American History Hit
By 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 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.
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Latest episode
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Sabotage & Secret Weapons: The WW2 Dirty Tricks Department
What is a bat bomb? Why would you cover a fox in radioactive paint? And who are the masterminds behind the Office of Strategic Services, the precursor to the CIA?In this episode, Don is joined by John Lisle to di… -
Three Mile Island: Nuclear Accident in Pennsylvania
It's the worst accident in US commercial nuclear power history. In March 1979, the Unit 2 reactor at Three Mile Island nuclear generating station came half an hour from full meltdown. Two days later, an explosive bubble of hydrogen gas was f… -
President James Madison
His life is one of firsts for the United States. Having contributed to the Federalist Papers, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, in 1812 James Madison became the first President to make a declaration of war. -
9/11: Toxic Gas, PTSD & Rebuilding
New York was a city of 8 million people in 2001. A city that would be changed forever by the events of 9/11.In this episode, we will not recount the day itself. Instead, we're looking at the after effects of the … -
The Mexican-American War
In 1848, after almost two years of fighting, the US annexation of former Mexican territory was signed into a treaty.Mexico lost a third of its territory, land which would later yield metals and stretch the United… -
Oppenheimer: What If America Never Dropped the Atomic Bomb?
The new Oppenheimer movie has everyone asking questions about the atomic bombs dropped on Japan in 1945 - were two bombs necessary? Would the war have ended without it? Was there an ulterior motive? Would the Americans have dropped a third i… -
President Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, so how did it work out when he became the leader of this nation that he was so instrumental in founding?For the third episode in our s… -
The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake
45 seconds. An estimated 7.9 on today's Richter scale. The deadliest earthquake in US history.In this episode, we're examining the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. What happened? Why were this earthquake and the fi… -
Prehistoric North America
What could the prehistoric artists of North America have in common with the graffiti artists of today? Picked into the rocks of southwestern Arizona, a couple hour drive from Tucson, are marks of the Patayan and Hohokam traditions. The petroglyphs… -
Pocahontas: The True Story
Despite her's being a household name, how much do we really know about Pocahontas? Where did she come from? How old was she? And what was her real relationship with the colonists?Don is joined for this episode by Camilla Townsend, a His…
