Historical Snapshots

Short stories about people.

5.0 (3)
HISTORY

Honor people. Understand the past. historicalsnapshots.substack.com

09/14/2025

The George Washington Presidency

Hi everyone, Welcome back to Historical Snapshots Conversations. Our guest today is Alexis Coe, and our discussion is about George Washington. There are many conversations we can have about him, but our focus today is on Washington becoming President. A little about Alexis: she’s a Presidential Historian, American History Columnist at the New York Times, Senior Fellow at New America, and New York Times Bestselling author of (almost!) three books, including You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington. You can follow her work on her Substack publication, Study Marry Kill. Purchase You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit historicalsnapshots.substack.com/subscribe

1h 13m
09/07/2025

East Germany: From Rise to Fall

Hi everyone, Welcome back to Historical Snapshots Conversations. Today I’m joined by Katja Hoyer for a discussion about East Germany, from its rise after World War II in 1949 to its collapse with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, and some reflections on what has followed. A little about Katja: she’s a German-British historian, journalist, and author who writes extensively about Germany. You can find her articles in papers such as The Washington Post, The Spectator, The Telegraph, The Times, The Financial Times, and The Guardian. Katja has also published the books, Blood and Iron: The Rise and Fall of the German Empire 1871–1918 & Beyond the Wall: East Germany, 1949-1990. Purchase Beyond the Wall This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit historicalsnapshots.substack.com/subscribe

47 min
07/30/2025

The Filles du Roi

Hi everyone, Our guest today is Kerry Chaput, and our conversation is about the Filles du Roi (“The King’s Daughters”), a program initiated by the French Crown that sent approximately 800 women to the colony of New France, now part of Canada, between 1663 and 1673. The purpose was to help populate the colony by marrying settlers and starting families. These women are sometimes referred to as the Mothers of Canada. A little about Kerry: She’s an award-winning author who is dedicated to writing about badass women in history. She also writes historical fiction and has published numerous books, including the Defying the Crown trilogy. * Subscribe to Kerry’s Substack: Badass Women In History * Purchase Kerry’s trilogy: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09CJG99S2 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit historicalsnapshots.substack.com/subscribe

28 min
06/13/2025

Queen Elizabeth II: A Conversation with Sally Bedell Smith

Hi everyone, Our guest today is Sally Bedell Smith. This is Sally’s second time on the podcast. In our first conversation, we talked about King George VI and Elizabeth, and how their marriage saved the monarchy. Today, we’ll be discussing the life of their daughter, Queen Elizabeth II. Sally’s biography on the Queen, Elizabeth the Queen ,won the 2012 Goodreads Choice Award for best book in history and biography. About Sally: Sally is a New York Times best-selling author of eight biographies, including Diana in Search of Herself, Grace and Power, and Elizabeth the Queen. She has also worked as a cultural news reporter for Time and The New York Times, a contributing editor at Vanity Fair and an on-air contributor at CNN. Subscribe to Sally’s Substack Publication Royals Extra Purchase Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit historicalsnapshots.substack.com/subscribe

41 min
06/03/2025

The Meiji Restoration

Hi everyone, Our guest today is Christopher Harding and our Conversation is about the Meiji Restoration, which transformed Japan in the late 19th century. A little about Christopher: He’s a cultural historian & broadcaster based at the University of Edinburgh. He writes about Japan, India & East-West encounter, and is the author of Japan Story, The Japanese and The Light of Asia. You can subscribe to Christopher’s weekly Substack newsletter: IlluminAsia This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit historicalsnapshots.substack.com/subscribe

50 min
05/30/2025

The Life of Anne Boleyn

Hi everyone, Welcome back to Historical Snapshots Conversations. Our guest today is Philippa Lacey Brewell. Philippa is a history writer, presenter and owner and founder of British History Tours, a company for those who love British History, and British History Events. One of Philippa’s tours is about Anne Boleyn, who was King Henry VIII's second wife and Queen of England from 1533 to 1536. Anne’s life is the topic of our discussion today. Subscribe to Philippa on Substack: https://substack.com/@britishhistory Follow British History Tours on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/british_history_tours/ Learn more about The Anne Boleyn Tour This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit historicalsnapshots.substack.com/subscribe

34 min
03/12/2025

The 1929 Hebron Massacre

Hi everyone, Our conversation today is with Yardena Schwartz, author of Ghosts of a Holy War. The book tells the story of the 1929 massacre in Mandatory Palestine and its aftershocks which continue to reverberate today. For our conversation, we’ll focus more specifically on the riot in Hebron, in which 67 Jewish residents were killed and many more injured. A little bit about Yardena: she’s an award-winning journalist and Emmy-nominated producer. She has reported for dozens of publications, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Time, Economist, New York Review of Books, and Foreign Policy. She has also reported from a number of places worldwide, including Morocco, Nepal, Ukraine, Poland, France, Germany, and the United States. Purchase Ghosts of a Holy War This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit historicalsnapshots.substack.com/subscribe

55 min
03/05/2025

George VI and Elizabeth: The Marriage That Saved the Monarchy

Hi everyone, Our guest today is Sally Bedell Smith, author of George VI and Elizabeth: The Marriage That Saved a Monarchy. The book is the definitive biography of the late Queen Elizabeth II’s mother and father, based for the first time on special access to their letters and diaries in the Royal Archives at Windsor Castle that was granted by the Queen. It will be the topic of our discussion. About Sally: Sally is a New York Times best-selling author of eight biographies, including Diana in Search of Herself, Grace and Power, and Elizabeth the Queen. Elizabeth the Queen won the 2012 Goodreads Choice Award for best book in history and biography. Sally has also worked as a cultural news reporter for Time and The New York Times, a contributing editor at Vanity Fair and an on-air contributor at CNN. Subscribe to Sally’s Substack Purchase George VI and Elizabeth: The Marriage That Saved a Monarchy This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit historicalsnapshots.substack.com/subscribe

47 min

5

out of 5

3 Ratings

Honor people. Understand the past. historicalsnapshots.substack.com

Creator

Short stories about people.
Years Active

2023 - 2025
Episodes

54
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Historical Snapshots
Show Website

Historical Snapshots