Our American Stories

On this episode of Our American Stories, Abraham Lincoln often spoke about God, especially during the darkest days of the Civil War. But what he believed, and how he arrived there, is more complex than many assume. He did not belong to a church for most of his life. He wrestled with loss, read widely, and thought deeply about providence, suffering, and the role of faith in a nation at war. Richard...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Brian Jay Jones, author of  Jim Henson: The Biography , tells the story of how some of America’s most beloved characters—the Muppets—got their start in advertising and television commercials. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/lis...

On this episode of Our American Stories, in the early days of hip-hop, the music grew out of Black and Latino communities in New York City. It was local, raw, and deeply rooted in the neighborhoods where it began. So when three white, Jewish kids from New York entered that world, it raised more than a few eyebrows. Greg Hengler shares the story of the Beastie Boys, how they found their place in a...

On this episode of Our American Stories, in the middle of the Civil War, when battlefield medicine was rough, dangerous, and often improvised, one doctor refused to stay on the sidelines. Dr. Mary Edwards Walker served on the front lines, treating wounded soldiers under fire and crossing enemy lines to care for those in need. Along the way, she was captured, held as a prisoner of war, and ultimate...

On this episode of Our American Stories, General Ulysses S. Grant led the Union Army to victory in the Civil War and later served two terms as the 18th president of the United States. Today, he is buried at Grant’s Tomb in New York City, the largest presidential tomb in the country and one of the city’s most important historic monuments. By the late twentieth century, however, the memo...

On this episode of Our American Stories, as a boy growing up in Kansas City, Roger Rench’s life changed suddenly when his father took a job as a golf pro in the small town of Sheridan, Iowa. The move meant trading city life for a tiny community and living inside the clubhouse of the Lakeview Country Club. It also meant giving up something Roger loved even more than the golf course: his dog,...

On this episode of Our American Stories, when the Constitution emerged from the Constitutional Convention in 1787, its future was far from certain. The document still needed to be ratified by the states, and fierce debate quickly followed. Supporters argued that the new framework of government would stabilize the young republic, while critics warned that it gave too much power to a distant nationa...

On this episode of Our American Stories, acts of kindness often begin in ordinary moments. For Paul Kotz, a regular contributor to Our American Stories , one of those moments started behind a building with a deck of cards and a brief conversation with a homeless man. What followed was unexpected: Kotz climbed into a dumpster so the two of them could sit down and play a few hands. The game itself w...

On this episode of Our American Stories, every Sunday, Our American Stories  host Lee Habeeb speaks with Mitchel "Big Mitch" Rutledge, who has spent more than forty years serving a life sentence in Alabama. Each call traces the shape of faith, regret, and forgiveness inside a place built for punishment. As the series comes to a close, Mitch reflects on what those years have taught him about f...

On this episode of Our American Stories, around the world, access to clean water is something many take for granted, but for Manny Singh, it was a problem he experienced firsthand growing up in India, where water shortages were a daily reality. Now, as president of Koch Membrane Systems, Singh is helping develop technologies that can turn wastewater into safe, usable water—addressing one of...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Amy Palmiero-Winters is one of the most accomplished athletes in adaptive sports. She holds 13 world records for distance running, completing marathons and endurance races using a prosthetic leg. Her journey into competitive running began after a life-changing accident that could have ended her athletic ambitions entirely. Instead, it pushed her toward a ne...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Kimberly McCullough shares the beauty, and heartbreak, of walking through the foster care and adoption process. Through her experiences as a foster mother, McCullough reflects on the tension at the heart of foster care: the hope of reunification, the deep bonds formed with children, and the painful reality of letting them go. From courtroom adoption days fi...

On this episode of Our American Stories, as part of his ongoing series on the origins of everyday expressions, Andrew Thompson, author of Hair of the Dog to Paint the Town Red , shares the fascinating backstories behind the phrases “knock on wood” and “kick the bucket,” among others. These familiar sayings carry histories shaped by religion, literature, and everyday life in...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Tom McManus thought he understood hard work. As an NFL rookie with the Jacksonville Jaguars, training camp pushed him to his limits. But during one quiet conversation with his father, he discovered what real hardship looked like. At the same age Tom was grinding through football practice, his father was flying combat missions over Europe in a B-24 Liberator...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Doc Holliday is one of the most famous figures of the American Old West, known for his friendship with Wyatt Earp and his role in the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Movies and television have turned him into a legend, but the real Doc Holliday was far more complicated than the popular portrayals suggest. Historian Roger McGrath joins us to tell the true story...

On this episode of Our American Stories, behind many successful people is someone who helped guide them along the way. For Stephen Ross, owner of the Miami Dolphins and founder of Related Companies, that person was businessman and philanthropist Max Fisher. Ross explains how Fisher’s mentorship shaped the decisions he made in business and in life, leaving an impact far greater than money or...

On this episode of Our American Stories, after the Civil War, hundreds of Irish-American veterans launched an invasion — not in Ireland, but across the Canadian border. It was a daring, chaotic attempt to pressure Britain into freeing Ireland. Author and History Channel contributor Christopher Klein shares the untold story of the Fenian Raids. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstorie...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Olivia Hooker’s life spans some of the most important chapters of American history. A survivor of the Tulsa Race Massacre as a child, she later went on to become the first Black woman to serve in the United States Coast Guard. In her own words, Hooker reflects on the path that led her to military service and the experiences that shaped her remarkable...

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 athletes, musicians, and everyday fans alike. But the man whose name appears on that famous ankle patch was not a superstar athlete. Chuck Taylor was a basketball evangelist and traveling salesman who spent decades promoting the sport and the shoes that w...

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-long effort to bring his fallen comrade home. During the Vietnam War, Sykes flew dangerous combat missions in the F-105 Thunderchief alongside a close-knit brotherhood of pilots. One of those men was Dave Dinan, a brilliant young airman who was shot d...

On this episode of Our American Stories, every immigrant story begins with a decision to leave something familiar behind. For Kevin Samy’s father, that meant leaving a village where opportunity was scarce and education was almost nonexistent. Samy shares how that journey to the United States influenced his upbringing, from growing up in a diverse American community to discovering how footbal...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Brent Timmons, a listener of  Our American Stories ,   shares the story of his grandfather, a quiet man known in the family simply as “Pop Pop.” Vernon Timmons lived a modest life in southern Delaware, working hard, speaking little, and rarely seeking attention. He briefly ran a small gas station and later worked long hours while farmi...

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 darkest chapters of modern history. As a Lutheran pastor and theologian, Bonhoeffer spoke openly against the Nazi regime and later became connected to members of the underground resistance working to overthrow Adolf Hitler. Eric Metaxas shares the s...

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 young, became a mother young, was widowed young, and divorced young. Out of necessity, she went on to create a revolutionary hair care product that transformed her life and helped make her one of the first self-made female millionaires in American histo...

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 appear alongside attacks on democracy itself. Speaking at a time when authoritarian regimes were rising overseas, Roosevelt argued that freedom of religion and political liberty were closely connected.  Our American Stories’  own Lee...