About this episode
This episode explores the history of Alcatraz and the possibility of escaping from the infamous prison through a conversation with historian Jolene Babyak.
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 the origins of the prison, the people who were imprisoned there and the escape of 1962. Jolene is the author of a number of books about the history of Alcatraz, including 'Breaking the Rock: The Great Escape from Alcatraz'. Edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Sophie Gee. Senior Producer was 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 . All music from Epidemic Sounds. American History Hit is a History Hit podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
People in this episode
Host: Don
Guest: Jolene Babyak
Topics covered
- Alcatraz
- prison history
- escape attempts
- federal maximum-security prison
- historical experiences
Keywords
- Alcatraz
- escape
- prison
- history
- Jolene Babyak
- Don
- federal prison
- 1962 escape
- Breaking the Rock
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: History Hit
Books & works: Breaking the Rock: The Great Escape from Alcatraz
Places: Alcatraz
More episodes of American History Hit
- Eisenhower's Countdown to D-Day · June 11, 2026 · 54 min
- What Made America: The Constitution & The Franklins · June 8, 2026 · 34 min
- Inside a Serial Killer's 'Murder Castle' · June 4, 2026 · 45 min
- How 'New Amsterdam' Became 'New York' · June 1, 2026 · 43 min
- Worst Siege of the Civil War: Vicksburg · May 28, 2026 · 51 min
- When Was the Revolutionary War Won? · May 25, 2026 · 48 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the American History Hit podcast page.