Our American Stories

Cher Ami: The Pigeon Who Received a Medal of Bravery During WWI

11 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, experience the gripping drama of the front lines as a valiant pigeon becomes the last hope to stop a brutal f...

Churchill: Walking With Destiny

11 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, English historian Andrew Roberts shares the story of this remarkable world leader. Support the show (https://...

Bob Munden: “The Fastest Gun Who Ever Lived”

11 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, we’ve all heard of gunslingers “Wild” Bill Hickok, Doc Holliday, and Billy The Kid. These quick-draw le...

The Story of South Carolina's Revolutionary War Heroine

11 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, our regular contributor from South Carolina, Dennis Peterson, shares the story of Dicey Langston...an America...

He Created The Largest Museum In The World For...Small Electrical Appliances

11 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, from toasters to waffle irons to coffee pots, Richard Larrimore of Diamond, Missouri has a penchant for all t...

Father Stu: In His Own Words

10 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, Father Stu is a motion picture starring Mark Wahlberg (who plays Father Stu) and Mel Gibson. It is based on t...

What Is Spam? The Story of an American Meat Icon

10 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, author of The Book of Spam: A Most Glorious and Definitive Compendium of the World’s Favorite Canned Meat,...

The State of Texas Tried to Strip Away a Man's Livelihood....So He Fought Back

10 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, Wesley Hottit tells the story of Ash Patel's nearly six year legal battle stemming from the Texas Board of Co...

The WWII Story of a Black Man Who Rescued White Sailors by Swimming 6 Hours in Shark-Infested Waters

10 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, Bruce Wigo—the former CEO of the International Swimming Hall of Fame—is here to share a story of an unkno...

From Uganda to Texas: A Story of Survival and Faith

09 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, this is a story of how faith propelled Dr. Dennis Sempebwa from war-torn Uganda to America... and beyond. Sup...

The Man Who Wrote 'I'll Fly Away'

09 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, the granddaughters of Albert E. Brumley share the story of how their grandpa entered this world as the son of...

The Time McDonald County Seceded from Missouri

09 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1961, McDonald County, Missouri found a unique way to show their dissatisfaction with their state governme...

A Precious Gift for a Widowed Husband

08 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, Tom and Lillian Lyons married in 1946. They lived a long and loving life raising a family on the south side o...

The Loyal(ist) Son: The Story of Ben Franklin's Son Taking Britain's Side During the Revolutionary War

08 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, the war in Ben Franklin's home was not one a loving family could have ever expected. Support the show (https:...

How Curious George Escaped the Nazis

08 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, Louise Borden is the author of "The Journey That Saved Curious George: The True Wartime Escape of Margret and...

Basketball Legend "Pistol Pete" Maravich Shares His Life Story... Just Days Before His Death

08 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, just days before his death, the 40 year-old Maravich shared his story to a small audience about his life purs...

Founding Father Benjamin Rush: Father of Psychiatry, the Army Medical Corps, Veterinary Care, Biblically-Based Public Schools

05 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, Dr. Benjamin Rush is America’s Forgotten Founding Father; perhaps it’s because many historians don’t kn...

“Put A Sock In It” and the Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions (Pt. 18)

05 Jan 2024

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...

How a College Student Sued the National Government and Saved Grant's Tomb

05 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, the story of Frank Scattoro and an American mausoleum and reliquary. Support the show (https://www.ourameric...

Bankrupt and Dying from Cancer, Ulysses S. Grant Waged His Greatest Battle

05 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, aided by Mark Twain, the former president and Civil War hero raced to complete a literary masterpiece that sa...

Truth Wins: The Story of Lance Armstrong’s Former Teammate, Tyler Hamilton

04 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, former Olympic gold medalist Tyler Hamilton rocked the world of professional cycling—and exposed the doping...

“Out of the Blue” and the Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions (Pt. 16)

04 Jan 2024

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 Blue Collar Leader of America’s Most Innovative University

04 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, the remarkable story of Arizona State University and its President, Michael Crow. Support the show (https://w...

Pastor of the Pilgrims, John Robinson: 100 Bible Verses That Made America

04 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, if you want to know about the history of America, it is imperative that you know the role that the Bible play...

