coast of North America and the waters of the Caribbean, attacking merchant vessels from every nation. But they were more than just armed robbers of the high seas. They were also crucial…

• Encore: The Walker Affair | The Last Filibuster | 3

  October 5, 2022 · 43 min

  When he escaped Nicaragua in 1857, American William Walker was a failed despot responsible for the death of thousands of people and the destabilization of Central America. But he returned to New Orleans with fanfare, greeted by cheering…

• Encore: The Walker Affair | Nicaragua's Yankee President | 2

  September 28, 2022 · 48 min

  In 1855, William Walker faced a criminal trial in the United States for his illegal, and unsuccessful, invasion of Mexico. But he emerged from court fully acquitted, and to some, a national hero. Emboldened by his popularity, Walker set…

• Encore: The Walker Affair | The Gray-Eyed Man of Destiny | 1

  September 21, 2022 · 44 min

  In the mid-1800s, the United States was full of adventurers and entrepreneurs looking to take advantage of the country’s ever-expanding boundaries. One of them was a young lawyer and newspaper editor from Tennessee named William Walker…

• Civil War | Gettysburg | 5

  August 24, 2022 · 44 min

  In the summer of 1863, General Robert E. Lee made a daring bid for victory. He marched his army north to invade Pennsylvania. For three sweltering days, two massive armies locked in combat in the Battle of Gettysburg, the defining clash of…