American History Hit
Episodes
The Harlem Renaissance
18 Jun 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What was it like in Harlem during the decades of the Harlem Renaissance? Who were the key figures? What makes it so important? Don Wildman is joined o...
What Made America? The Professional Military
15 Jun 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Today's United States of America boasts one of the largest and most expensive militaries in the world. But this wasn't always a guarantee.In this epis...
Eisenhower's Countdown to D-Day
11 Jun 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On June 6, 1944, a combined Allied force carried out the largest amphibious invasion in history. They were led by an American.What was General Eisenho...
What Made America: The Constitution & The Franklins
08 Jun 2026
Contributed by Lukas
We've asked some of our favorite historians for their number one moment from these 250 years of the United States' History. For this episode, we're ho...
Inside a Serial Killer's 'Murder Castle'
04 Jun 2026
Contributed by Lukas
He's one of the most famous serial killers in American history... but how much of H.H Holmes' gruesome crimes were sensationalised by the press at the...
How 'New Amsterdam' Became 'New York'
01 Jun 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Earlier this week we explored the Harlem Renaissance, but have you ever wondered how Harlem got its name? There are countless remnants of the Dutch co...
The Worst Siege of the Civil War: Vicksburg
28 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The Siege of Vicksburg was a pivotal turning point in the Civil War. Should the Union capture the stronghold, the South's hold on the Mississippi woul...
When Was the Revolutionary War Won?
25 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In 1775, revolutionaries went to war against the British. Seeking independence from colonial ties, they fought more than 150 battles over eight years....
America's War Against Pirates
21 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Just twenty years after independence, the United States fought a lesser-known war against the Barbary States of North Africa... some use the term 'Cor...
King Phillip's War
18 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This is one of the deadliest conflicts in North American History. But who was King Philip? What started the war? And how did it change history?Don is ...
Annexation of Alaska
14 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In 1867, the United States purchased Alaska from Russia in a deal that reshaped the map of North America... but what did that moment mean for the peop...
The Quaker Who Put Penn in Pennsylvania
11 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
From being locked up in the Tower of London to founding the 5th most populous state in the country, and the city at the heart of the Revolution, today...
Stonewall Jackson's Last Battle: Chancellorsville
07 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
It was Robert E. Lee's greatest strategic triumph but it came at a heavy cost - the loss of his talismanic leader and friend Stonewall Jackson among t...
A Day in the Life of a Puritan
04 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What if we told you that puritans were actually sex-crazed? Well maybe not crazed but definitely not opposed to it.What if we told you that, actually,...
George Washington's Spies
30 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
During the Revolutionary War a vital web of intelligence was established, with General Washington at its head. Operating through coded letters, hidden...
Geronimo's Rebellion and the Apache Wars
27 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Geronimo's name is famous across the world: the Apache warrior who led a resistance movement against the United States out in the South West for years...
The Astors, The Gilded Age & The Building of New York
23 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
From fur traders to rulers of the New York social scene - how did the Astors rise to the top? What did it mean to be 'Old Money' in the Gilded Age? An...
Shays' Rebellion: An Honorable Rebellion?
20 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Shays’ Rebellion has long been taught as a dangerous uprising, one that risked shaking the newly founded United States of America. But by tracing th...
How to Escape Alcatraz
16 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What was it like to live on Alcatraz? And was it possible to escape? In this episode, Don speaks to a historian with the unique experience of growing ...
When the Mormons Rebelled Against America
13 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Driven from the United States, the Mormons journeyed West to build a new society in the desert- one that would challenge the political, economic, and ...
The Origins of Chicago
09 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Chicago is the third most populous city in the United States. It's the windy city, the railroad capital, and home of countless film and tv hits.But wh...
Nat Turner's Rebellion
06 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In 1831, a rebellion erupted in Virginia that sent shockwaves across the United States, and challenged the brutal system of slavery in a way that whit...
The Kennedy Family Curse
02 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Their name is synonymous with power, influence ... and tragedy. And with so much of the latter, many have taken to speculating - are the Kennedy famil...
The Trail of Tears
30 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The Trail of Tears is one of the darkest chapters in American history: the forced removal of thousands of Native Americans from their ancestral lands ...