The Story of the Brooklyn Bridge—The 8th Wonder of the World

03 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, the Brooklyn Bridge, with its unprecedented length and two stately towers, was dubbed the “eighth wonder of...

"Gung-ho & Cheesy Smile" and the Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions (Pt. 8)

03 Jan 2024

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...

Remembering the Worst Naval Disaster In American History (The USS Indianapolis)—A Story Featured in the Movie "Jaws"

03 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, Robert Shaw's "Quint" told the world about what happened to the USS Indianapolis in the hit movie "Jaws." The...

A Son Discovers His Deceased Mother's Hidden Talent—Poetry

03 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, Texas boys don’t write poetry, and certainly don’t cry. Roger Latham did, though, after discovering a poe...

My Father’s Super-Secret Double Life as a Nuclear Missile Savant

03 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, for 50 years, John Clauson's father was a simple "salesman," that is, until—nearing his deathbed—he revea...

Candyman: The Story of Jelly Belly Founder, David Klein

02 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, Willy Wonka's got nothing on David Klein! David's eccentric personality and peculiar sense of business led hi...

Vietnam Vets Wouldn’t Sell Their Story to Hollywood, But They Sold “We Were Soldiers” to the Writer of “Braveheart”

02 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, we Were Soldiers is a motion picture about the Vietnam War from writer/director Randall Wallace and starring ...

The Story of the Real—and Mostly Unknown—Author of the U.S. Constitution, Gouverneur Morris

02 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, our next story is about a Founding Father who wrote the most famous seven words in American history: “We th...

After 50 Years of Silence, Korean War Pilot Shares His Top-Secret Mission

02 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, between the Korean and the Vietnam Wars, U.S. Navy Captain Royce Williams flew over 220 missions. The followi...

A Museum Dedicated To...Mustard?

01 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, find out how Barry Levinson went from arguing cases in front of the Supreme Court to operating the largest mu...

A Thread Across the Ocean: The Story of the Transatlantic Cable

01 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, Miles and miles of wire placed on ships and thrown into the ocean connected the world like never before and w...

American Freedom Machines: The Story of Harley-Davidson

01 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, when Margie Siegal was a teenager, she had a boyfriend with a motorcycle. The boyfriend was forgettable—the...

Ralph Cox: Last Guy Cut from 1980 U.S. Olympic "Miracle" Hockey Team

01 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, Ralph Cox is a former college hockey star who was squeezed out of arguably the greatest moment in sports hist...

The Town that Created Mark Twain: Hannibal, Missouri

29 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, Hannibal spared Mark Twain from nothing—exposing him to poverty, death, racism, and the need to make decisi...

Hungry for Home: What It’s Like to Live in a 300-Year-Old House

29 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, William Penn founded Pennsylvania - and left a home there. Ruth McKeaney and her husband flip houses for a li...

The Best Worst Counterfeiter in American History

29 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, Emerich Juettner was an upstanding citizen... for most of his life. Here's his story. Support the show (https...

Al Capone: The Man and the Era

29 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, America’s fascination with mob boss Al Capone is a century old. Here to tell the story is the biographer of...

I Worked Out of Workaholism… And My Life Is Working Better

29 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, Steve Trice, the founder of Jasco Products, tells the story of why serving his employees is much more rewardi...

The President Whose Greatness Came from His Restraint: The Story of President Calvin Coolidge

28 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, at 2:47 a.m. on August 3rd, 1923 Calvin Coolidge was administered the oath of office by his father in the lig...

Possom for Supper?

28 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, Our American Stories listener Joy Neal Kidney shares the story of what her family ate during the Great Depres...

Three Surprising Stories About The King of Rock and Roll

28 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, Greg McDonald got his start in show business as a teenager after meeting Elvis Presley and his manager, Colon...

How Ronald Reagan Faked It 'Til He Made It: His Early Years in Radio in...Des Moines?

28 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, before he was President, he was a strapping radio commentator at WHO in Des Moines. Here's Ronald Reagan's st...

The Only Car Ever Made To Honor God

28 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, Barry Meguiar tells the compelling story of his rare 1901 Duryea car. Support the show (https://www.ourameric...

When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi

27 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, more than any other sports figure, Vince Lombardi transformed football into a metaphor of the American experi...

