Our American Stories
Episodes
She Wanted to Become a Movie Star, so She Moved to... a National Park?
01 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, growing up in small-town Mississippi, all Donna Martin wanted to do was move to a big city and become a famou...
Robert Ray: "The Good Governor"
01 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, after the United States pulled out of Vietnam, their allies in Indochina were all alone. Faced with the prosp...
He Knew He'd Work for the Pittsburgh Pirates Since He Was 7
01 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, while he didn't have a job offer or even the skills for the job, Joe Klimchak was inspired by a Pirates legen...
Stephen Ambrose on 1943 and America’s Nazi/Soviet Conundrum
01 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Stephen Ambrose shares a WWII story beginning in January of 1943 with the Soviet victory over the Nazis at St...
Lincoln On The Verge
31 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, the story of President Abraham Lincoln's harrowing train trip to Washington, D.C., to be sworn in as the lead...
When Bonnie and Clyde Came to Town
31 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, to some they were heroes stealing from banks that had foreclosed on them during the Great Depression. To othe...
Caring For My Dying Husband Made Life Worth Living
31 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Tracy Grant is the Managing Editor at The Washington Post. She is also the author of the essay that appeared ...
The Best Worst Counterfeiter in American History
31 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Emerich Juettner was an upstanding citizen... for most of his life. Support the show (https://www.ouramerican...
Dick Bong, Ace of Aces: The Greatest Fighter Pilot in American History
30 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Richard “Dick” Bong was a hero in an era of heroes. Here’s the History Guy with the story. Support the ...
Fawn Weaver: A Woman's Self-Made Journey from Motown to Small Town
30 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Fawn Weaver grew up the daughter of Motown Record royalty, Frank Wilson, but her parentage is only the beginn...
The Baylor Basketball Incident: An Eyewitness to One of the Biggest Scandals (and Turnarounds) in NCAA History
30 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, this is a story about one of the biggest scandals in college basketball history—along with one of its bigge...
Richard's Rainwater
27 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, there are over 80 bottled water companies in the United States, but one of them has changed the game forever,...
“Son of a Gun & Steal My Thunder” and the Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions (Pt. 21)
27 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, here again with his reoccurring series is Hair of the Dog to Paint the Town Red: The Curious Origins of Every...
Reconnecting With My Absent Father Who Was Presumed Dead
27 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, meet Ron Brown, a man who grew up in a rough area of Chicago, was practically abandoned by his father, and wo...
Louis Zamperini: In His Own Words (born 1917)
27 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, this story was made into a 2014 motion picture directed by Angelina Jolie based on the 2010 non-fiction book ...
1945 Empire State Building B-25 Crash
26 Jan 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...
Burrito Restaurant Offers Job To Burglar
26 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, after Diablos Southwest Grill was broken into owner Carl Wallace made a Facebook post with a job offer for th...
King Solomon, Town's Grave Digging Drunk-Turned Hero
26 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, King Solomon was a gravedigger who may have saved the town of Lexington during the Cholera epidemic of 1833. ...
The Life of Duke Ellington: An American Original
26 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, some believe he was the most important composer of the 20th century, in or out of jazz. Terry Teachout, one o...
The Brooklyn Bridge (The History Guy)
25 Jan 2023
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...
From Darkness to Light: The Story of Tony Maglica
25 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, escaping the horrors of World War II in Croatia, Tony Maglica's flashlights are proudly made in America—and...
The Man Who Created the Coors Light Silver Bullet Can: A Cuban Refugee
25 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, the story of Marc Barrios, a cuban refugee would make his mark on the American Advertising Industry Support t...
Churchill: Walking With Destiny
25 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Winston Churchill is the only Englishman to be honored by having a United States Navy Ship named after him. H...
How I Came to Terms With My Navy Cross
24 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Karl Marlantes, author of Matterhorn and What Its Like To Go To War, tells the story of how he received his m...
America Builds Up: The Bremerton Naval Yards
24 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, teacher, organist, choir director, and World War II history buff Anne Clare tells the story of how World War ...
John Moses Browning: The Mormon Inventor Whose Firearms Changed the World
24 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, few people are aware that John Moses Browning—a tall, modest man born in 1855 and raised as a Mormon in the...
“Red Tape” and the Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions (Pt. 19)
24 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, here again with his recurring series is Hair of the Dog to Paint the Town Red: The Curious Origins of Everyda...
"Bless You" and the Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions (Pt. 6)
23 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Andrew Thompson, the author of Hair of the Dog to Paint the Town Red: The Curious Origins of Everyday Sayings...
Hollywood Goes to War: Tim McCoy
23 Jan 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...
The 1946 Battle of Alcatraz
23 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, The History Guy shares the story about an escape attempt in the infamous Alcatraz Federal penitentiary in San...
Bad Medicine: Life Before the FDAc
23 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Daryn Glassbrook of the Mobile Medical Museum tells the story of patent medicine, which didn't do much except...
Indians, a Jew, and a Hotel Partnership
23 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Mike Leven was President and Chief Operating Officer of Las Vegas Sands Corp. One of the great hoteliers of a...
