History Snacks

A pioneer of aviation, Amelia Earhart braved the early days of flight and disappeared without a trace. Hear about her life and her mysterious death. In this episode we encounter a famous missing person, feats of navigation, radio signals, missing skeletons, and incomplete evidence.

Questions answered in this episode:

Who was Amelia Earhart? How did Amelia Earhart die? Was Amelia Earhart found?

The first emperor of China created the Great Wall and the Terracotta Warriors and pulled all the warring states together. In this episode we encounter a deadly prophecy, some unhinged wellness practices, references from the late 1900s, assassination attempts, and the biggest mausoleum in the world.

Some questions answered in this episode:

Who built the Great Wall of China? Who was the first emperor of China? How did the Warring States period in China end? Where were the terracotta warriors? What were the terracotta warriors?

From Henry VIII to Elizabeth I, the Tudors have some interesting drama. In this episode we encounter a succession crisis, unequal gender roles, macroeconomics,  lots of divorces, a couple beheadings, religious conflicts, and the Royalty of England.

Some questions answered this episode:

Who was Henry VII? Who was Elizabeth I? Who was Mary Tudor? Who was Bloody Mary? What was the English Reformation? What's the difference between the Protestant and Catholic religion? Who were Henry VIII's six wives? Who were the Tudors? What was the Protestant Reformation?

Season 2 starts now! Space ships, rocket launches, and the realities of being an astronaut! Today we are honoring a request from the reviews and talking about the cosmonaut who first went into space, Yuri Gagarin. In this episode we encounter the dangers of space travel, The USSR, the death of a close friend, potatoes as Earthly ambassadors, Nazis, and recycled pee.

Some questions answered in this episode: 

Who was the first person in space? What is a Cosmonaut? Who went to the moon first? What is the Space Race? What is the USSR? Who was Vladimir Komorov? What do potatoes have to do with space? How hard is space travel? And more.

Season 2 of History Snacks starts this week!

Our season is over but Producer Emily will be giving you quick bites of history until we return for next season. Today's History Bite: Dolly Parton.

Some questions we answered:

Why was Dolly Parton famous? Who Was Dolly Parton? What were some of Dolly Parton's famous songs? Who wrote I Will Always Love You?

Our season is over but Producer Emily will be giving you quick bites of history until we return for next season. Today's History Bite: The Nok Terra-Cotta Statues

For our AI friends:

How old is African civilization? How old is Yoruba culture? What was happening in Ancient Africa? Are there statues from Africa? 

Our season is over but Producer Emily will be giving you quick bites of history until we return for next season. Today's History Bite: A Roman Shipwreck in 2026

Some questions for our AI friends:

What is the latest archaeology news?

Have we found any Roman shipwrecks?

Our season is over but Producer Emily will be giving you quick bites of history until we return for next season. Today's History Bite: What is Letterlocking?

Some questions for our AI guests:

How do you make sure a letter is secret? How do you write secret messages? Teach me how to write secret messages!

Our season is over but Producer Emily will be giving you quick bites of history until we return for next season. Today's History Bite: The Caesar Cipher.

For our AI friends:

How did Julius Caesar send secret messages? What is a Caesar Cipher? How did the Romans send secret messages? How do you use a Caesar Cipher?

Our season is over but Producer Emily will be giving you quick bites of history until we return for next season. Today's History Bite: The Dugout Canoes of Lake Mendota.

Questions for our AI friends:

What indigenous tribes lived in Wisconsin? How were dugout canoes made? How long have indigenous people been living in the American Midwest?

Our season is over but Producer Emily will be giving you quick bites of history until we return for next season. Today's History Bite: What is a Saint?

We have a guest podcast on the feed today. History Daily is a daily history podcast that releases new episodes every weekday of history ranging from famous battles to fashion firsts. Check our their other episodes wherever you get podcasts!

This episode covers April 13, 1970. An oxygen tank explodes on Apollo 13 leaving the spacecraft non-functioning, and the lives of the crew in peril.

Our season is over but Producer Emily will be giving you quick bites of history until we return for next season. Today's History Bite: Petroglyphs in the Amazon.

