American History Hit - TopPodcast.com

View Top 200 Chart

Back to Rankings Page

American History Hit — History
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 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 is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Copyright: © History Hit

Latest Episodes:

Staten Island v. New York City | Revisionist History Jul 10, 2026

Show notes

On the 250th anniversary of the United States, Revisionist History, bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell’s podcast about things overlooked and misunderstood, investigates the story of what was, at the time, the biggest secession movement in the U.S. since the Civil War. The Staten Island Problem reconstructs the battle for New York City amidst the turbulent early 1990s — the rise of Rudy Giuliani, the peak of the homicide rate, the Wu-Tang Clan, young Donald Trump, and the first Black mayor of New York — all through the prism of the city’s Forgotten Borough. Staten Island’s secession movement is an early example of the politics of resentment that dominates America today and asks: what do you do when a democracy looks like it’s falling apart? Here’s episode 1. David Dinkins, the first Black mayor of New York City, faces off with the borough president of Staten Island, and tries to hold his city together. Find more episodes of Revisionist History: The Staten Island Problem wherever you get podcasts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

America's Deadliest Battle: Gettysburg Jul 09, 2026

Show notes

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 Gettysburg in the deadliest battle of the war... How did three days of fighting at Gettysburg change the course of the Civil War? And how has the battle been remembered in the American consciousness since?

Our guest today is award winning author Garry Adelman. He’s the Chief Historian at the American Battlefield Trust and has been a licensed battlefield guide at Gettysburg for thirty-one years.

Edited by Tim Arstall, produced by Tom Delargy. Senior producer is Freddy Chick.

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.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

American History Hit is a History Hit podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What Made America? Birth Of A Superpower Jul 06, 2026

Show notes

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 down the same road as the imperial powers of Europe afterwards? Today Professor Christopher Nichols of the Ohio State University talks to Don Wildman about how the US defined a new world order at the start of the 20th century.

Edited by Tim Arstall, produced by Freddy Chick.

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.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Nazi Ship that Became a US Flagship Jul 02, 2026

Show notes

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 end up in American hands? Find out in this episode with Will Sofrin, a master shipwright, former professional sailor, licensed captain and the author of 'USCG Cutter Eagle: The Legacy of the Coast Guard's Flagship'.

Edited by Aidan Lonergan. Produced by Sophie Gee. Senior Producer was Freddy Chick.

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.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What Made America? The Abolitionists Jun 28, 2026

Show notes

In 1831, it looked like enslavement in America would continue forever. 34 years later, it was permanently abolished under the 13th Amendment.

How did that happen? And who made it so?

We've been asking some of our favourite historians for their most important moment in these 250 years of the United States' History.

In this episode, Kellie Carter Jackson returns to talk Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and all the other amazing people and groups who refused to accept enslavement.

Kellie Carter Jackson is the Michael and Denise Kellen ’68 Associate Professor in the Department of Africana Studies at Wellesley College. She is author of several books, including ‘Force and Freedom: Black Abolitionists and the Politics of Violence' and 'We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance'.

Edited by Aidan Lonergan. Produced by Sophie Gee. Senior Producer was Freddy Chick.

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.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lewis & Clark & Sacagawea's Expedition Jun 25, 2026

Show notes

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 through Sacagawea's eyes with our guest Dr Margaret Huettl, from the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh.

Edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Hannah Feodorov and Tomos Delargy. Senior Producer is Freddy Chick.

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.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What Made America? Victory in the Civil War Jun 22, 2026

Show notes

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 it?

We've asked some of our favourite historians for their most important moment in these 250 years of the United States' History.

In this episode, Aaron Sheehan-Dean returns to discuss how winning the Civil War fits into the growth of American identity.

Aaron is the Fred C. Freyer Professor of Southern Studies at Louisiana State University. He is author of several books, including ‘Reckoning With Rebellion: War and Sovereignty in the Nineteenth Century’.

Edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Sophie Gee. Senior Producer was Freddy Chick.

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.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Harlem Renaissance Jun 18, 2026

Show notes

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 once again by Professor Mark Anthony Neal, author of many acclaimed books and host of Left of Black.

Edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Hannah Feodorov and Tomos Delargy. Senior Producer is Freddy Chick.

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.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What Made America? The Professional Military Jun 15, 2026

Show notes

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 this episode, we're hearing how the professional military was created despite it's existence being at odds with the Republican ideals the nation was founded on.

Don is joined by friend of the podcast, Cecily Zander. Cecily is Assistant Professor of History at the University of Wyoming and author of “The Army under Fire: Antimilitarism in the Civil War Era” and “Abraham Lincoln and the American West".

Edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Sophie Gee. Senior Producer was Freddy Chick.

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.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eisenhower's Countdown to D-Day Jun 11, 2026

Show notes

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 Eisenhower's role in D-Day? How was American officer training key to the strategy used? And how did the British weather change everything?

Don's guest is John C. McManus, professor of military history at Missouri University of Science and Technology and host of the podcasts 'Someone Talked!' and 'World War 2 Live'.

Edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Tomos Delargy. Senior Producer was Freddy Chick.

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.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Related Podcasts