Our American Stories
Episodes
The Kidnapping That Ended With One Oilman Outsmarting Machine Gun Kelly
01 Apr 2026
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 Unexpected Olympic Friendship That Defied Hitler’s Propaganda
01 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Jesse Owens arrived in Berlin for the 1936 Olympics as one of the fastest men in the world. The long jump com...
"High and Dry" and "Let the Cat Out of the Bag": The Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions
01 Apr 2026
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...
From Mafia to Ministry: Robert Borelli’s Story
31 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Robert Borelli once believed the Mafia offered the clearest path to power. As a teenager growing up in Brookl...
The Puritan Who Brought Scripture to New England’s Tribes
31 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, have you ever heard of a Puritan pastor who learned a new language so he could preach the Bible to Native Ame...
The Forgotten Story of the Land Laws That Sheltered Women When They Had No Voice
31 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in the nineteenth century, a woman’s future could collapse overnight. If a husband died, disappeared, o...
The Restaurant Owner Who Offered a Job to the Man Who Robbed Him
31 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, when Diablo’s Southwest Grill in Georgia was broken into, owner Carl Wallace could have responded the w...
Providence Spring: Faith and Survival at Andersonville
31 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, by the summer of 1864, Union prisoners at Andersonville were dying by the thousands. The Confederate prison c...
Why Shirley Chisolm Reached a Man Who Built His Career on Racism
30 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, few figures in twentieth-century American politics stood farther apart than Shirley Chisholm and George Walla...
Life Before Digital Photos: The Last Days of Kodachrome
30 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, before digital photography took over, Kodachrome was one of the most famous color films in the world. Its ric...
Ulysses S. Grant and the Memoir That Saved His Family
30 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, after serving as the Union general who helped win the Civil War and later as the 18th president of the United...
Sacagawea: The Teenager Who Helped Guide Lewis and Clark Across the West
30 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, she was just a teenager, carrying her infant son, when she joined the most daring expedition in American hist...
Theodore Roosevelt: The Protestant President Who Protected an Antisemite with Jewish Police Officers
30 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, as an icon of the Protestant elite, Theodore Roosevelt was an unlikely ally of the waves of impoverished Jewi...
The Black Medal of Honor Recipient Who Bombed His Own Hideout to Save Lives
30 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in December 1944, American forces were fighting to hold ground in the Italian village of Sommocolonia when Ge...
“Red Tape” and the Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions (Pt. 19)
30 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Andrew Thompson shares another slice from his guide to unraveling the baffling mini-mysteries of the English ...
1776: The Year the Colonies Turned Against Britain
27 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1776, the relationship between Britain and the American colonies reached a breaking point. What began as p...
Higgins: The Louisiana Boat Builder Who Won World War II
27 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, when Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, they needed a way to get from ship to shore quic...
The Wealthy Man Who Refused to Live Like One
27 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Kenny Monfort built significant wealth, but he didn’t live like someone trying to prove it. Hank Brown ...
A Player’s View of the University of Wisconsin Stampede
27 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, when a stadium full of excited sports fans pressed downhill against inadequate crowd control, tragedy struck ...
How General Lafayette’s Return to America Healed a Divided Nation
27 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, by the 1820s, many of the heroes of the American Revolution were gone, and the country they helped create was...
How My Grandpa’s Singing Changed My Life
27 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Maureen Elwyn shares the heartfelt story of a moment with her elderly grandfather and his beautiful singing a...
Diego Moreno: Husband, Father, Officer
26 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Diego Moreno was a police officer in Washington, a trainer, and a father whose life left a lasting mark on th...
The Story of America: Thomas Jefferson's Dying Words On Slavery [Ep. 20]
26 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in our 20th episode of our ongoing Story of Us, The Story of America series, Dr. Bill McClay, autho...
The Father Who Survived Bataan and Came Home a Hero
26 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Estel Myers joined the military after an argument with his father and soon found himself in the Philippines a...
Ted Williams and the Story Behind Baseball’s Greatest Hitter
26 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, few players in baseball history match what Ted Williams accomplished at the plate. Called the “John Way...
