Our American Stories

On this episode of Our American Stories , Dr. Benjamin Rush is America’s Forgotten Founding Father; perhaps it’s 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. Harlow Giles Unger is a New York Times bestselling author of twenty-eight books including Dr. Benjamin Rus...

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 See...

On this episode of Our American Stories , the story of Frank Scattoro and an American mausoleum and reliquary. 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 , aided by Mark Twain, the former president and Civil War hero raced to complete a literary masterpiece that saved his wife from destitution. Christopher Klein is here with the story. 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 , former Olympic gold medalist Tyler Hamilton rocked the world of professional cycling—and exposed the doping culture surrounding the sport and its most iconic rider, Lance Armstrong. As one of the world’s top-ranked cyclists—and a member of Lance Armstrong’s inner circle, Hamilton has quite an amazing story and is here to share it with us. Support the show...

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 See...

On this episode of Our American Stories , the remarkable story of Arizona State University and its President, Michael Crow. 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 , if you want to know about the history of America, it is imperative that you know the role that the Bible played in shaping our country. Our Founding Fathers—both Christian and non-Christian—were heavily influenced by the Bible. Here to share another story is Robert Morgan who is the author of 100 Bible Verses That Made America: Defining Moments That Shaped...

On this episode of Our American Stories , the Brooklyn Bridge, with its unprecedented length and two stately towers, was dubbed the “eighth wonder of the world.” The connection it provided between the massive population centers of Brooklyn and Manhattan changed the course of New York City forever. Here's the History Guy with the story. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) S...

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 See...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Robert Shaw's "Quint" told the world about what happened to the USS Indianapolis in the hit movie "Jaws." The late Edgar Harrell, the last surviving Marine from the downed ship, tells the real-life story of that fateful day. It's a story you won't soon forget. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ourame...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Texas boys don’t write poetry, and certainly don’t cry. Roger Latham did, though, after discovering a poem written by his deceased mother. 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 , for 50 years, John Clauson's father was a simple "salesman," that is, until—nearing his deathbed—he revealed to his son a secret. John is here to tell the story from his book Missileman. 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 , Willy Wonka's got nothing on David Klein! David's eccentric personality and peculiar sense of business led him to leave Jelly Belly. He's here to share his story of how he lost his beans, but kept his soul. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener fo...

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. Randall's here to tell the story. 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 a Founding Father who wrote the most famous seven words in American history: “We the People of the United States.” Professor of political science at Syracuse, Dennis C. Rasmussen is also the author of The Constitution's Penman: Gouverneur Morris and the Creation of America's Basic Charter—he is also a Jack Miller Center Fellow. Supp...

On this episode of Our American Stories , between the Korean and the Vietnam Wars, U.S. Navy Captain Royce Williams flew over 220 missions. The following story was classified as Top Secret, and for more than 50 years Captain Williams didn’t tell a soul—not even his wife. Nobody knew what this 27-year-old South Dakotan did that day over the skies of Korea—until now. Support the show (https://www.ou...

On this episode of Our American Stories , find out how Barry Levinson went from arguing cases in front of the Supreme Court to operating the largest museum dedicated to mustard in the world. 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 , Miles and miles of wire placed on ships and thrown into the ocean connected the world like never before and would help determine the outcomes of World Wars and beyond. John Steele Gordan tells the story of how the Transatlantic Cable came to be. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.co...

On this episode of Our American Stories , when Margie Siegal was a teenager, she had a boyfriend with a motorcycle. The boyfriend was forgettable—the motorcycle wasn’t. Since that time, she has written about motorcycle history and is the author of Harley-Davidson: A History of the World’s Most Famous Motorcycle. Here she is with the story of Harley-Davidson. Support the show (https://www.ourameric...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Ralph Cox is a former college hockey star who was squeezed out of arguably the greatest moment in sports history. Here's Ralph to share the moment that changed his life forever. 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 , Hannibal spared Mark Twain from nothing—exposing him to poverty, death, racism, and the need to make decisions for himself. Here's Richard Garey, a Mark Twain aficionado, with the story of this all-important town. 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 , William Penn founded Pennsylvania - and left a home there. Ruth McKeaney and her husband flip houses for a living... and with high hopes for the American future. 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 , Emerich Juettner was an upstanding citizen... for most of his life. Here's his story. 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 , America’s fascination with mob boss Al Capone is a century old. Here to tell the story is the biographer of the definitive work on Al Capone, Laurence Bergreen. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.