Why Wars Happened History Podcast

For one week, the world stood seconds from nuclear war.

Bestselling author Jeff Shaara joins Why Wars Happened to expose the CIA failures, backchannel deals, and hidden plots that defined the Cuban Mi…

The Declaration nearly collapsed before it was signed.

Historian Tom McMillan joins Why Wars Happened to reveal the secret debates, bitter fights, and forgotten figures behind 1776. It wasn’t destiny …

Apple’s Masters of the Air shows the air war — but the real story is even darker.

John Orloff (Band of Brothers, Masters of the Air) takes us behind the scenes of the 100th Bomb Group: the brutal miss…

They called it The Bloody Hundredth — for a reason.

Historian Donald L. Miller and HBO producer Kirk Saduski join Why Wars Happened to reveal the terrifying reality of the 100th Bomb Group — B-17 miss…

Gas, trenches, and strategy gone wrong.

Dr. Nick Lloyd (King’s College London) reveals the real story of World War I — Germany’s blunders, chemical warfare horrors, and why WWI was anything but “the w…

Over 370,000 Nazi POWs lived in America — and some brought violence with them.

Historian William Geroux joins Why Wars Happened to uncover the hidden world of Nazi POW camps in the U.S. — farm labor, …

The Civil War didn’t end the way you think.

Historian Michael Vorenberg joins Why Wars Happened to reveal the secret peace talks, Lincoln’s hidden struggles, and the fragile deals that almost broke be…

What does it mean to be a Catholic Archduke in the modern world?

Archduke Edward Habsburg — Ambassador to the Vatican and direct descendant of Europe’s most legendary dynasty — joins Why Wars Happened…

Austria-Hungary went to war already collapsing.

Historian Geoffrey Wawro reveals how disaster on the Eastern Front, broken alliances, and internal chaos doomed the Habsburg Empire in WWI.

⏱ Timestamps

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The Somme was more than a battle — it was slaughter.

Historians Dan Hill and Spencer Jones expose the truth about trench life, gas attacks, artillery barrages, and why WWI became the war of endurance.

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When power was stripped from the Assembly, open defiance shook the colony—and the king’s response changed everything.

Colonial Virginia plunged into crisis when Governor Howard tried to strip the Asse…

Bayonets. Muskets. No mercy.

Historian Alexander Burns uncovers why 18th-century battles were pure hell for soldiers — brutal close combat, shifting tactics, and the psychological toll of nonstop fear…

After Bacon’s Rebellion, betrayal, secret letters, and royal crackdowns left the colony on the edge of collapse. Governors fell, the Assembly was silenced, and King James II himself stepped in. Was t…

They dropped miles off target — straight into Nazi territory.

Historian Stephen Rabe tells the story of the “lost paratroopers” of D-Day and the villagers of Graignes who risked everything to protect …

Step into the turmoil of 17th-century Virginia, where a colony on the brink of collapse fell into the hands of Lord Culpeper—a governor more interested in luxury than leadership.

As tobacco prices cra…

What happens when you mix the American Revolution with awkward modern time travelers?

Sarah Peters (showrunner of Making History) joins Why Wars Happened to reveal the hilarious chaos of writing one o…

Colonial Virginia unraveled under the rule of Lord Culpeper—a governor who showed up two years late, out of touch, and already corrupt.

In this episode of America Before the Revolution, uncover the ch…

Colonial Virginia spiraled into chaos after Governor Berkeley’s death. Plans for stability collapsed, and the colony was thrown into turmoil under a carousel of short-lived governors.

Governor Jeffrey…

Step inside the hidden battle for power in colonial Virginia.

This week’s episode picks up with Governor Berkeley openly defying the king’s orders to return to England. Instead, he manipulates royal p…

Step inside the hidden battle for power in colonial Virginia.

This week’s episode picks up with Governor Berkeley openly defying the king’s orders to return to England. Instead, he manipulates royal p…