Our American Stories

On this episode of Our American Stories, in 2009, Scott Stewart found himself spiritually, emotionally, and financially broken. Sixteen years later, a 2.4-mile open-water swim off Cape May, New Jersey, became the moment everything came into focus. Scott shares how one extraordinary day in the ocean transformed years of quiet spiritual growth into a life-changing awakening. We'd like to thank our r...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Barry Meguiar, CEO of Meguiar's, set out to buy a 1901 automobile simply because it matched the founding year of his family's company. What he discovered after the auction surprised even one of the world's foremost car collectors. Barry shares the remarkable story of the rare Duryea brother's automobile he believes is the only car ever made to honor God, an...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Billy the Kid lived just 21 years, but he became one of the most enduring figures of the American West. Roger McGrath, author of  Gunfighters, Highwaymen, and Vigilantes: Violence on the Frontier , separates fact from fiction, tracing Henry McCarty's journey from orphan to outlaw, the Lincoln County War that made him famous, and the legend that outlive...

On this episode of Our American Stories, for Lawson Bader, one teacher changed everything. Erika, his German instructor, wasn’t content to simply drill vocabulary. She wanted her students to see history with their own eyes. That meant taking Lawson to Berlin when the Wall still loomed large, dividing families and a nation. Standing at the Cold War’s most visible fault line, he learned...

On this episode of Our American Stories, our regular contributor from South Carolina, Dennis Peterson, shares the story of Dicey Langston, an American Revolutionary War heroine who, at the age of 15, saved her family and fellow patriots from one of the most notorious gangs of Loyalist outlaws of the time: the so-called "Bloody Scouts." Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)...

On this episode of Our American Stories, from bifocals and the cotton gin to the automobile and the iPhone, America has a long history of inventions that changed the world. But not every invention was born from necessity—some were created simply for fun. In this episode, author Natascha Biebow joins us to share the colorful true story of Edwin Binney, the inventor of Crayola crayons, as told...

On this episode of Our American Stories, born in San Salvador, El Salvador, Carlos Aguilar arrived in Chicago, Illinois, as a refugee after his family fled the country's civil war. By his teenage years, he was caught in gang life and headed down a dangerous path. Then a Marine recruiter unexpectedly pulled into his driveway. Carlos shares how that chance encounter, his grandmother's unwavering fai...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Vincent "Rocco" Vargas never expected his family's immigration story to shape his own life so profoundly. After serving as an Army Ranger in Afghanistan, he became a U.S. Border Patrol agent, where he often saw reflections of his own grandmother in the people he encountered along the Rio Grande. Vargas, author of  Borderline: Defending the Home Front ,...

On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1975, Bill Daniels watched his Utah Stars basketball team collapse into bankruptcy, leaving creditors and season ticket holders unpaid. The law said he owed them nothing, but he never stopped thinking about the promises he had made. Bill Daniels, the pioneer of cable television whose values inspired the  Daniels Fund , and others share the astonishi...

On this episode of Our American Stories, at the turn of the twentieth century, summer heat disrupted factories, spoiled food, and shaped daily life across America. A young engineer named Willis Carrier set out to solve a printing problem in Brooklyn, New York, and ended up creating one of the most important inventions of the modern age. Salvatore Basile, author of  Cool: How Air Conditioning...

On this episode of Our American Stories, when Larry Crawford bought a new pickup truck, he was proud of it. The leather seats, the diesel engine, the bells and whistles. Like any Texan, he wanted to show it off to his friends. But one chance encounter with a homeless man he knew would change the way he thought about generosity forever. Weeks after giving the man a ride to the grocery store, Larry...

