Exploring History

As the Summer Olympics in Paris, France, take place this year, we hearken back one hundred years to another Paris Olympics, and the accomplishments of a man of faith, Eric Liddell, both in the Olympics and in his later life. Ray Notgrass shares the remarkable story of this man of Christian conscience who won the race of serving God.Read the transcript, see photos, and find resource

It’s time for that quadrennial exercise in American democracy, when thousands of people spend millions of dollars and take several days to make a decision that’s already been made. Of course I’m talking about our national political party presidential nominating conventions. On the latest Exploring History podcast, Ray Notgrass discusses the history of conventions and how they

Fred Vinson's life went from being born in a jailer's house in Eastern Kentucky to serving as chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. He was a key player in American government during and after World War II. In this podcast, Ray Notgrass tells Vinson's life story and shows how it encourages all of us to take part in the great story of America.Read the episode transcript, see photo

On June 19th, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger announced in Galveston, Texas, that all enslaved persons were free. Slavery was ended. On the latest episode of the Exploring History podcast, Ray Notgrass tells how slavery ended in the United States and how people began to celebrate Juneteenth (June 19th) as America's second Independence Day.Visit our website for a transcript, phot

June 6, 2024, marks the 80th anniversary of D-Day, when Allied forces invaded Nazi-occupied Europe during World War II. On the latest Exploring History podcast, Ray Notgrass explains the causes of World War II, gives a brief history of the war including the significance of D-Day, and tells how the world changed as a result of the war.Visit our website for a transcript and a link to

In 1938, as war clouds built in Europe, the popular American singer Kate Smith debuted a song written by the successful songwriter Irving Berlin. That song was "God Bless America," which has become an American classic. On the latest Exploring History podcast, Ray Notgrass surveys Berlin's life and tells how the song has encouraged generations of Americans, especially during difficu

Nathaniel Hawthorne's 1850 short story "The Great Stone Face" is the fictional account of how the geological formation of the Old Man of the Mountain in New Hampshire inspired a boy to pursue the worthy and noble things of life. In the latest Exploring History podcast, Ray Notgrass tells how the story is also a reminder to Christians to "fix our eyes on Jesus," and he reads the sto

During World War II, over a million soldiers trained for combat in Europe by taking part in maneuvers in Tennessee. In his latest podcast, Ray Notgrass discusses how the maneuvers took place and what they meant for the soldiers and for the residents of the counties and towns of Tennessee where they happened.Read a transcript and get links to more resources on our website:https://sh

Following World War II, the nations of Europe lay devastated. The threat of Communist invasion was real. Just as the United States came to the aid of Europe during World War II, the U.S. provided assistance to the Europeans after the war to help them rebuild and maintain their freedom. In the latest Exploring History podcast, Ray Notgrass describes how the Marshall Plan benefited E

God places a beautiful young woman in a position of influence. She risks her own life to save her entire people group from merciless execution. The book of Esther in the Old Testament gives the background for the Jewish feast of Purim, which takes place later this month. In this Exploring History podcast, Ray Notgrass tells the story of Esther and reminds us that we have been calle