History In A Nutshell

Short, sweet, and to the point - Join our cartoon host as he takes viewers on journeys through significant historical events in world history!

Grades 5-12

Short, sweet, and to the point - Join our cartoon host as he takes viewers on journeys through significant historical events in world history!

Within this Series

Rivals in Orbit: How the Space Race Began and Ended in Cooperation

Lesson

Grades: 5

In this lesson, students explore how Cold War rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union expanded beyond Earth and into outer space. Using the History in a Nutshell video series and short...

Mapping the Unknown: The Lewis and Clark Expedition and the Changing West

Lesson

Grades: 4

In this lesson, students explore the Lewis and Clark Expedition as a major turning point in U.S. expansion. Through short documentary videos, mapping, source analysis, and role-based debate, they...

Sea to Shining Sea: The Mexican-American War and America’s Push West

Lesson

Grades: 4

Using the History in a Nutshell video on The Mexican-American War, learners analyze causes, key events, and outcomes of the war through mapping, discussion, and role-based inquiry. Students will...

From Sparks to Surrender: The French and Indian War

Lesson

Grades: 4, 6, 8

Students use History in a Nutshell videos Part 1 and Part 2 to trace how tension in the Ohio Valley ignited a wider war, how leadership shifts turned the tide, and how the Treaty of Paris created...

Revolutionary War Generals of SC, Part 3: Francis Marion | History In A Nutshell

Video

Part 3 of this edition of History in a Nutshell is about Francis Marion, "The Swamp Fox". Marion was famous for using South Carolina's swamps to hide from the British during the Revolutionary War...

Revolutionary War Generals of SC, Part 2: Thomas Sumter | History In A Nutshell

Video

Part 2 of this edition of History in a Nutshell is about Thomas Sumter, "The Fighting Gamecock". Sumter was given his nickname due to his tenacity in battle. Although Sumter is viewed as a...

Revolutionary War Generals of SC, Part 1: Andrew Pickens | History In A Nutshell

Video

Part 1 of this edition of History in a Nutshell is about Andrew Pickens, "The Wizard Owl". Pickens was given the name "Skyagunsta" by the Cherokee after the Ring Fight in Tamasee, South Carolina, in...

Bibliography and Works Cited Page for Episode 15 - The Briggs v. Elliott Court Case | History In A Nutshell

Document

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Brinson, Claudia Smith. Stories of Struggle: The Clash over Civil Rights in South Carolina. University of South Carolina Press. Columbia, SC. 2020 Dulaney, W. Marvin. “Briggs v. Elliott.” South...

Briggs v. Elliott Court Case Photo Gallery | History In A Nutshell

Photo

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

This photo gallery features the following people and events from the Briggs v. Elliott court case episode of History In A Nutshell: Briggs v. Elliott commemorative medallion African American children...

Briggs v. Elliott Court Case | History In A Nutshell

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

This audience requested episode of History In A Nutshell sheds light on the Briggs v. Elliott court case, in honor of the 70th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision...

Briggs v. Elliott Court Case Trivia Quiz - Teacher Resource | History In A Nutshell

Document

The fifteenth quiz in this series tests your knowledge on the Briggs v. Elliott court case- the first in U.S. history to challenge segregation in public education! How well do you know your Briggs v...

Briggs v. Elliott Court Case Trivia Quiz | History In A Nutshell

Interactive

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

This quiz tests your knowledge on the Briggs v. Elliott court case- the first in U.S. history to challenge segregation in public education! How well do you know your Briggs v. Elliott trivia? Test...

John Dillinger

Video

Grades: 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

John Herbert Dillinger is remembered as arguably the most infamous bank robber in American history. Dillinger’s crime spree across the Midwest lasted from June 1933 to July 1934. The FBI’s J. Edgar...

The U.S. Army's Birthday | History In A Nutshell Shorts

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

The date of June 14th is the birthday of the United States Army! Founded on this day in 1775, the US Army’s origins are traced back to the old Continental Army, which was formed to fight against the...

Brown v. Board of Education Anniversary | History in a Nutshell Shorts

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

The Brown v. Board of Education court case is recognized as one of the most crucial court cases in U.S. history. In 1951, plaintiff Oliver Brown filed a lawsuit against the Board of Education of...

The Civil War Begins At Fort Sumter | History In A Nutshell Shorts

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

April 12 marks the anniversary of the beginning of the American Civil War, in Charleston, S.C. in 1861. South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union, in December 1860. Fearing a...

"Remember the Alamo!" | History In A Nutshell Shorts

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

During the Texas Revolution, Fort Alamo, located in present-day San Antonio, fell to President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna’s Mexican troops on March 6, 1836. This siege between Mexican forces and...

Absolum Williams

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Did you know that a Black sailor once served on the ill-fated Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley? Shortly after the Hunley's arrival in Charleston, South Carolina, Lieutenant John Payne of the...

Edgar Allan Poe's Ties to South Carolina | History In A Nutshell Shorts

Video

American author Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts. Poe solidified his legacy as master of the gothic and macabre with his poems and short stories, and was one of...

Apollo 8's Out of This World Christmas Present | History In A Nutshell Shorts

Video

Grades: 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

A Christmas miracle could not have been more needed in the year 1968. With the Vietnam War at its height, race relations reaching a boiling point in the U.S., and the assassinations of Dr. Martin...

Honoring Native American Code Talkers | History In A Nutshell Shorts

Video

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Native American “Code Talkers” played a crucial role in the allied victory in World War II. Coined by the U.S. Marine Corps, a “Code Talker” is the term given to American Indians who used their tribal...

The History of the Jack-O-Lantern | History In A Nutshell Shorts

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Where did the Halloween tradition of carving faces into pumpkins and lighting them up come from? This custom stems from the old European legend of "Stingy Jack" or "Jack of the Lantern". In the tale...

Where Did The Name Halloween Come From? | History In A Nutshell Shorts

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Through a bizarre twist in history, the Catholic Church contributed just as much as Pagans did to the Halloween we know today! In the Catholic Church's early years, missionaries journeyed out to...

Why Do We Like to Tell Scary Stories on Halloween? | History In A Nutshell Shorts

Video

Grades: 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

One possible origin for telling scary stories around Halloween is found thousands of years ago with the Celts of ancient Ireland! These Celtic Pagans worshipped the earth, and during their festival...

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Grades 5-12

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