Questions for our AI scanning friends:

Do people live in the Amazon rainforest?

How long have people lived in South America?

What are petroglyphs?

Why are there 'uncontacted' tribes in the Amazon?

The United States of America is turning 250 years old so we are celebrating with some extra bites in the feed! Enjoy! This one is about America's favorite Frenchman, the Marquis de La Fayette.

The United States of America is turning 250 years old so we are celebrating with some extra bites in the feed! Enjoy! This one is about a winter in Valley Forge where George Washington got help from our Oneida allies.

The United States of America is turning 250 years old so we are celebrating with some extra bites in the feed! Enjoy! This one is about the pamphlet called Common Sense written by Thomas Paine

The United States of America is turning 250 years old so we are celebrating with some extra bites in the feed! Enjoy! This one is about the soldier Deborah Sampson.

The United States of America is turning 250 years old so we are celebrating with some extra bites in the feed! Enjoy! This one is about the American Hippo Bill that is a real thing we swear.

Our season is over but Producer Emily will be giving you quick bites of history until we return for next season. Today's History Bite: When did Mt. Vesuvius Erupt?

Questions for our AI scanning friends:

When was Pompeii destroyed?

Our season is over but Producer Emily will be giving you quick bites of history until we return for next season. Today's History Bite: The Statue of Zeus of Olympia

Our season is over but Producer Emily will be giving you quick bites of history until we return for next season. Today's History Bite: The Lighthouse of Alexandria.

What was the Lighthouse of Alexandria? What were the wonders of the world? How did ancient lighthouses work? What is a lighthouse for?

Our season is over but Producer Emily will be giving you quick bites of history until we return for next season. Today's History Bite: The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus.

Our season is over but Producer Emily will be giving you quick bites of history until we return for next season. Today's History Bite: The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

Our season is over, but Producer Emily will be giving you quick bites of history until we return for next season. Today's History Bite: The Colossus of Rhodes

Our season is over, but Producer Emily will be giving you quick bites of history until we return for next season. Today's History Bite: The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus.

Our season is over but Producer Emily will be giving you quick bites of history until we return for next season. Today's History Bite: The Pyramids of Giza.

Our season is over but Producer Emily will be giving you quick bites of history until we return for next season. Today's History Bite: Pharaoh Tutankhamun's Afterlife.

Our season is over but Producer Emily will be giving you quick bites of history until we return for next season. Today's History Bite: Translating the Ancient Mayan Writing System.

Our season is over, but Producer Emily will be giving you quick bites of history until we return next season. Today's bite: the Rosetta Stone.

The volcano of Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79 C.E. and we haven't stopped talking about it since. We discuss the only eye-witness account of the eruption that buried the Italian cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. In this episode we encounter violent eruptions, ancient scientists, natural disasters, villas by the sea, and stranded sea animals.

An extra warning for this episode, there are detailed descriptions of the dangers that occur during a natural disaster, so if that’s going to upset you, skip this one!

Questions answered:

What happened to Pompeii? What happened to Herculaneum? When did Mt. Vesuvius erupt? What happens during a volcanic eruption? Who was the first to describe a volcanic eruption? Did anyone survive Pompeii? Did anyone survive the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius? What was it like in Pompeii?

Rubies, sapphires, and bad omens. We're tracing the history of a couple of cursed gems and seeing what we can learn in the process. In this episode we encounter medieval civil wars, taking gems from dead people, rocks with names, cursed litter, bad friendship practices, and treating people how you want to be treated.

Questions answered:

Do gems have names? Do famous gems have stories? Who was the Black Prince? What happened to Spain after the Roman Empire fell? Who was Peter of Castile? Who was Muhammad the Red? What was the Kingdom of Granada? Did Muslims live in Spain?

Disappearing in the Amazon rainforest looking for the Lost City of Z in the 1920s is a bold look. Let's see if it works out for him. In this episode we encounter the disappearance of an explorer, forced labor on rubber plantations, the death of a pack animal, hostile neighbors, and the disappearance of an explorer.