A Texas Boy Vs. the Air Traffic Control Bully
23 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, we have another story from our regular listener/contributor Roger Latham, from Fort Worth, Texas. Support the...
The Outsiders: House of Pain Rapper Restores House from Coppola's Movie
20 Jan 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...
Moose Prayer
20 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Paul moved our listeners with his story “Wilber and the Empty Nester” and “A Baby Boomer’s Battle wit...
After Appomattox: Gen. Robert E. Lee in the Post-War Years
20 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, on April 9, 1865, at the Appomattox County Court House, Virginia, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrender...
Oliver Halle: Swift Boat Vietnam Vet with a "Life Changing" Family Secret
19 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Oliver Halle shares some stories while he was in the Navy during the Vietnam War and also about his family (w...
Curly Was My Grandfather... But My Family Kept It A Secret From Me
19 Jan 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 comics...
"Run Amuck" and the Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions (Pt. 20)
19 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, here again with his reoccurring series is Hair of the Dog to Paint the Town Red: The Curious Origins of Every...
“Black Harry” Hoosier: The Story Behind Indiana’s Namesake
19 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, how did Indiana get its nickname as “The Hoosier State”? And how did people from Indiana come to be calle...
Jim Johnson: How Hawking Hot Dogs in the MLB Changed My Life
18 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Jim Johnson wowed our listeners back in December with his story, “Everett's Last Christmas Carol.” We ask...
"In My Father's Village, Nobody Could Read...He Moved to America and Became an Engineer"
18 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in Kevin Samy's father's village in India, they actually had to call in a person from another village to teac...
Levi Strauss: The Jewish Immigrant Who Gave Blue Jeans to the World
18 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, this is the story of how Levi Strauss got his American Dream stitched into a pair of blue jeans—the fabric ...
Bruce Wang, All-American: The Chinese Cowboy With A Southern Accent
17 Jan 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.o...
Pepsi Had the 6th Largest Navy in the World?
17 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, The History Guy remembers rubles, cola and a kitchen that changed history. It is a forgotten moment during th...
Eric Motley: When Character Stands Tall
17 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, despite being generally liked by the fraternity he was rushing, some parents of the boys expressed their dism...
Heart-Washing: My Antidote to 14 Years of Brainwashing in a Communist Prison
17 Jan 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 ...
“High and Dry & Let the Cat Out of the Bag” and the Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions (Pt. 12)
17 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, here again with his recurring series is Hair of the Dog to Paint the Town Red: The Curious Origins of Everyda...
“The NOT So Wild, Wild West”
16 Jan 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...
He Bought A Sub Shop At 17… Jersey Mike’s Now Has Nearly 2,000 Locations!
16 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, we learn about "The Back Story" of Jersey Mike's Subs, with founder Peter Cancro and his remarkable journey. ...
The Fire of Genius: How Lincoln Overcame Poverty and Gained an Education
16 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, when Lincoln was asked on a questionaire to describe his education he only wrote one word: defective. That di...
An Army Moves On Its Stomach... And Lots of Coffee
16 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Richard Muniz tells a story that one of his friends told him on a coffee incident that took place on the USS ...
John O’Neil On The First B-17 To Bomb Berlin
13 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, it was never supposed to be them...but through an extraordinary chain of events, Lt. Bill Owen's crew managed...
Buffalo Bill Cody: A Legend in His Own Time, and in Ours
13 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, the NFL team in Buffalo, New York, was named after him. But if you caught Paul Newman’s Cody in Robert Altm...
Five Floors Up: The Heroic Family Story of Four Generations in the FDNY
13 Jan 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 the story of the modern New...
Captain John Smith: American Hero
12 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, many people know John Smith as the man who was saved by Pocahontas. But what you may not know is that he led ...
The Tone Deaf, Bad Poet Who Wrote The National Anthem
12 Jan 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...
The Church Where They Preach in 5 Different Languages
12 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Josh and Lauren Manning needed a grand change in life...and they found the opportunity at Noel Community Bapt...
John O’Neil On The First B-17 To Bomb Berlin
11 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, it was never supposed to be them...but through an extraordinary chain of events, Lt. Bill Owen's crew managed...
Buffalo Bill Cody: A Legend in His Own Time, and in Ours
11 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, the NFL team in Buffalo, New York, was named after him. But if you caught Paul Newman’s Cody in Robert Altm...
Five Floors Up: The Heroic Family Story of Four Generations in the FDNY
11 Jan 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 the story of the modern New...
From Tech-Startup to Making a Wooden Pen with His Dad: The Story of Allegory
10 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, for Chad and Jess Schumacher, life seemed to be going really well and as "according to plan" as life could......
The Woman Who Stood Up To George Washington
10 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, During the Revolutionary War Esther Reed decided the Patriot troops needed a morale boost. Reed, along with o...
Arm Wrestling: A Professional Sport
10 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Dustin Tomlinson tells the story of how he discovered arm wrestling and decided to take his skill off of the ...
The Quintessential American Story of a Classic American Song
10 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Lee Habeeb tells the story of how "Georgia On My Mind" came to be, and how it became a song the world would c...
