American History Hit

By: History Hit
  • Summary

  • 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.

    History Hit
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Episodes
  • President Warren G. Harding: Scandals, Affairs & Cabinet Selections
    Nov 21 2024

    Despite dying as one of the most popular presidents in history, the 28th Commander-in-Chief has been consistently ranked one of the worst of the American Presidents.


    What caused this fall from grace? From the Teapot Dome Scandal to the Veterans Bureau Scandal, to the several extramarital affairs that Harding had, much has muddied Harding's name. But what of women's, civil and worker's rights?


    Don is joined by Jason Roberts, Professor of History at Quincy College in Massachusetts. Jason is an expert in politics of the 1920s and is currently working on the foreign policies of Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, in particular their handling of Lenin’s Russia.


    Produced by Freddy Chick. 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/All3 Media.


    American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

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    43 mins
  • The Spanish-American War
    Nov 18 2024

    In April 1898 the United States declared war on Spain. By the end of the war that December, the Spanish had lost their centuries-old colonial empire and the US had emerged as a power in the Pacific.


    Join Don as he speaks to Christopher McKnight Nichols, Professor of History and Wayne Woodrow Hayes Chair in National Security Studies, The Ohio State University. Nichols' latest book, co-edited with David Milne, is ‘Ideology in U.S. Foreign Relations: New Histories’.


    Produced by Freddy Chick. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.


    American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.


    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/All3 Media.

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    43 mins
  • A CIA Man in China: 20 Years Imprisoned
    Nov 14 2024

    This is the story of America's longest held prisoner of war. John 'Jack' Downey, an American CIA operative, was imprisoned by the Chinese for 21 years during the Cold War.


    Don speaks to Barry Wirth, author of 'Prisoner of Lies: Jack Downey's Cold War.' They explore why the CIA were in Asia in the 1950s, Downey's capture and imprisonment, and why it took so long for him to be released.


    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.


    American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

    Show More Show Less
    40 mins

What listeners say about American History Hit

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Brilliant podcast

Like most Brits I thought that the United States had a limited history, but how wrong i was, even with the subjects I knew about Don and his crew provided me new and more detailed information. A must for all fans of American history.

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Excellent

Don Wildman's enthusiastic thoughtful engagement with his subject and his relaxed agreeable voice make this my favourite historical podcast.

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