History for Kids / History's Not Boring: The Kids History Podcast

Have you ever had to wait for something that was rightfully yours? Imagine waiting for over 900 days for your own freedom! In this exciting episode of History's Not Boring, Mira and Finn uncover the amazing true story behind Juneteenth, the longest-running African American holiday in history! Travel back to the American Civil War and learn how President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation made slavery illegal. But there was a massive catch! Enslavers in Texas completely ignored the law for two and a half years, keeping 250,000 people enslaved even after the biggest war in American history had ended.

Find out what happened on the morning of June 19, 1865, when Union Major General Gordon Granger and 2,000 troops—including heroic Black soldiers!—marched into Galveston, Texas, to finally enforce the law. You'll learn how newly freed people celebrated their incredible victory, how they saved up to buy their very own Emancipation Park, and why everyone eats yummy red foods like strawberry soda and red velvet cake on this special day. Get ready to celebrate resilience and freedom!

Ahoy, mateys! Have you ever wondered what it was really like to be a pirate sailing the high seas? Join Mira and Finn on History's Not Boring as we dive into the thrilling Golden Age of Piracy to uncover the true story of the most famous pirate who ever lived: Blackbeard!

Did you know Blackbeard (whose real name was Edward Teach) used to tie slow-burning ropes under his hat so smoke would literally pour out of his hair before battles? Talk about a terrifying sea monster! We'll explore his massive ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge, which was packed with 40 heavy cannons! You'll also learn the shocking reason why he once held an entire city hostage—not for gold or jewels, but for a chest of medicine to help his sick crew!

Plus, we are busting some massive pirate myths! Did pirates actually make their prisoners walk the plank? What really happened if a pirate broke the rules? And who finally defeated the unstoppable Blackbeard? Get ready for epic ocean battles, weird historical facts, and a fun quiz at the end to test your pirate knowledge. Hit play and let's set sail!

Are you ready to meet the absolute greatest footballer of all time? Join Mira and Finn as they time travel to the 20th century to discover the incredible true story of Pele! Before he was a global superstar, young Edson (who got his famous nickname by accident!) was so poor he had to practice his football skills using grapefruits and old socks stuffed with wet newspapers. Eww! But kicking those lumpy, gross socks gave him the most amazing reflexes in the world.

Listen as we uncover how a nine-year-old boy made a massive promise to his crying dad to win the World Cup—and then actually did it at just 17 years old! You'll learn how Pele scored an unbelievable 1,279 goals, why fans once stopped a match for 20 whole minutes just to celebrate him, and how he became so valuable that the President of Brazil passed a law declaring him an official, real-life National Treasure! Plus, test your football knowledge in our fun trivia quiz. Grab your favorite soccer ball and let's kick off!

Have you ever wondered who actually invented school? Get your backpacks ready because we are time-traveling 4,500 years back to Ancient Mesopotamia to find out! Discover what it was like to go to the very first school, known as the Eduba, where kids had to do their math homework on heavy slabs of wet mud! Can you imagine smoothing out dirt with your thumb just to erase your mistakes? Then, we are fast-forwarding to 19th-century America to visit a crazy one-room schoolhouse! Imagine sitting in a single room with forty other kids ranging from first to eighth grade, all trying to learn at the exact same time while crowded around a giant cast-iron stove! Plus, we are busting one of the biggest historical myths of all time: the real reason we get a long summer vacation! Hint: It had absolutely nothing to do with planting crops on a farm, and everything to do with escaping the smelly, sweaty, dangerously hot cities! Join Mira and Finn as they uncover the wild and surprising history of your classroom!

Imagine a massive global war that lasted for 45 years, where the two sides never even fought on a real battlefield! After World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union went from being allies to total rivals in a freezing standoff known as the Cold War. But how did it all begin? Join Mira and Finn as they uncover the incredible true story of a divided world and the famous "Iron Curtain" that split Europe in half! You will hear the terrifying tale of the Berlin Blockade, where millions of people were trapped without food or power, and the heroic Berlin Airlift that saved them by landing cargo planes every 45 seconds! Plus, learn about the amazing "Candy Bomber" who dropped 23 tons of chocolate from the sky in tiny parachutes to cheering kids below. And don't miss our weird fact of the day about a super-sneaky, battery-free spy bug hidden inside a beautiful wooden gift! Grab your winter coat and get ready for a history adventure packed with secret missions, daring pilots, and sky-high candy!