American history podcasts

1Letters from an AmericanHeather Cox RichardsonHeather Cox Richardson's narrated newsletter about the history behind today's politics.

2American ScandalWondery Every scandal begins with a lie.

3America: A HistoryLiam HeffernanFrom George Washington to Donald Trump, and from the Star-Spangled Banner to the Super Bowl, this is your ultimate guide to the history of the United States of America.

4American FilthiHeartFrom famous founders to capitalist cooks, from sex scandals to the dirtiest blues song, AMERICAN FILTH dives into the filthier side of American history: uncovering people who society has largely excluded from the history books because they were too unconventional, provocative, seedy, dirty, trashy….

5AMERICAN GENOCIDEIllumiNativeAmidst an unprecedented federal investigation into hundreds of Native Boarding Schools and the 100,000+ children these institutions forcibly removed, one school has become the epicenter of controversy in America’s attempt to reckon with its dark history: Red Cloud Indian School.

6American History HitHistory HitJoin 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 dark 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. 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.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts.

7American History TellersWondery The Cold War, Prohibition, the Gold Rush, the Space Race.

8An Old Timey PodcastKristin Caruso and Norman CarusoHistory class just got hilariously inappropriate.  Kristin Caruso, co-host of the true crime comedy podcast, Let’s Go To Court (16M+ downloads), and Norman Caruso, creator of the Gaming Historian YouTube channel (1M+ subscribers), team up to deliver a history podcast that is well researched, wide-ranging, and deeply silly.  In other words, this is a podcast for intellectuals.

9Bag ManMSNBCIs it possible for an American Vice President to carry out a criminal enterprise inside the White House and have nobody remember?

10Black History, For RealWondery The first woman on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorist List was a Black Panther.

11BlindspotThe HISTORY® Channel and WNYC StudiosHIV and AIDS changed the United States and the world.

12BlowbackBrendan James and Noah KulwinA podcast about American Empire.

13City of the RailsiHeartWhen journalist Danelle Morton’s daughter skips town to hop trains, she follows her into the train yard, and across America.

14Contempt of Court with Elie MystalThe Nation MagazineContempt of Court is an original podcast series from The Nation about how to reform the Supreme Court.

15Cover Up: The Anthrax ThreatSony Music EntertainmentIn the mid-1970s, a man burst onto the evangelical scene with a shocking tale: claiming to be a former witch involved in human sacrifices among elite circles.

16Crowded Hours: The True Story of Alice Roosevelt and America's First Political DynastyAudible

17Drapetomaniax: Unshackled HistoryOTHERtone, Sony Music Entertainment.From Dean of Black Twitter, Michael Harriot, comes a Black history podcast like you've never heard before.

18Field TripThe Washington PostThe Washington Post’s Lillian Cunningham journeys through the messy past and uncertain future of America’s national parks.

19Founding Son: John Quincy's AmericaiHeartBob Crawford of The Avett Brothers explores the post-presidential legacy of America’s sixth president: John Quincy Adams.

20History on TrialiHeartFrom the Salem Witch Trials to O.J. Simpson, trials have always revealed hidden truths about our world.

21Holy WeekThe AtlanticThe story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination on April 4, 1968, is often recounted as a conclusion to a powerful era of civil rights in America, but how did this hero’s murder come to be the stitching used to tie together a narrative of victory?

22Hometown HistoryBlack LabelDiscover the untold stories hidden in your own backyard with Hometown History.

23I AM STORYAFSCMEIn 1968, sanitation workers in Memphis took a stand against degrading and deadly working conditions.

24JackMSW MediaThe creator of Mueller, She Wrote, Allison Gill, and former Deputy Director of the FBI, Andrew McCabe, are documenting the erosion of civil liberties and the rule of law under Trump's DoJ.

25JournalistaiHeartThe untold tale of the woman who broke one of the biggest scandals in U.S.

26LandslideNPRIn the mid-1970s, the Republican Party looked on the verge of self-destruction.

27Long ShadowLong Lead, Campside Media The April 1999 massacre at Columbine High School hurtled the United States into an era of mass shootings.

28Master PlanThe LeverA secret plot. A public theft. A democracy corrupted.

29Medal of Honor: Stories of CouragePushkin IndustriesRewarded for bravery that goes above and beyond the call of duty, the Medal of Honor is the United States’ top military decoration.

30Mission HistoryBlack Barrel Media, QCODEMission History will travel through world history to bring you stories of legendary military leaders, epic campaigns, and secret missions that remained hidden for years: from Alexander the Great to Xerxes to Ghengis Khan; from Julius Caesar to William Wallace to Geronimo; from the Trojan War to the Viking raids to the American Revolution, and beyond.

31More PerfectWNYC StudiosWe’re taught the Supreme Court was designed to be above the fray of politics.

32Once Removed: An American Family ReunionAudible

33ReclaimedABC NewsToday, the Navajo Nation has no guaranteed right to use the water that flows in and around their reservation.

34The Bowery Boys: New York City HistoryTom Meyers, Greg YoungThe tides of American history lead through the streets of New York City — from the huddled masses on Ellis Island to the sleazy theaters of 1970s Times Square.

35The DollopAll things comedyComedians Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds picks a subject from history and examine it.

36The GodmotheriHeartIn the 1930s, Lucky Luciano, one of American history’s most notorious mobsters, was finally taken down by a rookie prosecutor. Eunice Carter was one of the first Black Women ever to become a prosecutor in America. She operated from the heart of the Harlem Renaissance to navigate the corrupt world of downtown Manhattan politics, and a deeply racist and sexist pre-civil rights American society. But her pioneering role in what became known as the “trial of the century” has been forgotten by popular history. Hers is the story of a writer, social worker, mother, teacher, sister, socialite, political candidate, community organizer and unheralded pioneer. This eight part immersive podcast is hosted by poet and writer, Nichole Perkins.

37The RedefectoraudiochuckIt was 1985, the so-called “Year of the Spy”.

38The Revolution with Steve KornackiSteve Kornacki, MSNBCTo understand the partisanship and bitterness of American politics today, you have to consider what happened in 1994.

39The Sit Down: A Crime History Podcast Presented by Barstool SportsBarstool SportsWelcome to the Sit Down, a crime history podcast that delves into the long obsessed archives of crime.

40The Wild West ExtravaganzaJoshTrue tales from the Old West!

41Unreformed: the Story of the Alabama Industrial School for Negro ChildreniHeartIn 1968, police arrested five Black girls dressed in oversized military fatigues in Montgomery.

42Who Killed JFK?iHeartWho Killed JFK?

43WilderiHeartPodcastsJack Kerouac but make it a girl with braids.

44Hollywood ExilesBBCHost Oona Chaplin guides listeners through the period known as the Red Scare - an ideological battle that implicated Hollywood’s biggest stars, including her grandfather, Charlie.

45The American WestMeatEaterIn this new podcast, Flores chronicles the heroes, scoundrels, and pivotal events that defined the West, blending captivating stories of its charismatic animals, Jeffersonian explorations, and the adventurer-artists who immortalized Native peoples and western landscapes.