Our American Stories
Episodes
A Dad's Gift to His Children with Down Syndrome: An Ice Cream Truck?
29 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Joel Wegener and his wife are blessed with 10 children, 2 of which were diagnosed with Down Syndrome. In his ...
The Men Who Tried to Steal Lincoln's Corpse
29 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, when Lincoln was laid to rest, he certainly didn't do so in peace. Louis Picone tells the story of Lincoln's ...
Centerline: The Surprising History of Lane Markings
28 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, when it comes to infrastructure that helps keep us safe while we drive, perhaps the greatest cost to benefit ...
"On The Wagon" & "Once In A Blue Moon" and the Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions (Pt. 16)
28 Sep 2023
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 Woman Who Sneaked Into George Washington's Army
28 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Deborah Sampson became a hero of the American Revolution when she disguised herself as a man and joined the P...
The Story of How Railroads (Not Government) Created Time Zones
28 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, China runs on just a single time zone; in America, we have four: Pacific, Mountain, Central and Eastern, but ...
Lincoln's Last Trip Back to Springfield
28 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, you've heard us tell the story of Abraham Lincoln's train ride to Washington for his inauguration. This is th...
I Was Bored In Grad School, So I Joined The Navy
27 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, we learn about the Senator who started out as a forward air controller in The Vietnam War Support the show (h...
The Best Lawyer In a One-Lawyer Town
27 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Bill Bryk knows when to start a case on behalf of others... and has learned when to rest. Support the show (h...
The Civil War Soldier Who Risked His Life to Give Water To His Enemies
27 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, listener Richard Hood takes us to the Battle of Fredericksburg and tells a story about compassion in the mids...
Levi Strauss: The Man Who Gave Blue Jeans to the World
27 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, this is the story of how one man got his American Dream stitched into a pair of blue jeans. Lynn Downey (Levi...
The Screwdriver Wars
26 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, the differing fates of the Robertson and the Phillips head screwdrivers demonstrate that innovation is intima...
Dana Mitch: I Was Detached About My Family's Holocaust Story....Until I Went to Buchenwald
26 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Dana Mitch tells the story of her trip to Buchenwald, the largest concentration camp on German soil, and how ...
My Mother Had Me at 16, But That Didn't Change a Thing
26 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, we hear the story of Alan Brown and his mother. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate...
The Story of KFC & Colonel Sanders
26 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Colonel Sanders did something that no other restaurant founder dared to do — he became his company’s own ...
Heart-Washing: My Antidote to 14 Years of Brainwashing in a Communist Prison
25 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1948, Richard Wurmbrand publicly stated Communism and Christianity were incompatible. As a result, he was ...
When "Neutral" America Occupied "Neutral" Iceland During WWII
25 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Iceland's strategic location made it difficult to remain neutral during World War II. Here’s the History Gu...
The Outsiders: House of Pain Rapper Restores House from Coppola's Movie
25 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, since being released in 1983, Francis Ford Coppola’s film adaptation of S.E. Hinton’s coming-of-age novel...
The First Martyr of the Abolition Movement: 100 Bible Verses That Made America
25 Sep 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...
The Story of Charleston: The Way Life Used to Be, And Perhaps, Is Supposed to Be
22 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Tommy Dew’s Walking Tour of Charleston, SC, has been praised and recommended by the likes of The Wall Stree...
Brett Favre on Humility, Aging, and Faith (Pt. 4 of 5)
22 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, much of what’s known about legendary NFL quarterback Brett Favre has been kept between the goal posts. So G...
The Story of How "Women and Children First" Came to Be
22 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, The History Guy remembers the Birkenhead Disaster and explains where the protocol "women and children first" ...
Ex-Slave Booker T. Washington and His Bridge Forward (Told By His Great-Granddaughter)
22 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, as the great-granddaughter of Booker T. Washington, the former slave-turned famous educator, and founder of T...
I Came to New York City Dead: The Story of Sarah Gonzalez's Redemption
21 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, coping with the loss of her father as a child, total rebellion could not stop God from pursuing Sarah Gonzale...
"Hunky Dory" & "Hedge Your Bets" and the Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions (Pt. 9)
21 Sep 2023
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 Johnny Carson Saved Twister
21 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, the Milton Bradley game was about to be pulled from the shelves. Author Christopher Klein tells the story of ...
