American History Hit
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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...
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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...
How to Amend the Constitution
Why has it been so long since the US Constitution was amended? The incredible Jill Lepore joins Don to explore how the Constitution was designed for a...
What Caused the Civil War? | Slavery
What were the deep origins and root causes of the Civil War? In the first of four episodes we chart how the North and South became bitterly divided ov...
Who Designed the American Flag?
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...
American Traitors: The Rosenbergs
This week we’re stepping heart of Cold War America with the story of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. Accused of espionage and executed at the height of an...
How To Survive the Revolutionary War
'If I turn from beholding mutilated bodies, mangled limbs, and bleeding, incurable wounds, a spectacle no less revolting is presented, of miserable ob...
American Traitors: Axis Sally
Is contributing to enemy propaganda treason? In this second episode on American Traitors, we are meeting 'Axis Sally', real name Mildred Gillars.
What If Lincoln Hadn't Been Shot?
It's the biggest 'What if?' in American history: What if Lincoln hadn't been shot? The assassination could so easily have failed and things went so wr...
American Traitors: Benedict Arnold
Is Benedict Arnold the biggest traitor in American History? In this episode, Don is joined by author Stephen Brumwell to examine how Arnold went from...
The End of the Pacific War
On August 14, 1945, the Japanese government accepted Allied terms of surrender. The war in the Pacific was over. But how had it come to this?
Do...
Italians in America
From Columbus onwards, Italians have been a part of American culture. Don explores this rich history with Professor Anthony Tamburri, Dean of the John...
The Battle for the Philippines
The largest ever surrender of American forces occurred in May 1942. The event resulted in medals of honour for two American military leaders - one who...
5 Key Weapons of the Civil War
How did new weapons shape the Civil War? Why were the muskets so deadly? What on earth were the Ironclads all about? Don explores five key weapons of...
The Roosevelt Brothers' Panda Hunt
In 1928, President Teddy Roosevelt's sons Teddy and Kermit set out on an expedition to hunt a semi-mythical beast: the Panda. Don's guest today to hel...
Revolutionary War: The Swamp Fox's Guerilla War
Francis Marion aka the 'Swamp Fox' is a legend of the Revolutionary War. He was the basis for the movie The Patriot. But what is the truth about this...
Origins of New York
In 1624 the first Dutch settlers arrived on Manhattan and established New Amsterdam, what is now New York. We hear about life in that Dutch colony and...
Revolutionary War: How Good Was George Washington?
Whisper it quietly, but could our original commander-in-chief possibly be overrated as a military leader?
To find out Don is joined once again b...
200 Years Inside Sing Sing Prison
In May 1825, a group of prisoners arrived on the banks of the Hudson, thirty odd miles up river from New York. They began to build what would become t...
Revolutionary War: What If the British Won?
Today we're heading back 250 years to the end of the Revolutionary War - but this time, we're asking what might have happened if the British had won.<...
When Britain Sent Its Convicts to America
Britain shipped convicts to America from the days of Jamestown right up until 1775. More than 50,000 were sent. To explore this too seldom told tale,...
Revolutionary War: When Was the Turning Point?
In 1775, revolutionaries went to war against the British. Seeking independence from colonial ties, they fought more than 150 battles over eight years....
Frenemies: China & the USA, a History
The People's Republic of China has only existed since 1949, but in just 75 years its relationship with the United States is in a strong position to be...
George H. W. Bush: Ending the Cold War
President George H. W. Bush presided over the Gulf War, the conclusion of the Cold War, the collapse of the USSR and the fall of the Berlin Wall durin...
Frenemies: Russia & the USA, a History
For nearly half a century, the United States and Russia stood as adversaries, entrenched in a tense geopolitical rivalry known as the Cold War. Yet th...
What is Juneteenth?
June 19, 1865 - Galveston, Texas, a general in the Union army announced to the people of Texas that all enslaved African Americans were free. Over tim...
The Battle of Bunker Hill
How did the British win the first major battle of the Revolutionary War? In this episode, Don is joined by Major Jonathan Bratten of the Maine Army Na...