American History Hit

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...

The Manson Family: Cult Murder in Hollywood

19 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In the summer of 1969, Hollywood was shaken by a set of brutal murders. Their perpetrators? The infamous Charles Manson and his 'family'.In this episo...

How to Survive the Desert: Cities of the Southwest

15 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How did cities grow in America's largest and hottest desert? How did the rivers of the South West shape its history? Don is joined by Kyle Paoletta, a...

Jonestown: The Death of a Cult

12 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Did you ever wonder where the phrase 'drink the Kool-Aid' came from? In this second episode about the Peoples Temple, we rejoin them in Jonestown, Guy...

1945: America & Victory in Europe

08 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

May 8th saw the final surrender of Nazi Germany, marking the end of the Second World War in Europe. Eighty years on, we're taking a look at the final ...

Jonestown: The Birth of Peoples Temple

05 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On November 18th, 1978, over 900 people died at an American settlement in the jungle of Guyana called Jonestown. In this first of two episodes, we are...

The Fall of Richard Nixon

01 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Who was the real Richard Nixon? There are sides to him that get overlooked, like that he had a deeper understanding of foreign affairs than any other ...

Vietnam: The End of the War?

28 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How did the US get out of Vietnam? In this episode, we are diving into how 'peace' was agreed in Paris, and what it really meant for Vietnam.Don is jo...

Richard Nixon: Rise from Poverty

24 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

To understand Watergate, to understand the fall of Nixon, you need to look first at the rise. How the turbulence of his sky rocketing career left brui...

Vietnam: Conscientious Objection in a Warzone

21 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

During the Vietnam War, 170,000 men received conscientious objector deferments. In this episode, we speak to one of them.Sidney Morrison joins Don to ...

The Truth About Paul Revere's Ride

17 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Paul Revere's Midnight Ride is a legend of the American Revolutionary War - galloping through the Massachusetts' dark to warn Sam Adams, John Hancock ...

Vietnam: The My Lai Massacre

14 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How did a US Army mission in Vietnam end with the massacre of up to 500 people?In this episode, Don is joined by Christopher Levesque to examine one o...

President Lyndon B. Johnson: Triumph to Tragedy

10 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Born in poverty in Texas Hill Country, President Johnson delivered an unsurpassed series of legislation, including the Voting Rights Act and Civil Rig...

Vietnam War: Turning Points

07 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Vietnam War is a defining chapter in American military history. But how did the US get so involved in this far away conflict? And when did those i...

Battle of Fort Donelson

03 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Almost a year into the American Civil War, Union forces laid siege to Fort Donelson. In this episode, we're going to find out why this fort was strate...

Bobby Kennedy: Assassination of a Future President

31 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Bobby Kennedy's 1968 presidential campaign had an aura around it. Its urgency, idealism and raw emotion connected with a nation in turmoil. But his li...

Battle of Iwo Jima

27 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

80 years ago, the battle of Iwo Jima came to an end on 26 March 1945. After 36 days of fighting, nearly 7,000 US Marines had been killed and another 2...

Confederacy: Myth of the Lost Cause

24 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How do you justify a war you lost, and that destroyed countless homes, businesses, towns and families? This was a question facing the southern states ...

What If JFK Wasn't Shot?

20 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The biggest counterfactual that hangs on the assassination of JFK is this: Would JFK have launched a ground war in the jungles of Vietnam? Don Wildman...

The Confederacy: Could They Have Won?

17 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Did the Confederates predict that secession would lead to war? How ready were they to fight? And what was their military strategy?Cecily Zander is bac...

President Eisenhower: War on Soviets & Segregation

13 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dwight D. Eisenhower is a fixture in the lists of America's favourite Presidents. How did Eisenhower change America? How did the Cold War and Civil Ri...

The Confederacy: Life In The South

10 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Civil War consumed the Confederacy for its entire existence, draining it of supplies, food and people. In this second episode of our confederacy s...

The Illuminati in the US

06 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What do Thomas Jefferson and Beyonce have in common? They have both been thought to be members of the Illuminati.But what really is this not-so-secret...

The Confederacy: Who Was Jefferson Davis?

03 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Only one person has ever held the title of President of the Confederate States of America. In this episode, we're going to find out more about him and...

President Harry Truman: From Farm to Oval Office and the Atom Bomb

27 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The end of the Second World War. The start of the Cold War. The dropping of the Atomic Bomb and the growth of the Civil Rights movement. When FDR pass...

Jamestown: Decline & Fall?

24 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In 1699, Virginia’s government and capital moved from Jamestown to Middle Plantation, renaming it Williamsburg.But why did they abandon Jamestown? I...

Jamestown: Surviving The Fort

20 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What was it like to live in the fort at Jamestown? Who was in charge? What provisions were there? And why is this considered to be the birthplace of e...

Did Vikings Reach the US?

17 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What is a Viking? Did they really make it to the United States? And if so, how far did they get?Don speaks to Martyn Whittock about the norse landings...

Frederick Douglass: Civil War to Statesman

13 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How did Frederick Douglass, born into enslavement, rise to become one of the most influential orators, writers, and publishers of his time. By the end...

Jamestown: The British and The Powhatan

10 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From suspicion, to siege, to collaboration, to all out war - in this episode we uncover the complex reality of the Jamestown colonists' relationship w...

Frederick Douglass: Enslavement & Escape

06 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Born enslaved in 1818, by the time of the Civil War Frederick Douglass was famous around the United States and Europe for his work in the abolition mo...

Jamestown: The Journey To America

03 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In May 1607, over 100 English settlers arrived at Chesapeake Bay on the East Coast of North America. Traveling 50 miles inland along the James River, ...

FDR & Churchill

30 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

FDR and Winston Churchill spent 113 days in each others' company during WWII. FDR even saw Churchill naked. But how close were the pair in personality...

What Does 'Caucasian' Mean?

27 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In the 19th Century, a war on the boundary between Europe and Asia had an unexpected effect. It caused the American public to re-examine one of the te...

FDR & Stalin

23 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

They say that the enemy of your enemy is your friend, but did that apply to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his Soviet counterpart, Joseph Stalin,...

Romans in America

20 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why was there once a fashion for styling your hair like Brutus, the most famous of Julius Caesar's assassins? Why are there so many neoclassical build...

FDR vs Hitler

16 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The leaders of the two most powerful nations fighting in the Second World War, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Adolf Hitler, never met. They never...

Who Was Sitting Bull?

13 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sitting Bull, Jumping Badger, Slow - what do we know about the man who went by each of these names? How did he earn them and what was his role in the ...

President FDR & the New Deal

09 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In 1932, amidst the Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected the 32nd President of the United States. He was more than a leader; he was a b...

The First 12 Days of the Civil War

06 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In April 1861, Union forces having lost the first battle of the Civil War, attention turned to the Confederacy's likely next target - Washington DC.En...

President Herbert Hoover: Did He Cause the Great Depression?

02 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

President Herbert Hoover is synonymous with failure. As the Great Depression hit, shanty town across America were nicknamed 'Hoovervilles' in honour o...