Our American Stories

On this episode of Our American Stories , Sidney Poitier's elegant bearing and principled onscreen characters made him Hollywood's first black movie star and the first Black man to win the best actor Oscar.   Sidney Poitier: Man, Actor, Icon  was the first full biography of legendary actor Sidney Poitier written by Aram Goudsouzian , professor of history at the University of Memphis. Sup...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Patty Kingsbaker from Colorado not only has a great Elvis story, but she is very good at telling it! Pete Croatto , author of  From Hang Time to Prime Time ,  explains how the NBA became an 8.3 billion dollar entertainment and cultural icon. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)   Time Codes: 00:00 - The Time Patty Kin...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Joel Wegener and his wife have 10 kids, and because he worked in education, they had to find ways during the summers to make a little extra money. Kirk Aubry , the CEO of the supply chain services company Savage, shares the ethical principles of their 2nd generation, 75-year-old family company. The History Guy tells us how Richard “Dick” B...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Daryn Glassbrook of the Mobile Medical Museum tells the story of the iron lung, a device used to keep people with advanced polio alive in the first half of the 20th century. Our regular contributor Richard Muniz tells the story of an unforgettable accident at Ft. Irwin, California. Wendy Steele tells us how she could have never imagined that an idea for he...

On this episode of Our American Stories , model, motivational speaker, and author, Christine Handy tells us how she became a breast cancer and medical malpractice survivor whose life was saved by two powerful forces: friends and faith. Scott Gilbert shares the impact he has had as the president of the Roaring Fork Valley Chapter of Habitat For Humanity by teaching life skills to people in prison....

On this episode of Our American Stories , Chris Graham of the American Civil War Museum in Richmond, Virginia tells the story of one of their objects on display with an extraordinary story we're just now finding out. Kate Moore , author of “ Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women ”, shares the story of the young women who in 1898 began working in radium factories...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Eilene Lyon shares the story of observing two eagle families that couldn't be more diametrically opposed to one another. Former Air Force Captain and Air Force OSI Special Agent Vince Benedetto shares his story of going to a school to teach students about why we honor our veterans. Dr. Jean Stuntz from West Texas A&M University gives us some history on...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Steve Thomas , Oxford, Mississippi's local magician and balloon artist, shares his story with us. Wayne Gretzky tells us how the death of his father, Walter Gretzky , prompted an avalanche of tributes for his genuine, approachable, authentic personhood. For Dennis Peterson's father, "Making Do" meant going to extreme lengths to save a dime...sometimes to h...

On this episode of Our American Stories , history geek  Christopher Klein to tells the story of how Johnny Carson saved Twister. Liz Williams , founder of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum, tells the story of whisky, bourbon, absinthe, and pink elephants... done Cajun style. Tina Ramirez shares her passion for religion and how she took it around the world. Support the show (https://www.ou...

On this episode of Our American Stories , former Baylor Basketball player Matt Sayman , author of  The Leftovers: Baylor, Betrayal, and Beyond  tells the story behind one of the biggest scandals in college basketball history—along with one of its biggest turnarounds. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)   Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Sean Kernan of Medium helps us tell the story of Leonard v. PepsiCo Inc. A law school classic that helps kids navigate the curious world of contract law, but in 1999 it was serious business. After a career as a U.S. Marine, Mike Joens  tells us how he worked for some of the most successful animation studios such as Hanna Barbera, Filmation, Warner Bro...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Nicole Small , the former CEO of the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, shares how she is now inspiring young women to pursue careers in STEM. Jon Elfner helps tell the story behind Charles Eliot's claim that, " all a man needs for a good education is a 5-foot bookshelf "  and what came to be known as "The Harvard Classics." Support the show (https:/...

On this episode of Our American Stories , John Busbee of  The Culture Buzz on KFMG 98.9 tells the story of the remarkable sacrifice made by one family in Iowa during the Civil War. ​ Tammy Harris was born to be an artist... it just took a while for him to figure out how to make some money doing it. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)   Time Codes:  00:0...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Paul Kengor tells us how the U.S. government chose to keep the details of this WWII attack hushed. Author, Andrew Thompson , shares another slice from his ultimate guide to understanding these baffling mini mysteries of the English language. Leslie Leyland Fields tells the story of how she came to write her memoir. Support the show (https://www.ouramerican...

On this episode of Our American Stories , retired U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Michael Schlitz tells us how he enlisted in March 1996 and served in several positions including Rifleman and Platoon Sergeant. While in Baghdad, Iraq on February 27, 2007, Mike and his crew were on a road-clearing mission when their vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device (IED). Jon Elfner helps tell the...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Britney Ruby Miller , CEO of Jeff Ruby Culinary Entertainment shares with us how she leads a team of more than 500 employees across 7 luxury steakhouses in Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. When his wife got a ticket for a tiny infraction, Mats Järlström , driven by curiosity, investigated a local traffic cam system... which led to an investigat...

On this episode of Our American Stories , historian John Steele Gordon tells the story of how the telegraph went from Samuel Morse to winning WWI and how one man spearheaded the effort to connect America to Great Britain and, in doing so, the rest of the world. Former CEO of 7-Eleven, Jim Keyes , tells the story of how their company has led countless immigrants to the American Dream. Support the s...

On this episode of Our American Stories , the History Guy tells us the story of the youngest-ever winner of the Nobel Prize for literature, Rudyard Kipling , and how 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.” Pete Coors tells the story of Coors Banquet beer and how the s...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Jeremy Swick of the College Football Hall of Fame recounts the remarkable story of the street dog, Sgt. Stubby , turned soldier turned mascot. At 53 years young, Officer Wendy Caldwell made history at the Houston, Texas Police Department. Nancy Ball shares a story she wrote, “Being an Ole Miss Fan is in and of Itself a Lesson in Humility.” Supp...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Author Winter Prosapio dives into some of the weird laws we have here in the U.S. Years after finding out she was adopted, Traci Huguley discovered she was not the only child adopted out. She then made it her mission to find her siblings. Dennis Peterson's father was hard but fair, and some of the biggest lessons Dennis learned were on the job site, doing...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Cuban exile, Ray Montalvo joined Brigade 2506 to fight back against Castro, leading to his imprisonment in the country he once loved. Now, he is a proud U.S. citizen and business owner. Vermont historian and journalist Mark Bushnell takes us into the life of Calvin Coolidge in his hometown. The History Guy   tells us the history of the Bible.  Su...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Josh and Lauren Manning needed to make a grand change in life...and they found the opportunity to do so at a church in Noel, Missouri...where and influx of immigrants and refugees necessitated a lot of adaptation, understanding, and a few translators to spread the gospel. Sean Smith tells us how he and his twin brother built a business that would make the...

On this episode of Our American Stories , talk radio host  Jeff Katz shares a note that his daughter won't ever read, but will surely impact your life for the better. Audie Murphy's story is one of the quintessential American stories; yet, chances are, many Americans have never even heard of his name. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)   Time Codes:  00:00...

On this episode of Our American Stories , regular contributor, Stephen Rusiniak , brings us a story written by his daughter Tracy . In this story entitled, “ Please Don’t Leave ,” she shares how helping those in need can often bring a little perspective to our lives. After achieving his dream of being a video gamer artist and reaching the top at Blizzard Entertainment, Josh Singh...

On this episode of Our American Stories , regular contributor,   Paul Kotz , shares how he helped a frustrated student look past their circumstances and get to why  what they were doing matters. Laurie Spradley , who now runs The Goo Goo Cluster, shares some history about the delicious candy bar and its new adventures in Nashville, TN. Virginia Mancini , the wife of one of Hollywood's gr...