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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

47:09

Was Lee Harvey Oswald a Lone Gunman?

American History Hit ·

2025/11/06

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 happened in Dallas on November 22, 1963. But in this episode, we're questioning why? What is the evidence that prevents us from believing the conclusion that Lee Harvey Oswald was a lone gunman.To explore this, Don is joined by Jefferson Morley. Jefferson is a former Washington Post writer and the journalist responsible for the JFK Facts substack, where he

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44:04

Bleeding Kansas: Start of the Civil War?

American History Hit ·

2025/11/03

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 territory of Kansas. From guerrilla raids and political chaos to the rise of key figures like John Brown, we uncover how this brutal conflict exposed the deep national divide — and ask whether the Civil War truly began long before 1861.Our guest is Dr Kristen Epps is a historian of slavery, the sectional conflict, and the Civil War. She is an

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44:14

Was the American Revolution a World War?

American History Hit ·

2025/10/27

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 globally, do Canada, West Africa, India and the Mediterranean count? On top of the 13 colonies?In this episode, Don is joined by Richard Bell from the University of Maryland. Richard is the author of ‘The American Revolution and the Fate of the World'.Edited by Tim Arstall and Aidan Lonergan. Produced by Sophie Gee. Senior Producer was Charlotte

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51:29

What If There Were No CIA?

American History Hit ·

2025/10/16

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 power in Guatemala? What about Iran? Would the Bourne films ever have been made?Don is joined by Jeffrey Rogg to discuss what would have happened had the CIA never been founded. Jeff is a Senior Research Fellow at the Global and National Security Institute at the University of South Florida. His book is The Spy and the State: The History of American

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39:54

Origins of the US Navy: America's Revolutionary Pirate

American History Hit ·

2025/10/13

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. Nelson, author of 'Washington's Secret Navy'.In July 2026, tall ships of the world will be coming to Port of New York and New Jersey. Find out more here: https://sail4th.org/Edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Freddy Chick. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every

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47:09

Who was the Best President Ever?

American History Hit ·

2025/10/09

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? Don is joined by Professor Jeremi Suri, author of The Impossible Presidency and co-host of This Is Democracy.Edited by Sophie Gee and Freddy Chick. Produced by Freddy Chick. 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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40:24

America's Invasion of Canada

American History Hit ·

2025/10/06

'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 doomed) mission to make it happen.We're delighted to be joined again by Maj. Jonathan D. Bratten, historian for the Maine National Guard.Edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Freddy Chick. 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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32:28

Who Was the Worst President Ever?

American History Hit ·

2025/10/02

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 This Is Democracy.Next week we'll be looking at who is the best President ever!Edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Freddy Chick. 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 https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.You can take part

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35:14

What Caused the Civil War? | Secession

American History Hit ·

2025/09/25

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 war, what followed next was a tense standoff. There were, as we'll learn today, twists and turns on the path from Secession to all out Civil War.Edited by Tomos Delargy. Produced by Freddy Chick. Senior Producer is Charlotte Long.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts

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59:21

USA & Cuba: A Brief History

American History Hit ·

2025/09/22

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 the nature of their relationship been historically? What is the legacy of the Cold War within Cuba? And what does the future hold for prospects of normalisation?In this episode, Professor Michael Bustamante joins Don to take us through the historic highs and lows of Cuban-American relations.Michael is an Associate Professor at the University of Miami

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41:06

What Caused the Civil War? | John Brown's Raid

American History Hit ·

2025/09/18

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 people who inspired him? Who funded him? Who joined him on the raid? It turns out there's a lot more to the story as Don learns with today's guest Dr Kellie Carter Jackson author of We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance" and co-host of the "This Day" podcast.Edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Freddy Chick. Senior Producer is Charlotte

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38:16

The Origins of California

American History Hit ·

2025/09/15

How did California become the Golden State? It's a story that includes conquistadors, missionaries, gold miners, railroad builders and tourists, to name a few.Don is joined by Michael Hiltzik, author of 'Golden State: The Making of California', to explore the history of the home of one in eight Americans.Produced by Sophie Gee. Edited by Tim Arstall. 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

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36:25

What Caused the Civil War? | Politics

American History Hit ·

2025/09/11

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 frat house culture that existed within D.C. played its part, and at the chronic failure of leadership from those sitting atop of this steaming mess - the Presidents.We're joined by returning guest (from our Franklin Pierce episode) Brian C Neumann, author of 'Bloody Flag of Anarchy: Unionism in South Carolina during the Nullification Crisis' and

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33:31

How to Amend the Constitution

American History Hit ·

2025/09/08

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 amendment, and how this has been utilised through its history.Jill is a staff writer for the New Yorker, David Woods Kemper '41 Professor of American History at Harvard University and author of multiple books. The most recent is 'We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution'.Produced by Sophie Gee. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. Senior Producer was

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57:54

What Caused the Civil War? | Slavery

American History Hit ·

2025/09/04

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 over slavery. Don is joined by Professor Chandra Manning, author of 'What This Cruel War was Over' to discuss how slavery led to the American Civil War.Edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Freddy Chick. 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

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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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247 results

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