American History Hit
Channel Details
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...
Recent Episodes
356 episodes
Staten Island v. New York City | Revisionist History
On the 250th anniversary of the United States, Revisionist History, bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell’s podcast about things overlooked and misunder...
America's Deadliest Battle: Gettysburg
By July 1863, the American Civil War had reached a critical turning point. As Robert E. Lee led his army into the North, the two sides collided at Get...
What Made America? Birth Of A Superpower
At the start of the 20th century after victory in the Spanish-American War, the US found itself as a colonial power. How did it decide NOT to follow d...
The Nazi Ship that Became a US Flagship
Before boarding the USCGC Cutter Eagle for Sail4th 250's tall ship parade, Don is finding out more about this iconic ship.
How did a Nazi ship e...
What Made America? The Abolitionists
In 1831, it looked like enslavement in America would continue forever. 34 years later, it was permanently abolished under the 13th Amendment.
Ho...
Lewis & Clark & Sacagawea's Expedition
Lewis and Clark's expedition is a foundational story of America and Sacagawea was more central to it than is remembered. We hear this incredible tale...
What Made America? Victory in the Civil War
Was the Civil War a 'Second American Revolution', or was it a continued evolution of the nation set out by the Founding Fathers? How did Lincoln see i...
The Harlem Renaissance
What was it like in Harlem during the decades of the Harlem Renaissance? Who were the key figures? What makes it so important? Don Wildman is joined o...
What Made America? The Professional Military
Today's United States of America boasts one of the largest and most expensive militaries in the world. But this wasn't always a guarantee.
In th...
Eisenhower's Countdown to D-Day
On June 6, 1944, a combined Allied force carried out the largest amphibious invasion in history. They were led by an American.
What was General...
Inside a Serial Killer's 'Murder Castle'
He's one of the most famous serial killers in American history... but how much of H.H Holmes' gruesome crimes were sensationalised by the press at the...
How 'New Amsterdam' Became 'New York'
Have you ever wondered how Harlem got its name? There are countless remnants of the Dutch colony on Manhattan island. But when did it end? And why?
The Worst Siege of the Civil War: Vicksburg
The Siege of Vicksburg was a pivotal turning point in the Civil War. Should the Union capture the stronghold, the South's hold on the Mississippi woul...
When Was the Revolutionary War Won?
In 1775, revolutionaries went to war against the British. Seeking independence from colonial ties, they fought more than 150 battles over eight years....
America's War Against Pirates
Just twenty years after independence, the United States fought a lesser-known war against the Barbary States of North Africa... some use the term 'Cor...
King Phillip's War
This is one of the deadliest conflicts in North American History. But who was King Philip? What started the war? And how did it change history?
...
Annexation of Alaska
In 1867, the United States purchased Alaska from Russia in a deal that reshaped the map of North America... but what did that moment mean for the peop...
Stonewall Jackson's Last Battle: Chancellorsville
It was Robert E. Lee's greatest strategic triumph but it came at a heavy cost - the loss of his talismanic leader and friend Stonewall Jackson among t...
A Day in the Life of a Puritan
What if we told you that puritans were actually sex-crazed? Well maybe not crazed but definitely not opposed to it.
What if we told you that, ac...
The Astors, The Gilded Age & The Building of New York
From fur traders to rulers of the New York social scene - how did the Astors rise to the top? What did it mean to be 'Old Money' in the Gilded Age? An...
How to Escape Alcatraz
What was it like to live on Alcatraz? And was it possible to escape? In this episode, Don speaks to a historian with the unique experience of growing...
When the Mormons Rebelled Against America
Driven from the United States, the Mormons journeyed West to build a new society in the desert- one that would challenge the political, economic, and...
The Origins of Chicago
Chicago is the third most populous city in the United States. It's the windy city, the railroad capital, and home of countless film and tv hits.
...
The Making of Malcolm X
Known by the end of his life as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, the Black Nationalist leader best known as Malcolm X died at just 39. Despite his short life...
The Annexation of Hawaiʻi
How did Hawaiʻi - once an independent, internationally recognised kingdom - become America's 50th state? It's a tale of economic pressure, political m...
Origins of the First Amendment
The First Amendment of the US Constitution is just forty-five words long, but its impact has drastically shaped American life. For much of American hi...
The Truth about the Two-Term Limit
The two-term limit, the idea that the President of the United States may not seek a third term, has a long history. Originating from a decision made b...
How Revolutionary was the Declaration of Independence?
In July 1776, a group of men in Philadelphia committed an unthinkable act: they challenged one of the most powerful empires in the world by signing wh...
How Did Fossils Change America?
When fossils were discovered in the US during the 19th Century, it altered American understandings of science, religion, race and more. So what was th...
Thanksgiving
In the fall of 1621, a year after the pilgrim ship the Mayflower landed on the coast of New England, the settlers of the Plymouth Colony celebrated th...
What if the Cuban Missile Crisis Sparked WW3?
On October 22 1962, President John F. Kennedy announced that Soviet missiles has been discovered in Cuba. Over the following days, the fate of the Ame...
Who was the Best President Ever?
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? Do...
America's Invasion of Canada
'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 do...
Who Was the Worst President Ever?
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...
Origins of the Second Amendment
'A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.'
What Caused the Civil War? | Secession
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 w...
USA & Cuba: A Brief History
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...
What Caused the Civil War? | John Brown's Raid
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 peo...
The Origins of California
How did California become the Golden State? It's a story that includes conquistadors, missionaries, gold miners, railroad builders and tourists, to na...
What Caused the Civil War? | Politics
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...