American History Hit

How did the pre-Christian commemoration of Samhain travel across the seas from Ancient Ireland to America? And how did it evolve into the Halloween we know and love to this day?

In this special spooky episode Don welcomes Dr Kelly Fitzgerald, Head of the School of Irish, Celtic Studies and Folklore at University College Dublin, to take us through Halloween's stateside origins.

Edited by Aidan Lonergan. Produced by Freddy Chick.

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What makes a war a World War? If it's the involvement of multiple major world powers, will France, Spain and the Netherlands do?

If it's battles fought globally, do Canada, West Africa, India and the Mediterranean count? On top of the 13 colonies?

In this episode, Don is joined by Richard Bell from the University of Maryland. Richard is the author of ‘The American Revolution and the Fate of the World'.

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

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All music from Epidemic Sounds.

American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

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‘No occurrence in the course of the war has given me more painful sensations.' This was George Washington's response when the idea of his becoming 'King' was put to him.

But what if he had? What would an American royalty look like? Who would have succeeded Washington? And why did this not happen?

Don is joined for this episode by Michael Hattem, author of The Memory of ’76: The Revolution in American History’ and ‘Past and Prologue: Politics and Memory in the American Revolution’.

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

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All music from Epidemic Sounds.

American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

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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 Americas was on the line.

In this episode, Don is joined once again by Renata Keller to explore the causes and events of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and to discuss what might have happened had the situation not been resolved.

Renata's new book 'The Fate of the Americas: The Cuban Missile Crisis and the Hemispheric Cold War' shows how this was not just a Soviet-US event. She explores how leaders and citizens throughout South America, the area at most risk from nuclear missiles, impacted on the events of October 1962.

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

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All music from Epidemic Sounds.

American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

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The Agency. The Company. Langley.

Without the Central Intelligence Agency, would we talk about conspiracy theories as much as we do? Who would be in power in Guatemala? What about Iran? Would the Bourne films ever have been made?

Don is joined by Jeffrey Rogg to discuss what would have happened had the CIA never been founded. Jeff is a Senior Research Fellow at the Global and National Security Institute at the University of South Florida. His book is The Spy and the State: The History of American Intelligence.

Edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Sophie Gee. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.

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All music from Epidemic Sounds.

American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

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Happy 250th Birthday to the US Navy! Today Don asks, who was John Paul Jones and did he really father the US Navy? Our guest is historian James L. Nelson, author of 'Washington's Secret Navy'.

In July 2026, tall ships of the world will be coming to Port of New York and New Jersey. Find out more here: https://sail4th.org/

Edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Freddy Chick. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.

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.  

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All music from Epidemic Sounds.

American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

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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? Don is joined by Professor Jeremi Suri, author of The Impossible Presidency and co-host of This Is Democracy.

Edited by Sophie Gee and Freddy Chick. Produced by Freddy Chick. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.

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.  

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All music from Epidemic Sounds.

American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

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'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 doomed) mission to make it happen.

We're delighted to be joined again by Maj. Jonathan D. Bratten, historian for the Maine National Guard.

Edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Freddy Chick. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.

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.  

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All music from Epidemic Sounds.

American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

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

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 This Is Democracy.

Next week we'll be looking at who is the best President ever!

Edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Freddy Chick. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.

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.  

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All music from Epidemic Sounds.

American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

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

'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.'

The Second Amendment, included in the Bill of Rights, was ratified in 1791. It went largely unquestioned until the mid 20th century but is now one of the most contentious questions in US politics.

So what did the writers of the Second Amendment set out to protect? How has it been interpreted? And why has it become so controversial so many years later?

Jill Lepore joins Don once again for this episode. Jill is a staff writer for the New Yorker, David Woods Kemper '41 Professor of American History at Harvard University and author of multiple books. The most recent is 'We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution'.

Produced by Sophie Gee. Edited by Tim Arstall. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.

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.  

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All music from Epidemic Sounds.

American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

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