Our American Stories

On this episode of Our American Stories, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated around the world with shamrocks, green clothing, and parades, but the real Saint Patrick lived a life far removed from the holiday that grew up around his name. As a teenager, Patrick was captured and taken to Ireland as a slave. Years later, he returned to the same land, this time as a Christian missionary determined t...

On this episode of Our American Stories, John Bryan spent decades in the business world leading the Sara Lee Corporation and helping shape one of America’s most recognizable food brands. His leadership also left a mark on Chicago, where he helped bring the vision of Millennium Park to life. But before the boardrooms and public projects, John Bryan was simply an older brother. George Bryan jo...

On this episode of Our American Stories, for thirty-seven years, no horse won the Triple Crown. Then, in 2015, American Pharoah finally broke the drought and gave horse racing one of its biggest moments in a generation. For former media executive Gary Ginsberg, that win brought back something more personal. Watching the Triple Crown races returned him to the Sundays he spent at the track with his...

On this episode of Our American Stories, few public figures captured the American mood quite like Will Rogers. Raised in "Indian Territory" and shaped by the traditions of the American West, he first gained attention as a rope-twirling performer in vaudeville. From there his career expanded rapidly. Rogers became a film star, newspaper columnist, and radio personality whose observations about poli...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Desi Arnaz fled Cuba as a teenager after his family lost everything during political upheaval. Starting over in Miami, he worked odd jobs, learned English, and fought his way into show business through sheer persistence and charisma. But his greatest impact wouldn’t just be as a performer — it would come behind the scenes. As the co-star of I Lo...

On this episode of Our American Stories, The Declaration of Independence is one of the most famous documents ever written. Its words helped launch a revolution and have inspired independence movements around the world ever since. But the parchment signed in 1776 faded badly over time. By the early twentieth century, it was nearly impossible to reproduce clearly. The version most Americans recogniz...

On this episode of Our American Stories, much of what the public knows about Brett Favre happened on the football field. But behind the touchdowns and championships is a life shaped by hardship, faith, and the lessons that come with age. In part four of our five-part series, Greg Hengler sits down with Brett at his home in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where he reflects on the role faith has played in...

On this episode of Our American Stories, before the polio vaccine transformed public health, poliomyelitis was one of the most feared diseases in America. Severe cases could leave patients paralyzed and unable to breathe, forcing doctors to rely on a strange new technology: the iron lung. These massive metal chambers lined hospital wards during major polio outbreaks, rhythmically expanding and con...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Dustin Tomlinson grew up in rural Missouri, the youngest of four brothers on a cattle farm where competition was part of everyday life. Like a lot of people in small towns, he had arm wrestled plenty of times on truck hoods, in hayfields, and around the high school cafeteria table. But he never imagined it could become a serious sport. After stumbling acros...

On this episode of Our American Stories, most Americans remember Brian Keith as Uncle Bill on the television series Family Affair. Calm, steady, and dependable, he played the bachelor suddenly responsible for raising his niece and nephew. That calm presence came from a life far from Hollywood soundstages. During World War II, Keith served as a U.S. Marine aerial gunner in the Pacific, flying comba...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Annie Oakley could do things with a rifle that most people would not even attempt. She shot right-handed, left-handed, from horseback, and even over her shoulder using a mirror. At a time when women were expected to remain in the background, she stepped into the spotlight with a rifle in her hands. Her path to fame began in poverty. As a young girl in Ohio,...

On this episode of Our American Stories, after the sudden death of his father, Irvin Favre, Brett Favre faced a decision about whether he could play the next night in a crucial Monday Night Football game. What followed became one of the most remarkable performances in NFL history. In this installment of our five-part series, Brett reflects on the night he took the field with a heavy heart, played...

On this episode of Our American Stories, The Confederacy entered the Civil War with a serious problem. It didn’t have the industrial strength to build the navy it needed. To keep the war effort alive, Southern leaders turned to something they still had plenty of: cash crops and international trade. That’s where blockade runners came in. Fast ships slipped through the Union blockade car...

On this episode of Our American Stories, The United States Constitution is the oldest written constitution still in force, yet one question about the document continues to shape debates about American history: Did the Constitution support slavery, or did it leave room for the institution to be challenged and eventually abolished? For our ongoing  Story of Us—Story of America  serie...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Joe Garman wanted to minister to people on his own terms, and certainly not in a prison setting. As he tells it, God had other plans. He would end up forming ARM, one of the largest prison ministries in the world. 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, the first American Christmas came just months after the Declaration of Independence. But by December, the mood across the colonies was anything but triumphant. Washington’s forces had been pushed back again and again. The army was cold, outnumbered, and on the brink of collapse. What happened on Christmas night turned the tide. With no guarantee of su...

On this episode of Our American Stories, immigration to the United States has always been driven by the same simple hope. Families leave the places they know best and step into an uncertain future because they believe the next generation might have greater opportunity. Our American Stories  listener Jon L. Jacobson shares the story of his great-grandfather, Cornelius, an immigrant whose arriv...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Jen Neiman was dealing with persistent health troubles that would not go away. She was depressed, upset, and felt as if any progress she had made had been met with more bad news. Then a mysterious gift appeared on her doorstep. Jen shares the story of what she learned about friendship in her darkest hours. We would like to thank our regular contributor, Les...

On this episode of Our American Stories, few television comedies have had the lasting impact of I Love Lucy. When the show debuted in the early 1950s, Lucille Ball quickly became one of the most recognizable performers in American entertainment. Her success did not arrive quickly. For years, Ball struggled to find a role that truly fit her talent, moving through small film parts and studio setback...

On this episode of Our American Stories, on February 5, 2018, Colorado Deputy Micah Flick was killed in the line of duty while responding to a call in Colorado Springs. His death was one of many law enforcement line-of-duty deaths that year, and it left a family, a department, and a community grieving the loss of a young officer who had dedicated his life to public service. Our American Stories&nb...

On this episode of Our American Stories, when Steve Trice started Jasco Products in 1975, he didn’t set out just to build a successful and profitable company. Guided by his Christian faith, he believed his business could be a way to serve others. That belief eventually led Jasco to make an extraordinary commitment: giving away half of its profits to charitable causes around the world. Steve...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Joy Neal Kidney, a regular contributor of Our American Stories,  shares the tale behind a cherished family photograph taken on the Fourth of July in 1907. Through the memoirs of Leora Goff, we're transported to small-town Iowa, where parades, brass bands, picnics, and fireworks filled a long summer day of celebration in 1907. It is a vivid snapshot of...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Johnsonville Sausage grew into the best-selling sausage brand in the United States, but the company’s success did not come from product alone. It also came from a culture that placed unusual trust in its employees. When a Johnsonville plant in Watertown, Wisconsin burned down, the company faced a difficult choice about what to do with the workers who...

On this episode of Our American Stories, in the 1880s, San Francisco passed an ordinance regulating laundries that operated in wooden buildings. On paper, the law applied to everyone. In practice, city officials enforced it almost entirely against Chinese immigrant laundry owners. One of those business owners was Yick Wo. When local authorities repeatedly denied him a permit to continue operating...

On this episode of Our American Stories, across the United States, many young people labeled “at risk” struggle to find stable work and long-term career opportunities. In Colorado, one electrical contracting company decided to confront that challenge directly. Weifield Group began hiring and training individuals who might otherwise be overlooked in traditional hiring processes. Karla N...