Our American Stories
Episodes
Dwayne Johnson’s Heartfelt Goodbye to His Father, Rocky “Soulman” Johnson
19 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, before Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson became a global icon, he was the son of a wrestling legend. Rock...
John Marshall: The Farmer’s Son Who Became America’s Greatest Chief Justice
19 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, before John Marshall, the Supreme Court was still finding its place in the new American government. By the ti...
Mike Olbinski Shoots Brides and Thunderheads
18 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Mike Olbinski didn’t plan on chasing storms. He began by photographing weddings and family portraits in...
He Joined the Army to Die, But Found a Reason to Live
18 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Ken Scar didn’t join the Army looking for redemption. He was in his 40s, broke, and ready to disappear....
How a Farm Crowd in Iowa Saved Truman’s White House Run
18 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1948, Harry Truman was trailing in the polls and widely expected to lose. Then his campaign made an unexpe...
Coke Was a Cure-All First. Then It Became a Global Obsession
18 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Coca-Cola’s beginnings weren’t glamorous. It started with a wounded Confederate veteran, a sugary...
Satchel Paige: The Pitcher Who Changed Baseball Forever
15 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Satchel Paige didn’t just pitch; he dazzled. Known for fastballs with names like the Midnight Creeper a...
How Batman Became a Cultural Icon
15 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Batman has worn many faces, but his shadow has never faded. From gritty detective tales to cartoon camp, bill...
Why the U.S. and Britain Nearly Went to War Over a Pig
15 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1859, a pig wandered onto the wrong farm and sparked an international standoff. The U.S. and Great Britain...
How Florida’s Swampland Became America’s Dream
15 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, before the beaches, theme parks, and high-rises, Florida was mostly swampland. In the 1950s, a wave of entrep...
What a Crab House Taught Him About Growing Up
14 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Brent Timmons didn’t expect much when he took a summer job at the Fenwick Crab House. He figured he&rsq...
David George Built a Church While Running Toward Freedom
14 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, David George was enslaved, captured, and chased across colonies before he found anything close to freedom. Bu...
How Fast Food Took Over America
14 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, fast food wasn’t always part of the daily routine. At one point, it was a wild idea. Quick meals withou...
Possum for Supper and Other Memories from the Great Depression
14 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, during the Great Depression, Joy Neal Kidney’s family didn’t eat strange food for fun. They ate w...
Remembering John Defoore, a WWII Veteran Who Lived to 105
13 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, John Defoore went to war at nineteen. He returned, raised a family, and lived through more change than most p...
Recovery Began When I Stopped Doing It Alone
13 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, addiction kept Ryan Stewart at a distance from nearly everyone around him. For years, he tried to manage it a...
I Escaped the Viet Cong as a Kid and Became an American Surgeon
13 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Hoat Hoang was still a boy when his family left their village in the middle of the night. The fall of Saigon ...
Faith and Friendship After the 9/11 Pentagon Attack
13 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Jocelyn Green didn’t lose anyone on September 11, but she still felt the weight of that day in ways she...
People Sent Their Children Through the Mail?
12 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Christopher Warren shares one of the strangest chapters in U.S. Postal Service history: the time when America...
Roberto Clemente’s Legacy Preserved by a Fan Who Never Forgot
12 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, long after Roberto Clemente’s final game, Duane Rieder found himself returning to the images, stories, ...
How the USS Lexington Became a Floating Symbol of American Resolve
12 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, she was built for war but became a beacon of memory. The USS Lexington (CV-16) launched into battle duri...
Frankie Avalon Talks Grease, Billboard Hits, and His Legacy in Hollywood
12 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Frankie Avalon became a household name before he turned twenty. With hits like “Venus” and &ldquo...
The Incredible Story of Alvin York: From Pacifist to War Hero
11 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Sgt. Alvin York is one of the most celebrated American heroes of World War I. A deeply religious man and self...
How a Blue Diamond Became the World’s Most Famous and Most Feared Gem
11 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, The Hope Diamond has been blamed for madness, financial ruin, and untimely death. It’s also one of the ...
A Job at a Big Bank...or Pilot of Air Force Two?
11 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, on the morning of September 11, 2001, Peter Braxton became the first military pilot in the air over the burni...