The Untold Story of Generic Drugs and Lower Prescription Prices
25 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, when Bruce Paddock bought a bankrupt pharmaceutical company at 29, most people thought he was making a terrib...
Why the “Perfect Mom” Doesn’t Exist
25 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Tiffany Jenkins built a large following as a mom influencer and creator of Juggling the Jenkins, but her stor...
The Car Repair Shop That’s Changing Lives
25 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Mike Gideon started out doing what he loved, working on cars and restoring classics with the expectation that...
Queen Esther and the Jewish Roots of American Liberty
25 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, the story of Queen Esther, told in the Book of Esther in the Bible, is usually read as a story of courage and...
Pat Boone and Shirley Foley Boone: A Life of Music and Marriage
25 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, at the height of his career, Pat Boone was one of the most recognizable figures in American music, known for ...
A General Explains the Invisible Struggle Facing Veterans
25 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Major General “Mook” Mukoyama volunteered and served in both Korea and Vietnam, building a long c...
A Mom and Son Ran a Marathon in All 50 States Together
24 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, most people set out to run a single marathon and call it a lifetime achievement. Karen Thomson and her son, J...
"Back to Square One" and the Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions (Pt. 3)
24 Mar 2026
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...
Was Lincoln Religious? The Complicated Faith of Abraham Lincoln
24 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Abraham Lincoln often spoke about God, especially during the darkest days of the Civil War. But what he belie...
The Story of How the Muppets Began as a TV Commercial
24 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Brian Jay Jones, author of Jim Henson: The Biography, tells the story of how some of America’s mos...
How the Beastie Boys Took Hip-Hop From New York to the Nation
24 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in the early days of hip-hop, the music grew out of Black and Latino communities in New York City. It was loc...
Mary Edwards Walker: The Only Woman Awarded the Medal of Honor
24 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in the middle of the Civil War, when battlefield medicine was rough, dangerous, and often improvised, one doc...
How a College Student Saved Ulysses S. Grant’s Tomb
23 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, General Ulysses S. Grant led the Union Army to victory in the Civil War and later served two terms as the 18t...
Fifty Years Later, I Returned to the Place I Once Called Home
23 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, as a boy growing up in Kansas City, Roger Rench’s life changed suddenly when his father took a job as a...
The Story of America: Why the Constitution Needed the Federalist Papers [Ep. 12]
23 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, when the Constitution emerged from the Constitutional Convention in 1787, its future was far from certain. Th...
Why I Climbed Into a Dumpster to Play Cards with a Homeless Man
23 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, acts of kindness often begin in ordinary moments. For Paul Kotz, a regular contributor to Our American Storie...
Sunday Mornings with Big Mitch: Ep. 15
22 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, every Sunday, Our American Stories host Lee Habeeb speaks with Mitchel "Big Mitch" Rutledge, who has spe...
OAS_031926_H2 Story 5
20 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories....
OAS_031926_H2 Story 4
20 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories....
OAS_031926_H1 Story 3
20 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories....
OAS_031926_H1 Story 2
20 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories....
OAS_031926_H1 Story 1
20 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories....
The Real Doc Holliday Behind the Tombstone Legend
19 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Doc Holliday is one of the most famous figures of the American Old West, known for his friendship with Wyatt ...
What Miami Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross Learned From Max Fisher
19 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, behind many successful people is someone who helped guide them along the way. For Stephen Ross, owner of the ...
Why 800 Irish-Americans Crossed Into Canada to Fight for Ireland’s Freedom
19 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, after the Civil War, hundreds of Irish-American veterans launched an invasion — not in Ireland, but acr...
Olivia Juliette Hooker: The First Black Woman in the U.S. Coast Guard
19 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Olivia Hooker’s life spans some of the most important chapters of American history. A survivor of the T...
Chuck Taylor and the Converse Shoes That Built Basketball
19 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, today the Converse Chuck Taylor All Star is one of the most recognizable sneakers in the world, worn by athle...
