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PODCAST

American History Hit

Join Don Wildman twice a week for your hit of American history, as he explores the past to help us understand the United States of today.We’ll hear how codebreakers uncovered secret Japanese plans for the Battle of Midway, visit Chief Powhatan as he prepares for war with the British, see Walt Disney accuse his former colleagues of being communists, and uncover the dark history that lies beneath Central Park.From pre-colonial America to independence, slavery to civil rights, the gold rush to the

history

All Episodes

32:25

Who Designed the American Flag?

American History Hit ·

2025/09/01

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 world over as the flag of the United States of America.But how did this become the American flag? When did it develop its own 'cult'? And does Betsy Ross have anything at all to do with this story?Don is joined by Marc Leepson, author of Flag: An American Biography.Produced by Sophie Gee. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.Sign up to History Hit for

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30:04

How To Survive the Revolutionary War

American History Hit ·

2025/08/25

'If I turn from beholding mutilated bodies, mangled limbs, and bleeding, incurable wounds, a spectacle no less revolting is presented, of miserable objects languishing under afflicting diseases of every description.'Dr James Thatcher wrote these words after the Battle of Saratoga, 1777. Coming before the advent of modern medicine, the danger of fighting in the Revolutionary War was not limited to physical injury, instead extending mercilessly into infection and disease.Dr. Sanders Marble, Senior

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56:26

What If Lincoln Hadn't Been Shot?

American History Hit ·

2025/08/18

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 wrong in the aftermath (looking at you Andrew Johnson). Could Reconstruction have looked different with Abraham Lincoln at the helm?Don's guest is friend of the pod Aaron Sheehan-Dean, professor of history at Louisiana State University.Edited by Tim Arstall, produced by Freddy Chick. The Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.Sign up to History Hit for

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40:31

5 Key Weapons of the Civil War

American History Hit ·

2025/07/31

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 civil war with a favourite guest, Cecily Zander from the University of Wyoming, author of "The Army Under Fire".Edited by Tim Arstall, produced by Freddy Chick. The Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at

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36:26

Revolutionary War: The Swamp Fox's Guerilla War

American History Hit ·

2025/07/24

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 guerilla warrior who harried the British in the South? Don is joined by historian Patrick O'Kelley, author of 'Be Cool and Do Mischief: Francis Marion's Orderly Book' and 'Nothing But Blood and Slaughter: The Revolutionary War in the Carolinas' to find out.Edited by Tim Arstall, produced by Freddy Chick. The Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.Sign up

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45:27

200 Years Inside Sing Sing Prison

American History Hit ·

2025/07/14

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 their own jail — Sing Sing.Don talks about the history of Sing Sing with Professor Lee Bernstein, historian of the American prison system and author of “America Is the Prison: Arts and Politics in Prison in the 1970s”.Edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Freddy Chick. The Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of

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48:46

Revolutionary War: When Was the Turning Point?

American History Hit ·

2025/07/03

In 1775, revolutionaries went to war against the British. Seeking independence from colonial ties, they fought more than 150 battles over eight years.A relatively new nation of just 2.5 million people facing off against the greatest military power on the planet at that time, it seemed like a tall order. So when did the tide turn? When did it become certain that the revolutionaries would gain their independence?In this first of two episodes with podcast host Dan Snow and Major Jonathan Bratten of the

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1:03:31

Frenemies: Russia & the USA, a History

American History Hit ·

2025/06/23

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 this period represents only a brief chapter in the broader, more complex history of their relationship...In this episode, Professor Vladislav Zubok joins Don to take us through the historic highs and lows of Russo-American relations.Vlad is a professor at LSE and is the author of many books including Collapse: The Fall of the Soviet Union and The World

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1:00:23

Frenemies: France & the USA, a History

American History Hit ·

2025/06/09

Since their respective revolutions, the USA and France have been intrinsically linked. But what have the highest points in their relationship been? And what about the lowest?In this episode, Professor Kathryn Statler joins Don to take us through 250 years of cooperation and conflict.Kathryn is a Professor of History at the University of San Diego, and author of books including 'Replacing France: The Origins of American Intervention in Vietnam' and 'Lafayette’s Ghost: How Women and War Kept the

