Our American Stories
Episodes
How a mother and Daughter Turned 20,000 Salt and Pepper Shakers Into a Legacy
07 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, archaeologist Andrea Ludden and her husband, Rolf Ludden, turned a family passion f...
The Story of America: An Eden in the Wilderness [Ep. 2]
07 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, long before the founding of the United States, a group of determined settlers landed in a wild and unforgivin...
Surviving Persecution: Mariam Ibrahim’s Journey from Sudan to America
07 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, what does freedom of religion really mean? For Mariam Ibrahim, it meant the difference between life and death...
The Civil War Cemetery Where Union, Confederate, and British Veterans Lie Side by Side
07 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, The GAR Cemetery in Miami, Oklahoma, doesn’t look like much at first. But among the weathered headstone...
“Peeping Tom” and the Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions
07 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Andrew Thompson shares another slice of his guide to understanding the baffling mini-mysteries of the English...
The TV Deal That Made the NBA an Entertainment Powerhouse
06 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, before the NBA became a media powerhouse, it was fighting to stay relevant. Ratings were low, games were show...
Jackie Robinson Didn’t Just Change Baseball. He Changed America
06 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Jackie Robinson didn’t plan to make history. He only wanted to play ball. But in a country that had bar...
The Littleton Brothers: A Family Erased by the American Civil War
06 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, The Civil War took more American lives than any other conflict in the nation’s history, but few fa...
The Unlikely Friendship Between a Man and the Officer Who Wrongly Arrested Him
06 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Jameel McGee had just become a father when his life was derailed by a lie. In 2006, in Benton Harbor, Michiga...
“Nest Egg” and “No Dice”: The Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions
06 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Andrew Thompson shares another slice of his guide to understanding the baffling mini-mysteries of the English...
A Big Company with Big Pranks!
05 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Paychex founder and entrepreneur Tom Golisano shares why having fun at work matters and how humor helped shap...
A Thread Across the Ocean: The Story of the Transatlantic Cable
05 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in the 1800s, an impossible idea was born: to lay a wire under the ocean and send messages between continents...
Beating the Soviets: Mike Eruzione on the 1980 Olympic Upset
05 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, it was the Cold War on ice, and no one expected Team USA to win. But in 1980, a ragtag group of college kids ...
Generational Trauma Ends With Me: One Father’s Fight to Heal
05 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, what does it take to stop the cycle? Jason Wolfe knows. As a child, he lived through abandonment, poverty, an...
The “LA Speed Check”: A Story from a Pilot of the Fastest Plane in the World
05 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, the late Major Brian Shul shares his legendary “LA Speed Check” story, an absurd and unforgettabl...
How 7-Eleven Helped Immigrants Build the American Dream
02 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, when Jim Keyes took the helm of 7-Eleven, he thought he was simply turning around a struggling convenience st...
My Mom Told Me to Leave the House and Not Come Back Until I Had a Job
02 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, according to Russ Jones, his mother telling him to get out of the house and get a job in his teenage years wa...
How a Hollywood Movie Inspired the North Hollywood Shootout
02 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, often, art imitates life. This time, life imitated art. A crime inspired by the 1995 film Heat, starring Robe...
The Story of America: In the Beginning… [Ep. 1]
02 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in the introductory episode of our series tracing America’s rich history and cultural foundations, Wilf...
He Bought an Ice Cream Truck To Empower His Children with Down Syndrome
01 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Joel Wegener’s family had already learned what it meant to navigate the challenges and blessings o...
When Pepsi Traded Soda for Soviet Submarines
01 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, a soda company with submarines? In a bizarre twist of Cold War diplomacy, Pepsi brokered a trade deal with th...
My Life After Firefighting: What the Job Took and What It Left Behind
01 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, James Pritchard spent his career running toward danger as a firefighter and fire captain, responding to car w...
Miami Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross: “I Was Fired Twice and Decided I Was Unemployable”
01 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories Miami Dolphins owner and billionaire real estate developer Stephen Ross shares how being fired twice early in ...
Ely S. Parker: Seneca Chief, Civil War Hero, and Grant’s Right Hand
01 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, one was a future president, the other a Seneca warrior-turned-engineer. Together, Ulysses S. Grant and Ely S....