On this episode of Our American Stories, on May 2, 1968, Master Sgt. Roy Benavidez voluntarily boarded a helicopter and flew into one of the fiercest battles of the Vietnam War to rescue a trapped Special Forces team. He endured dozens of wounds, saved at least eight lives, and refused to quit. Hear President Ronald Reagan's Medal of Honor presentation alongside Roy's own remarkable account of the...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Ray "Bubba" Sorensen set out to thank America's veterans with a single painted rock outside a quarry in rural Iowa. More than two decades later, the Freedom Rocks have spread to all 99 Iowa counties, becoming places of remembrance, reflection, and healing for veterans and their families. Ray shares the remarkable stories behind the project and why honoring...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Dennis Peterson's father built his own home, hated debt, and believed almost anything could be repaired, reused, or repurposed. Years of bricklaying alongside his dad taught Dennis that a "make do" attitude could save money, create lasting memories, and occasionally lead to spectacular close calls.  Our American Stories listener and regular contributor...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Steve Trice spent years chasing success, often leaving home before sunrise and returning long after his children were asleep. Then one conversation with his wife forced him to face a hard truth: if nothing changed, he was going to lose the people he loved most. The founder of Jasco Products shares how stepping away from work helped him build something far m...

On this episode of Our American Stories, during the Great Depression, a simple sewing accident turned into a month-long ordeal for Joy Neal Kidney's grandmother. A broken needle lodged in her hand led to multiple trips to the doctor, surgery, and weeks of recovery at a time when money was scarce, transportation was limited, and even getting medical care was a challenge. Joy Neal Kidney shares the...

On this episode of Our American Stories, before Winnie the Pooh became a Disney character, he was the creation of A.A. Milne, first brought to life in the  Evening News  on Christmas Eve, 1925. Inspired by his son, Christopher Robin, and a teddy bear named Edward, Milne wrote stories that blended the innocence of childhood with the timeless appeal of friendship. Illustrated by E.H. Shepa...

On this episode of Our American Stories, in our 25th episode of our ongoing  Story of Us—Story of America  series, Dr. Bill McClay, author of  Land of Hope , answers a simple question: When did the South become the South? The answer lies in the rise of King Cotton, the expansion of slavery, and the transformation of an entire region. As cotton made the South the wealthiest par...

On this episode of Our American Stories, before Nike became one of the world's most recognizable brands, it was a small company founded by a track coach and one of his former runners. Steve Bence was there. As a teammate of Steve Prefontaine at the University of Oregon, he learned from legendary coach Bill Bowerman, met Phil Knight before Nike became a household name, and watched the company grow...

On this episode of Our American Stories, in the weeks after Abraham Lincoln's assassination, authorities hunted not only John Wilkes Booth but also anyone suspected of aiding him. Among the accused was Mary Surratt, a widowed boardinghouse owner in Washington. Investigators claimed her home was the meeting place where the plot to kill the president took shape. The evidence was thin, the public moo...

On this episode of Our American Stories, born to a teenage mother in one of Jacksonville's toughest neighborhoods, Denisha Allen spent much of her childhood moving between homes, failing in school, and believing she had no future. By the fifth grade, she had repeated third grade twice and was on the path toward becoming another dropout. Then a remarkable godmother, a scholarship to a small Christi...

On this episode of Our American Stories, before Harvard became one of the world's most prestigious universities, it was founded with a very different purpose: to educate ministers and ensure that future generations could read, understand, and teach the Bible. Scripture shaped the school's earliest curriculum, its mission, and even its student handbook. As part of our ongoing  100 Bible Verses...

On this episode of Our American Stories, what began as one boy's love of action figures grew into a career designing toys for some of the world's biggest brands, and eventually into the world's first museum dedicated entirely to action figures. Today, more than 13,000 figures fill the shelves, from superheroes and movie icons to historic military displays, each one telling a story of imagination a...

On this episode of Our American Stories, before John Marshall, the Supreme Court was still finding its place in the new American government. By the time he was done, it had the power to declare laws unconstitutional, and entrepreneurs had the legal framework they needed to help build a nation. Marshall's landmark decision in Marbury v. Madison established judicial review, forever changing the role...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Tammy Harris always dreamed of making a living as an artist. After becoming a single mother, she traded that dream for factory work to support her daughter. Years later, she found her calling in an unlikely place: a tattoo shop. Today, Tammy and her husband run their business with one guiding principle: people come first. Whether it's talking young customer...