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43:04

Frenemies: Mexico & the USA, a History

American History Hit ·

2025/06/02

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 migration and the war on drugs - in this episode we are going to explore this relationship.Don is joined by Professor Renata Keller from the University of Nevada, Reno. Renata's upcoming book is 'The Fate of the Americas: The Cuban Missile Crisis and the Hemispheric Cold War'. She is also the author of 'Nuclear Reactions: Latin America and the Cuban

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36:23

Battle of Shiloh

American History Hit ·

2025/05/29

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 likely length and brutality. It also cemented a name in the public imagination - Ulysses S. Grant.Don's guest is Dr Timothy B. Smith, author of 'Shiloh: Conquer or Perish'.Editor Ayman Alolayan, Producer Sophie Gee, Senior Producer Charlotte Long.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and

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56:19

Heaven's Gate: The UFO Cult

American History Hit ·

2025/05/26

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 groups we have looked into on American History Hit?Benjamin Zeller, author of 'Heaven's Gate: America's UFO Religion', joins Don to discuss the group's history, beliefs, and their final act. Ben is Professor of Religion at Lake Forest College.Edited by Tim Arstall, Produced by Sophie Gee, Senior Producer is Charlotte Long.Sign up to History Hit for

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56:25

The Manson Family: Cult Murder in Hollywood

American History Hit ·

2025/05/19

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 episode Jeff Melnick joins Don to discuss how Manson and his followers came to occupy such a strong position in our cultural imagination.Jeff is Graduate Program Director for American Studies at the University of Massachusetts, and the author of 'Creepy Crawling: Charles Manson and the Many Lives of America's Most Infamous Family'.Edited by Aidan Lonergan,

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37:23

The Fall of Richard Nixon

American History Hit ·

2025/04/30

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 US President. But it's hard to see the light for the shade and the tragic fall that overshadows everything.Don's guest today is Professor Nicole Hemmer whose latest book is "Partisans: The Conservative Revolutionaries Who Remade American Politics in the 1990s".Produced by Freddy Chick. Edited by Tim Arstall. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.Sign up

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38:53

Vietnam: The End of the War?

American History Hit ·

2025/04/28

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 joined by Pierre Asselin, professor at San Diego State University and author of, among others, ‘A Bitter Peace: Washington, Hanoi, and the Making of the Paris Agreement’ and ‘Hanoi’s Road to the Vietnam War, 1954-1965’.Produced by Sophie Gee. Edited by Tim Arstall. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of

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41:09

The Truth About Paul Revere's Ride

American History Hit ·

2025/04/17

Paul Revere's Midnight Ride is a legend of the American Revolutionary War - galloping through the Massachusetts' dark to warn Sam Adams, John Hancock and the rest that the British were coming. The next morning, those Patriots in Lexington and Concord were ready for battle. But what really happened? Who was Paul Revere? Why has his name gone down in history?Don's guest is Michael Hattem, historian of the American revolution and author of The Memory of ’76: The Revolution in American History.Produced

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53:37

Vietnam: The My Lai Massacre

American History Hit ·

2025/04/14

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 of the most harrowing chapters of the war in Vietnam. They return to March 1968, when the men of Charlie Company undertook a 'search and destroy' mission in the Quang Ngai province village of Son My.Chris holds a joint appointment at the University of West Florida Libraries and the UWF Historic Trust. He is an archivist and teaches at the University of

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50:47

Vietnam War: Turning Points

American History Hit ·

2025/04/07

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 in command realise that they had to leave?To answer these questions in this first episode of our series about the Vietnam War, Don if joined by returning guest, Mark Atwood Lawrence.Mark is Professor of History at the University of Texas at Austin and author of ‘The Vietnam War: A Concise International History’, ‘Assuming the Burden: Europe and the

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40:49

Bobby Kennedy: Assassination of a Future President

American History Hit ·

2025/03/31

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 life was cut short, just as his brother's had been, by an assassin's bullet.Don's guest to help capture this remarkable man and campaign is Patricia Sullivan, Professor of history at the University of South Carolina and author "Justice Rising: Robert Kennedy’s America in Black and White".Please note this episode contains outdated strong language which

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38:14

Confederacy: Myth of the Lost Cause

American History Hit ·

2025/03/24

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 after the Civil War.Their answer? The myth of the Lost Cause.In this final episode of our series on the Confederacy, Don catches up with Ty Seidule to find out where this myth came from, and what it really is.Ty is a Brigadier General (Ret.) of the US Army, Professor Emeritus of history at West Point and author of 'Robert E. Lee and Me: A Southerner’s

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252 results

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