Rise and Fall of the Shakers
26 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, best known as the Shakers, emerged in the UK in the 18th Century. So how is it that the ...
The Texas Rangers | The Frontier
23 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
We've all heard of the Texas Rangers: an undoubted icon of the American West.In this week’s instalment of our Frontier series, we’ll be exploring ...
The Battle of Fredericksburg
19 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This is the largest battle, by number of combatants, of the entire Civil War. But why? What was the federal objective at Fredericksburg? And how did i...
The Donner Party Disaster | The Frontier
16 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The words 'Donner Party' have become synonymous with disaster in the American imagination. In this week’s instalment of our Frontier miniseries, we’...
America's Bloodiest Day: Battle of Antietam
12 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
How Wild Was the Wild West? | The Frontier
09 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 a...
What Did FDR Get Wrong?
05 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Franklin D Roosevelt is consistently considered one of the United States' best Presidents. Elected four times, he oversaw the end of the Great Depress...
Life and Death on the Oregon Trail | The Frontier
02 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In the first instalment of our Frontier miniseries, we explore one of the most iconic symbols in American history: the Oregon Trail. For decades, thou...
The Making of Malcolm X
26 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Known by the end of his life as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, the Black Nationalist leader best known as Malcolm X died at just 39. Despite his short life...
Darkest Hours: Origins of Slavery
23 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The Origins of Slavery in America, from its early colonial history to its expansion after the Revolutionary war, is the darkest chapter of American hi...
Rodeo: An All American History?
19 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Roughstock, roping and risk - the sport and spectacle of rodeo has become one of the most iconic American pastimes over the last couple of centuries. ...
Darkest Hours: The Kent State Shootings
16 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On May 4 1970, four students were shot dead by the Ohio National Guard during a protest. What were they protesting? Why were the National Guard brough...
The Monroe Doctrine
12 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
A two-hundred-year-old presidential speech has shaped how the United States sees its role in the world ever since. At the time, it sounded like a mode...
Darkest Hours: The Great Depression
09 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The Great Depression was, as Professor John Moser puts it, the result of a perfect storm. So what brought it on? What was it like to live through it? ...
Battle of Baton Rouge: Civil War on the Mississippi
05 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The Civil War along the Mississippi was reaching a critical moment by the Summer of 1862. The Union had advanced and planted its flag in Louisiana’s...
Darkest Hours: Brother Against Brother
02 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
There is no question that the Civil War is one of the darkest chapters in American history. With roughly 2.5 percent of the population lost, a higher ...
The Annexation of Hawaiʻi
29 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
How did Hawaiʻi - once an independent, internationally recognised kingdom - become America's 50th state? It's a tale of economic pressure, political ...
America's Worst General
26 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Who was the worst American army general of all time? We round off our month of military history by looking at the leaders who standout for all the wro...
Origins of the First Amendment
22 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The First Amendment of the US Constitution is just forty-five words long, but its impact has drastically shaped American life. For much of American hi...
America's Greatest General
19 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Eisenhower, Washington, Greene, Grant. There have been thousands of Generals in the United States' Armed Forces. Picking out the best of the crop woul...
The Truth about the Two-Term Limit
15 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The two-term limit, the idea that the President of the United States may not seek a third term, has a long history. Originating from a decision made b...
America's Most Innovative General
12 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
New weapons, new opponents, new technology - as warfare evolves, armies need generals able to evolve with it. In this episode, Don is joined by Cecily...
How Revolutionary was the Declaration of Independence?
08 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In July 1776, a group of men in Philadelphia committed an unthinkable act: they challenged one of the most powerful empires in the world by signing wh...
America's Bloodiest General
05 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Ruthless tactics. Extreme violence. The loss of huge numbers of their own troops. The deaths of the most opposing troops. What makes a general 'bloody...
How Dangerous Was The Oregon Trail?
01 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
From the 1830s until the arrival of the transcontinental railroad, hundreds of thousands of people packed their possessions into wagons and headed wes...
How Much Power Does the President Have?
29 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ever since independence, a question has hovered over the government of the United States. How much power should the President have? Not too much, lest...
How Did Fossils Change America?
25 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When fossils were discovered in the US during the 19th Century, it altered American understandings of science, religion, race and more. So what was th...
