Our American Stories

On this episode of Our American Stories , like so many fatherless children, Blair Linne had a hole in her heart. She had a loving mom, but went from home to home to home (25 in all) in her search for stability and a family she could call her own. Here's her story of ending a generational curse.  Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericans...

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 she 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.ou...

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, author of 100 Bible Verses That Made America.  Support the show (https://www.ouramer...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Brad Server grew up watching The Three Stooges on TV, not knowing he was related to one of the greatest comics of all time. Every day after school, Brad, his brother, and their friends would pile in front of the television to watch their idol, Jerome Howard, best known as “Curly.” Then, one day, the secret about their unknown grandfather was unveiled. Here...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Stephen Ambrose shares a WWII story beginning in January of 1943 and ending with the Allied solution of Unconditional Surrender. Let’s jump right in with the Soviet victory over the Nazis at the Battle of Stalingrad.  Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/...

On this episode of Our American Stories , The History Guy unpacks the largely forgotten saga of the Bonapartes who came to America. The story illustrates the pretensions and complexity of Napoleon's attempts to create a lasting dynasty.  Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy i...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Shelby Houston, 18, delivered a sermon for her father—Richard Houston, a 21-year TX cop—killed in the line of duty.  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.o...

On this episode of Our American Stories , this is the story of Chuck Colson's Watergate fallout—told by Chuck himself, who served as Special Counsel to President Richard Nixon. This was the last interview Chuck Colson granted before passing at 80 years of age in 2012.  Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnys...

On this episode of Our American Stories , this is the story of how identical twin brothers—a doctor and a lawyer—collaborated with scores of unsung heroes to modernize emergency medical services, help create the physician assistant profession, help write the model law for organ donation and develop other programs that save thousands of lives every year. Here’s Alfred and Blair Sadler with their st...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Sean Pronger always dreamed of being and playing with Wayne Gretzky. Find out what happens when his dream meets his hangover.  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 S...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Ben Franklin has the distinction of many "firsts":  He invented the lightning rod, the Franklin stove, bifocals, the catheter, swim fins and the odometer. He started the first public library, the first volunteer fire company,  the first American fire insurance company, the first hospital and was the first postmaster general. Chess.com also reminds us that...

On this episode of Our American Stories , when the Brits and the U.S. decided to form the first allied command in history in order to defeat Nazi Germany, why was their first ground battle (Operation Torch) against France in North Africa? Here’s the great Stephen Ambrose with the story.  Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.c...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Professor Christopher Oldstone-Moore makes the case that today’s bearded renaissance is part of a centuries-long cycle in which facial hairstyles have varied in response to changing ideals of masculinity.  Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Unofficial Abilene Historian and Legend Jay Moore's family tale of loss, discovery, and selflessness will tug on your heartstrings while reinforcing the importance of intergenerational relationships.  Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for priv...

On this episode of Our American Stories , our next story is about a con man who was so good that he got both the Union and the Confederate presidents to pardon him; yet, he was so bad that a NYC woman offered a $50k reward to find him—dead or alive.  Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Duncan Scott tells us his story of pranking the New Mexico State Legislature 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 President John F. Kennedy declared at Rice University that we would put a man on the Moon by the end of the decade, the year was 1962 and, according to those in the know, America was 10 years behind the Soviet Union in terms of our capabilities to do so. Nevertheless, we managed to achieve that goal despite serious setbacks along the way. Steve Kates,...

On this episode of Our American Stories , as if spending the night in a funeral parlor wasn't scary enough! Tom Ryan brings us a chilling tale from the family funeral parlor.  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 , Dara Horn is an accomplished American writer, winning accolades and prizes for her fiction and non-fiction alike. She was approached to give a graduation speech to Jewish cadets at West Point in 2023. Here is Horn to tell the story of how her speech came to be—and the recorded copy of the speech she delivered. It's one of the most beautiful ever given at a...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Mark McCray is the author of The Best Saturdays of Our Lives . Here he is to tell us the story of Saturday morning cartoons... and answer the all-important question: what happened to them?  Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...

On this episode of Our American Stories , before she was an iconic First Lady, Jackie Kennedy was a born-and-raised New Yorker. By 1975—when she settled full-time back into Manhattan—Grand Central Train Station seemed doomed. The story begins there.  Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener...

On this episode of Our American Stories , on February 24th, 2020, more than 20,000 individuals gathered in the Los Angeles Staples Center to remember the life of Kobe Bryant. From his mentors to his mentees, all shared their own personal, heart-moving stories about his dedication and character.  Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericans...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Michael Lella's incredible tribute to his father Pino, and his role in the fall of fascism.  Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.