Our American Stories

On this episode of Our American Stories , let’s take a listen to The History Guy as he tells the history of the Bible. 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 , Andrew Thompson shares another slice of his guide to understanding the baffling mini-mysteries of the English language. The book is  Hair of the Dog to Paint the Town Red: The Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions and Fun Phrases. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate Se...

On this episode of Our American Stories , born into slavery during the Civil War, Ida B. Wells is best remembered as an American journalist who fought tirelessly against lynching during the Jim Crow era. What most people don’t know is that she defended the right of blacks to own arms. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/...

On this episode of Our American Stories , today we know asbestos to be a health hazard. But the natural mineral was not simply an artifact of the industrial age. Here’s the History Guy telling the story of asbestos. 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 , history professor Mark Cheathem tells us why Andrew Jackson’s pet parrot had to be removed from his funeral. 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 , when Ilene Hall enlisted in the Army WAC in 1943, she was following her husband, Edward “Ken” Hall to war. When her husband, to whom she was married in March 1943, finished his training and was about to be shipped overseas, the young Canton, Ohio girl decided not to put an ocean between them. Here she is to tell her story! Support the show (https://www.our...

On this episode of Our American Stories , in the Fall of 1950 it looked as though the Korean War would be over. But shortly after General Douglas MacArthur pushed his forces deep into North Korea, his ten thousand First Division Marines found themselves surrounded and hopelessly outnumbered by 100,000 Chinese soldiers. Their only chance for survival was to fight their way south through a narrow go...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Richard Muniz tells the story of Toby Madrid and his experience of partaking in the testing of an atomic bomb in Nevada. 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 , in 1966, an SR-71 "Blackbird" disintegrated at 78,000 feet. The pilot's first thought was "No one could live through what just happened". Therefore, I must be dead." 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 , it was one of the oddest and best musical collaborations of the 20th century. Old school pop crooner Bing Crosby partnered with British glam-rocker David Bowie to make one of the most cherished Christmas songs of all time. But it almost didn't happen. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstor...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Mike Leven was President and Chief Operating Officer of Las Vegas Sands Corp. One of the great hoteliers of all time—a legend in his business. He is also what you would call a “wise man.” Here’s Mike with a story about what he learned from his unseemly college law professor. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: htt...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Dr. Martin Couney carried a secret with him, but the results are unimpeachable. It was Coney Island in the early 1900’s. Beyond the Four-Legged Woman, the sword swallowers, and “Lionel the Lion-Faced Man,” was an entirely different exhibit: rows of tiny, premature human babies living in glass incubators. Here to tell the story is Dawn Raffel, author of "Th...

On this episode of Our American Stories , in his biography on George Armstrong Custer, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, T.J. Stiles, casts surprising new light on one of the best-known figures of American history, a subject of seemingly endless fascination. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/list...

On this episode of Our American Stories , author James Rosen tells the story of Antonin Scalia's unlikely but inevitable rise to the U.S. Supreme Court. His family, his faith, and his immigrant roots were the drivers. 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 , Senior Lead Officer Deon Joseph shares vivid, compelling stories of one constant struggle for police, and for communities: The care and safety of those with mental health battles. 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 , our next story is about the man who played Captain McCluskey in “The Godfather,’’ the crooked cop who breaks Michael Corleone’s jaw—later receiving a bullet through the throat and forehead as comeuppance. Here to tell another Hollywood Goes to War story is Roger McGrath. McGrath is the author of Gunfighters, Highwaymen, and Vigilantes: Violence on the Fron...

On this episode of Our American Stories , “The Great Vowel Shift” was the single greatest change in the history of the English language that has now become the official language in over 75 countries. Here’s the History Guy with the story of “The Great Vowel Shift” and the making of modern English. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramerica...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Debra Freeberg joins us with an abridged version of the beautiful and heartwarming story she wrote about caring for her father in his time of need. 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 amazing story of Spam, Hershey, and how those two companies fed the spirit and morale of American G.I.s overseas, becoming part of our "arsenal of Democracy." 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 , religious persecution had become the norm by the time of the American Revolution. It took the unorthodox Thomas Jefferson and Christian Fundamentalists to bring about a change. 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 , Michael Williams remembers his best friend and uncle (who was 1 year older than him) Dan Reeves—a "gun guy" in Vietnam who survived a harrowing night in the jungle, and countless near brushes with death defending his camp from the enemy. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate...

On this episode of Our American Stories , the brutal double-murder that happened in Fall River, Massachusetts in 1892 has long been considered an unsolved mystery. Cara Robertson, author of the The Trial Of Lizzie Borden, tells the story. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Richard Herzog tells how sports raised him from a heavy-handed home, constant fighting, and the complex cultural temptations of the area surrounding New Orleans. 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 , Charles Lindbergh got his start performing in aerial circuses—and as a glorified mailman. He also made the daring decision to fly solo across the Atlantic, despite everyone else choosing to have a wingman. Kirk Higgins of the Bill of Rights Institute tells the story. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Richard Zoglin tells the story of how the "King of Rock & Roll" reinvented the Las Vegas show into what it is today. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.