The staggering casualties of the Battle of Shiloh shocked both the North and South, marking a turning point in public perception of the Civil War's likely length and brutality. It also cemented a name in the public imagination - Ulysses S. Grant.

Don's guest is Dr Timothy B. Smith, author of 'Shiloh: Conquer or Perish'.

Editor Ayman Alolayan, Producer Sophie Gee, Senior Producer 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.

What did the appearance of a comet in 1997 have to do with a tragic event in San Diego? Was Heaven's Gate a cult? And how does it compare to the other groups we have looked into on American History Hit?

Benjamin Zeller, author of 'Heaven's Gate: America's UFO Religion', joins Don to discuss the group's history, beliefs, and their final act. Ben is Professor of Religion at Lake Forest College.

Edited by Tim Arstall, Produced by Sophie Gee, Senior Producer is 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.

Gerald Ford is the only person to serve as president without being elected to either the presidency or the vice presidency. He was handed a poisoned chalice and for many he's only remembered as the butt of Saturday Night Live. But there's much more to his story.

Don's guest is Professor Kathryn Brownell, author of 24/7 Politics: Cable Television and the Fragmenting of America from Watergate to Fox News.

Edited by Tim Arstall, Produced by Freddy Chick, Senior Producer is 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.

In the summer of 1969, Hollywood was shaken by a set of brutal murders. Their perpetrators? The infamous Charles Manson and his 'family'.

In this episode Jeff Melnick joins Don to discuss how Manson and his followers came to occupy such a strong position in our cultural imagination.

Jeff is Graduate Program Director for American Studies at the University of Massachusetts, and the author of 'Creepy Crawling: Charles Manson and the Many Lives of America's Most Infamous Family'.

Edited by Aidan Lonergan, produced by Sophie Gee, Senior Producer is 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.

How did cities grow in America's largest and hottest desert? How did the rivers of the South West shape its history? Don is joined by Kyle Paoletta, author of American Oasis, to explore the complex and diverse history of the American South West.

Edited by Aidan Lonergan, produced by Sophie Gee, Senior Producer is 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.

Did you ever wonder where the phrase 'drink the Kool-Aid' came from? In this second episode about the Peoples Temple, we rejoin them in Jonestown, Guyana.

How planned was the final 'white night'? Did anyone survive? And what happened to the notorious Jim Jones?

Don is joined once again by author and scholar Annie Dawid, who has spent over two decades researching Peoples Temple.

Produced by Sophie Gee. Edited by Tim Arstall. 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.

May 8th saw the final surrender of Nazi Germany, marking the end of the Second World War in Europe. Eighty years on, we're taking a look at the final months of fighting in 1945. What were the experiences of US troops like on the ground? And what motivated the strategies of its political leaders?

Don's guest is James Holland, co-host of the podcast We Have Ways of Making You Talk. His new book, Victory ‘45: The End of the War in Eight Surrenders, is out on April 24th.

Edited and produced by Tom Delargy. 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.

On November 18th, 1978, over 900 people died at an American settlement in the jungle of Guyana called Jonestown. In this first of two episodes, we are going to find out how they ended up in South America.

Who was the eponymous Reverend Jim Jones, notorious leader of the cult? What did the Peoples Temple believe in? How and why did they make the journey from Indiana to California to Guyana?

Don is joined by author and scholar Annie Dawid, who has spent over two decades researching Peoples Temple.

Produced by Sophie Gee. Edited by Tim Arstall. 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.