American History Tellers

A look at James Baldwin's rise from Harlem poverty to literary prominence. Scenes cover his moves to Greenwich Village and Paris, clashes with fellow writers, and provocative novels about race and sexuality. The story follows his return to the U.S., activism during the 1960s, life as an expatriate mentor in France, and his final years.

A portrait of John Steinbeck’s Salinas roots and the people who shaped his early imagination. Tales of migrant workers, Dust Bowl reporting, and the making of famous novels like The Grapes of Wrath. Friendship with Ed Ricketts, wartime reporting, chronic illness, and the turbulent personal life behind his literary rise.

A portrait of Samuel Clemens rising from Mississippi steamboats to literary fame. Tales of hoaxes, travel sketches, and the breakout Jumping Frog story. The creation and controversy around Huckleberry Finn are highlighted. Financial ruin from risky inventions and a worldwide lecture tour reshape his life. His late anti-imperialist critiques and personal losses cast a darker tone on his legacy.

A look at Louisa May Alcott’s upbringing among Transcendentalists and experimental schooling in Concord. Tales of financial hardship, early pulp writing, and persistence after rejection. Harrowing Civil War nursing and the birth of Hospital Sketches. The reluctant creation of Little Women and its life-changing financial success.

A dramatic look at Edgar Allan Poe’s turbulent life, from university woes and military missteps to breakthrough stories and poems. The narrative traces his rise in early American literature, pioneering detective fiction and horror. It follows his spiral of grief, addiction, and mysterious death, then explores the posthumous battles over his reputation and his lasting influence on writers.

Jonathan Eig, Pulitzer Prize–winning biographer and historian, visits to unpack how authorities closed in on Al Capone. He explores uncertainty over Capone’s role in the massacre. He traces how public outrage changed federal priorities, the clever use of tax law, key investigative breakthroughs, and the legal maneuvers that brought a kingpin down.

A bloody 1929 ambush in a Chicago garage shocks the nation and sparks a scramble for answers. The rise of bootlegging and violent turf wars under Al Capone frames the chaos. Newsgathering, inquests, and staged reenactments fuel public outrage. Federal investigators pivot to tax strategies while mob politics and political reforms reshape the city’s future.

A portrait of 1920s Chicago as Prohibition turns booze into big business and brutal turf wars. The rise of a young gangster from small-time hustles to running a sprawling criminal empire. Territorial feuds, betrayals, and the arrival of the Thompson submachine gun that changed street violence forever.

In the early 1950s, Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin were in a race to develop a vaccine against polio. While Salk’s killed-virus vaccine was the first to be distributed, Sabin continued working to perfect his own approach. In the end, Sabin’s oral polio vaccine—made from a weakened live virus—proved easier to administer and was ultimately distributed far more widely, though his name never achieved the same recognition. In this episode, Lindsay is joined by epidemiologist and oral historian Karen Torghele. Her book Albert Sabin: The Life of a Polio Vaccine Pioneer is due to be published by Yale University Press in June of 2026. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In 1954, first graders in Virginia became part of a massive polio vaccine trial, marking the largest peacetime health mobilization. Tensions rose as scientific rivals debated vaccine safety, leading to public skepticism and sensational media coverage. After a hopeful announcement of success, chaos erupted with the Cutter Fiasco, where contaminated doses sparked fear and halted vaccinations. The aftermath prompted sweeping reforms in health oversight, while the eventual adoption of the Sabin oral vaccine paved the way for polio's near eradication.