The Titanic’s Last Hero
10 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Lowell Lytle has been one of the privileged few who has seen Titanic first-hand. Lowell has played the part o...
The History of the Barcode
09 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, barcodes, on most products properly called a UPC, or “Universal Product Code,” are a necessity for everyd...
The Transatlantic Cable: A Thread Across the Ocean
09 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, historian John Steele Gordon tells the story of how the telegraph went from Samuel Morse to winning WWI and h...
The Museum Dedicated To Mustard
09 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Barry Levenson went from arguing cases in front of the Supreme Court to having the world's largest collection...
Willie Kennard, First Black Lawman in Colorado
09 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, murder and mayhem ran unchecked in the town of Yankee Hill....things were a mess, and they needed a real life...
"PEZ: From Austrian Invention To American Icon"
09 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, PEZ had great success where it was invented, but changed its course drastically after initially failing in Am...
George Washington: From Good Man to Great General
06 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, George Washington is remembered in our history books, our nation's capital, and the values Americans still es...
Trapped Inside a Tube: The Iron Lung Story
06 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Daryn Glassbrook of the Mobile Medical Museum tells the story of the iron lung, a device used to keep people ...
How Piggly Wiggly Created the Modern Supermarket
06 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, grabbing a basket while grocery shopping may seem second nature today, but the idea was once groundbreaking....
The Shocking Story Behind the Diamond Engagement Ring
06 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Tom Zoellner purchased a diamond engagement ring and proposed. His girlfriend said, "yes" and then, suddenly...
A Family Lived in the New York Public Library?
06 Jan 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...
What Happened to Saturday Morning Cartoons?
05 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Mark McCray is the author of The Best Saturday’s of Our Lives. He’s here to tell us the story of Saturday...
The Family The Size Of A Baseball Team
05 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, the Bohlender family has 10 children, 6 of which are adopted. Take a listen to hear their stories of adoption...
Civil War Protector: Col. Justin Dimick
05 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, our next story comes from our regular contributor, Christopher Klein. Klein is the author of four books and i...
The Man Who Rescued Over 10,000 Stranded Motorists
05 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Thomas Weller, also known as 'The San Diego Highwayman' shares the story of why he dedicated his time to help...
"All Hell Broke Loose" and the Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions (Pt. 1)
05 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, here again with his recurring series is Hair of the Dog to Paint the Town Red: The Curious Origins of Everyda...
The Fateful Night During WWII Cecil Wax Met God
04 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Marilyn Jensen tells the harrowing story of when her father went on a supply run amidst a German bombing. ...
To Mow or Not to Mow: History and Lawn Care
04 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, the idea of a lawn is very old, but it took a key technology to make lawns very common. Here’s “The Histo...
The Littleton Brothers
04 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, John Busbee of The Culture Buzz on KFMG 98.9 tells the story of the remarkable sacrifice made by one family i...
How Did Fast Food Become an American Favorite?
04 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, today, we don't think twice about pulling up at a drive-thru and grabbing a quick meal. But this idea was onc...
"Apple of Your Eye" and the Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions (Pt. 2)
04 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, here again with his recurring series is Hair of the Dog to Paint the Town Red: The Curious Origins of Everyda...
Couple Adopts 7 Siblings Separated Throughout 4 Foster Homes!
03 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, this is the story of how one childless married couple of 13 years became a family of 9, literally, overnight....
How Duke’s Coach K Was Almost Fired in 1983
03 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, John Feinstein is a sportswriter of 42 books, 23 of them New York Times bestsellers. His first book, A Season...
Bob Munden: “The Fastest Gun Who Ever Lived”
03 Jan 2023
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 three quick-d...
America’s First Real Life Superhero
03 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, former Air Force Captain and Air Force OSI Special Agent Vince Benedetto shares his story of going to a schoo...
The WWII Tragedy America Chose to Forget
03 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, because of the devastating nature of the attack, the U.S. government chose to keep the details of this attack...
Are Professional Wrestlers Athletes?
02 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, oftentimes when the topic of professional wrestling (think Hulk Hogan) comes up, it’s almost guaranteed tha...
"On The Wagon & Once In A Blue Moon" and the Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions (Pt. 16)
02 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, here again with his reoccurring series is Hair of the Dog to Paint the Town Red: The Curious Origins of Every...
Triumph and Disaster: The Life of Rudyard Kipling
02 Jan 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...
The Blue Collar Leader of America’s Most Innovative University
02 Jan 2023
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://ww...
The Greatest Political Prank in American History
02 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Duncan Scott tells us his story of pranking the New Mexico State Legislature. Support the show (https://www.o...
American Freedom Machines: The Story of Harley-Davidson
30 Dec 2022
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...
From Bagatelle to Video Games: The History of Pinball
30 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Pinball is an iconic American game. But how did it reach its iconic status? How did pinball develop? Listen t...
Centerline: The Surprising History of Lane Markings
30 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, when it comes to the various bits of infrastructure that help keep us safe while we drive, most likely the gr...
"Bring Home the Bacon" and the Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions (Pt. 5)
30 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, here again with his recurring series is Hair of the Dog to Paint the Town Red: The Curious Origins of Everyda...