For the Ages: A History Podcast

David M. Rubenstein hosts For the Ages from the New York Historical Society, and the format is refreshingly simple: sit down with a leading historian or author and have a focused conversation about a piece of American history. Guests include heavyweight names like Pulitzer winners Geoffrey Ward and Gordon S. Wood, military historians like Craig Symonds, and specialists in everything from women's suffrage to Native American history to the creation of national parks. With 158 episodes since 2021, the show publishes twice a week and keeps each conversation to a manageable 23-38 minutes. That brevity is both a strength and a limitation. You get clean, accessible introductions to historical topics without the time commitment of a three-hour deep dive, but some listeners wish the conversations went further. Rubenstein's interviewing style is professional and prepared, though a few reviewers note it can feel somewhat scripted at times. The New York Historical Society backing gives the show institutional credibility and access to scholars that independent podcasts can't always match. The 4.6-star rating from 367 reviews suggests a smaller but appreciative audience. This is a good podcast for someone who wants to learn about a wide range of American history topics in bite-sized chunks, especially if you enjoy hearing directly from the people who have spent their careers studying these subjects. It's not flashy, but it's consistently solid and well-produced.