American History Hit

Not one of the US forces led by General George Custer into the attack on 25 June 1876 survived. But the story of 'Custer's Last Stand' as it was known for a long time, has long been told by the settlers, rather than the indigenous people who survived. In this episode, Don talks to Lindsay Stallones Marshall, Assistant Professor of History at Illinois State University. Together, they talk through t...

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 discuss the creations of the Research and Development branch at the Office of Strategic Services. John is the author of 'The Dirty Tricks Department: Stanley Lovell, the OSS, and the Master...

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 found in the reactor. To talk technical malfunction, human error and public response, J Samuel Walker joins Don for this episode. Sam is a former historian of t...

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. In the fourth episode of our presidential series, we're taking a closer look at Madison's two terms. How did his policies differ from those of his predecessors? How much was his diplomac...

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 attack on New York city. What dangers remained after the buildings collapsed? How did it alter the communities of Manhattan? And how did the city decide how to fill the spaces left behind...

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 States from coast to coast. To find out how the war broke out, and how it ended in the deal that it did, Don spoke to Peter Guardino from Indiana University. Peter's third book, The Dead...

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 if they had it? To answer some of the questions and more, Professor Paul Poast joined our sister podcast, Dan Snow's History Hit. Paul, from the Department of P...

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 special series about the Presidents, we're exploring Jefferson's presidency. What challenges did he face during his time as President, and how did he mould the early years of the nation? D...

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 fires it caused so disastrous? And who did this seemingly indiscriminate force of nature hit the hardest? Don is joined by Joanna Dyl, an environmental historian at Pomona College and autho...

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 are an insight into these civilisations, their religions and their lives. Aaron Wright is a Preservation Archaeologist whose research is currently focus...

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 Historian of Early Native American and Latin American History at Rutgers University. Camilla is the author of 'Pocohontas and the Powhatan Dilemma' and, most recently...

Sequels are always hit and miss. So what must it have been like to be the second President of the United States, following the man who originated the role? This was John Adams' position, stepping into the shoes of fellow founding father George Washington. To find out about how Adams navigated his presidency and the diplomatic crises that arose during it, Don spoke to Christopher Young. Chris is a...

When it closed in 1973, the Texas Chicken Ranch was the oldest continually operating brothel in the United States. Why was this brothel able to survive for so long? Who were the women at work there? And where did it get its name? In this episode, Don explores the brothel behind the Dolly Parton and Burt Reynolds musical with Jayme Blaschke, author of Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch: The Definitive...

On August 10 1680, the Pueblo people began the most successful uprising against colonial power in North America. For 11 days, Spanish colonisers were driven out, taken prisoner or killed, their horses were stolen and Christian churches were burnt to the ground. They did not manage to return for the following 12 years. The Pueblo people rebuilt their society and ensured the survival of their tradit...

What does a document written in 1215 in England have to do with the United States? The Magna Carta has supposedly influenced foundational documents like the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. In this episode, Don is joined by Eleanor Janega, the new co-host of our sister podcast, Gone Medieval. Together, they explore the influence of this medieval document on the United States. Prod...

He was the victorious Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. As presiding officer of the Constitutional Convention, he oversaw the birth of the government of the United States. But George Washington is remembered by most as the first President elect of the United States. This is the first episode of a new series on American History Hit. Every two weeks Do...

He is undoubtedly the most famous member of the Confederate forces. But it wasn't always set to be that way. In this episode, Don speaks to Jonathan Horn to find out about the life of Robert E Lee, why he made the decision to join the Confederate side, and how he was connected to George Washington. Produced by Sophie Gee. Edited by Siobhan Dale. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long. Discover the pas...

Beginning with the enduring words, 'We the People of the United States', the US Constitution is the basis of the government and its three distinct branches. So when was it written, and by who? Mary Sarah Bilder is Founders' Professor of Law at Boston College and finalist for the prestigious George Washington Prize. She joins Don today to take us through the history of this keystone of the history...

She's an icon, a polymath, a fashionista, and she's absolutely everywhere right now. Where did Barbie come from? What has she represented to the many who have bought and played with her? And what makes her an American doll? In this episode, M.G. Lord joins Don to introduce us to Barbie, her friends and her creators. M.G. is the author of Forever Barbie: The Unauthorized Biography of a Real Doll. S...

The Church of the Latter Day Saints is one shrouded in mystery, whispers of polygamy and is often synonymous with Salt Lake City. But where did this religion come from? And how did Mormonism make it to Utah? To find out more about the American born religion of Mormonism, Don is joined by Professor Peter Coviello from the University of Illinois. Peter is the author of Make Yourselves Gods: Mormons...

School, play and much less work: the idealised childhood is a very separate part of life. But how did it come to be so? And why is this perhaps more pronounced in American society than anywhere else? Don is joined by Todd Brewster to talk about the creation and possible demise of childhood in the United States, and how we can study it using photographs. Todd's book is ‘American Childhood: A Photog...

Richard Nixon and Nikita Khrushchev. Leading figures of the United States and the Soviet Union respectively, in a verbal debate about capitalism and communism in the 1950s. The location? A cultural convention. On July 24 1959, this pair of key players in the Cold War met at the American National Exhibition in Moscow. Their conversation was televised on all new colour television. This 'Kitchen Deba...

Why should we associate LSD and its psychedelic effects with New York as much as we associate it with San Francisco? What use did the CIA think that this drug could be to them? And how did LSD impact the culture of New York City? Don is joined by Christian Elcock, author of Psychedelic New York: A History of LSD in the City to find out about New York's time as a hub of LSD production, research and...

Gettysburg is synonymous with the bloodiest battle in the history of the United States. But before it was the location of a battle and Lincoln's arguably most famous speech, Gettysburg was a town. In this episode, Don is joined by Andrew Dalton, executive director of the Adams County Historical Society. They explore the story of Gettysburg and its people, their experiences in the battle, and the l...

The first three days of July 1863 saw the bloodiest single battle of the American Civil War. This clash between the Unionist and Confederate armies quickly became the stuff of legend. But what actually happened at Gettysburg? Professor Glenn LaFantasie joins Don for this episode to take us through the key figures in the battle, their strategies and whether this really was the turning point of the...