1945 Empire State Building B-25 Crash
21 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in July 1945, a U.S. B-25 Mitchell got lost in heavy fog over Manhattan. Here’s The History Guy remembering...
Making Peace With My Sister's Killer
21 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Jeanne Bishop tells us the story of the brutal murders of her beloved family members… and how a change of h...
Bruce Wang, All-American: The Chinese Cowboy With A Southern Accent
20 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Bruce may be Chinese-born, but as you are about to hear, he’s all American. Support the show (https://www...
“Soft and Weak” Americans Try Stopping Nazis in 1943 (Stephen Ambrose)
20 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, our next story from Stephen Ambrose begins in early 1943—With America's first major defeat during the Secon...
Mike Eruzione: The Making of a Miracle
20 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Mike Eruzione—the captain of the 1980 U.S Men’s Olympic "Miracle on Ice" Hockey Team—recounts the unlik...
Buffalo Bill Cody: A Legend in His Own Time, and in Ours
20 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, was "Buffalo Bill" Cody a real-life hero, or was he a fake? Tune in to find out! Support the show (https://...
Love and Sacrifice: The Navy’s Jackie Robinson (Told by His Granddaughter)
19 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, this is the story of America's first Black Naval Aviator, Jesse Leroy Brown. There's a movie dedicated to him...
"Run Amuck" and the Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions (Pt. 20)
19 Sep 2023
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 Family Lived in the New York Public Library?
19 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, our audience loved Kristin O'Donnell Tubb’s wonderful story from her historical fiction book John Lincoln C...
The Untold Story of Christopher Columbus
19 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, for generations, students in American elementary schools were taught Christopher Columbus “sailed the ocean...
A Texas Boy vs. the Air Traffic Control Bully
19 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, it’s time for another story from our regular listener and contributor Roger Latham, from Fort Worth, Texas....
Robin Cook: The American Physician Who Wrote Coma Underwater
18 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Robin Cook is best known for his novel, Coma. The book was published in 1977, and premiered as a movie the ne...
The Tone Deaf, Bad Poet Who Wrote The National Anthem
18 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Francis “Frank” Scott Key was not someone you would have picked to write our national anthem… but he di...
America's Comeback: The Battle of Midway
18 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Anne Claire tells the story of the Battle of Midway, America's "make or break" moment in World War II. Supp...
Surviving Hanoi: Larry Spencer's Story
15 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Larry Spencer tells the story of being one of the first POWs of the Vietnam war, and surviving until war's en...
Two Men and a Truck
15 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, we hear about the story of faith and family behind the largest franchised moving company in America. Suppor...
The House That Was Built By Gum
15 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, William Wrigley, Jr. was a brilliant businessman, but his ingenuity was outshined by his love for his wife. T...
Opportunity American: "You Don't Know My Story"
15 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Gwen Boyd-WIllis committed a minor felony in 2005 but made an effort to be better even while serving her time...
Burt Young’s Story: The Man Who Played Paulie in Rocky Opens Up About His Family and His Craft
15 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Burt Young is an immediately recognizable character actor whose half-muttered voice and flinty gaze made him ...
The Streets Were My Father
14 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, meet Carlos Colon, a Chicago man who joined a gang as a teenager, murdered a man, spent most of his life in p...
John Brown, Radical Abolitionist
14 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, to southerners, he was a brave villain, to many northerners, he was a madman, but to John Brown--he was simpl...
Busy Mother Of Six Befriends Retired Cop
14 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Heidi Viars shares how her life changed when she began showing some neighborly kindness to a grumpy old cop. ...
How One Black Woman Led in the Redemption of "The Most Dangerous Racist In America": The Story of George Wallace and Shirley Chisholm
13 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, a tragic event brought a racist (Wallace) and a radical (Chisholm) together and forged an unlikely alliance. ...
The Famous McCartys Pottery That Comes from the Mississippi Delta
13 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, McCartys Pottery was founded in 1954 and is known all over the world today… And it all started in the tiny ...
What Came Before The Constitution?: The Story of America [Ep. 8]
13 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, we learn what came before the Constitution... which was the Articles of Confederation, of course. Bill McClay...
