Our American Stories

On this episode of Our American Stories, most Americans know Jackie Robinson as the man who broke Major League Baseball's color barrier. Few know the story of Branch Rickey, the Brooklyn Dodgers executive whose Christian faith convinced him that segregation in baseball was morally wrong and that he had a responsibility to do something about it. Inspired by Abraham Lincoln and the teachings of Chri...

On this episode of Our American Stories, before  We Were Soldiers  became one of Hollywood's most acclaimed Vietnam War films, Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and journalist Joseph Galloway refused to let anyone adapt their bestselling book. After years of watching Hollywood get the Vietnam War wrong, they had no interest in seeing their soldiers' story distorted once again. Writer and director Randa...

On this episode of Our American Stories, on July 4, 1986, moments before the largest fireworks display in American history, President Ronald Reagan gave a rousing speech from the deck of the  USS John F. Kennedy  in New York Harbor. Standing beneath the Statue of Liberty, he reminded the country and the world what freedom really means. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.co...

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 revolution and have inspired independence movements around the world ever since. But the parchment signed in 1776 faded badly over time. By the early twentieth century, it was nearly impossible to reproduce clearly. The version most Americans recogniz...

On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1790, George Washington answered a letter from the Hebrew congregation of Newport, Rhode Island. His reply carried words that still echo today: America would give "to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance." It was a radical promise for its time, a vision of a nation where faith and government would remain separate and all people would be free...

On this episode of Our American Stories, the bald eagle has appeared on America's Great Seal, coins, flags, and official emblems for more than two centuries. But the bird's journey to becoming the nation's symbol was anything but straightforward. The Founding Fathers couldn't agree on a design for the Great Seal, and after the bald eagle was finally chosen, Americans spent generations hunting and...

On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1926, on the 150th anniversary of American independence, Calvin Coolidge delivered a Fourth of July address that went far beyond celebration. Speaking in Philadelphia, he argued that America's prosperity did not create its founding ideals, but that its founding ideals created America's prosperity. Coolidge warned that abandoning the principles of the Dec...

On this episode of Our American Stories, after leading the colonies to victory in the American Revolution, George Washington shocked the world by refusing to become king. Instead, he laid the foundation for the American presidency and helped define the future of our republic. Dr. Larry Arnn of Hillsdale College and bestselling author Nathaniel Philbrick share the remarkable story. Support the show...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Rick Monday's career spanned more than a decade in Major League Baseball, but one defining moment had nothing to do with a bat or a glove. In the spring of 1976, at Dodger Stadium, he intervened when protesters tried to set fire to the American flag in the middle of a game. His quick reaction, caught on camera, made him an unlikely national hero and turned...

On this episode of Our American Stories, the late historian David McCullough explains why America's Founding Fathers cannot be understood as ordinary people living modern lives. Drawing on his deep study of figures like John and Abigail Adams, McCullough describes a world shaped by slow communication, constant risk, and immense personal responsibility. Decisions were made without instant news, qui...

On this episode of Our American Stories, at 14, Peter Cancro took a summer job making sandwiches at a tiny sub shop on the Jersey Shore. Three years later, when the business went up for sale, his mother asked a simple question: "Why don't you buy it?" At just 17 years old, Cancro borrowed the money, skipped high school classes to run the shop, and bet his future on a single sandwich store. Peter C...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Francis Scott Key wasn't a musician, a soldier, or even a master wordsmith. But after witnessing the British bombardment of Fort McHenry during the War of 1812, he scribbled out a rough poem that captured a nation's defiance. Set to the tune of a British drinking song, his words became "The Star-Spangled Banner," the unexpected anthem of a young country. Ma...

On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1939, as Hitler tightened his grip on Europe, between 88 and 94 percent of Americans opposed entering the war. Martha and Waitstill Sharp were part of the small minority who believed they couldn't look away. Leaving behind their children and the safety of home, they traveled into Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia to rescue people marked for persecution. In th...

On this episode of Our American Stories, when the Civil War began, students at Hillsdale College didn't wait to be called. Within hours of President Lincoln's request for volunteers, they formed a military company and offered their services to the Union. By war's end, more than 500 Hillsdale students and alumni had served, four had earned the Medal of Honor, and nearly half had been killed or woun...

On this episode of Our American Stories, in November 1863, Abraham Lincoln arrived in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, just months after one of the bloodiest battles in American history. What he saw there, the devastation, the loss, and the sacrifice, would shape the words he was about to deliver. At just 269 words, the Gettysburg Address would go on to become one of the most famous speeches in history....

On this episode of Our American Stories, George Washington didn't lead the American Revolution from a grand office or government building. He led it from a canvas tent that traveled with the Continental Army across the colonies. Inside its weathered walls, Washington planned campaigns, met with officers, and made decisions that would shape the future of a new nation. Our regular contributor, Ashle...

On this episode of Our American Stories, the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago needed a showstopper. France had unveiled the Eiffel Tower just four years earlier, and America wanted an attraction that would leave the world equally amazed. Most engineers proposed taller towers. George Ferris had a different idea: build a giant wheel that could lift more than 2,000 people into the sky. Our own Greg Hengl...

On this episode of Our American Stories, in Durham, North Carolina, an ordinary railroad bridge has become one of the internet's most unlikely celebrities. Nicknamed the "11-foot-8 Can Opener," it has shredded the roofs off hundreds of trucks despite flashing lights, warning signs, and every effort to stop drivers from hitting it. Our own Jesse Edwards shares the remarkable story of the bridge, th...

On this episode of Our American Stories, the founding of the United States didn't happen in a single moment. It unfolded across one of the most difficult years in American history. The late, great historian and author of  1776 , David McCullough, shares the story of how a fragile army, led by an untested commander, struggled to hold the cause together against overwhelming odds. Between Boston...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Satchel Paige didn’t just pitch; he dazzled. Known for fastballs with names like the Midnight Creeper and the Bat Dodger, he played for five decades without a relief pitcher in sight. Bob Kendrick, president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, shares the life and legend of one of the greatest to ever take the mound. Support the show ( https://w...

On this episode of Our American Stories, for our ongoing Story of Us—Story of America  series, Dr. Bill McClay, author of   Land of Hope , expands upon the story of Theodore Roosevelt, the energetic and fiercely ambitious president who believed America needed a stronger executive and a more active federal government. Even after leaving the White House, Roosevelt was convinced his w...

On this episode of Our American Stories, listener Paul Kotz has a habit that's becoming increasingly rare: he talks to strangers. Whether it's a lost set of keys, a chance encounter in an elevator, or a conversation with a family at a hotel pool, Paul has discovered that some of life's most memorable moments begin with a simple hello. In this warmhearted story, he reflects on the unexpected friend...

On this episode of Our American Stories, before Audie Murphy became the most decorated American soldier of World War II, he was a poor Texas farm boy who spent his childhood picking cotton, hunting rabbits to feed his family, and struggling to survive during the Great Depression. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Murphy was determined to serve his country, even though he was underage, under...

On this episode of Our American Stories, on January 9, 2007, Steve Jobs stepped onto the stage at Macworld and unveiled a device that would forever change the way we communicate. To the audience, it looked like a flawless presentation. Behind the scenes, however, Apple engineers were bracing for disaster. The iPhone prototype was so fragile that Jobs had to follow a carefully rehearsed sequence of...

On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1980, contractor Steve Bell was left holding the bag after two of his biggest clients were arrested on drug charges, costing him more than $100,000, roughly $318,000 today. His attorney urged him to declare bankruptcy, but Steve refused. In this installment of our "Do the Right Thing" series with the  Daniels Fund , Steve shares the true story of ho...