Maggie Bailey: Moonshine Queen of the Kentucky Hills
31 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Maggie Bailey started selling moonshine in the Appalachian hills at just 17 years old and kept her bootleggin...
Lewis & Clark: A Journey Told by the Historian Who Made It Legendary
31 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, best-selling historian Stephen Ambrose brings the Lewis and Clark Expedition to life in vivid detail, sharing...
The Football Team That Broke Baltimore's Heart
31 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, one snowy night in 1984, a fleet of moving trucks pulled away from Baltimore carrying the Colts, their gear, ...
Inside the Museum of Bad Art Where Failure Gets Framed
31 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, most museums exist to showcase the finest achievements in art and culture. The Museum of Bad Art does the opp...
The Army Barracks Fight That Shut a Bully Down for Good
31 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, they say “Don’t Mess With Texas,” and Roger Latham proved it. In 1967, this skinny Texan fo...
The Civil War Nurse Who Founded the American Red Cross
30 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, before Clara Barton became famous, she was a former teacher who refused to accept the limits placed on women ...
Andrew Jackson Took a Bullet, Then Took the Presidency
30 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, before Andrew Jackson became America’s seventh president, he fought his way into history. Literally. Ja...
Why I Celebrate My Mom on My Birthday
30 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Our American Stories regular contributor Stephen Rusiniak, a longtime writer and storyteller whose perso...
Fighting Crime in Downtown Los Angeles with Love, Respect, and God
30 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Senior Lead Officer Deon Joseph recounts how he transformed policing on Los Angeles’ Skid Row by buildi...
Animal House, Seinfeld, Buffy—Mark Metcalf Has Seen It All
30 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Mark Metcalf is forever linked to one of the most memorable characters in comedy history: the rigid and relen...
They Built a Church With the Man Who Once Enslaved Them
29 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, after the Civil War, a group of freedmen outside Dallas built a church with help from the man who had once en...
What Johnny Carson Did for the People Sitting Across From Him
29 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in the golden age of late-night television, no seat mattered more than the one across from Johnny Carson. For...
That’s My Dad: A Son’s Tribute to a Life of Quiet Strength
29 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Roland Bitcon grew up with a father who could repair anything, build everything, and never needed to say much...
I Picked Up "Tex" Watson Hitchhiking AFTER the Manson Murders
29 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, after the Tate–LaBianca murders, Charles “Tex” Watson vanished—just not right away. F...
Andrew Jackson’s Rise From Dirt-Poor Orphan to American Powerhouse
29 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Andrew Jackson was a duelist, a slaveholder, and a military hero with a serious temper. He was also the first...
Sunday Mornings with Big Mitch: Ep. 10
28 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, every Sunday, Our American Stories host Lee Habeeb speaks with Mitchel "Big Mitch" Rutledge, who has spe...
Hess Trucks: The Christmas Tradition That Started at a Gas Station
26 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1964, Leon Hess set out to give children something fun and affordable at his gas stations—and ended ...
The Night Apollo 8 Read the Bible From Lunar Orbit
26 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, on Christmas Eve 1968, the crew of Apollo 8 became the first humans to orbit the Moon. Joined by astronomer a...
When Santa Visited a Nursing Home
26 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Our American Stories listener and regular contributor Stephen Rusiniak shares the story of the time he w...
Silent Night: The Story of the World’s Most Famous Christmas Carol
26 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, on Christmas Eve in 1818, in a snow-covered Austrian village, a broken organ forced a last-minute change. Wha...
How One Man Became Santa in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina
26 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in the chaotic weeks following Hurricane Katrina, John Rogers never planned to become Santa; he simply found ...
“White Christmas” and the Jewish Immigrant Who Wrote It
26 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, for generations, “White Christmas” has served as the soundtrack to the holiday season. Its lyrics...
How Washington Irving Reinvented the Meaning of Christmas
26 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Christmas today feels timeless. December 25 arrives with trees, carols, family dinners, and familiar rituals ...
How a Chicago Janitor Wrote a Hallmark Christmas Movie
25 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, before Christmas Under the Stars became a Hallmark Channel staple, it was a quiet story written by ...
