History With David Rubenstein

Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian Ada Ferrer unravels the complex intertwining of the U.S. and Cuba’s foreign policy and domestic affairs, from proxy conflicts during the Cold War, to how Cuban-American relations are used as a cipher for a president’s foreign policy.

Historian Ian W. Toll discusses the grand strategic decisions and naval operations behind the crushing assault the U.S. waged on the Japanese navy in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, as World War II in the Pacific entered its endgame in June 1944.

In a wide-ranging conversation, bestselling author Simon Winchester examines how humanity’s conquest to acquire territory and wield its power—including European imperialism and the dispossession of Native American populations—has so definitively shaped history.

Award-winning historian and former war refugee Lien-Hang T. Nguyen draws on her personal and professional journey in a discussion on the contested history of the war in Vietnam, visiting new historical terrain that continues to elicit national debate, deep soul-searching, and purported lessons for America's role overseas.

Pulitzer Prize finalist H.W. Brands examines the deep-seated divisions that made up the American Revolution before the war—between Loyalists and Patriots, families, friends, and neighbors.

Historian Manisha Sinha discusses the historical significance of America’s evolution during the period of Reconstruction following the Civil War, which saw a transformation of the American nation from a slaveholding republic into an interracial democracy, all alongside the rise of industrial capitalism and the violent and ambitious conquest of the West.

In an expansive conversation, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and journalist George F. Will shares his perspective on the political, social, and cultural trends that have shaped the national experience since 2008.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Stacy Schiff uncovers the truths behind the mythology of the infamous Salem Witch Trials, connecting the influences this dark chapter in Colonial America had on the future republic.

In the United States, World War II is often regarded as a time of unrivaled national unity and optimism, however in reality this traumatic period tested the American resolve in the most significant way since the Civil War. How did the nation rise to the occasion? Author and historian Tracy Campbell examines the critical year of 1942.

Author Lynne Cheney examines the friendships and rivalries within the “Virginia Dynasty” of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe, including the contradiction between the ideals of American liberty and prosperity they espoused and their status as slaveholders.