American History Hit

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, ...

Revolutionary War: When Was the Turning Point?

03 Jul 2025

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....

Frenemies: China & the USA, a History

30 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The People's Republic of China has only existed since 1949, but in just 75 years its relationship with the United States is in a strong position to be...

George H. W. Bush: Ending the Cold War

26 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

President George H. W. Bush presided over the Gulf War, the conclusion of the Cold War, the collapse of the USSR and the fall of the Berlin Wall durin...

Frenemies: Russia & the USA, a History

23 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For nearly half a century, the United States and Russia stood as adversaries, entrenched in a tense geopolitical rivalry known as the Cold War. Yet th...

What is Juneteenth?

18 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

June 19, 1865 - Galveston, Texas, a general in the Union army announced to the people of Texas that all enslaved African Americans were free. Over tim...

The Battle of Bunker Hill

16 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How did the British win the first major battle of the Revolutionary War? In this episode, Don is joined by Major Jonathan Bratten of the Maine Army Na...

The Truth About Native American Boarding Schools

12 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Federal Government. Tens of thousands of Native American children. Around 50 boarding schools across the United States. This is the story of one o...

Frenemies: France & the USA, a History

09 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Since their respective revolutions, the USA and France have been intrinsically linked. But what have the highest points in their relationship been? An...

Ronald Reagan: The Hollywood President

05 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Think what you like about him, Ronald Reagan was a big hitter and his presidency changed America. This ex-Hollywood actor's eight years in office set ...

Frenemies: Mexico & the USA, a History

02 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With almost 2,000 miles of shared border, the United States and Mexico have a long history of cooperation and conflict. From territory and trade, to m...

Battle of Shiloh

29 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The staggering casualties of the Battle of Shiloh shocked both the North and South, marking a turning point in public perception of the Civil War's li...

Heaven's Gate: The UFO Cult

26 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What did the appearance of a comet in 1997 have to do with a tragic event in San Diego? Was Heaven's Gate a cult? And how does it compare to the other...

Gerald Ford: The Unelected President

22 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Gerald Ford is the only person to serve as president without being elected to either the presidency or the vice presidency. He was handed a poisoned c...