How a Doomed Air Raid and a Lucky Break Turned the War in the Pacific
11 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, after Pearl Harbor, American morale was low. The Doolittle Raid, led by Jimmy Doolittle himself, wasn’t...
The Woman Who Voiced Rudolph
11 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, the most famous reindeer in the world was voiced by someone most people have never heard of. Billie Mae Richa...
David McCullough on 1776: The Year America Was Born
08 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, the founding of the United States didn’t happen in a moment—it unfolded across one of the most di...
How Cornelius Vanderbilt Helped Cause (and Calm) the Panic of 1869
08 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, when gold prices collapsed in September 1869, it triggered one of the earliest financial panics in American h...
The Con Man Pardoned by Both Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis
08 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Joseph Howard Jr. was such a skilled con man that both Union President Abraham Lincoln and Confederate Presid...
The Tragedy Behind 'I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day'
08 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in December 1863, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was in mourning. His wife had died in a fire two years earlier. ...
What George Washington Did on Christmas Changed Everything
07 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, the first American Christmas came just months after the Declaration of Independence. But by December, the moo...
The Strange History Behind Halloween’s Haunted Attractions
07 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, at the turn of the century, Halloween in the United States looked very different. It wasn’t about costu...
How the Wright Brothers Beat the World to the Sky
07 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, before they made history, the Wright brothers were just two mechanics with a theory. Their shop in Dayton kep...
The Real Man Behind “I Love the Smell of Napalm in the Morning”
07 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Colonel David Hackworth was a soldier’s soldier. He fought in Korea, commanded in Vietnam, and earned m...
Crissy Moran Left Porn Behind. But Her Story Didn’t End There
07 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Crissy Moran had everything the adult film world promised. The money came quickly, the attention never stoppe...
The Small-Town Police Chief Redefining What It Means to Lead
06 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Jeff McCutchen didn’t set out to reimagine how a small-town police department operated, but after years...
How David McCullough Taught a Generation to Care About 1776
06 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, historian David McCullough made millions care about a year most only saw in textbooks—1776. Long before...
The Surprisingly Strange History of Toilet Paper
06 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Toilet paper might seem like a modern necessity, but the truth is messier—and much older. Long before p...
“Put a Sock in It” and the Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions
06 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Andrew Thompson shares another slice of his guide to understanding the baffling mini-mysteries of the English...
Snickers, Skittles, and the Woman Who Kept a Global Candy Empire in the Family
05 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Victoria Mars offers a rare inside look at what it takes to run a business of that scale while keeping it pri...
The Man Who Made Wayne Gretzky
05 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, when Walter Gretzky passed away at 82, people didn’t just remember him as the father of Wayne Gretzky. ...
“Long Shot & Loose Cannon” and the Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions
05 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Andrew Thompson shares another slice of his guide to understanding the baffling mini-mysteries of the English...
A Veteran Police Officer on Mental Illness, Homelessness, and the Frontlines of Crisis
05 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Deon Joseph has worked in law enforcement for more than two decades, spending much of that time in places whe...
How the Kennedy Political Dynasty Began with Two Irish Immigrants and a Dream
05 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, before the Kennedies became a household name in American politics, they were two Irish immigrants trying to s...
Stranded at Sea Before His Wedding: George Strake Jr.’s Wildest Story
04 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, George Strake Jr. is a Texas oilman and lifelong adventurer with deep roots in both business and public servi...
Why Henry Gunther Was the Final Casualty of WWI
04 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, the First World War ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. But not before one last man fel...
The Coal Miner Who Spent His Life Advertising for God
04 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Harrison Mayes was born in the coalfields of Kentucky, where a life underground was all but guaranteed. But a...
Meet John Clem, the Youngest Soldier to Fight in the Civil War
04 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, at an age when most kids were still in school, John Clem was marching into battle. He joined the Union Army a...
The Democrat Who Challenged FDR’s Supreme Court Plan
04 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt introduced a plan to expand the U.S. Supreme Court and shift its bal...
The Kidnapping That Ended With One Oilman Outsmarting Machine Gun Kelly
01 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Charles Urschel had money, influence, and a target on his back. When Machine Gun Kelly broke into his home an...
The Civil War Cemetery Where Union, Confederate, and British Veterans Lie Side by Side
01 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, The GAR Cemetery in Miami, Oklahoma, doesn’t look like much at first. But among the weathered headstone...
