The Waco siege: an American tragedy

Why did Alexander the Great sleep with a copy of the Odyssey under his pillow? In this final episode of HistoryExtra's four-part series, Kev Lochun and classicist Daisy Dunn explore the astonishing cultural legacy of a poem that has been shaping how we think about home, heroism a ...  Show more

Who were the people that were accused of witchcraft in the 1640s British witch trials? And why did they confess to being in league with the devil? In this episode, Marion Gibson breaks down the trial and interrogation records left behind by the witch hunters, to reveal the real s ...  Show more

It's been 30 years since the deadly stand-off in Waco, Texas that killed 75 people, including 25 children.Among the dead was David Koresh, the leader of the Branch Davidians, one of several Doomsday cults that made news at the end of the 20th century.On this episode of History of ...  Show more

In 1993, the quiet Texas town of Waco was turned into a bloody battlefield when an extremist religious group and their leader went to war with the American Government. We’re talking assault weapons, helicopters, tanks, explosions and huge fires. Dozens were killed. Today, Bailey ...  Show more

In 1993, a massive conflict erupts in rural Texas. The federal government launches a siege against the Branch Davidians, a religious group based in the outskirts of Waco. What follows is the longest firefight in the history of American law enforcement. And it’s a battle that ends ...  Show more

On February 28th, 1993, ATF agents raided a compound in Waco, Texas, belonging to a religious group known as the Branch Davidians. A 51-day standoff ensued, ending in a violent siege. Eighty-one people lost their lives, many of them children — but to this day, no one knows which ...  Show more