Whiskey Is In Their Blood
13 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, the Old Dominick Distillery story starts back in 1859 with an Italian immigrant and a fruit cart that grew to...
Five Floors Up: The Heroic Family Story of Four Generations in the FDNY
12 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, seen through the eyes of four generations of a firefighter family, Five Floors Up tells the story of the mode...
The Unlikely Relationship Between Two of NYC's Finest
12 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, 9/11 firefighter Niels Jorgensen and billionaire David Koch, and the tragedies that brought them together. ...
How George Washington's Bible Survived 9/11: 100 Bible Verses That Made America
12 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, George Washington’s Bible was on loan to a famous Revolutionary War tavern just blocks from the World Trade...
Enhancing Lives, One Guide Dog at a Time
11 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Christine Benninger is the CEO of Guide Dogs for the Blind, the largest guide dog school in North America. Sh...
Saying Hello at a Diner Led to Lifelong Friendship with a WWII Veteran and His Captured Nazi Flag
11 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Jason Porter shares with us the story of how he met WWII veteran Forrest Johnson and how “Forrie” became ...
The Not So Wild Wild West
11 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, as part of our rule of law series, P.J. Hill, rancher and co-author of “The Not So Wild, Wild West: Propert...
Life Lessons From A Dairy Farm
11 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, listener and Contributor Katrina Hine shares a personal story from one of her first jobs out of high school e...
The Story of The Man Who Built One of the Largest Prison Ministries in the World
11 Sep 2023
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 the prison setting. As he te...
President Truman’s Visit to Tiny Dexter, Iowa—And How It Helped Him Win Reelection
08 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1948 President Harry Truman decided to attend a plowing match in the small town of Dexter, Iowa. It turned...
I Paid My Own Child Support
08 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Jason Wolfe’s father left his family when Jason was six. Here’s Jason's story of becoming the father he h...
A 12-Year Girl's Eight-Hour Car Chase To Get Elvis' Photo At A Gas Station
08 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, a listener from Colorado tells her remarkable Elvis story about the time she met the King not once but twice ...
How Acting Legend Eddie Albert Served Our Country in WWII (Hollywood Goes To War)
08 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, it’s time for another “Hollywood Goes to War” story from Roger McGrath. Eddie Albert played a sadistic ...
The Banjo's Trip Through History
08 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Johnny Baier, Executive Director of the Banjo Museum in Oklahoma City, takes us through the history of the Ba...
James Madison: Founding Father and Lawgiver
07 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, President of Hillsdale College, Dr. Larry Arnn, tells the story of our fourth president, James Madison. Sup...
The Story of Bing Crosby and David Bowie's "Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth"
07 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, it was one of the oddest and best musical collaborations of the 20th century. Old school pop crooner Bing Cro...
How An Unlikely Alliance Between Thomas Jefferson and Christian Fundamentalists Brought About Religious Freedom
07 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Religious persecution had become the norm by the time of the American Revolution. It took the unorthodox Thom...
The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of Major League Baseball’s Legendary Slugger—Darryl Strawberry
07 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, he made eight consecutive all-star game appearances and captured four World Series championships, but his tal...
America's Last King: The Story of King George III
06 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, American history hasn't been kind to our last king. He's viewed as a tyrant, and the Declaration of Independe...
The Story of Pinball
06 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Pinball is an iconic game. Jeremy Saucier of the Strong Museum of Play shares the surprising story--from pinb...
How Boston Embraced The Brothers of John Wilkes Booth Following Lincoln's Assassination
06 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, 26-year-old actor John Wilkes Booth was killed just 12 days after assassinating Abraham Lincoln. Here’s Chr...
"Bring Home the Bacon" and the Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions (Pt. 5)
06 Sep 2023
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 Surprising History of PEZ Candy
06 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, PEZ had great success where it was invented, but changed its course after initially failing in America. Shawn...
One of the Great Men of American Business Started Out as a…Paperboy
05 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Jerre Stead, who's been the CEO of 10 publicly traded companies and has served on 37 corporate boards, shares...
One Man's Mission To Find Work, Purpose, And Meaning For Millions
05 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, before Bob Funk founded Express Employment Professionals he wanted to be an actual minister, but his real cal...