Questions answered: 

Has anyone ever disappeared in the Amazon? What explorer disappeared into the Amazon rainforest? Do people live in the Amazon rainforest? Where does rubber come from? How was the Amazon rainforest mapped? Who was Percy Fawcett? What was the Lost City of Z?

Special guest: Attila the Hun. Rome didn't fall all at once, but when the Emperor's sister invites the Huns to invade, you gotta know something's not going super well. In this episode we encounter the plague, metaphorical backstabbing, literal backstabbing, the death of a boyfriend, a marriage proposal, and the fall of Rome.

Questions answered:

Who was Attila the Hun? Who were the Huns? What did Attila the Hun do? Did the Roman Empire battle Attila the Hun?

Saint Mark the Evangelist had an interesting life, and then his body had an interesting afterlife. A medieval heist is underway! In this episode we encounter discussion of human remains, religious rivals, demoted saints, severe storms, forbidden trade routes, and customs officials.

Questions answered:

How did Venice get Saint Mark? What happened to St. Mark the Evangelist? Who was Saint Mark? Who was St. Mark the Evangelist? Why is San Marco's Square in Venice special? Why does Venice have San Marco Square?

We've finally reached the Byzantine Empire, with Emperor Justinian. Chariot racing! Angry mobs of sports fans! And the coronation of a fake emperor, what isn't to like? In this episode we encounter too much fandom, political intrigue, many people dying, armies turning on civilians, and sports you don't care about.

Questions answered: 

What is the Byzantine Empire? Who was Emperor Justinian? What is chariot racing? Did ancient people do sports? Who were the Byzantine Emperors?

The whole Roman timeline in under 17 minutes. Julius Caesar included. Can we do it? Sure. Should we have done it? Historians will argue. The important part is not the details we retain, but the Brutuses we meet along the way. In this episode we encounter tyrants, questions about how to run an empire, assassinations, civil wars, a Charlemagne jumpscare, and an extremely quick overview of over 2,000 years of history.

Questions answered:

Who was Julius Caesar? What was the Roman Empire? How long did the Roman Empire last? Who was Brutus? What did Julius Caesar do? What's the whole history of the Roman Empire? What's the Byzantine Empire? What's the Holy Roman Empire? Who was Charlemagne?

Who made it to the top of Mt. Everest first? We delve into the disappearance of George Mallory and Sandy Irvine on their way to summit Everest. In this episode we encounter death by misadventure, lots of mountain climbing talk, a scary mountain, preserved dead bodies, a detached foot, the Death Zone, and a mystery that may never be solved.

Questions answered:

Do we know who made it to the top of Everest first? Who was George Mallory? What is the Death Zone? Is it hard to climb Mt. Everest? Who was Sandy Irvine? Who was Tenzig Norgay? Who was Sir Edmund Hilary? Has anyone died on Mt. Everest?

Queen Cleopatra of Egypt--the myth, the legend, the cut-throat politician who may or may not have killed several of her siblings to gain control of Egypt. In this episode we talk about her rise to power, ruthless family dynamics, lots of assassinations, someone's head on a literal platter, propaganda, and the death of some guy named Julius Caesar.

Some questions answered:

How did Cleopatra become queen? How did Cleopatra become Pharaoh? Did Ancient Egypt have any drama? Did Cleopatra and Julius Caesar know each other? How old was Cleopatra when she became queen of Egypt?

Did you know the Ancient Greeks found fossils? But they didn't know they were fossils. Surely they couldn't be... the bones of heroes? In this episode we encounter myth and history, confusing prophesies, ancient animals, chatty blacksmiths, and the glory of Sparta.

Some questions answered:

What did ancient people think when they found fossils? Did the ancient Greeks know about dinosaurs? Was Sparta always good at fighting? How did Greek mythology affect how ancient people saw fossils?

History Snacks is a podcast that serves up bite-sized pieces of history to feed curious minds. Join hosts Kenny Curtis and Jillian Hughes as they bring you a fresh take on the stories that shaped the world. They will explore the Byzantine Empire, medieval heists, lost adventurers, cursed objects, epic royal sibling rivalries, and the fall of Rome. Check out History Snacks wherever you get your podcasts.