The Man Who Spent All of His Christmas Savings Building Beds for Needy Children
25 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Luke Mickelson, founder of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, tells how a meeting in his church turned into a Boy Scout...
How a Single Facebook Post Transformed Christmas for a Family in Need
25 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Ashley Freeman came home from overseas determined to help people in her own town. When she asked her neighbor...
Why CBS Nearly Pulled the Plug on A Charlie Brown Christmas
25 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, dealing with a small budget and a short deadline, A Charlie Brown Christmas was released to critical acclaim ...
How Bing Crosby and David Bowie Created a Christmas Classic—By Accident
25 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in what would be Bing Crosby’s final Christmas special, he teamed up with glam rock legend David Bowie ...
A Silent Night Behind Barbed Wire: Christmas in a WWII POW Camp
25 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in the final Christmas of World War II, American soldier Keith Ginther found himself behind enemy lines in a ...
Why Michigan and Ohio State Hate Each Other
24 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, before Michigan and Ohio State ever lined up on the football field, their rivalry started with a fight over l...
A Bird Had to Be Removed from Andrew Jackson’s Funeral — Here’s Why
24 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, it’s not every day a U.S. president’s funeral has to be paused because of a swearing parrot&mdash...
Turning a Historic House Into a Home: A 300-Year Journey
24 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, when Ruth McKeaney and her husband stepped into a historic home that was falling off its foundation, they had...
Inside Johnny Carson and Joan Rivers’ Rise and Fall on The Tonight Show
24 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, for years, Johnny Carson and Joan Rivers defined late-night television. Carson ruled The Tonight Show as...
The President Who Found His Greatest Purpose After the White House
24 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, born into the nation’s first political dynasty, John Quincy Adams spent his childhood in the shadow of ...
Who Really Invented Monopoly? The Story the Box Never Told
23 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, the story most people know about Monopoly is charming—and false. It was never just the invention o...
How the Hamburger Became an American Staple
23 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, before it became a greasy icon or a late-night craving, the hamburger was an immigrant invention trying to ma...
“Don’t Give Up the Ship”: How a Naval Order Became a Lasting Motto
23 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, it’s not carved into marble or codified into law, but you’ll hear it whispered in cockpits and pa...
Who Was Colonel Sanders? The Real Story Behind KFC’s Founder
23 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, most restaurant founders fade into the background. Colonel Harland Sanders did the opposite. Long befor...
Who Was Johnny Carson, Really? A Look Into America’s King of Late Night
23 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, before the laughs, the monologues, and the unforgettable guests, there was a man whose story seldom got told....
Peter Ortiz: War Hero, Leading Man, and the Spy the Nazis Couldn't Catch
22 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, before he ever stepped onto a film set, Peter Ortiz had already survived more danger than most action heroes ...
Wild Goose Chase” & “Wrong End of the Stick” and the Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions
22 Dec 2025
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...
Dr. David Jeremiah Explores the Real Meaning Behind the Nativity
22 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, why was Jesus born in a manger? Why were shepherds the first to know? And why did a Roman census set the stag...
The Unexpected Olympic Friendship That Defied Hitler’s Propaganda
22 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Jesse Owens arrived in Berlin for the 1936 Olympics as one of the fastest men in the world. The long jump com...
Lessons from Whoville After a Real-World Flood
22 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, after a flash flood tore through his church, Stephen Rusiniak stood ankle-deep in water and debris, not quite...
Sunday Mornings with Big Mitch: Ep. 9
21 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, every Sunday, Our American Stories host Lee Habeeb speaks with Mitchel "Big Mitch" Rutledge, who has spe...
Lincoln’s Final Days
19 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, The Civil War had ended. Washington was alive with celebration, and President Lincoln was finally stepping in...
“Bring Home the Bacon” and the Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions
19 Dec 2025
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...
Memorable Christmas Stories in U.S. Military History
19 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Christmas has a way of slipping into the cracks of history, even in years when war tried to swallow the seaso...
One Man’s Midlife Showdown with Fitness and Common Sense
19 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, when Paul decided it was time to get serious about weight loss, he went all in on the kind of fitness plan th...
When John Ford Walked Off a Hollywood Set and Into World War II
19 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, John Ford was already shaping the Golden Age of film, the force behind classics like Stagecoach and ...
