Our American Stories
Episodes
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...
Phillis Wheatley: From Africa to America’s First Published Black Poet
04 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Phillis Wheatley was brought from Africa to Boston as a child and enslaved. Within a few years, she was readi...
From a Displaced Persons Camp to Funding Brain Research
04 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, when the Soviets took control of Lithuania at the end of World War II, Audrey Gruss’s parents fled. Aft...
Eli Whitney and the Origins of American Mass Production
04 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, before interchangeable parts became standard in factories, they were an idea in need of proof. And Eli Whitne...
The Couple the Catholic Church Wouldn’t Marry
04 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, despite the church's refusal to annul a previous marriage, this couple spent days together for decades, all t...
Paul Bauer: The 6'6" Quilter from Minneapolis
03 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, at six-foot-six and 250 pounds, Paul Bauer does not fit most people’s picture of a quilter. A few years...
Curt Flood and the Lawsuit That Changed Baseball
03 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Curt Flood was one of the best center fielders in Major League Baseball. As a three-time All-Star and two-tim...
Remembering The USS Indianapolis: The Worst Naval Disaster in American History
03 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, The USS Indianapolis left Guam in July 1945 after delivering critical cargo connected to the Manhat...
Falling in Love at The Kids Section at Lambeau Field
03 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Lambeau Field has hosted decades of Green Bay Packers history. In the 1980s, it also hosted something quieter...
Becoming Dr. Seuss: The Making of an American Imagination
03 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, from Green Eggs and Ham to How the Grinch Stole Christmas, we’re all familiar with the work o...
Three Months Into Retirement He Started Over
02 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Bob Huff built a career in the nursing home and home healthcare industry. After 3 months of retirement, Bob d...
John F. Kennedy’s Forgotten Independence Day Address
02 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, during some of the tensest moments of the Cold War, President Kennedy on July 4th, 1962 visited Independence ...
Thomas Bennett and the Growth of the Winchester Rifle Brand
02 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, the Winchester name carries weight in American history, especially when it comes to rifles and repeating fire...
VHS vs Betamax and the Battle for the Living Room
02 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, there was a moment when the future of home entertainment was uncertain. VHS and Betamax were locked in a form...
B.B. King, Lucille, and the Rise of a Blues Legend
02 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, before he became known worldwide as B.B. King, he was Riley B. King, a young musician working the radio circu...
Couple Adopts 7 Siblings Separated Across Four Foster Homes!
27 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Sophia and Deshaun Olds were married in 2004 but didn’t immediately think about starting a family. They...
Why Chick-fil-A Says “My Pleasure”
27 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, if you have ever ordered at Chick-fil-A, you know the reply almost by heart: “My pleasure.” But t...
Walt Disney’s Long Fight to Make Mary Poppins
27 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, more than half a century after Mary Poppins premiered in 1964, it still sits near the top of the list of...
The Eating Contest That Earned Her a Reputation
27 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, some competitions end when the plates are cleared. This one kept going in the form of a nickname. Lindsey Gal...
Christopher Columbus: The Last Crusader
27 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, The Age of Discovery launched European exploration across the Atlantic, but Columbus’s motivations were...
Remembering Father and Son Whose Story Inspired the Hit Country Song "I Drive Your Truck"
26 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Paul Monti was able to keep and drive a meaningful memorial of his son, Jared, who was killed in action while...
How One Man Saved the USS Midway—and Brought It to San Diego
26 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Malin Burnham, a San Diego business leader, shares his story of community development and philanthropy, inclu...
When Neutral Iceland Became a Strategic Prize in WWII
26 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, by the time the United States sent troops to Iceland, the war in Europe was already reshaping the Atlantic. I...
Why Ole Miss Fans Learn Humility Early
26 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, loving a team that loses year after year certainly has a way of shaping character, and in Oxford, Mississippi...
Why Moby-Dick Nearly Ruined Herman Melville
26 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, today, Herman Melville sits firmly within the canon of American literature. His novel Moby-Dick is assig...
Losing Both Arms at Ten and Learning to Live Again
25 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, when Mississippi native Madysen Acey was ten years old, an electrical accident led to the loss of both her ar...
