New 20-episode video series from New-York Historical delves into little-known American history facts in 60 seconds with David Rubenstein

Today, New-York Historical Society announced A History Minute with David Rubenstein,  a new 20-episode series of 60-second videos exploring little-known aspects of American history. Questions include: What is hidden at the foot of the Statue of Liberty? Who was the first woman to run for president? Why is the Pentagon a pentagon? Among the figures featured are Frederick Douglass, Victoria Woodhull, Madame CJ Walker, Jim Thorpe, the Navajo Code Talkers, Billie Jean King, and George Washington. The questions about American history that Rubenstein asks and answers in each video are meant to make history more accessible to the broad public.  

“In their informative, yet entertaining presentation of the American past, these History Minute videos are history at its most accessible, conveying knowledge, truth, and compassion in a way that helps us to learn, almost effortlessly, about the lives of others; stand in their shoes, empathize, and move forward—as we must in these fraught times—to work for a more perfect union together,” said Dr. Louise Mirrer, president and CEO of New-York Historical. 

“For our nation to advance and thrive we must know and understand the past, otherwise, as George Santayana said, we are ‘condemned to repeat it’,” said David M. Rubenstein, financier and philanthropist. “I hope these accessible and engaging pieces of history will prompt viewers to learn more about the topics in particular and our rich history in general. Thanks to the New-York Historical Society team and Makematic for their essential role in bringing these ‘History Minute’ lessons to life.”

Produced by Makematic, the video series will launch this month and can be viewed on nyhistory.org and YouTube. Each video dives into fascinating moments in history, exploring the Pride flag’s origins, the Chinese Exclusion Act, the Zoot Suit Riots, and the Statue of Liberty’s connection to slavery. During Black History Month, the videos look at Frederick Douglass and his use of photography, the Silent March of 1917 organized in response to racial violence and injustice; and entrepreneur Madame CJ Walker. In March for Women’s History Month, Victoria Woodhull, the first woman to run for president, and sports icon and activist Billie Jean King are featured. 

In addition to A History Minute with David Rubenstein, New-York Historical presents a wide array of interviews moderated by David M. Rubenstein that explore the wide breadth of the American story, including presidential biography, the nation’s founding, Lincoln and the Civil War, the colonial and pre-colonial eras, and the complex social relationships that have shaped the United States throughout its history. The television series History with David M. Rubenstein, filmed in the Museum’s Robert H. Smith Auditorium, is now in its fourth season and airs on local PBS stations across the nation. A rich library of Mr. Rubenstein’s interviews are also available via the podcast For the Ages, which launched in June 2021.

About David M. Rubenstein
David M. Rubenstein is co-founder and co-chairman of The Carlyle Group, a global investment firm. Mr. Rubenstein is chairman of the Boards of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Council on Foreign Relations, the National Gallery of Art, the University of Chicago and the Economic Club of Washington; a Fellow of the Harvard Corporation; a Trustee of the World Economic Forum; and a Director of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, among other board seats. Mr. Rubenstein is an original signer of The Giving Pledge; the host of The David Rubenstein Show and Bloomberg Wealth with David Rubenstein; and the author of The American Story, How to Lead, The American Experiment, and How To Invest. He is a 1970 graduate of Duke University and a 1973 graduate of the University of Chicago Law School.

About Makematic
Makematic is a leading global provider of educational video content. Each year, their team of 70+ education and media professionals develop hundreds of original videos for customers and partners including Oxford University Press, Smithsonian, Khan Academy, Adobe, Crayola, and the BBC. Visit Makematic at www.makematic.com.

About the New-York Historical Society
Experience 400 years of history through groundbreaking exhibitions, immersive films, and thought-provoking conversations among renowned historians and public figures at the New-York Historical Society, New York’s first museum. A great destination for history since 1804, the Museum and the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library convey the stories of the city and nation’s diverse populations, expanding our understanding of who we are as Americans and how we came to be. Ever-rising to the challenge of bringing little or unknown histories to light, New-York Historical will soon inaugurate a new wing housing its Academy for American Democracy as well as the American LGBTQ+ Museum. These latest efforts to help forge the future by documenting the past join New-York Historical’s DiMenna Children’s History Museum and Center for Women’s History. Digital exhibitions, apps, and our For the Ages podcast make it possible for visitors everywhere to dive more deeply into history. Connect with us at nyhistory.org or at @nyhistory on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Tumblr.