A Father Wanted A Clean Hotel For His Family ... So He Created Holiday Inn
05 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Kemmons Wilson Jr. tells the story of how his father (Kemmons Wilson) created a hotel chain that established ...
The CEO Who Grew Up Without Running Water
05 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, he grew up in poverty; His first job was at McDonalds... And he would work his way up to become the CEO of 7-...
The Story of the Barcode
04 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, a barcode on most products, properly called a UPC, or “Universal Product Code,” is a necessity for everyd...
Left for Dead: A Soldier's Second Life After Vietnam
04 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in Vietnam, the armored personnel carrier Jon Hovde was driving hit an anti-tank mine. The 20-year-old soldie...
Ida B. Wells: Fighter for Black Civil Rights to Own Arms
04 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, born into slavery during the Civil War, Ida B. Wells is best remembered as an American journalist who fought ...
How a Fake Doctor Ran Carnival Sideshows, Saved Thousands of Infants, and Changed Medical History
04 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Dr. Martin Couney carried a secret with him, but the results are unimpeachable. It was Coney Island in the ea...
Our American “Odyssey”: Stephen Ambrose on Lewis & Clark
04 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Stephen Ambrose shares some stories from his #1 New York Times bestseller, Undaunted Courage. Support the s...
Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, and the Summer of ‘41 (by George Will)
01 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, George Will tells the story of Ted Williams. He also tells the story of a San Francisco fisherman, Joe DiMagg...
John Ford: The Greatest Director of All Time Quits Hollywood To Fight In World War II
01 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, John Ford was Hollywood’s greatest director (Rio Grande and The Seachers, for example). As WWII began, the ...
Asbestos: The Story of The Mineral That Used to Be In Everything
01 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, today we know asbestos to be a health hazard. But the natural mineral was not simply an artifact of the indus...
The Poverty of Fatherlessness: Blair Linne's Story
01 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, like so many fatherless children, Blair Linne had a hole in her heart. She had a loving mom, but went from ho...
American Freedom Machines: The Story of Harley-Davidson
31 Aug 2023
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...
How Abigail Adams and Her 7-Year-Old Son John Quincy Lived through the Battle of Bunker Hill: 100 Bible Verses That Made America
31 Aug 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...
Curly (of "The Three Stooges") Was My Grandfather... But My Family Kept It A Secret From Me
31 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Brad Server grew up watching The Three Stooges on TV, not knowing he was related to one of the greatest comic...
The Story of America's Uneasy Alliance With The Soviets—And How It Brought About The Downfall of Nazi Germany (w/ Stephen Ambrose)
31 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Stephen Ambrose shares a WWII story beginning in January of 1943 and ending with the Allied solution of Uncon...
The Story of French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte's American Descendants
30 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, The History Guy unpacks the largely forgotten saga of the Bonapartes who came to America. The story illustrat...
A Fallen Cop’s Daughter Delivers A Eulogy for the Ages
30 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Shelby Houston, 18, delivered a sermon for her father—Richard Houston, a 21-year TX cop—killed in the lin...
Ilene Hall Joined the Army to Find Her Husband in the Middle of WWII
30 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, when Ilene Hall enlisted in the Army WAC in 1943, she was following her husband, Edward “Ken” Hall, to wa...
Chuck Colson’s (Watergate’s “Evil Genius”) Fall From the Center of Power into Prison... and His Redemption
30 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, this is the story of Chuck Colson's Watergate fallout—told by Chuck himself, who served as Special Counsel ...
The Twin Brothers Who Brought America EMTs, 911 Dispatchers - and Saved Millions of Lives
30 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, this is the story of how identical twin brothers—a doctor and a lawyer—collaborated with scores of unsung...
I Was Gretzky’s Hungover Linemate
29 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Sean Pronger always dreamed of being and playing with Wayne Gretzky. Find out what happens when his dream mee...
"Cat Got Your Tongue?" and the Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions
29 Aug 2023
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...
Ben Franklin: Chess Can Make You A Better Person?
29 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Ben Franklin has the distinction of many "firsts": He invented the lightning rod, the Franklin stove, bifoc...
Brits & U.S. Unite: The Race to Defeat Germany (w/ Stephen Ambrose)
29 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, when the Brits and the U.S. decided to form the first allied command in history in order to defeat Nazi Germa...