logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2024
38m 4s

Outlaws: John Dillinger | Public Enemy N...

History Hit
About this episode

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.


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/ 


You can take part in our listener survey here.


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

Up next
Today
Crime of the Century: Who Kidnapped Charles Lindbergh Jr?
<p>The Lindbergh Kidnapping is one of the most influential crimes in American history; it plunged a national hero into an investigation which changed the way America thought about law, justice, and “celebrity” forever.</p><br><p>In this episode, we’ll look at what happened inside ... Show More
51m 38s
Nov 20
What was the Satanic Panic?
<p>Why were more than 12 thousand cases of satanic abuse brought in the 1980s? Was the Prince of Darkness walking among us then? Or did something else cause the panic?</p><br><p>Joseph Laycock joins Don for this episode to discuss the so-called Satanic Panic, from daycares to new ... Show More
36m 30s
Nov 17
What if the Texas Republic survived?
<p>In 1845, the Republic of Texas stood at a crossroads. In our history, they chose to join the USA… but what if they chose another path? Was this even possible? What impact would this have had on life within Texas? And how would it have impacted its neighbours?&nbsp;</p><br><p>T ... Show More
41m 32s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2022
John Dillinger Part 1: Hard Time
It’s the 1930s and America is gripped by the Great Depression. Banks are going bust and taking people’s life savings with them… in this cruel period of history, an unlikely hero will emerge. Well, a hero to some anyway. An average guy from rural Indiana will burst onto the nation ... Show More
41m 25s
Aug 2022
John Dillinger Part 2: The Dillinger Gang
The Dillinger craze sweeps the nation as Johnnie's infamous gang go on a freewheeling crime spree. They target the richest banks in the country, enacting the revenge of the everyday American. But as banks topple, their rise to national obsession will cause embarrassment to state ... Show More
44m 31s
Aug 20
593. The Fight of the Century
Why did two men - John Heenan and and Tom Sayers - illegally meet in a field in Hampshire, in 1860, to brutally fight one another, captivating Britain in the process? What can the fight tell us about the nature of Britishness in the 19th century? Was this the birth of boxing? Who ... Show More
57m 19s
Sep 14
Bletchley Park
During World War II, a country house in Buckinghamshire hosted some of the UK’s top minds as they worked to crack enemy communications, most famously the German Enigma cipher. It is estimated that breakthroughs at Bletchley Park shortened the conflict by at least two years, savin ... Show More
57m 32s
Oct 19
The Cold War
For decades after the Second World War, the Soviet Union and the United States of America were locked in a conflict of ideology that took the planet to the brink of catastrophe. Known as the Cold War, it was an era of paranoia, fear and mutual suspicion, where the contest for sup ... Show More
57m 50s
Sep 14
600. CHATHAM HIGH STREET
Why is Chatham High-street both futuristic and riddled with the past? Why was it a magnet for historical figures such as King John, Charles II, Nelson and Charles Dickens, and the location for some of the most totemic moments in British history? Is it really a melting pot of ever ... Show More
1h 1m
Aug 24
76. The Hunt for Pablo Escobar: From Narco to Global Terrorist (Ep 3)
By the late 1980s, Pablo Escobar’s grip on the cocaine trade was unmatched. But a new threat loomed: extradition to the United States. To Escobar, it was a fate worse than death. His answer was brutal - declare open war on the Colombian state. In this episode, Gordon and David tr ... Show More
56m 47s
Sep 2
History's Worst F*ckboys: Charles II
Our mini-series exploring the worst f*ckboys in history is back!In today's episode, Kate is joined by Dr. David Taylor of Oxford University to get to know the so-called Merry Monarch and the many women in his life.Was it better to be married or be a mistress to Charles II? How ma ... Show More
44m 49s
Sep 17
601. Scandal in the White House
Who was Grover Cleveland, and why is he one of the most controversial American Presidents of all time? Why was the run up to his first term, in 1884 at the height of the Gilded Age, so pivotal to American politics? How did he rocket to the heights of political power? What dark se ... Show More
1h 11m
Sep 16
History's Worst F*ckboys: Emperor Nero
Where does Emperor Nero fit in the pantheon of history's worst f*ckboys?Does he measure up against the likes of previous episodes on Charles II or Raphael? Is he the worst of the lot? And what strange sex games did he like to play?Helping Kate getting to know the awful Emperor Ne ... Show More
44m 47s