California Gold Rush

It's known as the deadliest single day in American history: the Battle of Antietam.After weeks of Union defeats, Confederate forces pushed north into Maryland and carried the war onto Northern soil for the first time. Near a quiet creek in Maryland, two armies faced one another a ...  Show more

Heroic cowboys on horseback. Bands of outlaws. Brawls in small town saloons.This is the Wild West as popular culture remembers it. But was it really as “wild” as we’ve been led to believe? Did the violence of the frontier truly revolve around outlaws and lawmen... or were much la ...  Show more

On January 24th, 1848, a carpenter from Coloma plunges a hand into the American River and pulls out gold. This discovery triggers an explosion of findings, as people flock to the region seeking fortune and reinvention. But what were the chances of striking gold? What obstacles di ...  Show more

<span style= "font-size: 14pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">>> Get my new course: The </span><span data-preserver-spaces= "true">PRONUNCIATION</span>< ...

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the system that flourished from 1870 when gold became dominant and more widely available, following gold rushes in California and Australia. Banknotes could be exchanged for gold at central banks, the coins in circulation could be gold (as with the ...  Show more

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the system that flourished from 1870 when gold became dominant and more widely available, following gold rushes in California and Australia. Banknotes could be exchanged for gold at central banks, the coins in circulation could be gold (as with the ...  Show more