HistoryEducationGovernment

For the Ages: A History Podcast

The New York Historical

Explore the rich and complex history of the United States and beyond. Produced by The New York Historical, host David M. Rubenstein engages the nation’s foremost historians and creative thinkers on a wide range of topics, including presidential biography, the nation’s founding, and the people who have shaped the American story. Learn more at nyhistory.org.

Play latest

Open in podnod

20 episodes
Updated Today
fortnightly
31 min on average

Episodes 20

Newest Oldest Longest

S5 · E24Today · 27 min
Age of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash from 1600 to the Present
The early decades of the twenty-first century may be the most revolutionary period in modern history, with tectonic shifts in globalization, technology, identity, and geopolitics. But monumental change can be found across history as humans have lived, and thrived, through more than one great realignment. What were history’s most transformative revolutions, and how can they help us to understand our own fraught world today? CNN host Fareed Zakaria investigates the eras and movements that have shaken norms while shaping the modern world, with a focus on three such periods that hold profound lessons for today. Recorded on April 26, 2025
S5 · E23July 27 · 44 min
Abraham Lincoln: His Life and Times
Few people know Abraham Lincoln as intimately as Harold Holzer. The author, co-author, or editor of over 50 books on Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War era, Holzer has explored everything from Lincoln’s election to his assassination, his views on immigration to his role as a father. In this conversation, Holzer joins David M. Rubenstein to discuss the life and times of America’s 16th president. Recorded on May 2, 2025
S5 · E22July 13 · 27 min
Viva la revolución: Spain's Role in American Military Conflicts
Spain’s involvement in early American history might feel limited, but Spanish people and their descendants have been involved in American military conflicts, both through direct fighting and the supply of weapons and funds, since the American Revolution, through the Civil War, both World Wars, and beyond. Join historian Marie Arana to learn how Spanish and Hispanic military involvement has been a constant in American history. Recorded on November 25, 2025
S5 · E21June 29 · 27 min
The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777-1780
By winter 1777, the Continental Army was exhausted, having barely escaped annihilation by the world’s most formidable fighting force. Two years into the war, King George, determined as ever to bring the rebellious American colonies to heel, faced a desperate set of foes in Benjamin Franklin and George Washington, to say nothing of rising wartime expenses and the threat of additional international rivals. Celebrated historian Rick Atkinson discusses this story, the subject of the second volume of his landmark American Revolution trilogy, with David M. Rubenstein. Recorded on June 11, 2025
S5 · E20June 15 · 27 min
Night Flyer: Harriet Tubman and the Faith Dreams of a Free People
For many Americans, Harriet Tubman can seem more like a character out of myth than a flesh-and-blood historical figure. Many know of Tubman’s escape from slavery and her brave work on the Underground Railroad, but little more about her life and personal experiences. In this interview with David M. Rubenstein, prizewinning author Tiya Miles delves into the real woman, from Tubman’s birth as “Minty Ross” to her activism and beyond, to offer a clearer image of the American hero. Recorded on June 21, 2025
S5 · E19June 1 · 27 min
Mark Twain
Mark Twain was America’s first literary celebrity, a master of his craft whose legacy hangs over our literary tradition. Twain’s words captured the nation’s imagination because the life he led touched on so many aspects of the American experience. He wrote about racism, war, and the country’s western frontier as well as its growing urban centers because he witnessed firsthand the growth and turmoil of the United States in the 19th century. Acclaimed biographer Ron Chernow sits down with David Rubenstein to discuss the complex life of the American literary giant. Recorded on May 27, 2025
S5 · E18May 18 · 27 min
Baseball's Past and Present
Known as “America’s pastime,” baseball is much more than a game in the United States. Both a source of national pride and symbol of our identity, the sport is also a window into our past. Born out of alleys and vacant lots and now played in an arena of multi-million dollar contracts and international celebrity, baseball’s trajectory has in many ways mirrored that of our nation. Renowned filmmaker Ken Burns joins David M. Rubenstein to explore the story of this iconic national sport and to investigate what it reveals about the triumphs and tragedies of American history. Recorded on February 10, 2025
S5 · E17May 4 · 26 min
An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s
It’s been said that if you remember the ‘60s, you weren’t really there, but when Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin and her late husband, Dick, started to go through his papers from his time as one of the men behind JFK’s New Frontier, co-designer of LBJ’s Great Society, and RFK’s close advisor, that revolutionary decade became as tangible to the couple as it was 60 years ago. Goodwin, who also worked for Johnson, joins David M. Rubenstein for a conversation on historical reckoning and the people who make history behind the scenes. Recorded on December 2, 2024
S5 · E16April 20 · 33 min
The Pursuit of Liberty: How Hamilton vs. Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle Over Power in America
The argument over states’ rights versus a strong federal government is far from a new debate in this country. Before the divisions of today, two men represented contrasting visions of what America could be: Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. Jefferson believed in individual liberties and limited federal power, while Hamilton promoted a strong national government. Their rivalry helped shape the nation’s earliest political battles and continues to echo through American politics, influencing leaders from Franklin D. Roosevelt to Donald Trump. In conversation with David M. Rubenstein, Jeffrey Rosen explores how the competing ideas of Jefferson and Hamilton still define the constitutional debates at the heart of American democracy today. Recorded on March 12, 2026
S5 · E15March 30 · 31 min
A Conversation with Oscar Tang on Business, Art, and Civic Leadership