How My Dad's Wounds of War Fueled My Drive to Serve Vets

27 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, Diane Hight's father was a war hero—but also an alcoholic due to his PTSD from World War II. To honor him, ...

The First Successful Submarine Attack In History

27 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, the CSS Hunley's sinking of the Housatonic was only a partial success, but represents the first time a subm...

Christmas, 1776

26 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, it is called the first “American” Christmas because the Declaration of Independence was created the previ...

How "A Charlie Brown Christmas" Almost Didn't Happen

26 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, dealing with a small budget and with a short deadline, A Charlie Brown Christmas was released to critical a...

The Bible Reading 200,000 Miles From Earth

26 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, the crew of Apollo 8 and Steve Kates tell the story of their Christmas time mission to the moon--and the read...

The Story of Elvis Presley's Christmas Recordings By a Man Who Was There

26 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, Greg McDonald got his start in show business as a teenager after meeting Elvis Presley and his manager, Colon...

How Our Christmas Traditions Came to Be

26 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, before it became a Federal Holiday—June 26, 1870—the way we chose to celebrate Christmas would be unrecog...

A Family Man's Search for the Perfect Christmas Tree

25 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, Jim Johnson’s heart-moving story, “Everett's Last Christmas Carol,” needed a follow up. Here he is agai...

The Story of Elvis Presley's Christmas Recordings By a Man Who Was There

25 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, Greg McDonald got his start in show business as a teenager after meeting Elvis Presley and his manager, Colon...

The Chicago Maintenance Man Who Wrote a Hallmark Christmas Movie

25 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, Rikk Dunlap has always been a writer, and writing has even become a way for him to come to grips with tragedy...

Memorable Christmas Stories in U.S. Military History

25 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, here’s the History Guy remembering the forgotten stories from U.S. military history. Support the show (http...

Doc Holliday: Outlaw Gentleman, Shady Ladies, and Tombstone

22 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, much of what America and the world knows about Doc Holliday comes from movies and television. But historians ...

The Story of the Cabbage Patch Kids and the 1983 Retail Riots

22 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, Jonathan Alexandratos is a toy historian whose knowledge was featured in the film, Billion Dollar Babies: The...

How "A Charlie Brown Christmas" Almost Didn't Happen

22 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, dealing with a small budget and with a short deadline, A Charlie Brown Christmas was released to critical acc...

The Christmas "Store" Where Everything is Free

22 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, Jonathan Mattox is co-chairman of The Christmas Store, founded in 1975. Jonathan tells us about this annual e...

Girl with a Gun: The Annie Oakley Story

21 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, Annie Oakley was a shooting star, a magician whose magic wand was a gun. Right handed, left handed, on a hors...

The Man Who Spent All of His Christmas Savings Building Beds for Needy Children

21 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, Luke Mickelson tells how a meeting in a faith community turned into a Boy Scouts project, a Christmas traditi...

The Fascinating Origins of The Salvation Army

21 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, the Salvation Army's Christmas Red Kettle has been an American icon for 125 years. But for many Americans, th...

Zuzu’s “Wonderful Life”: The Story of Karolyn Grimes

20 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, our next storyteller has the privilege of being in one of the most beloved movies of all time (It's a Wonderf...

The Most Important Churchill Speech You've Never Heard: His Christmas Address to Congress Weeks After Pearl Harbor

20 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, mere weeks after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Prime Minister Winston Churchill made an all-important ...

How My Mom Scraped Her Way to Success in Rural Florida

20 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, for our "True Diversity" series with Philanthropy Roundtable, Devon Westhill, President of the Center for Equ...

How George Washington Surprised the British Army, the Hessians, and the World on Christmas 1776

20 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, Dr. Larry Arnn, President of Hillsdale College, tells the story of how George Washington turned the tides of ...

Silent Night: The Story of the World’s Most Famous Christmas Carol

20 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, from its humble beginnings in an Austrian chapel in 1818, 'Silent Night' has become one of the most popular C...

Christmas, 1776

19 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, it is called the first “American” Christmas because the Declaration of Independence was created the previ...

A Tornado Destroyed My Home—It Led to a Perfect Christmas

19 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, it’s hard to believe that something wonderful could come out of a family’s house, filled with presents, d...

