History articles read aloud, sources named at the close.
History Hour comes from Radio Eye, a reading service for people who are blind or have disabilities that make print hard to use, and host Joe Boldt reads published history articles aloud. Recent subjects run from Pocahontas at Jamestown to the Dalton Gang, with the sources credited before he signs off.
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History Hour is the history program of Radio Eye, a reading service intended for people who are blind or have other disabilities that make printed material difficult to read. On air, host Joe Boldt introduces it as Radio Eye's History Show and himself as its reader and host. That word, reader, is the key to the format. Boldt settles on a subject, researches published articles about it and reads them aloud, then names his sources before signing off. His own remarks frame the readings at the open and the close. The subjects roam widely. One recent reading follows Pocahontas at Jamestown and draws on a source about her son, Thomas Rolfe. Another tracks the Dalton brothers from a failed train holdup in California, in which the engineer was shot and killed, to a robbery at Wharton in Indian Territory. There is Revolutionary-era espionage, told through a Quaker woman who passed information to the Americans without telling a lie. There is the Panama Canal, where a new chief engineer named by President Roosevelt took charge after a sudden resignation and thousands of men worked around the clock on the Culebra Cut. And there is the Oregon Trail, down to the midday stop called nooning, when boys wiped the dust from the oxen's snouts. One episode crosses to London for its debutante balls and the end of the royal presentation ceremony, then finds room for a crush of Jackson supporters that drove him to a nearby hotel; Boldt signs that one off with happy parties. Some of the chosen articles push against the familiar version of events. The Pocahontas reading holds that the major event of her life was not saving John Smith but being kidnapped by his fellow colonists. The Revolutionary reading quotes a writer who finds no evidence for the popular tale of messages sewn into a son's coat buttons. The credits are specific. Closings list article titles, writers, editors and publication dates, and when a source gives no author or date, Boldt says so. The openings are just as steady: a reminder that Radio Eye is listener-driven, and an invitation to phone in history topics he will research for a future show. The manner throughout is warm and courteous, and the recent episodes all close on the same farewell, happy trails. Episodes are titled by date. 4.3.26, the Dalton Gang reading, is an easy first pick for anyone drawn to the Wild West, and 3.6.26 covers the Oregon Trail.
Made for: Suits a listener who wants American history, from Jamestown to the Wild West to the Panama Canal, read aloud from published articles with the sources named. It also fits the purpose of its producer, Radio Eye, a reading service intended for people who are blind or have other disabilities that make print difficult.
What sets it apart: Instead of original narration or interviews, History Hour is a straight reading of published history articles by host Joe Boldt, with writers and dates credited at the close and topics open to listener requests by phone.
Half Hour of History is a 30 minute program that features content from American History Magazine, Kentucky Monthly, and other texts. Hosted by Joe Boldt. This is produced by Radio Eye under the Chafee Amendment to the Copyright Act which states that authorized entities that are governmental or nonprofit organizations whose primary mission is to provide copyrighted works in specialized formats to blind or disabled people. By continuing to listen, you verify you have an eligible print-reading disability.
One spy's rumored button trick gets a reality check before you can embroider it into history.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A brisk, source-minded account of the Dalton gang's robberies, reversals, arrests, escapes, and Wild Bunch ties.
Radio Eye's History Show frames the Dalton gang as a hard-running story of brothers turned outlaws, failed train robberies, and a widening network of allies across Oklahoma, Kansas, California, and Indian Territory.
Two women, two sides of the Revolution, and a measured look at wartime intelligence.
The episode follows two women who enter the Revolution's spy story from opposite sides. Dara, a Quaker, overhears British soldiers discussing a surprise attack and quietly moves the warning toward George Washington's side.
Curious facts, kid-sized and quiz-ready.
This episode explores the true historical account of Pocahontas, separating fact from myth.
This episode explores the history of parties, focusing on 19th-century social gatherings from Gilded Age glamour to grassroots get-togethers.
Radio Eye's History Show, episode 4.3.26, traces the Dalton gang from deputy-marshaling in Oklahoma and Kansas to train and bank robberies between 1890 and 1892.
Joseph Bolt's Radio Eye History Show pairs Lydia Barrington Darrah's Quaker espionage in Philadelphia with Peggy Shippen's role in Benedict Arnold's treason.
This episode explores the history of the Panama Canal, starting from the 1500s idea of a water passage linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Joseph Bolt's Radio Eye History reading centers on Aldrich Ames, who died at 84 in January 2026 after serving life without parole.
An estimated one in ten people who set off on the Oregon Trail did not survive, and one in five children.
Radio Eye History’s episode 2.27.26 traces Garrett Morgan’s inventions, including a safety hood and a three-position traffic signal.
This episode recounts the history of the USS Indianapolis, a US Navy cruiser sunk in 1945.
Joseph Bolt introduces a Radio Eye history show episode about two Kentucky historical figures, starting with the mysterious life of Martin Van Buren Bates.
This episode explores the possibility that the nexus of Kentucky horse racing might be Lincoln County, not Louisville or Lexington, just before the Kentucky Derby.
Joseph Bolt reads an article about Cecil John Rhodes and the history of diamonds on Radio Eye's History Show.
Joseph Bolt introduces a history show episode about Pancho Villa and the Mexican Revolution.