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Curiosity Original

HI$TORY

4 episodes 95%4KCC

Follow the money through the scandals and turning points of American history.

Hosted by NPR's Peter Sagal, this series takes an irreverent look at the forces that shaped the United States by tracing how money drives power, politics, and public myths. From Watergate to the Civil War, railroads, and the Cold War, each episode reframes familiar history with sharp insight that rewards curiosity and makes the next chapter hard to resist.

Episode guide

4 episodes
1
1Watergate
Like a burger and fries, Nixon and scandal have always gone together. But why did his men break into the Watergate office building? Why did Nixon crave personal wealth? The answers lie with JFK, Howard Hughes, and... the Nixonburger!
17 min
2
2Civil War
Why, as a teenager in New Jersey in the 1980s, was Peter Sagal taught the Southern myth of the Civil War? How did Gone with the Wind become a national parable? Why is Robert E. Lee an American hero? Slaves = money = power.
15 min
3
3Transcontinental Railroad
The movies have taught us that the west was won by rugged individuals with a gun on one hip and a gal on the other. But those Americans who settled the west, those icons of freedom and independence, lived at the mercy of the railroad tycoons.
14 min
4
4Cold War
The Cold War was won not by weapons of war, but blue jeans, silk stockings, and fast food. Just follow the money.
16 min
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