History Happy Hour

Crowd into the virtual bar with Chris Anderson and Rick Beyer to plumb intoxicating history topics and kibbitz over juicy tidbits. Each week, Chris and Rick invite a guest author to share cocktails and talk history. Like who? Like Andrew Roberts, Joe Balkoski, Chris Wallace, Lynne Olson, and Hampton Sides, for example. You never know who'll stop by. History Happy Hour, where history is always on tap. Brought to you by Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours – and our loyal Patreon patrons.

History Happy Hour is a history podcast hosted by Rick Beyer and Christopher Anderson, with 207 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Rick Beyer and Christopher Anderson hosts History Happy Hour, a history show with 207 episodes published.

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  Episode #320

  The Reel Thrilling Events of Bank Robber Henry Starr with author Mark Archuleta: Episode 315

  Aug 16, 202659 min

  This week on History Happy Hour:   Henry Starr was a bank-robber, one of the most successful in history. Until he was caught. When he got out, he became a movie star, playing himself. Until he went back to bank-robbing. Chris and Rick dig into his fascinating life-story with Mark Archuleta, author of T he Reel Thrilling Events of Bank Robber Henry Starr: From Gentleman Bandit to Movie Star and Back Again. Mark Archuleta is an Emmy-winning screenwriter, journalist, and performer. A fifth-generation Coloradoan of Spanish Basque descent, he grew up steeped in the history of the American West and the colorful characters who inhabited it. Archuleta loves exploring how historical fact is refracted through the prism of film and television. He lives in Green Valley, California.

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  Episode #319

  To the End of the Earth: The US Army and the Downfall of Japan with author John McManus: Episode 314

  Aug 9, 20261h 1m

  This week on History Happy Hour:   We welcome back historian John McManus to talk about the third volume of his Pacific War series, To the End of the Earth . From the liberation of the Philippines to the Battle of Okinawa and finally to the end of the war, John chronicles the struggles and triumphs of the US Army in the Pacific.  We’ll talk about the march to ultimate victory, from the worm’s eye view of soldiers fighting in the mud to the battles between the generals mapping out the campaign. As an Amazon Associate, HHH earns from qualifying purchases John McManus is a military historian, author, and professor of military history at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. He also served as a visiting professor at the U.S. naval Academy McManus has published thirteen books critically acclaimed on numerous American military history topics. This is his fourth appearance on History Happy Hour.

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  Episode #318

  The Most Awful Responsibility: Truman and the Secret Struggle for Control of the Atomic Age with author Alex Wellerstein: Episode 313

  Aug 2, 20261h 2m

  This week on History Happy Hour: President Truman’s choice to drop the atomic bomb is the most debated decision in the 20th Century. But what if he, himself, did not fully understand the decisions being made until after the atomic bomb was used. Chris and Rick will talk to historian Alex Wellerstein about his highly regarded new book The Most Awful Responsibility: Truman and the Secret Struggle for Control of the Atomic Age. Alex Wellerstein is an Associate Professor of Science and Technology at the Stevens Institute of Technology. He is also a visiting researcher at the Nuclear Knowledges program, Center for International Studies, Sciences Po, Paris. He is the author of Restricted Data: The History of Nuclear Secrecy in the United States , and he has written for The New Yorker, Atlantic, Harper’s Magazine , and many other venues. He is perhaps best known as the creator of the NUKEMAP, the world’s most popular online nuclear weapons effects simulator. He is also the author of the Doomsday Machines blog, and has taught at Harvard, MIT, and Georgetown University.

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  Episode #316

  Stay Alive: Berlin, 1939-1945 with author Ian Buruma: Episode 311

  Jul 19, 202659 min

  This week on History Happy Hour: Life in Berlin during World War II. What was it like for the four million people who lived there as things became increasingly desperate? Our guest is author Ian Buruma, author of Stay Alive: Berlin, 1939-1945 . We’ll talk about the experiences of everyday citizens, soldiers, Jews, and slave laborers like his father. How did they deal with the onslaught that swept over them as the war went on? Ian Buruma was born in the Netherlands. He is a professor at Bard College and lives in New York City. He has also lived and worked in Tokyo, Hong Kong, and London. He has written numerous books and is a regular contributor to Harper’s and The New Yorker .

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  Episode #315

  The Banker Who Made America: Thomas Wiling and the Rise of the American Financial Aristocracy 1731-1821 with author Richard Vague: Episode 310

  Jul 12, 20261 hour

  This week on History Happy Hour: This week on History Happy Hour:  Follow the money. That’s one way to discover the real story of America and its founding. Nothing gives a clearer insight into this history than the life of early America's dominant merchant trader, first bank president, and first central banker, Thomas Willing. We will dive into his story with Richard Vague, author of The Banker Who Made America: Thomas Wiling and the Rise of the American Financial Aristocracy 1731-1821.   Richard Vague is a businessman, banker, and commentator on economics. He is the former Secretary of Banking and Securities for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. His previous books include The Case for a Debt Jubilee , The Paradox of Debt and An Illustrated Business History of the United States .

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