Lincoln: The First Presidential Assassination
22 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today we're delving into the archives and revisiting Don and Michael Kauffman's conversation on the Assassination of Abraham Lincoln...On the evening ...
The Boston Tea Party
18 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today we're delving into our back catalogue and revisiting the topic of the Boston Tea Party...On December 16th 1773, Bostonian colonists took a stand...
Life on Mississippi Steamboat
15 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's one of the most iconic symbols of early Americana; it conjures up images of bustling saloon bars and Mark Twain. But as glamorous as they may see...
What Was The Ghost Dance?
11 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Reunion with the dead. The return of lands, food supplies and buffalo. The disappearance of white settlers.By the end of the 19th Century, the forced ...
The German Spies at Pearl Harbor
08 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What would you do if you discovered that members of your family had spied for the Japanese at Pearl Harbor? When this happened to Christine Kuehn, she...
The Quakers' Rebellious Origins
04 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How could walking naked through town be seen as religious? What about digging up a corpse? Or bursting into church services to cause mayhem?In this ep...
What Was the American Ice Age?
01 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For thousands of years, North America was a frozen frontier buried beneath miles-deep ice... How did the first people reach the Americas live here? Wh...
Thanksgiving
27 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the fall of 1621, a year after the pilgrim ship the Mayflower landed on the coast of New England, the settlers of the Plymouth Colony celebrated th...
Crime of the Century: Who Kidnapped Charles Lindbergh Jr?
24 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Lindbergh Kidnapping is one of the most influential crimes in American history; it plunged a national hero into an investigation which changed the...
What was the Satanic Panic?
20 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Why were more than 12 thousand cases of satanic abuse brought in the 1980s? Was the Prince of Darkness walking among us then? Or did something else ca...
What if the Texas Republic survived?
17 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 1845, the Republic of Texas stood at a crossroads. In our history, they chose to join the USA… but what if they chose another path? Was this even...
The Hurricane Betsy Conspiracy: New Orleans
13 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Did New Orleans' officials bomb the levees protecting the Lower Ninth Ward in 1965?When Hurricane Betsy swept through the Atlantic Basin, it killed at...
The Supreme Court’s WORST Ever Case: Dred Scott v Sandford
10 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A Supreme Court decision that sent shockwaves across America. Dred Scott v Sandford, 1857. Who was the Chief Justice responsible for the decision? On ...
Was Lee Harvey Oswald a Lone Gunman?
06 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Why not have a go at understanding one of the most famous conspiracies of the 20th Century?We will probably never get an answer for what really happen...
Bleeding Kansas: Start of the Civil War?
03 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Was 'Bleeding Kansas' a dress rehearsal for the Civil War to come? During the 1850s pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers clashed in the newly created...
American Origins of Halloween
30 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How did the pre-Christian commemoration of Samhain travel across the seas from Ancient Ireland to America? And how did it evolve into the Halloween we...
Was the American Revolution a World War?
27 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What makes a war a World War? If it's the involvement of multiple major world powers, will France, Spain and the Netherlands do?If it's battles fought...
What If George Washington Became King?
23 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
‘No occurrence in the course of the war has given me more painful sensations.' This was George Washington's response when the idea of his becoming '...
What if the Cuban Missile Crisis Sparked WW3?
20 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On October 22 1962, President John F. Kennedy announced that Soviet missiles has been discovered in Cuba. Over the following days, the fate of the Ame...
What If There Were No CIA?
16 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Agency. The Company. Langley.Without the Central Intelligence Agency, would we talk about conspiracy theories as much as we do? Who would be in po...
Origins of the US Navy: America's Revolutionary Pirate
13 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Happy 250th Birthday to the US Navy! Today Don asks, who was John Paul Jones and did he really father the US Navy? Our guest is historian James L. Nel...
Who was the Best President Ever?
09 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What should we look for in a great President? Who was the greatest of all time? And is it harder for modern Presidents to make the top of the list? Do...
America's Invasion of Canada
06 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
'Canada ought to be the 14th colony' was a view held by many American revolutionaries. In the winter of 1775, Benedict Arnold led an incredible (if do...
Who Was the Worst President Ever?
02 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What makes a bad President? Who was the worst of all time? Don is joined by Professor Jeremi Suri, author of The Impossible Presidency and co-host of ...
