Our American Stories

On this episode of Our American Stories, Dr. Benjamin Rush is America’s Forgotten Founding Father; perhaps because many historians don’t know what to do about his outspoken faith. Rush was the one who encouraged Thomas Paine to write “Common Sense,” which fueled the American Revolution. Here's Harlow Giles Unger presenting a book talk at the Library of Congress on the man....

On this episode of Our American Stories, the song has been recorded by Harry Belafonte, Johnny Cash, Andy Williams, Johnny Marks, and Frank Sinatra, to name a few. Here to tell the story is Robert Morgan, author of 100 Bible Verses That Made America: Defining Moments That Shaped Our Enduring Foundation of Faith. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https...

On this episode of Our American Stories, King George III was not "the mad king who lost the colonies," says renowned historian David McCullough. "He was a king and did lose the most prosperous land on Earth just as the British Empire was building up steam.". Here's the late great McCullough with the story.  Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https...

On this episode of Our American Stories, when Apple founder Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPhone to the public in 2007, he used multiple iPhones. If one crashed or had another issue, he secretly swapped it for another one. He had to show off a specific set of functions in a certain order, called the “golden path.” But way back in 1801, another young inventor named Eli Whitney–alr...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Mike Gonzalez tells this story of his family escaping the clutches of Castro's communist dictatorship. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, the late-great historian Stephen Ambrose tells us the unlikely World War II story of George McGovern, the antiwar presidential candidate defeated by President Nixon in 1972. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, Robert P. Watson, author of   The Ghost Ship of Brooklyn , tells this previously untold story of the American Revolution. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, We Were Soldiers  is a motion picture about the Vietnam War from writer/director Randall Wallace and starring Mel Gibson. Here's Randall Wallace himself to tell the story of how the film came to be. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Roy “Dusty” Rogers was one of 9 children raised by Roy Rogers (“King of the Cowboys”) and Dale Evans (“Queen of the West”). He shares his story of growing up with two of the most iconic parents in American cultural history. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ourame...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Loretto M. Thompson recounts her significant yet distant memories of her father - and how she grew to know him so much better by reading his letters from his service in World War Two. Her book is called  An Unexpected Coddiwomple: The Story of a Father's Sudden Death, a Box of WWII Letters, and a Daughter's Life Transformed. Support the show ( https://...

On this episode of Our American Stories, if you’ve never been to a Buc-ee’s, it’s a good bet that you will soon enough. Beaver Aplin built his massive convenience chain into a Texas empire and his tactics are translating outside the state. Here to tell the story is Eric Benson, the man who wrote the definitive story for Texas Monthly about Buc-ee’s and its founder, Arch &ld...

On this episode of Our American Stories, James, a retired fire captain, shares his story of firefighting and the emotions that came along with his high-stakes job. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, Kevin Briggs' job is talking people off a ledge....or, more specifically, the Golden Gate Bridge's ledge. Here's Kevin to talk about how he's saved over two hundred people from taking their lives by asking them a simple question—"how are you doing".  Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.oura...

On this episode of Our American Stories, our regular contributor Stephen Rusiniak shares the story about his four-legged family member who helped him and his wife through their struggle with infertility. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, Lowell Lytle is one of the privileged few who have seen Titanic first-hand. Lowell has played the part of Captain Smith at Titanic events all over the globe and has been entertaining guests at the Titanic Museum for more than fifteen years. He's also the author of the inspiring read,  Diving Into The Deep . Here’s Lowell Lytle to tell his story a...

On this episode of Our American Stories, when people think of Butch Cassidy they often imagine Paul Newman’s characterization from the famous movie in 1969. But the real story of Butch Cassidy is the story of a western Godfather of sorts who brought the organization to a world of unorganized crime. Our regular contributor, Roger McGrath, is here to tell the story. Support the show ( https://...

On this episode of Our American Stories, becoming masters of the skies has come at a cost. Lt. Thomas E. Selfridge stepped up for service against enemies, nature, and machines as one of the world's first test pilots. Craig Du Mez of the Grateful Nation Project is here to tell the story. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories....

On this episode of Our American Stories, when Dr. David Berry lost his newborn daughter, he turned to alcohol—then to coconut-flavored cough syrup—then to stealing prescriptions from the patients he served. He'd soon find himself homeless, divorced, and out of the profession he loved. It took a radical change in his life to turn his fortunes around. Here's Dr. Berry himself with his st...

On this episode of Our American Stories, regular contributor and OAS listener Stephen Rusiniak has a special story written by his daughter. She shares how helping those in need can help bring a little perspective to our lives. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Jack London’s most famous works include  The Call of the Wild  and  White Fang , both set in the Klondike Gold Rush, and so is this story. Here to narrate the gripping finale of Jack London’s masterpiece, To Build a Fire, is Roger McGrath. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www...

On this episode of Our American Stories, songwriter Aaron Barker tells the story of a life-altering event in his life as a father that birthed one of country music's greatest songs. An event that brought him to his knees to pray. And play his guitar. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listene...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Thomas Paine’s powerful words inspired revolution across the world—rallying George Washington’s troops on the battlefield, fueling the French Revolution, and provoking British disdain for America’s fight for independence. In  Thomas Paine and the Clarion Call of American Independence , historian Harlow Giles Unger explores the l...

On this episode of Our American Stories, when Stephen Rusiniak became a father of a daughter he had worries, and when she became a high school gymnast, his worries only increased. Here's Stephen to share his story of fatherhood.  Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Johnny Cash is an American original, and this story is an insider’s look at the man whose music sprang from how he lived. Pastor Greg Laurie is here to tell the story from his recent book/documentary,  Johnny Cash: The Redemption of an American Icon . Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.our...

On this episode of Our American Stories, in college, Steve Stoliar’s dad wanted him to get a job, but Steve didn’t want to work at Taco Bell… so he called up Groucho Marx Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.