How the Saddle Turned Horses Into the Engines of Civilization
01 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, before engines and asphalt, movement meant muscle, yours or the horse’s. But riding bareback could only...
Where Did Native Americans Come From? The Untold Story of the First Peoples
01 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, before settlers arrived, and before maps labeled native nations, indigenous communities had already shaped th...
The Visionary Who Designed Washington, D.C. and Was Fired Before He Finished
31 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, he helped fight for America’s freedom, then shaped the city that would represent it. Pierre Charles L&r...
Elderly Couple Pays for Entire Group Home’s Night Out in a Heartwarming Act of Kindness
31 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, a group home’s night out turned unforgettable when two strangers stepped in with a silent gift. La...
Why Wayne Gretzky Is Still the Greatest Hockey Player of All Time
31 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Wayne Gretzky didn’t have the size or speed most scouts looked for. But what he did have couldn’t...
After Losing His Fingers in a Fire, One Boy Faced the Impossible—with a Piano
31 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, when John O’Leary was nine years old, a house fire left him with burns over 100 percent of his body. Do...
How Brian Wilson Changed American Music and Fought to Find His Voice Again
31 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, few musicians have soared as high—or fallen as hard—as Brian Wilson. After redefining American mu...
Kevlar Was Nearly Discarded. One Woman Fought to Prove It Could Save Lives
30 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Kevlar is now a staple of body armor, trusted by law enforcement, military personnel, and first responde...
50 Years Later, I Still Speak to My Teacher Almost Every Day
30 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Bob McLalan, a regular contributor to Our American Stories, shares why—after half a century—...
The Surprising History of Air Conditioning and the Man Behind It
30 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, before air conditioning, summer shaped how people worked, where they lived, and which cities could survive th...
How the Red Sox Finally Broke the Curse of the Bambino
30 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, The Red Sox were once a powerhouse in professional baseball, but for decades, their legacy was shaped by disa...
The Surprising Story of Robert E. Lee’s Life After the Civil War
30 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Robert E. Lee is best known for leading Confederate forces during the Civil War, but his final role may be on...
The Conversion of C.S. Lewis and the Creation of The Screwtape Letters
30 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, C.S. Lewis is best known for The Chronicles of Narnia, but behind those pages lies a spiritual journey t...
Why a Rhodes Scholar Walked Away from Oxford to Fight in the Vietnam War
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in the late 1960s, Karl Marlantes stood at a crossroads: remain at Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship, or go to V...
How Faith, Family, and Hockey Helped a Man Survive Syrian Prison
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Sam Goodwin had already visited 180 countries, but when he entered Syria, he vanished. Captured and held with...
How Ancient Roman and Greek Politics Shaped the Birth of the United States
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, what did the Founding Fathers find in the ruins of Greece and Rome? A vision for how a free people might gove...
The Native American Chief Who Stood with George Washington
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, long before Manhattan became a skyline of steel and glass, it was home to the Wappinger tribe and one of its ...
The Salem Witch Trials, the Puritans, and the Myth of The Crucible
28 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, The Salem Witch Trials of 1692–1693 have become a symbol of religious hysteria and injustice, but how m...
Titanic’s Last Hero: The Man Who Became Captain Smith
28 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Lowell Lytle was one of the few people who actually visited the Titanic’s wreck at the bottom of the No...
John Wooden’s Definition of Success and the Legacy It Built
28 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Coach John Wooden led UCLA to 10 national championships, but his legacy runs deeper than wins. His Pyram...
Surviving Persecution: Mariam Ibrahim’s Journey from Sudan to America
25 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, what does freedom of religion really mean? For Mariam Ibrahim, it meant the difference between life and ...
How the Comstock Lode Created America’s First Silver Millionaires
25 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, before Silicon Valley and the oil booms, there was the Comstock Lode. Nevada’s legendary silver discove...
The Big Four Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad
25 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, before America had coast-to-coast rail lines, four men risked everything to make it possible. Known as the Bi...
The First Pilot at Ground Zero Recalls His First Jobs
25 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Peter Braxton’s first day as a military pilot began in the skies above Ground Zero on 9/11. But that wa...
