American History Hit

History Hit
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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 space race, join Don as he speaks to leading experts to delve into America’s past.   New episodes every Monday and Thursday.   Brought to you by History Hit, the award-winning podcast network and world’s best history channel on demand, featuring shows like Dan Snow’s History Hit, Not Just The Tudors and Betwixt the Sheets. 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.  

  1. 7H AGO

    Bobby Kennedy: Assassination of a Future President

    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 Please note this episode contains outdated strong language which has been used for historical context and accuracy Produced by Freddy Chick. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. 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 in our listener survey here. All music from Epidemic Sounds. American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

    41 min

  2. 4D AGO

    Battle of Iwo Jima

    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 20,000 injured. Don is joined by historian Timothy Heck, naval historian, artillery officer and author of two books on amphibious warfare. They discuss the tactical importance of Iwo Jima, the battle itself and its outcomes, including that famous image of the marines raising the US flag. Produced by Sophie Gee. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. 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 in our listener survey here. All music from Epidemic Sounds. American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

    49 min
  3. Confederacy: Myth of the Lost Cause

    MAR 24

    Confederacy: Myth of the Lost Cause

    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 Reckoning with the Myth of the Lost Cause'. Produced by Sophie Gee. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. 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 in our listener survey here. All music from Epidemic Sounds. American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

    38 min

  4. MAR 20

    What If JFK Wasn't Shot?

    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 and his guest Fredrik Logevall explore what might have happened if JFK didn't die. Fredrik Logevall is a Pulitzer Prize winning historian at Harvard who is working on a definitive three-part biography of JFK. The first volume is out now, JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century, 1917-1956. Produced by Freddy Chick. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. 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 in our listener survey here. All music from Epidemic Sounds. American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

    41 min
  5. The Confederacy: Could They Have Won?

    MAR 17

    The Confederacy: Could They Have Won?

    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 back on the podcast for this third part of our series on the Confederacy. Listen to find out who was in charge, and whether there was ever a point when they might have won. Cecily is the author of the upcoming 'Abraham Lincoln and the American West', and 'The Army Under Fire: Antimilitarism in the Civil War Era'. Produced and edited by Sophie Gee. 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 in our listener survey here. All music from Epidemic Sounds. American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

    32 min

  6. MAR 13

    President Eisenhower: War on Soviets & Segregation

    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 Rights become intertwined in this period? What doomsday did Eisenhower foresee for America at the end of his time in office? Don's guest today is Christopher Nichols, professor of history at The Ohio State University. Chris is working on a book about Eisenhower and the 1952 election. Produced by Freddy Chick. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. 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 in our listener survey here. All music from Epidemic Sounds. American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

    48 min
  7. The Confederacy: Life In The South

    MAR 10

    The Confederacy: Life In The South

    The Civil War consumed the Confederacy for its entire existence, draining it of supplies, food and people. In this second episode of our confederacy series, Don is joined once again by Aaron Sheehan-Dean. They explore what everyday life was like for the people of the 11 southern states of the US, and what the Confederate government had in mind for peacetime. Produced by Sophie Gee. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. 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 in our listener survey here. All music from Epidemic Sounds. American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

    41 min

  8. MAR 6

    The Illuminati in the US

    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 society? And why was it once called the society of the bee? Don chats to author Michael Taylor about the real Illuminati, separating it from modern day conspiracy theories and assessing its impact on the United States. Michael is the author of Impossible Monsters: Dinosaurs, Darwin, and the War between Science and Religion, and is working on a full length history of the Illuminati. Produced by Sophie Gee. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. 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 in our listener survey here.

    44 min
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    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 space race, join Don as he speaks to leading experts to delve into America’s past.   New episodes every Monday and Thursday.   Brought to you by History Hit, the award-winning podcast network and world’s best history channel on demand, featuring shows like Dan Snow’s History Hit, Not Just The Tudors and Betwixt the Sheets. 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.  

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