Origins of the Second Amendment
29 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
'A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.'The...
What Caused the Civil War? | Secession
25 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the wake of Abraham Lincoln’s election, Southern leaders made a fateful choice: to break from the Union. Yet instead of plunging the country into...
USA & Cuba: A Brief History
22 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From being within its sphere of influence to acting as a thorn in its side, Cuba has always been seen as strategically important to the USA. What has ...
What Caused the Civil War? | John Brown's Raid
18 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry helped cause the Civil War. His is a magnetic persona that's hard to take your eyes away from. But who were the peo...
The Origins of California
15 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How did California become the Golden State? It's a story that includes conquistadors, missionaries, gold miners, railroad builders and tourists, to na...
What Caused the Civil War? | Politics
11 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How did the politicians in Washington D.C. push America towards the one thing they wanted to avoid: all out Civil War? We look at how the violent and ...
How to Amend the Constitution
08 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Why has it been so long since the US Constitution was amended? The incredible Jill Lepore joins Don to explore how the Constitution was designed for a...
What Caused the Civil War? | Slavery
04 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What were the deep origins and root causes of the Civil War? In the first of four episodes we chart how the North and South became bitterly divided ov...
Who Designed the American Flag?
01 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
13 equal horizontal stripes in red and white, with a navy blue square in the top left bearing 50 small white five pointed stars. It's recognisable the...
American Traitors: The Rosenbergs
28 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week we’re stepping heart of Cold War America with the story of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. Accused of espionage and executed at the height of ...
How To Survive the Revolutionary War
25 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
'If I turn from beholding mutilated bodies, mangled limbs, and bleeding, incurable wounds, a spectacle no less revolting is presented, of miserable ob...
American Traitors: Axis Sally
21 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Is contributing to enemy propaganda treason? In this second episode on American Traitors, we are meeting 'Axis Sally', real name Mildred Gillars.Profe...
What If Lincoln Hadn't Been Shot?
18 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's the biggest 'What if?' in American history: What if Lincoln hadn't been shot? The assassination could so easily have failed and things went so wr...
American Traitors: Benedict Arnold
14 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Is Benedict Arnold the biggest traitor in American History? In this episode, Don is joined by author Stephen Brumwell to examine how Arnold went from ...
The End of the Pacific War
11 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On August 14, 1945, the Japanese government accepted Allied terms of surrender. The war in the Pacific was over. But how had it come to this?Don is jo...
Italians in America
07 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From Columbus onwards, Italians have been a part of American culture. Don explores this rich history with Professor Anthony Tamburri, Dean of the John...
The Battle for the Philippines
04 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The largest ever surrender of American forces occurred in May 1942. The event resulted in medals of honour for two American military leaders - one who...
5 Key Weapons of the Civil War
31 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How did new weapons shape the Civil War? Why were the muskets so deadly? What on earth were the Ironclads all about? Don explores five key weapons of ...
The Roosevelt Brothers' Panda Hunt
28 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 1928, President Teddy Roosevelt's sons Teddy and Kermit set out on an expedition to hunt a semi-mythical beast: the Panda. Don's guest today to hel...
Revolutionary War: The Swamp Fox's Guerilla War
24 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Francis Marion aka the 'Swamp Fox' is a legend of the Revolutionary War. He was the basis for the movie The Patriot. But what is the truth about this ...
Origins of New York
21 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 1624 the first Dutch settlers arrived on Manhattan and established New Amsterdam, what is now New York. We hear about life in that Dutch colony and...
Revolutionary War: How Good Was George Washington?
17 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Whisper it quietly, but could our original commander-in-chief possibly be overrated as a military leader?To find out Don is joined once again by Major...
200 Years Inside Sing Sing Prison
14 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In May 1825, a group of prisoners arrived on the banks of the Hudson, thirty odd miles up river from New York. They began to build what would become t...
Revolutionary War: What If the British Won?
10 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today we're heading back 250 years to the end of the Revolutionary War - but this time, we're asking what might have happened if the British had won.H...
When Britain Sent Its Convicts to America
07 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Britain shipped convicts to America from the days of Jamestown right up until 1775. More than 50,000 were sent. To explore this too seldom told tale, ...