Finding Dave Dinan: A Vietnam War POW-MIA Story
18 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Ed Sykes shares the remarkable story of his friendship with fellow fighter pilot Dave Dinan and the decades-l...
An Immigrant Story About Education, Football, and the American Dream
18 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, every immigrant story begins with a decision to leave something familiar behind. For Kevin Samy’s fathe...
A Grandfather, a Farm, and a Life Well Lived
18 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Brent Timmons, a listener of Our American Stories, shares the story of his grandfather, a quiet man...
Dietrich Bonhoeffer: The Pastor Who Tried To Kill Hitler
18 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer sits at the intersection of faith, politics, and conscience during one of the...
Madam C.J. Walker: America’s First Self-Made Female Millionaire
17 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, born on the land of the former plantation where her parents had been enslaved, Madam C. J. Walker married you...
When FDR Warned That Tyranny Begins by Silencing Religion
17 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in his 1939 State of the Union address, President Franklin D. Roosevelt warned that attacks on religion often...
The Real Saint Patrick Behind St. Patrick’s Day
17 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated around the world with shamrocks, green clothing, and parades, but the r...
The Letter John Bryan Wrote Before Leaving the Family Business for Sara Lee
17 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, John Bryan spent decades in the business world leading the Sara Lee Corporation and helping shape one of Amer...
How the Triple Crown Brought a Father and Son Together Again
17 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, for thirty-seven years, no horse won the Triple Crown. Then, in 2015, American Pharoah finally broke the drou...
Will Rogers: America’s Cowboy Philosopher
16 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, few public figures captured the American mood quite like Will Rogers. Raised in "Indian Territory" and shaped...
The Cuban Immigrant Who Became America's Favorite TV Star: The Story of Desi Arnez
16 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Desi Arnaz fled Cuba as a teenager after his family lost everything during political upheaval. Starting over ...
Why the Declaration of Independence We Display Isn’t the Original
16 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, The Declaration of Independence is one of the most famous documents ever written. Its words helped launch a r...
Brett Favre on Faith, Humility, and What Matters as You Get Olde
16 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, much of what the public knows about Brett Favre happened on the football field. But behind the touchdowns and...
Trapped in an Iron Lung During the Polio Epidemic
16 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, before the polio vaccine transformed public health, poliomyelitis was one of the most feared diseases in Amer...
Yes, Arm Wrestling Is a Real Sport
13 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Dustin Tomlinson grew up in rural Missouri, the youngest of four brothers on a cattle farm where competition ...
Before Family Affair, Brian Keith Was a Marine Gunner in World War II
13 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, most Americans remember Brian Keith as Uncle Bill on the television series Family Affair. Calm, steady, and d...
The Remarkable Life of Annie Oakley, America’s Greatest Sharpshooter
13 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Annie Oakley could do things with a rifle that most people would not even attempt. She shot right-handed, lef...
Brett Favre’s Legendary Monday Night Game After His Father’s Death
13 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, after the sudden death of his father, Irvin Favre, Brett Favre faced a decision about whether he could play t...
The Confederate Mystery Ship and the Dangerous World of Civil War Blockade Runners
13 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, The Confederacy entered the Civil War with a serious problem. It didn’t have the industrial strength to...
The Story of America: What the Constitution Actually Said About Slavery [Ep. 11]
12 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, The United States Constitution is the oldest written constitution still in force, yet one question about the ...
The Reluctant Minister Who Built One of the World’s Largest Prison Ministries
12 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Joe Garman wanted to minister to people on his own terms, and certainly not in a prison setting. As he tells ...
What George Washington Did on Christmas Changed Everything
12 Mar 2026
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...
An Immigrant’s Journey Through Hope, Hardship, and the American Dream
12 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, immigration to the United States has always been driven by the same simple hope. Families leave the places th...
What a Mysterious Gift Taught Jen Neiman About Friendship
12 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Jen Neiman was dealing with persistent health troubles that would not go away. She was depressed, upset, and ...