Inside D-Day: How America Prepared for the Largest Land Invasion in History
24 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, on June 6, 1944, Allied forces launched the Normandy landings in the boldest military campaign of the war. Be...
Why Boston Stood by Edwin Booth After His Brother Killed Lincoln
24 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, after John Wilkes Booth shot President Lincoln, his name became synonymous with betrayal. But his brother, Ed...
"Gung-Ho & Cheesy Smile" and the Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions
24 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Andrew Thompson shares another slice of his guide to understanding the baffling mini-mysteries of the English...
The Secret Cold War Collision the Pentagon Never Wanted Out
24 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, during a tense moment in Cold War history, a Soviet submarine surfaced directly beneath the USS Kitty Hawk&nb...
She Was Japanese American During WWII, but Her Story Was Very Different
24 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, while her parents were among the many unjustly sent to internment camps during World War II, Mary Mikami and ...
One Man's Journey to Find His Fallen WWII Airman Uncle in France
24 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, after his uncle Charles was shot down in a B-24 bomber over Europe during World War II, Chuck Kissling grew u...
How Shel Silverstein Became a Poet, Songwriter, and American Icon
23 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Shel Silverstein was a poet, illustrator, and songwriter who didn’t fit any mold. Known to millions for...
How Nellie Cashman Became the Gold Rush’s Most Fearless Woman
23 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in a world built for men, Nellie Cashman carved her own path across gold rush country, prospecting, rescuing ...
Sergeant Alvin York: The Faithful Pacifist Who Became a World War I Hero
23 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Sergeant Alvin York, the reluctant World War I infantryman who became one of America’s most decorated s...
Why Bob Munden Is Still the Fastest Gun on Record
22 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Wild Bill. Doc Holliday. Billy the Kid. None of them ever touched Bob Munden’s speed. Known around the ...
The Fighter Pilot Who Risked Everything: How Steve Phillis’s Final Mission Defined Desert Storm
22 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, high above Iraq during Operation Desert Storm, Air Force Captain Steve Phillis faced the kind of split-second...
How a Small-Town Speaker Held the Line During Watergate
22 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Carl Albert stood just 5 feet 4 inches tall, but during one of America’s biggest political scandals, he...
"On the Wagon" and "Once in a Blue Moon": The Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions
22 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Andrew Thompson shares another slice of his guide to understanding the baffling mini-mysteries of the English...
Rudyard Kipling’s Triumphant and Tragic Life Beyond The Jungle Book
22 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, before Rudyard Kipling became one of the most celebrated authors of the 20th century, he lived a life marked ...
Peter Mutabazi Slept on Cardboard in Uganda. Now He’s a Foster Father Changing Lives in America
21 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, as a child in Uganda, Peter Mutabazi ran away from home and spent four years sleeping on the streets of Kampa...
A Listener's Childhood Story: Roller skating in the Farmhouse
21 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in a world that moved a little slower, one little girl found her freedom on four wheels. Joy Neal Kidney take...
The Steel Giant That Put a Tiny Kansas Town on the Map
21 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in the small town of West Mineral, Kansas, there’s a mining relic so massive it can be seen from miles ...
George Custer's Trials: The Story Beyond Little Bighorn
21 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, George Armstrong Custer is often remembered for how his story ended at Little Bighorn, but the life he lived ...
Training the Dogs That Help People See the World Again
18 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, guide dogs do more than navigate curbs and crosswalks. They offer confidence, companionship, and a new kind o...
The 67-Year-Old Grandma Who Walked the Appalachian Trail Alone
18 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, long before ultralight backpacks and trail apps, 67-year-old Emma Gatewood became the first woman to hike the...
WWII Airman’s Body Moved Three Times Before His Family Found Peace
18 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, after WWII airman Danny Wilson fell overseas, his body was buried in France alongside thousands of American s...
How Samuel Colt Won the West With One Invention
18 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, The Colt revolver became one of the most iconic weapons in American history, earning nicknames such as "the P...
Bringing Venice to California: The Real Life of a Gondolier
17 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Angelo Ruffino rows through the canals of Southern California, singing his original music to passengers and p...
I Grew Up Detached From My Jewish History. Then I Went to Buchenwald
17 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Dana Mitch grew up knowing pieces of her family's Holocaust story, but they never quite felt like her own. Th...