logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2025
39m 53s

President FDR & the New Deal

History Hit
About this episode
tail spinning
Up next
Apr 16
How to Escape Alcatraz
What was it like to live on Alcatraz? And was it possible to escape? In this episode, Don speaks to a historian with the unique experience of growing up there.Jolene Babyak's father worked on Alcatraz during its 29 years as a federal maximum-security prison. She and Don discuss t ... Show More
46m 51s
Apr 13
When the Mormons Rebelled Against America
Driven from the United States, the Mormons journeyed West to build a new society in the desert- one that would challenge the political, economic, and moral norms of the nation they had left behind. But when the United States lay claim to the Utah Territory, a tense standoff devel ... Show More
41m 27s
Apr 9
The Origins of Chicago
Chicago is the third most populous city in the United States. It's the windy city, the railroad capital, and home of countless film and tv hits.But when was it founded? Who were the first people living and working on this land? And when did Chicago become Chicago.Don is joined by ... Show More
47m 11s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2025
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 2025
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
Nov 2024
Ben Schwartz Discusses Teddy Roosevelt with Bill Himes (Will Hines)
Ben Schwartz (Sonic the Hedgehog, Parks and Rec) accidentally joins the podcast thinking he will be the new host. He is joined by Bill Himes (Will Hines) as a special history guest to discuss Teddy Roosevelt. LINKS!That's History Podcast: https://www.thats-history.com/Jett Road S ... Show More
15m 8s
Feb 2025
Plain History: The Astonishingly Successful Presidency of James K. Polk
Who is the most successful president in American history? George Washington secured American independence. Abraham Lincoln preserved the union and ended slavery. Franklin D. Roosevelt ended the Depression, remade government, and won World War II. But if we define "success" as the ... Show More
1h 3m
Nov 2025
The Truth About Vincent Van Gogh
However you pronounce his name, one thing is for certain: Van Gogh made made his mark on the world.But how did he interact with the world around him? From his relationship with a sex worker in the Hague to his time at the asylum in the south of France.Joining Kate today is Teio M ... Show More
56m 2s
Sep 2025
Post-911 Patriotic Mania (2001) [Chilled Speech Week Pt 2]
<p>This week, we're bringing you two episodes that highlight periods in American history where political speech was being policied, repressed, and persecuted -- much like it is today.</p><p>Today: A look back at the way speech was policed in the wake of the 9-11 attacks. Bill Mah ... Show More
31m 42s
Sep 2025
The First Lady Who Tamed the Bull Moose
September 14, 1901. Midnight in the Adirondacks. A pounding knock at the door jolts Theodore and Edith Roosevelt awake. William McKinley is dead. Hours later, Theodore will be sworn in as the youngest president in U.S. history. But Edith barely flinches—her diary that day notes h ... Show More
41m 7s
Jun 2025
Was Pearl Harbor an inside job?
On 7 December 1941, Japan attacked the US naval base at Pearl Harbor. It’s one of the most notorious surprise attacks in history, but how much of a surprise actually was it? Did President Franklin Roosevelt know that the attack was coming and even encourage it as a means of prope ... Show More
36m 22s
May 2024
A Deep Dive Into The Cultural Cold War (1960) w/ Benjamen Walker
<p>It's May 5th. This day in 1960, a British theater critic named Kenneth Tynan is hauled before a Senate sub-committee to answer questions about what is seen as his anti-American work.</p><p>It's a moment that captures the cultural and political swirl of the late 50s, which is t ... Show More
24m 15s
Jul 2025
276. The Biggest Corruption Scandal in French History (Part 4)
How was George Eiffel of the Eiffel Tower involved in a huge corruption scandal associated with the Panama Canal? How many workers died during the French attempt to build the canal? And who was Bunau-Varilla and how did this smooth-talking moustache-wielding French engineer manag ... Show More
32m 1s