Episodes

  • New York Morgue's Dark Secrets
    Oct 31 2024

    The unclaimed dead of New York City's streets and rivers were brought to the New York Morgue in the second half of the nineteenth century. This history is full of dark, sad stories and buried secrets.


    Maddy Pelling and Anthony Delaney are joined by Cat Byers who is a writer and historian based in Paris currently finishing a PhD on the barely-studied New York Morgue.


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    After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal is a History Hit podcast

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    55 mins
  • Elections Explained: The Man Who's Lost The Most
    Oct 28 2024

    What causes a person to lose the Presidential election?


    Henry Clay ran for the Presidency 3 times, and for nomination by his party 5 times, but never made it to the Oval Office as the Commander in Chief.


    So who was he? And why could he just not get the votes? Find out in this episode, as Don is joined by Eric Brooks, Curator at Ashland: The Henry Clay Estate.


    Produced by Sophie Gee. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.


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    44 mins
  • The Doolittle Raid: WW2 Bombing of Japan
    Oct 24 2024

    If somebody asked you to go on a dangerous mission, no other details, would you volunteer?


    Well, in 1942, that's exactly what 120 crewmen of the US Army Air Force did. In this episode, find out how it went and who Jimmy Doolittle was. From an impossible take off, through the first attack on mainland Japan in a millennium, to capture by Japanese forces.


    Don is joined once again by Michel Paradis, leading human rights lawyer, historian, and national security law scholar. His book on this topic is 'Last Mission to Tokyo: The Extraordinary Story of the Doolittle Raiders and Their Final Fight for Justice'.


    Produced by Sophie Gee. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.


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    51 mins
  • Elections Explained: How FDR Won Four Times
    Oct 21 2024

    4,322 days. That's how long Franklin Delano Roosevelt was in office. Whilst no other US president has served more than two terms, FDR was elected four times!


    Was this because of his charisma, his opposition, the challenges of the Great Depression and the Second World War, or a combination of all of the above, Don is joined by Jonathan Darman. Jonathan is a journalist and author of 'Becoming FDR: The Personal Crisis That Made a President.'


    Produced by Sophie Gee. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.


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    38 mins
  • The Battle of Bull Run
    Oct 17 2024

    On July 21, 1861, Confederate and Union forces met for the first time in full-scale battle at Bull Run Creek, near Manassas, Virginia. By the end of the day nearly 900 men were dead, and it was clear that this war would not be over in 90 days.


    Don is joined by President of the American Battlefield Trust, David N. Duncan, to find out more about how this battle came to pass, how the Confederate army secured their first victory, and what the battleground looks like today.


    Produced by Sophie Gee. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.


    Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for $1 per month for 3 months with code AMERICANHISTORY sign up at https://historyhit.com/subscription/


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    30 mins
  • Elections Explained: A History of Voting
    Oct 14 2024

    We have a constitutional right to vote in the United States ... don't we? Find out in this first episode of American History Hit's series, Elections Explained.


    Having correctly predicted every election since 1984 (except - arguably - 2000), Allan Lichtman joins Don to explore the development of the American right to vote,. When did we move from public to private voting? And where did the electoral college come from?


    Allan is a Distinguished Professor of History at the American University, Washington DC, and has been an expert witness in 100 Civil and Voting Rights cases. His books include ‘White Protestant Nation: The Rise of the American Conservative Movement’, ‘The Keys To the White House’, and ’The Thirteen Keys To the Presidency’, and his Youtube can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/@AllanLichtmanYouTube


    Produced by Sophie Gee. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.


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    46 mins
  • Outlaws: John Dillinger | Public Enemy Number One
    Oct 10 2024

    What does it take to be the first person named as 'Public Enemy No.1' by the US Bureau of Investigation?


    In this episode, we're going to find out. Don is joined by Elliott Gorn to find out about the rise and fall of John Dillinger, the man who took this title in 1934.


    Elliott Gorn is the Joseph Gagliano Professor of American Urban History at Loyola University, Chicago. His books include 'Let the People See: The Story of Emmett Till' and 'Dillinger's Wild Ride: The Year That Made America's Public Enemy Number 1'.


    Produced by Sophie Gee. Edited by Nick Thomson. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.


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    38 mins
  • Who Was Christopher Columbus?
    Oct 7 2024

    Did Columbus really think the Earth was flat? Where did he come from? Where did he get to? To untangle the myths of Columbus and his complicated legacy, Don spoke to Elise Bartosik-Velez.


    Elise teaches at Dickinson college about Latin American history and literature, focusing in particular on the Colonial Period through Independence. She is the author of 'The Legacy of Christopher Columbus in the Americas: New Nations and a Transatlantic Discourse of Empire'.


    Produced by Sophie Gee. Edited by Max Carrey. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.


    Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for $1 per month for 3 months with code AMERICANHISTORY sign up at https://historyhit.com/subscription/


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    47 mins