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Approximately 100 thousand flights take off and land each and every day. A months long journey on a boat is condensed to just a few hours with the help of aircraft, and the birth of planes introduced an entirely new form of warfare.
Orville and Wilbur Wright, the Wright brothers, are household names. But how did they create the first successful heavier than air flying machine?
In this episode, Don speaks to Tom Crouch, Curator Emeritus at the National Air and Space Museum. They delve into the lives and personalities of these two men, and the long process that took them into the air above Kitty Hawk.
Produced by Sophie Gee. Edited by Siobhan Dale. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.
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Of all of the people enslaved in the southern United States over time, 40% of them were owned by women. For example, when she married George Washington in 1759, Martha Washington was herself the enslaver of 84 people.
So why has the trading and enslaving of people been commonly perceived as a male domain? Why, in fact, were many white women so entrenched in this trade in human lives?
In this episode, Don is joined by Dan David Prize Winner, Stephanie Jones Rogers. Stephanie has been exploring the testimonies of these people formerly enslaved by women to find out more about their experiences.
Produced by Sophie Gee. Edited by Siobhan Dale. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the rings on our fingers, to coins in our pockets and, for a select few, the medals hanging around our necks. Gold is one of the most coveted metals in the world.
Gold still has the power to change lives, but in the mid 19th century, it also sparked the largest migration in the history of the United States.
Don is joined by Professor Mark Eifler, author of 'The California Gold Rush: The Stampede that Changed the Nation', to find out how gold was discovered in California and who benefitted from it.
Produced by Sophie Gee. Edited by Siobhan Dale. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.

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He's the best president that the United States has ever had ... at least according to one 2021 C-span study.
But how did Lincoln's religious views affect his life and leadership? In this episode, Don is joined by Joshua Zeitz, author of 'Lincoln's God: How Faith Transformed a President and a Nation'.
We hear about Lincoln's journey from scepticism to spiritualism, and the growth of connections between politics and the church in the United States.
Produced by Sophie Gee. Edited by Siobhan Dale. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.

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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.
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Was the USA already a superpower when it joined the Second World War? How did it turn from an isolationist nation to a force ready for action? 
Today Don is joined by Craig Nelson to find out how President Franklin D. Roosevelt manoeuvred the country from the isolationism of the interwar years to supplying an arsenal and, eventually, manpower to its European allies.
Craig's new book is 'V Is For Victory: Franklin Roosevelt's American Revolution and the Triumph of World War 2'.
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If you’d like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts, and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today!

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