The Duncan & Coe History Show

Bestselling authors and historians Mike Duncan and Alexis Coe are far-flung buddies who slice through centuries with the sharpness of a guillotine. In this wide-ranging series, Duncan, best-known for The History of Rome and Revolutions, and Coe, a presidential historian and senior fellow leave no stone unturned, no sacred cow un-tipped.

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Episodes

Blank Check History: When Scholars Hit the Jackpot

In the Season 0 finale, Mike and Alexis consider a world in which historians put their money where their history is. Links to the great work of our guests! Rory McGovern Race, Politics, and Reconstruction: The First Black Cadets at Old West Point Marcia Chatelain Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America Emily Tamkin Bad Jews: A History of American Jewish Politics and Identities Chistine Caccipuoti Footnoting History...

Mar 13, 2025•27 min•Season 1Ep. 11

Black Pioneer, White Frontier

In the 1840s, Black pioneer George Bush (no relation!), his white wife, and their five children quit Missouri, a slave state, for the Pacific Northwest---only to find racial exclusion laws hot on his heels.

Jan 22, 2025•37 min•Season 1Ep. 10

Framed by Blood: The Mary Lincoln Story

On the 10th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's assassination, his widow faces an unthinkable betrayal. Alexis dismantles the myth of the unhinged Mary "Never Todd" Lincoln and reveals the widow's relentless battle for justice ....

Jan 15, 2025•38 min•Season 1Ep. 9

Squirrel's Troublesome Little Bones

In this bonus episode, Alexis imagines a historic New Year's Eve menu for Mike. patreon.com/duncanandcoe Karen Abbott, The Ghosts of Eden Park: The Bootleg King, the Women Who Pursued Him, and the Murder that Shocked Jazz-Age America . Candice Millard , Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President Malinda Russell, A Domestic Cook: Containing a Careful Selection of Useful Receipts for the Kitchen Jon Mooallen, This Is Chance!...

Dec 26, 2024•20 min•Season 8Ep. 1

Marc Bloch

From Nazi-fighting historian to Pantheon inductee: Bloch's legacy is anything but a strange defeat. Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/HistorianAlexisCoe Patreon: patreon.com/duncanandcoe Books by and about Bloch Carl Fink, Marc Bloch: A Life in History Marc Bloch, The Historian's Craft Marc Bloch, The Strange Defeat Marc Bloch, Feudal Society...

Dec 19, 2024•37 min•Season 1Ep. 7

FDR v. Lindbergh

Author Paul Sparrow helps Mike and Alexis navigate Charles Lindbergh's bumpy descent from American hero to Nazi Germany apologist--and thorn in FDR's side. Buy some books! Paul Sparrow, Awakening the Spirit of America: FDR's War of Words with Charles Lindbergh--And the Battle to Save Democracy Alexis Coe, You Never Forget Your First Mike Duncan, Hero of Two Worlds...

Dec 12, 2024•40 min•Season 1Ep. 6

Boss Walrus

In this bonus episode, Mike convinces Alexis not to be sad about Chester A. Arthur

Dec 05, 2024•10 min•Season 1Ep. 5

Gladiator II

Today's episode is brought to you at one (guess who) host's insistence.

Dec 05, 2024•41 min•Season 1Ep. 4

Biden's Tar Pit Plunge

Mike asks Alexis about Biden's legacy as she steels herself for the presidential ranking survey.

Nov 27, 2024•21 min•Season 1Ep. 3

Rabbit Holes

Mike is back from his brush with not-quite-death and Alexis offers him no quarter, immediately speculating on 18th-century treatments he mercifully avoided. The actual episode: Their rabbit hole tales of unwoe, from the lexical versatility of "slut" to a totally logical journey from Michael Caine to Mary Todd Lincoln.

Nov 21, 2024•38 min•Season 1Ep. 2

Things Mike Duncan Isn't Dying Of...

In this amuse-bouche of historical schadenfreude and wild speculation about what's really keeping Mike bedridden in Wisconsin, it falls to Alexis Coe to single-handedly salvage their fledgling podcast the only way she knows how: erudition and utter nonsense .

Nov 14, 2024•5 min•Season 1Ep. 1

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