The Angels of Bataan: The Brave Nurses Who Served Our Soldiers in One of WWII's Worst Campaigns

19 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, Anne Clare tells the story of a nurse who served in the Philippines during World War II, and shares the exper...

The Man Who Bombed Berlin With....Candy?

19 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, this is the story of Gail Halvorsen, a young pilot in the US Army Air Corps who was assigned as a cargo pilot...

Why the Nativity? (w/ Dr. David Jeremiah)

18 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, in his book-turned docudrama Why the Nativity?, Dr. David Jeremiah looks in detail at the people and events ...

Triumph and Disaster: The Life of Rudyard Kipling

18 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, the life of the youngest-ever winner of the Nobel Prize for literature, Rudyard Kipling, was filled with trag...

Why Are Bananas So Cheap?

15 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, if you think of the quintessential American fruit, it would probably have to be the apple. But apples are not...

Everett’s Last Christmas Carol

15 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, Jim Johnson finds peculiar friends wherever he goes. This story is about one such friend, Everett Motl. Suppo...

The Henry Steinway Story

15 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, Henry Steinway's story is about more than building a world-class American piano company—it is about resilie...

Christmas, 1776

14 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, it is called the first “American” Christmas because the Declaration of Independence was created the previ...

Hollywood Goes to War: Tim McCoy

14 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, it’s time for another “Hollywood Goes to War” story from Roger McGrath. Tim McCoy was a major film star...

Is Die Hard a Xmas Movie? The Story and the Definitive Answer!

14 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, here to settle this question once and for all is Stephen Follows. Stephen is an established data researcher i...

Caring For My Dying Husband Made Life Worth Living

14 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, Tracy Grant was the managing editor of the Washington Post. She shares the story of why the days taking care ...

The Founding Fathers Said, No Bible—No America: 100 Bible Verses That Made America

14 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, if you want to know about the history of America, it is imperative that you know the role that the Bible play...

Stephen Ambrose: The Transcontinental Railroad

13 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, climb aboard! Here’s Stephen Ambrose to tell us a story from his bestseller, Nothing Like It In The World: ...

The Story of Speaker of the House Carl Albert: The Watergate Democrat Who Put the Nation and the Constitution Above His Party

13 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, he was known as the Little Giant from Little Dixie. He would rise to become the Speaker of the House during t...

No! No! No! Who the Hell Boos Santa Claus?!

13 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1968, the 19-year-old Frank Olivo was dressed as Santa Claus at an Eagles’ football game where he was bo...

The Real Santa

13 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, here's Roger Latham from Fort Worth, Texas, telling us a Christmas story he’s titled, “The Real Santa.”...

The Billy Graham Story

12 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, Billy Graham took the role of evangelist to a new level, lifting it from the sawdust floors of canvas tents i...

How Our Christmas Traditions Came to Be

12 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, before it became a Federal Holiday—June 26, 1870—the way we chose to celebrate Christmas would be unrecog...

From Foster Care to Adoption - A Broken Hallelujah

11 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, Kimberly McCullough explains the beauty and difficulties of going through the foster care and adoption proces...

The True Story of Desert Storm “Top Gun” Pilot

11 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, our next story comes to us from Air Force fighter pilot and “Top Gun” graduate, Jim “Boots” Demarest....

The Sidney Poitier Story

11 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, Sidney Poitier: Man, Actor, Icon was the first full biography of legendary actor Sidney Poitier written by Ar...

The Story Behind FDR's Day of Infamy Speech

08 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, on the day Pearl Harbor was attacked, FDR's speechwriting team wasn't in Washington. Roosevelt, with the help...

The Unexpected Friendship with WWII Hero Joe Brown

08 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, Jay Moore tells us the amazing story of meeting a WWII veteran before going to see Saving Private Ryan for th...

Sunk At Pearl Harbor: The Life After the Death of The USS Oklahoma and Utah

08 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, Anne Claire tells the story of two ships sunk during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Support the show (https://ww...

A Doolittle Raider’s Story of War & Forgiveness

08 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, two enemies: One led Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor; the other was an American Doolittle Raider wh...

Grant's Greatest Battle

07 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, Louis Picone tells the story of how Grant's Memoirs came to be. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstor...

Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas

07 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Our American Stories, Ace Collins is the author of Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas. Collins is an ace at song hist...