Before I Love Lucy, Lucille Ball Spent Years Being Told No
11 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, few television comedies have had the lasting impact of I Love Lucy. When the show debuted in the early 1950s,...
A Family Speaks At Their Fallen Hero's Funeral: Colorado Deputy Micah Flick
11 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, on February 5, 2018, Colorado Deputy Micah Flick was killed in the line of duty while responding to a call in...
The Faith That Led One Company to Give Away Half Its Profits
11 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, when Steve Trice started Jasco Products in 1975, he didn’t set out just to build a successful and profi...
A Small-Town Iowa Fourth of July in 1907
11 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Joy Neal Kidney, a regular contributor of Our American Stories, shares the tale behind a cherished famil...
The Decision That Turned Johnsonville Into America’s Top Sausage Brand
10 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Johnsonville Sausage grew into the best-selling sausage brand in the United States, but the company’s s...
The Chinese Laundry Owner Who Took San Francisco to the Supreme Court
10 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in the 1880s, San Francisco passed an ordinance regulating laundries that operated in wooden buildings. On pa...
The Colorado Company That Built Success by Hiring At-Risk Workers
10 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, across the United States, many young people labeled “at risk” struggle to find stable work and lo...
Why Benjamin Franklin Printed the Sermons of a Man He Didn’t Believe
10 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, during the 1730s and 1740s, George Whitefield traveled through colonial America preaching revival sermons tha...
The Scout Never Called: Growing Up in Competitive Sports
09 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Our American Stories listener from Iowa, Roger Rench, shares memories from his time playing various comp...
Olive Oatman and the Tattoo That Marked a Life Between Cultures
09 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1851, Olive Oatman was thirteen years old and traveling west with her Mormon family during the era of west...
How the Senate Candy Desk Became a Capitol Hill Tradition
09 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1965, California Senator George Murphy started a sweet tradition, literally. He began stocking his desk on...
How House of Pain’s Danny Boy O’Connor Saved The Outsiders House
09 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, since its release in 1983, Francis Ford Coppola’s film adaptation of S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders&...
The Nike Gamble That Built Air Jordan
09 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, the 1984 NBA Draft brought Michael Jordan to Chicago and led Nike into a gamble that would define its future....
Are Pro Wrestlers Really Athletes?
06 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, from the days of Hulk Hogan to modern WWE, wrestlers travel constantly, train relentlessly, and perform feats...
The Friendship That Helped Me Leave the Sex Industry
06 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, as a young woman, Harmony Dust Grillo found herself pulled into the commercial sex industry, a world that pro...
A 12-Year-Old’s Race to Meet the King of Rock and Roll
06 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in the 1970s, spotting Elvis Presley on tour meant crowds, security, and long odds. For one twelve-year-old g...
Why John Adams Defended the British Soldiers After the Boston Massacre
06 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, on March 5, 1770, tensions in colonial Boston erupted when British soldiers fired into a crowd, killing five ...
The Iowa Sailor Who Survived the Sinking of the USS Yorktown
06 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, listener and regular contributor Joy Neal Kidney, from Des Moines, Iowa, shares the story of her uncle, Donal...
The Richest Woman of the Klondike Gold Rush
05 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, The Klondike Gold Rush reshaped the Yukon and Alaskan frontiers almost overnight, drawing prospectors from ar...
Caring for My Dying Husband Made Life Worth Living
05 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, when Tracy Grant’s husband became terminally ill, their lives shifted from planning for the future to p...
Letting Your Daughter Grow Up
05 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, there is a moment when you realize the toys are still in the room, but they are no longer being played with. ...
The Story of America: The Constitution Was Built for Disagreement [Ep. 10]
05 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in the summer of 1787, delegates gathered in Philadelphia to draft what would become the Constitution of the ...
The Dentist in the Wheelchair, and the Road That Led There
05 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, on November 9, 1991, fifteen-year-old Hayden Perkins was driving home through the Mississippi Delta when a st...
The Missionary Who Carries a Gun in War-Torn Burma
04 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in parts of Burma, civilians live between armed groups with little protection. The Free Burma Rangers move in...