American History Hit - Welcome to American History Hit

Episode Date: August 23, 2022

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 hidden 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, from September 22nd. 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.This episode includes music from Epidemic Sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Want to explore even more history? Sign up to History Hit, where you will discover history from around the world. From the American Revolution to prehistoric Scotland, there is plenty to discover. With your subscription, you'll unlock hundreds of hours of exclusive documentaries with a brand new release every week, exploring everything from the ancient world to World War II. Just visit historyhit.com slash subscribe to bring the past alive. Hi there, I'm Don Wildman, and welcome to American History Hit. Twice a week, I'll be investigating stories from America's past to help us understand the United States of today.

Join me as I head back in time to witness Thomas Jefferson write the Declaration of Independence. Visit Chief Poetton as he prepares for war with English colonists. We'll be in court as Elizabeth Proctor is accused of witchcraft, alongside her husband in Salem. And we'll be on the bloody battlefields of the civil war. We'll watch codebreakers during the Battle of Midway. Witness Walt Disney accuse his former colleagues of being communists and see President Nixon putting together his plan to withdraw U.S. forces from Vietnam. We'll visit Central Park before it was Central Park,

and a city in Tennessee which helped build the atomic bomb. From famous battlefields to secret cities, from familiar names to lesser-known events, I'll speak with leading experts from across the United States. experts from across the United States and beyond to bring American history to life. So, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country. Look at me. Look at my arm.

I have plowed and planted and gathered into bonds and no man could head me. And ain't I a woman? I love the jigsaw puzzles of history, assembling the picture from the many pieces, and all the endless connections that are to be drawn. It was a passion I picked up from my dad, who used to tell me about his experiences in World War II. So this is from Frank Wildman, that's what he's called, 1940. So this from my dad to my mom, dear Betty, early courtship days, ever since that day. a Sunday, I believe it was, that you left for Echo Beat from Echo Beach. I have been living a living death.

There is only one spark of hope lingering in my sad and disrupted heart. He is a 19-year-old guy writing to my 17-year-old mom. And he is deeply in love. Just a love-struck teenager with no idea. What's about to hit him? Neither does the nation. We can understand so much about our country, our society, our communities, our families, from the mistakes and triumphs of our past.

So join me, Don Wildman, every Monday and Thursday for your hit of American History. American History Hit, a podcast by History Hit. I want to ask you a question, and that is what is in your life's blueprint.