Spam: How a Canned Meat Became an American Icon
25 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, ask ten people what Spam is, and you will hear ten different answers. Some think of canned meat on a grocery ...
The Dog Food CEO Who Ate Kibble for 30 Days
25 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in an age of viral marketing campaigns and carefully crafted advertising strategies, one Texas business owner...
he Story of America: Cuba, the Philippines, and the Making of an American Empire [Ep. 38]
25 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1898, the mysterious explosion of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor lit a fuse that had already bee...
Driving Into the Alaskan Wilderness—and the Storm That Changed Me
25 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Kent Nerburn, author of Letters to My Son, set out on a road trip through Alaska as a young man&mda...
Elvis Presley and Colonel Tom Parker: Stories From the Early Years
24 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Elvis Presley’s rise to become the King of Rock and Roll did not happen in isolation. Behind the scenes...
Who Invented Snowboarding? The Story of Jake Burton Carpenter
24 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, snowboarding grew from a niche winter activity into a global sport within a single generation. At the center ...
Why Cincinnati Is Named After George Washington—and a Roman Farmer
24 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, King George III once said that if George Washington truly resigned his commission and returned to his farm, h...
The Story of America: The Framers and the Summer of 1787 [Ep. 9]
24 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, when the Constitutional Convention opened in 1787, the United States was less than a decade old and already s...
Ruth Graham’s Farewell to Her Father Billy Graham
24 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, few figures shaped modern American Christianity like Billy Graham. His sermons reached across denominations a...
Captain America and the Hitler Punch That Shocked the World
23 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1941, Captain America Comics No. 1 hit newsstands with an unforgettable image: Captain America p...
Iowa’s Union Soldiers and the Lasting Effects of the Civil War
23 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Our American Stories regular contributor, Joy Neal Kidney, shares the forgotten stories of Union soldier...
President Reagan's Greatest Speech You've Never Heard: His July 4 Speech in NY Harbor
23 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, on July 4, 1986, moments before the largest fireworks display in American history, President Ronald Reagan ga...
Who Invented the Internet?
23 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, no, Al Gore did not invent the internet. And neither did one single engineer working alone in a lab.The creat...
Theodore Roosevelt: That Damn Cowboy
23 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Theodore Roosevelt was the youngest president in American history when he took office in 1901. He is remember...
The Story of America: What Came Before The Constitution? [Ep. 8]
20 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, before the United States Constitution, there were the Articles of Confederation. Written during the American ...
Why Abe’s BBQ Is a Mississippi Delta Landmark
20 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Clarksdale, Mississippi is known for blues music and Delta history. It is also home to one of the most belove...
The Pepsi Harrier Jet Ad That Sparked a Lawsuit
20 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in the 1990s, Pepsi ran a commercial that joked a teenager could earn a Harrier jump jet, the pride of the Ma...
John Hughes: The Irish Bishop Who Fought for Catholics in America
20 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, The First Amendment promised freedom of religion, but the reality in America was not always simple. In the ni...
Why the American Flag Means So Much to My Family
20 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, the American flag carries deep meaning for millions of families, often shaped by service, sacrifice, and memo...
When a Baptist Preacher Gave Thomas Jefferson a 1,200-Pound Gift
19 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Thomas Jefferson is remembered as a Founding Father, the author of the Declaration of Independence, and the n...
How Spam and Chocolate Became America’s Secret Weapons in WWII
19 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, when American troops left for war, they carried reminders of home that came in the simplest form: food. Spam ...
Kemmons Wilson: The Man Who Built Holiday Inn
19 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Holiday Inn began with one frustrated family road trip and grew into one of the largest hotel chains in the w...
When Friendship in Vietnam Meant Saying Goodbye
19 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, the Vietnam War changed a generation of American men. For many of them, survival depended less on strategy an...
The Rural Missouri Church That Preaches In Five Languages
19 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Josh and Lauren Manning did not expect to end up in Noel, Missouri. After years in retail management, Josh fe...
99 Reasons a Typewriter Beats a Computer
18 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, it is hard to imagine now, but there was a time when writing meant sitting in front of a typewriter. Just a k...
From Fairly OddParents to Danny Phantom: The Animator Behind the Shows
18 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Butch Hartman shares the story of how one of the most influential animation careers of the 2000s came to be. ...