The Truth about Billy the Kid

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1. 

   E406 · 30 Jul 2026 · 43 min

   How Did the Supreme Court Claim Power?

   Can you think of a time in history when a law has been ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court? Having been used over 180 times, judicial review is one of the most important powers that the US Supreme Court has. So where did it come from? In this episode, Don and is joined by Professor Cliff Sloan to discuss the 1803 ruling of Marbury v. Madison. Cliff has served on all three branches of the Federal Government during his career. He now teaches at Georgetown Law, serves on the board of the Journal of Supreme Court History and is the author of 'The Court at War: FDR, His Justices and the…

2. 

   E405 · 27 Jul 2026 · 37 min

   Life in Mobland Chicago

   Just how dangerous was it to live in Chicago during the 1920s? Was it all gangsters, tommy guns and spilt moonshine? Don is finding out what it was like to exist alongside the likes of Al Capone with Paul Durica, Director of Exhibitions at Chicago History Museum. 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…

3. 

   E404 · 23 Jul 2026 · 45 min

   Long Walk of the Navajo

   Between 1863 and 1866, more than 10,000 Navajo (Diné) were forcibly removed from their lands by the U.S. Military and forced to marched hundreds of miles into present day New Mexico. Many died of starvation and exposure on the march and while in exile. Don is joined by Dr. Jennifer Nez Denetdale, professor and chair of American Studies at the University of New Mexico, and author of the books Reclaiming Diné History: The Legacies of Navajo Chief Manuelito and Juanita, as well as The Long Walk: The Forced Exile of the Navajo . Edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Hannah Feodorov. Senior Producer…

4. 

   E403 · 20 Jul 2026 · 44 min

   The Robin Hood of the Wild West

   Robbing from the rich to give to the poor and downtrodden - this is the legend of Joaquin Murrieta. But how true was it? Murder rates in 1850s California were 30 times higher than they are today, and Joaquin was part of this violence. Was he a social bandit, or was he fuelled by self-interest? Don is finding out today with historian John Boessenecker, author of ‘Bring Me the Head of Joaquin Murrieta'. 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…

5. 

   E402 · 16 Jul 2026 · 48 min

   The Best Presidential Speeches

   The words of an American president have often carried the power to shape not only public opinion, but the course of the nation itself. In this episode, we explore three landmark presidential speeches, examining the historical moments that inspired them, the ideas they advanced, and the lasting imprint they have left on American political culture. Our guest today is Professor Jeremi Suri, historian and Professor at the University of Texas at Austin. His works include ‘ Civil War By Other Means: America’s Long and Unfinished Fight for Democracy ’ and 'The Impossible Presidency: The Rise and…

6. 

   E400 · 10 Jul 2026 · 38 min

   Staten Island v. New York City | Revisionist History

   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…

7. 

   E399 · 9 Jul 2026 · 38 min

   America's Deadliest Battle: Gettysburg

   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.…

8. 

   E398 · 6 Jul 2026 · 44 min

   What Made America? Birth Of A Superpower

   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 .…

9. 

   E397 · 2 Jul 2026 · 36 min

   The Nazi Ship that Became a US Flagship

   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…

10. 

    E396 · 28 Jun 2026 · 58 min

    What Made America? The Abolitionists

    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…