American History Hit

What made the Aztecs one of the most sophisticated empires of their age? How widespread was human sacrifice? And what brought about their fall from power?

Our guest today is Dr. Camilla Townsend, author of Fifth Sun: A New History of the Aztecs, to talk us through the rise of the Aztec Empire and the 16th century Spanish conquest.

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

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All music from Epidemic Sounds.

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Have you ever heard of the Jersey Devil? A creature with bat-like wings, horse's hooves and hellish horns that stalks the New Jersey Pine Barrens, terrorising humans and killing livestock.

According to legend, one cold New Jersey night in 1735, a woman in labour with her 13th child cried out, "Let this one be a devil!" If you believe the stories, she got her wish, and over the next two and a half centuries the Jersey Devil was sighted by some of history's most unlikely players, from Napoleon Bonaparte's brother to a distinguished Navy officer.

But what is the Jersey Devil really? Where did it come from? What can we learn from the continued popularity of the Jersey Devil today? And did Don ever catch a glimpse of it while camping in the Pine Barrens as a boy?!

Our guest today is Dr Lynne McNeill, Associate Professor of Folklore Studies in the Department of History, Culture & Ideas at Utah State University to bring the Jersey Devil to life like never before.

Produced by Tim Arstall & Sophie Gee. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. The 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.

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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.

It all started with two young girls and three accused women. It ended with more than 200 accused, 20 executed and the name Salem forever connected with another word: witch.

Don is joined by Professor Mikki Brock from Washington and Lee University to find out what really happened in Salem Village in the late 17th century.

Produced by Sophie Gee. Edited by Aliza Dams. 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.

You can take part in our listener survey here.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

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

In November 1969 a group of Native American activists, protesting against centuries of forced relocation, broken treaties and the erosion of tribal sovereignty, launched a daring operation to take over the old prison on the Island of Alcatraz. Over the following nineteen month, it would become one of the most remarkable acts of protest in American history... but who were the figures that led this movement? And what did it achieve?

Our guest today is Kent Blansett, Professor of Indigenous Studies and US History at the University of Kansas. He is the author of ‘A Journey to Freedom: Richard Oakes, Alcatraz, and the Red Power Movement’.

Produced by Tomos Delargy. Edited by Aliza Dams. 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.

You can take part in our listener survey here.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

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

We're rerunning a classic episodes today from a mini-series we did all about Alexander Hamilton. Who really was he, and what do we actually know about his life?

A Founding Father, he fought in the Revolutionary War, founded the American financial system and was the first ever Secretary of the Treasury. But who really was Hamilton? How did his face come to be on our bank notes? Did he love his wife? And why would he go to duel even after his son had died in doing so? Don Wildman is talking to William Hogeland to find out. William is the author of 'The Hamilton Scheme: An Epic Tale of Money and Power in the American Founding' and his substack can be found here.

This was the first of a 4 part series on American History Hit, you can find the rest by going back to April 2024.

Produced by Sophie Gee. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. 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.

You can take part in our listener survey here.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

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