Our American Stories

On this episode of Our American Stories , Kevin Samy, the son of Indian-American immigrants who appeared on Forbes' 30 under 30 for law & policy in 2016, tells the story of how he was molded by his upbringing in a diverse community and how football impacted him. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystud...

On this episode of Our American Stories , The Pony Express is synonymous with speed, endurance, and the American spirit to just get things done. While the name is recognizable not just throughout the States, but also all over the world, it’s not widely known that the Pony Express was part of a larger corporation.. or that it only lasted for 18 months… or that it was never meant to last in the firs...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Paul, our regular contributor from Minnesota, is here to tell us his weight-loss resolution 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 , in Part 2 of our 5-part series, Greg Hengler sits down with Brett Favre where the legendary NFL quarterback gets very personal about tough love, telling the truth, and having a parenting style that’s different than his fathers. 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 , with its classic “old country” theme, Cracker Barrel has been an American favorite for many decades. But many people don’t know that the decor you find on the walls and throughout the stores are all authentic pieces of American history. Joe Stewart, the decor manager of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, brings us the story! Support the show (https://www.ou...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Steve Trice, the founder of Jasco Products, on serving his employees and a higher calling than money. 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 book Witness: A True Story of Soviet Spies in America and the Trial That Captivated the Nation is one of the biggest U.S. bestsellers of the 20th century, yet it is almost unknown among Americans today. Here to tell the story is Greg Forster on behalf of the Acton Institute. Forster is a Whittaker Chambers expert who has earned a Ph. D. with distinctio...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Jane Leavey and Sandy Berman tell the story of the museum they created—The Breman Museum—and tell some stories of Jewish people in the American South. 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 , here to tell another "Hollywood Goes to War" story is Roger McGrath. McGrath is the author of Gunfighters, Highwaymen, and Vigilantes: Violence on the Frontier. A U.S. Marine and former history professor at UCLA, Dr. McGrath has appeared on numerous History Channel documentaries and is a regular contributor for us here at Our American Stories. Support the...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Debra Freeberg joins us with part of a 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 , America is great because of the men that make it up. And America won the Second World War because of men like “Fearless Freddie" Warder. A big hat-tip to Dang Linn Productions for allowing us access to their one-of-a-kind interviews from their recent documentary, Fearless Freddie. Check it out! Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) S...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Clarence Saunders revolutionized the way people shopped. He developed “self-service” grocery shopping in his Piggly Wiggly stores at a time when store assistants usually collected products for their customers. By introducing checkouts, clearly priced goods, and itemized receipts, he set the foundations for the supermarkets of today. Mike Freeman is the aut...

On this episode of Our American Stories , the story itself is the stuff of legends...a sunken steamboat, buried treasure, and the drive of a group of AC repairmen to become "rich beyond rich" even if it meant going into over a million dollars worth of debt. Matt Hawley tells the story of his family's quest to dig up the steamboat Arabia from the middle of a corn field. Support the show (https://ww...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Robert Montgomery was one of the first movie stars to volunteer for service in World War II and when Dwight D. Eisenhower ran for the Presidency in 1952, Montgomery was his television coach. When General Eisenhower became President, Montgomery stayed on in his role as television adviser to become the first show-business professional to occupy an office in...

On this episode of Our American Stories , the crew of Apollo 8 and Steve Kates tell the story of their Christmas time mission to the moon... and the reading of Genesis over its surface. 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 , Dr. Seuss was raised as a Lutheran and had a strong religious background. His books often included strong moral messages… but, he was always very careful with how he went about it. Here to share a bit about Dr. Seuss’s “The Lorax” and “The Grinch” is Brian Jay Jones, author of “Becoming Dr. Seuss.” Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donat...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Kevin Stark of The Toy and Action Figure Museum in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, tells the story of his museum, and his life in toys. 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 term hobo is often confused with homeless or beggar, but the truth is, wandering through life was what they preferred. Connecticut Shorty of The Hobo Museum shares the story of the American hobo and how they are still celebrated today. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/dona...

On this episode of Our American Stories , because of the devastating nature of the attack, the U.S. government chose to keep the details of this attack hushed. Grove City College political science professor Paul Kengor brings us the details through the eyes of Sergeant Frank Bryer. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/don...

On this episode of Our American Stories , in 2000, a poll was conducted by ABC Sports recognizing the Greatest Athlete of the Twentieth Century. The winner was not Muhammad Ali, Babe Ruth, Jesse Owens, Wayne Gretzky, Jack Nicklaus, and Michael Jordan—but a man today many have never heard of: an Indian from Oklahoma named Jim Thorpe. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Supp...

On this episode of Our American Stories , coping with the loss of her father as a child, total rebellion could not stop God from pursuing Sarah Gonzalez—even after spending her time partaking in activities designed to instill hatred towards others. Sarah is here to share her story. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/don...

On this episode of Our American Stories , the life of the youngest-ever winner of the Nobel Prize for literature, Rudyard Kipling, was filled with tragedy. He survived a difficult childhood to go on to become one of the most celebrated authors of his day, penning such classics as "The Jungle Book" and "Just So Stories.” Here’s The History Guy with the story of Rudyard Kipling. Support the show (ht...

On this episode of Our American Stories , when Apple founder Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPhone to the public in 2007, he used multiple iPhones. If one crashed or had another issue, he secretly swapped it for another one. He had to show off a specific set of functions in a certain order, called the “golden path.” But way back in 1801, another young inventor named Eli Whitney–already known for hi...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Phillis Wheatley, the first published black poet, has the remarkable distinction of being invited to meet with both King George III and George Washington. Lesli Johnson of the American Village tells her story. 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 , it might seem like an April Fool’s joke: The Navy commissioned its newest destroyer on April 1, 2017, and named it after a man who deliberately crash-landed a perfectly good aircraft behind enemy lines. But the man who became the first American serviceman in the Korean War to receive the Medal of Honor—and the man who lent his name to the USS Thomas Hudner...