Born in wartime Shanghai and brought to the United States at age eleven with no knowledge of English, financier and philanthropist Oscar Tang reflects on a life shaped by displacement, ambition, and civic responsibility. In conversation with David M. Rubenstein, Tang recounts his journey from a small town in Vermont to Yale and Harvard, before building a successful career on Wall Street. He also discusses the experiences that shaped his philanthropic commitments—from supporting cultural institutions like the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Museum of Art to helping strengthen educational and civic institutions across the United States. Recorded on February 20, 2026
S5 · E14March 16 · 26 min
Conducting New York’s Legacy
From his childhood in Venezuela’s famed El Sistema music education program to his rise as one of the world’s leading conductors, Gustavo Dudamel reflects on the experiences that shaped his musical life. In conversation with David M. Rubenstein, Dudamel recounts conducting his first orchestra at age eleven, discusses the collaborative art of leading musicians, and shares how he prepares scores entirely from memory. Looking ahead to his tenure as music and artistic director of the New York Philharmonic, he explores the role orchestras can play in connecting communities and inspiring new generations of listeners. Recorded on September 17, 2025
S5 · E13March 2 · 36 min
Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Matters
At the beginning of 1776, virtually no one in the colonies was advocating independence. What changed over the course of one year? From Thomas Paine’s Common Sense in January to the Continental Congress that first grounded the idea of independence, historian Edward Larson, in conversation with David M. Rubenstein, traces a narrative path that reminds us why, as we approach the 250th anniversary of American independence, 1776 matters. Recorded on January 26, 2026
S5 · E12February 16 · 45 min
McNamara at War: A New History
Secretary of defense and friend and ally to two presidents, Robert S. McNamara was one of the most controversial men in American history for his role in the Vietnam War. Beyond his time at Harvard Law, his service during World War II, and his leadership of the Ford Motor Company and the World Bank, he is inevitably remembered for his fierce escalation of an unpopular and arguably unwinnable war. Authors Philip and William Taubman join David M. Rubenstein to provide a window into McNamara’s mind, including his relationship with the Kennedy family and the evolution of his views on Vietnam. Recorded on January 16, 2026
S5 · E11February 2 · 23 min
The American Revolution: An Intimate History
The American Revolution was three wars rolled into one: a fight for independence, a civil conflict, and a struggle between nations. In this conversation with David M. Rubenstein, bestselling author Geoffrey Ward examines the many sides of the war through the stories of not just the Founding Fathers, but the soldiers, women, Loyalists, and others whose lives—and country—were forever changed by the movement. Recorded on December 12, 2025
S5 · E10January 19 · 36 min
Annapolis Goes to War: The Naval Academy Class of 1940 and its Trial by Fire in World War II
The teenagers who made up the US Naval Academy class of 1940 arrived in Annapolis as boys on the eve of Hitler’s aggression and graduated as Europe collapsed, only to find themselves thrust into every major front of World War II, from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay and Normandy. Renowned military historian Craig Symonds joins David M. Rubenstein to discuss the young men’s sacrifice, loss, and extraordinary coming-of-age in history’s deadliest conflict. Recorded on November 24, 2025
S5 · E9January 5 · 30 min
Glorious Lessons: John Trumbull, Painter of the American Revolution
History may be written by the victors, but it is illustrated by its painters, and perhaps few so famously or evocatively as John Trumbull—American Revolution army officer, spy, artist. In this conversation with David M. Rubenstein, Richard Brookhiser, Trumbull biographer and senior editor at National Review, delves into Trumbull’s tumultuous life. Recorded on November 14, 2025
S5 · E8Dec 15, 2025 · 29 min
A Place Called Yellowstone: The Epic History of the World’s First National Park
Covering 2.2 million acres, Yellowstone National Park is a geographic behemoth and, as the birthplace of America’s national park system, a cultural giant as well. But since its official establishment in 1872, the bucolic lands have been the source of frequent conflict: between Native Americans and Europeans, and tourism and environmental conservation. In this episode, prizewinning author Randall K. Wilson explores the complex history of the park, from its geological roots to its role in our understanding of the environment and our nation as a whole. Recorded on August 25, 2025
S5 · E7Dec 1, 2025 · 27 min
Dinner with the President: Food, Politics, and a History of Breaking Bread at the White House
Some of the most significant moments in American history have occurred over meals, as US presidents broke bread to strengthen alliances, diffuse tensions, and broker peace: Thomas Jefferson’s nation-building receptions; Richard Nixon’s practiced use of chopsticks to pry open China; Jimmy Carter’s cakes and pies that fueled a détente between Israel and Egypt at Camp David. Author Alex Prud’homme joins David M. Rubenstein to discuss the political power wielded by the White House kitchen. Recorded on June 30, 2024
S5 · E6Nov 17, 2025 · 38 min
Pride and Pleasure: The Schuyler Sisters in an Age of Revolution
Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton’s gravestone identifies her merely as the daughter of Philip Schuyler and the widow of Alexander Hamilton, while her sister, Angelica, has only a marker next to the Livingston family vault, but neither memorial does justice to the complexity of the two women. Eliza was a vital aid to her husband’s political efforts, as well as a later reformer in her own right, and Angelica was a socialite who maintained friendships with the likes of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. In this conversation, historian Amanda Vaill offers a fuller portrait of these women and the Founding Era. Recorded on November 7, 2025
S5 · E5Nov 3, 2025 · 38 min
John Adams: His Life and Legacy
In addition to being America’s first vice president and second president, Founding Father John Adams was a diplomat, the father of another president, and an avid diarist. In this conversation with David M. Rubenstein, Gordon S. Wood, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian of the Revolutionary era, tackles this multifaceted figure, from his role in the birth of our nation to the precedents he set for all those who followed him. Recorded on September 4, 2025

Showing 1–20 of 20 episodes