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Google, for example. They did not start in a garage. The founders began working on their search engine in 1996 when they were at Stanford. They didn't actually move into a garage until 1998. They already had investors, and they were just in the garage for five months. But in 2006, Google bought that garage as a company landmark.

Google, for example. They did not start in a garage. The founders began working on their search engine in 1996 when they were at Stanford. They didn't actually move into a garage until 1998. They already had investors, and they were just in the garage for five months. But in 2006, Google bought that garage as a company landmark.

Dan Heath has written about these origin stories in Fast Company magazine. He says that one way to measure just how appealing these stories are is to count all the ones that get quoted widely, even though they aren't remotely true. For instance, when eBay began... A story circulated that its founder created the company so his fiancée could buy and collect PEZ dispensers more easily. Not true.

Dan Heath has written about these origin stories in Fast Company magazine. He says that one way to measure just how appealing these stories are is to count all the ones that get quoted widely, even though they aren't remotely true. For instance, when eBay began... A story circulated that its founder created the company so his fiancée could buy and collect PEZ dispensers more easily. Not true.

One of the creators of YouTube used to claim that the idea for the business came after a dinner party in 2005, where two of the company's masterminds, Chad Hurley and Steve Chinn, shot some video, and then tried to post it online and found out just how hard that was back then.

One of the creators of YouTube used to claim that the idea for the business came after a dinner party in 2005, where two of the company's masterminds, Chad Hurley and Steve Chinn, shot some video, and then tried to post it online and found out just how hard that was back then.

In the article that you wrote for Fast Company, you point out that our attachment to these kinds of mythic creation stories is so strong that we have even exaggerated the Christopher Columbus story

In the article that you wrote for Fast Company, you point out that our attachment to these kinds of mythic creation stories is so strong that we have even exaggerated the Christopher Columbus story

What a day on our show. Origin stories. We love them so much that sometimes it is hard not to make them up. From WBEC Chicago, it's This American Life. Act one of our show today, Madman. Act two, Silent Partner. Act three, Wait, Wait, Don't Film Me. Act four, Bill Clinton's seven-year-old brother, Stay With Us. This American Life Today show is a rerun, act one, Madman.

What a day on our show. Origin stories. We love them so much that sometimes it is hard not to make them up. From WBEC Chicago, it's This American Life. Act one of our show today, Madman. Act two, Silent Partner. Act three, Wait, Wait, Don't Film Me. Act four, Bill Clinton's seven-year-old brother, Stay With Us. This American Life Today show is a rerun, act one, Madman.

Well, this first story is about a fight over the origin of certain ideas, a fight over who really came up with those ideas. Sarah Koenig tells a story about her dad, Julian.

Well, this first story is about a fight over the origin of certain ideas, a fight over who really came up with those ideas. Sarah Koenig tells a story about her dad, Julian.

Sarah Koenig. We first ran this story back in 2009. Sarah's dad, Julian Koenig, died five years after that. He was 93. George Lois died a few years after that. These days, Sarah is the host of the Serial podcast. She worked as a producer at our show for a decade before that. Coming up, Peter Sagal, long before Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, his lost years in Havana.

Sarah Koenig. We first ran this story back in 2009. Sarah's dad, Julian Koenig, died five years after that. He was 93. George Lois died a few years after that. These days, Sarah is the host of the Serial podcast. She worked as a producer at our show for a decade before that. Coming up, Peter Sagal, long before Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, his lost years in Havana.

That's in a minute from Chicago Public Radio when our program continues. This is American Life from Hourglass. Each week on our program, of course, we choose a theme, bring you different kinds of stories on that theme. Today's show, Origin Stories, where we go back to figure out where things came from. We arrived at act two of our program, act two, Silent Partner.

That's in a minute from Chicago Public Radio when our program continues. This is American Life from Hourglass. Each week on our program, of course, we choose a theme, bring you different kinds of stories on that theme. Today's show, Origin Stories, where we go back to figure out where things came from. We arrived at act two of our program, act two, Silent Partner.

So years ago, Sean Cole visited Chad's Trading Post, a restaurant filled with frilly knickknacks in Southampton, Massachusetts. It's a restaurant with a very distinct origin story.

So years ago, Sean Cole visited Chad's Trading Post, a restaurant filled with frilly knickknacks in Southampton, Massachusetts. It's a restaurant with a very distinct origin story.

The family kept Chad's memory alive for a while in a new restaurant called Chad's Good Table, 10 minutes away. But then they sold off that restaurant. These days, his memory is honored by four different boys who have been named after him. Act 3, Wait, Wait, Don't Film Me. Now, this origin story.

The family kept Chad's memory alive for a while in a new restaurant called Chad's Good Table, 10 minutes away. But then they sold off that restaurant. These days, his memory is honored by four different boys who have been named after him. Act 3, Wait, Wait, Don't Film Me. Now, this origin story.