Our American Stories

On this episode of Our American Stories, The Pulitzer Prize winning author of  G-Man: J. Edgar Hoover , Beverly Gage, shares the story of J. Edgar Hoover’s forty-eight years at the center of American law enforcement. From his early obsession with files and bureaucracy, to his role under eight presidents, Hoover shaped the FBI—and the federal government itself—across the Depr...

On this episode of Our American Stories, writer Lilly Dancyger reflects on growing up with a father addicted to heroin, and the quiet ways addiction shaped her childhood. From early conversations about drugs to the confusing aftermath of her father’s death, she traces how love, denial, anger, and grief intertwined over time. Originally written for  Psychology Today , Lilly's tale is a d...

On this episode of Our American Stories, while plowing his field in the Ozarks, Ed Stilley suffered a heart attack and experienced a vision that would change his life. He believed God asked him to build musical instruments and give them to children, with a promise that his family would be cared for in return. The problem was simple: Ed had never made an instrument before. Musicians Kelly and Donna...

On this episode of Our American Stories, James Bradley Thayer and Chauncey Wright grew up in rural Massachusetts with little to suggest they would one day enter Harvard’s elite world. Yet both rose into Harvard Yard, where their paths sharply diverged. Thayer became a towering figure at Harvard Law, shaping generations of Supreme Court justices, while Wright’s brilliance was undone by...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Elizabeth Smith Friedman helped build modern American cryptography, though much of her work remained classified for decades. From World War I through World War II, she broke enemy codes, trained military intelligence officers, dismantled Prohibition-era smuggling networks, and exposed Nazi spy rings operating in South America. Lindsay Larkin, who attended F...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Gladys Gonzalez once held a senior banking position in Bogotá, earning a dollar salary and managing major financial institutions. When Colombia’s drug war forced her employer to shut down operations, she was suddenly starting over in the United States. Her credentials didn’t transfer. The executive experience that once defined her career...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Becky Shaffer grew up in severe neglect and abuse, cycling through hunger, violence, and instability before entering foster care as a teenager. After aging out of the system herself, she built a life marked by faith, family, and hard-earned resilience. Years later, while fostering young women, Becky recognized a familiar pattern as girls left care without s...

On this episode of Our American Stories, each fall at Brooks Camp in Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska, brown bears race to gain as much weight as possible before winter. Ranger Lian Law shares the story of how Fat Bear Week began as a small educational project and grew into a worldwide event, showcasing how fat equals survival for bears that must live off their reserves through months o...

On this episode of Our American Stories, many music critics consider Duke Ellington one of the most important composers of the 20th century, in or out of jazz. The late Wall Street Journal culture critic Terry Teachout, author of Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington , shares the sweeping story of Ellington’s rise from segregated Washington, D.C. to the Cotton Club and national radio, examining his...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Cecil Wax grew up in rural Iowa in the 1920s, when a simple errand could turn into an adventure. When his family runs out of vinegar during harvest season, young Cecil and his brother are sent on horseback to the local general store. What follows is a childhood journey filled with small dangers, hard lessons, and a moment that stayed with him for the rest o...

On this episode of Our American Stories, long before Portland became a destination, one businessman helped shape its future through hospitality, civic pride, and vision. Alex Adler, better known as Alex the Historian , shares the story of a logger named Simon Benson, the immigrant entrepreneur behind the iconic Benson Hotel, and explains how his investments helped put Portland on the national map....

On this episode of Our American Stories, in Pea Ridge, Arkansas, horse jumping was nothing new. So locals decided to see whether a mule could do better. What began as a friendly dare among coon hunters grew into an annual mule-jumping competition that blends skill, stubbornness, and small-town pride. Locals, longtime competitors, and families who helped shape the tradition share how this unlikely...

On this episode of Our American Stories, stand-up comedian Mitch Hedberg was once called “the next Jerry Seinfeld,” but his comedy was unmistakably his own. A master of the one-liner in the tradition of Henny Youngman, Hedberg built a following with surreal observations and a laid-back delivery that felt effortless. Few knew that behind the calm presence was a deep fear of performing o...