Babe Ruth's Final Years in the Major Leagues
18 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Babe Ruth was the Greatest baseball player of all time, yet time proved to be his greatest enemy. Join us as ...
Billy Graham's Sermon to Remember After the Oklahoma City Bombing
18 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, when the Oklahoma City bombing shattered the Murrah Building, people were left searching for something that m...
Inside the First Red Scare: How the Palmer Raids Redefined “Radical”
18 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, every country has moments it would rather not rewatch, and the Palmer Raids sit high on America’s list....
The Odd Journey of a Penguin and His New Kicks
18 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Enrique had lived a long, dignified life at the St. Louis Zoo when age finally caught up to his feet. Arthrit...
Where Our Christmas Traditions Actually Come From
18 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, long before Christmas settled into the shape we know, the holiday moved through centuries of reinvention. Ear...
A Family Man's Search for the Perfect Christmas Tree
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, every December, families chase the idea of a perfect Christmas tree. Sometimes you find it standing in a snow...
The Woman Who Voiced Rudolph
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, the most famous reindeer in the world was voiced by someone most people have never heard of. Billie Mae Richa...
Why Die Hard Became a Modern Christmas Classic
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, every winter, the same question makes its rounds: Is Die Hard a Christmas movie? It premiered in the hea...
Two Country Boys and the Making of a Harvard Legacy
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Harvard is often defined by its oldest traditions and its most privileged stories, but some of its lasting in...
Behind the Blue Christmas: How Elvis Was Coaxed into Recording a Christmas Album
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Elvis Presley’s Christmas album has become a holiday staple, but the story behind it is more surprising...
The Teen CEO of the Candy That Cleans Your Teeth
16 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, Zolli Candy grew from an idea Alina Morse tested at her kitchen counter. She wanted a sweet that could suppor...
An Our American Stories Listener Remembers His Jazz-Playing Father
16 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, before jazz became a subject for textbooks and framed posters, it lived in families like the Gozzards. Harry ...
The Tragedy Behind 'I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day'
16 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in December 1863, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was in mourning. His wife had died in a fire two years earlier. ...
Thomas Shipley: The Most Famous Abolitionist You've Never Heard Of
16 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in the early nineteenth century, Philadelphia lived with a contradiction. It called itself a free city, yet k...
The Hidden Histories Beneath Our Christmas Music
16 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, the history of classic Christmas songs is a story shaped by accidents, migrations, and reinventions. A poem w...
What Happened to Saturday Morning Cartoons?
15 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, for decades, Saturday morning cartoons defined how studios reached their youngest audiences. The block emerge...
How Star Wars Toys Rewrote the Rules of Movie Merchandising (Part 1)
15 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, before anyone understood the reach of Star Wars, a small toy company stepped in with an idea that would alter...
Ruth Handler and the Gamble That Built Barbie
15 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, long before Ruth Handler created Barbie, she was a girl standing behind the counter of her family’s Den...
To Hear the Angels Sing
15 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, when Kent was just nine years old, he had a very special experience that, many years later, he still can&rsqu...
How I Was Changed by My Short-Term Mission Trip
15 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, a short-term mission trip can feel predictable—until the moment it is not. Stephen Rusiniak shares a st...
Sunday Mornings with Big Mitch: Ep. 8
14 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, every Sunday, Our American Stories host Lee Habeeb speaks with Mitchel "Big Mitch" Rutledge, who has spe...
Midnight at the Live Fire Range: A Close Call in the Mojave
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, at Fort Irwin, where military training exercises push soldiers to the edge of real combat, the line between r...
When Lincoln Faced Defeat: The Uneasy Year That Shaped the Union
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, by the start of 1864, the Civil War had dragged the country into exhaustion. Union armies faced setback after...
How a Father Turned One Car Ride Into a Lifeline for Kids With Special Needs
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, when Blair and Cat Cornell learned their son would be born with special needs, they braced themselves for a f...
Buc-ee’s: How a Texas Gas Station Became a National Obsession
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, long before travelers lined up for brisket sandwiches or bags of Beaver Nuggets, Buc-ee’s began as Arch...
When One Ozarks County Declared Itself the Fifty-First State
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in the spring of 1961, McDonald County opened its highway map and discovered that it had simply vanished. The...