On this episode of Our American Stories, America’s eleventh president, James K. Polk, served just one term and reshaped the nation more than most presidents who served two. Official Texas State Historian Monte Monroe, along with historians Rachel Helvering and Anne Claire, share the story of the disciplined and relentless president who oversaw the annexation of Texas, the settlement of the O...

On this episode of Our American Stories, every Sunday, Our American Stories  host Lee Habeeb speaks with Mitchel “Big Mitch” Rutledge, who has spent more than forty years serving a life sentence in Alabama for killing a man. Mitch has never denied his crime or offered excuses for it. Instead, their conversations focus on what responsibility, faith, and accountability look like whe...

On this episode of Our American Stories, The Super Bowl wasn’t always America’s biggest event. Emmy Award–winning producer and author Dennis Deninger tells how a rejected expansion bid, the rise of the AFL, and secret merger talks led to the creation of a new championship game. From its unsold seats and modest halftime shows to its transformation into a cultural and economic jugg...

On this episode of Our American Stories, historian Stephen Ambrose explains how World War II was actually fought, through the weapons that shaped the battlefield. From barbed wire and land mines to machine guns and artillery, Ambrose shows how many of the war’s most important tools were refinements of earlier designs. We'd like to thank the Ambrose Estate for allowing us to bring you this au...

On this episode of Our American Stories, sisters Betsy and Elaine Brumley tell the story of their father, Bob, and the family legacy he carried forward from his father, gospel songwriter Albert E. Brumley, who wrote classics like “I’ll Fly Away” and “Turn Your Radio On.” From a music publishing base in Powell, Missouri, Bob kept the Brumley catalog alive through decad...

On this episode of Our American Stories, after Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, the United States launched a massive twelve-day manhunt for his killer, John Wilkes Booth. Thousands joined the pursuit as Booth fled through Maryland and Virginia, narrowly evading capture at every turn. Historian and New York Times bestselling author James L. Swanson shares the story behind  Manhunt: The 12-Day...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Civil War general and politician Daniel Sickles was one of the most notorious figures of the 19th century. His life was marked by ambition, scandal, and a murder trial that stunned the nation. After killing his wife’s lover in Washington, D.C., Sickles became the first American to successfully argue temporary insanity as a legal defense, setting a pre...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Wally Soplata shares the story of his father, Walter, a union carpenter who quietly saved rare World War II aircraft by storing them in his own backyard. With little money but endless determination, Walter rescued fighters, bombers, and even jet aircraft that were destined for scrap. From hauling planes across state lines with a bus, to preserving a B-25 bo...

On this episode of Our American Stories, teacher and World War II history buff Anne Claire shares the story of how Bremerton became a vital center of America’s wartime buildup. Home to the Bremerton Naval Yard, the town transformed almost overnight as the nation prepared for global conflict. After Pearl Harbor, damaged battleships from the Pacific Fleet were rushed to Bremerton, where worker...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Christina Dent shares how becoming a foster mother in Jackson, Mississippi challenged everything she believed about addiction, crime, and motherhood. Growing up amid violence and uncertainty, she once saw being tough on crime as the only path to safer communities. That worldview changed when a newborn entered her home and she later met his mother, a woman b...

On this episode of Our American Stories, listener and longtime Our American Stories  contributor Katrina Hine shares a personal story from one of her first jobs out of high school, working as a dairy hand in rural Kansas. From whistling cows in from the pasture during brutal winter weather to learning the hard way why you never put your head under a cow’s tail, her story is a reminder t...

On this episode of Our American Stories, war had already broken out in the American colonies, but declaring independence meant crossing a line from which there could be no return. In this episode of our ongoing Story of America Series , Hillsdale College professor and author of  Land of Hope , Bill McClay, shares the story of how the Continental Congress arrived at that momentous decision and...