Our American Stories

On this episode of Our American Stories, on May 1, 1960, American spy pilot Francis Gary Powers was shot down while flying a secret U-2 reconnaissance mission over the Soviet Union, setting off one of the most controversial moments of the Cold War. Questions followed immediately. Did his plane fail or was it hit by a missile? Did he defect? Did he reveal American secrets while imprisoned by the KG...

On this episode of Our American Stories, it took empty store shelves and a toilet paper shortage for many Americans to finally take the bidet seriously. Long dismissed as unnecessary or foreign, the 18th-century bathroom invention saw a surprising surge during the COVID-19 pandemic, and unlike many pandemic fads, it never faded. Bidet sales exploded, inventories vanished, and companies like Bidet...

On this episode of Our American Stories, on January 9, 2007, Steve Jobs stepped onto the stage at Macworld and unveiled a device that would change how the world communicates. What looked like a flawless presentation was actually a high-wire act, with hidden risks, backup devices, and engineers bracing for disaster behind the scenes. Our own Greg Hengler shares the story of the iPhone launch that r...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Colin Powell was a four-star general, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Secretary of State. But behind the titles was a man defined by humility, discipline, humor, and deep loyalty to those around him. Leslie Lautenslager, who worked alongside Powell for more than 25 years, shares personal stories that reveal the man few saw publicly, from his quie...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Antonin Scalia could not have disagreed more about the Constitution, yet they shared a deep and lasting friendship. Speaking at the dedication of the Antonin Scalia Law School, Justice Kagan reflects on Scalia’s influence on American law, his love of ideas and students, and the personal bond they formed across sh...

On this episode of Our American Stories, he played villains, soldiers, and tough guys on screen, but Sterling Hayden lived an even more dangerous life off camera. Best remembered as Captain McCluskey in  The Godfather  and General Jack Ripper in  Dr. Strangelove , Hayden walked away from Hollywood during World War II to serve as a Marine officer and covert operative with the OSS. As...

On this episode of Our American Stories, for nearly fifty years, Josephine Marcus Earp stood beside one of the most famous lawmen of the Old West. But she was more than Wyatt Earp’s wife. She helped shape how his story would be told. Historian Ann Kirschner, author of  Lady at the O.K. Corral , shares the story of a Jewish immigrant who chased adventure across the frontier and worked qu...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Tom Morton always felt called to serve, but the path there was anything but straight. After trying college twice and walking away both times, he made a decision that put him on a bus to Parris Island and onto the yellow footprints of Marine Corps boot camp. Our American Stories  listener Tom Morton takes us inside the physical and mental grind of Marin...

On this episode of Our American Stories, after the French and Indian War, Britain emerged victorious, but deeply in debt. Parliament believed the colonies should help pay the bill. Many colonists believed that demand crossed a line. In Episode 4 of our ongoing  Story of America Series , Hillsdale College professor Bill McClay, author of  Land of Hope , explains how new taxes, imperial co...

On this episode of Our American Stories, during the Civil War, Boston’s Fort Warren held more than 2,000 Confederate prisoners of war. Unlike many prison camps of the era, it was not a place of cruelty or mass death. That was largely due to its commander, Union Colonel Justin Dimick. A career Army officer with deep Christian convictions, Dimick insisted that prisoners be treated with dignity...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Brent Evanoff thought he had life figured out until one phone call changed everything. He learned he had a son he never knew, conceived during his time in the Army and now serving overseas in the U.S. Navy. What followed was more than a reunion. A journey through Southeast Asia brought a family together, led Brent deep into the jungles of Vietnam, and set t...

On this episode of Our American Stories, long before texts, emails, or instant messaging, Abraham Lincoln found a new way to lead a nation at war. By embracing the telegraph, Lincoln became the first “wired” president, using near real-time communication to track battles, direct generals, issue orders, and project presidential authority in ways no American leader ever had before. He spe...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Greg Giltner spent nearly three decades with the Oklahoma City Police Department and later served as a police chaplain. His role was not to preach or persuade, but to show up. On the worst days of an officer’s life, and on the worst day in Oklahoma City’s history. Giltner shares how a mentor known simply as Chaplain Poe taught him that real mini...

On this episode of Our American Stories, most people know the story of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Fewer know what happened next. After flames destroyed the heart of the city and left more than 100,000 people homeless, Chicago didn’t collapse. It rebuilt faster and bigger than anyone thought possible. Businesses reopened while the rubble was still smoking. New buildings rose within month...

On this episode of Our American Stories, beards may feel like a modern trend, but they’ve been shaping ideas about manhood for thousands of years. In some eras, a clean-shaven face signaled order, discipline, and respectability. In others, a beard stood for strength, rebellion, or independence. Christopher Oldstone-Moore, the author of  Of Beards and Men ,  and a history teacher at...

On this episode of Our American Stories, growing up in rural Alabama, Edie Hand shared an idyllic childhood with her three younger brothers, known as the Blackburn boys. Days were filled with horses, imagination, and dreams of the futures they would one day live. Those dreams were cut short by tragedy. One by one, Edie lost all three brothers, each death arriving in a different season of her life...

On this episode of Our American Stories, before founding Express Employment Professionals, Bob Funk believed his life’s work would be in the ministry. Instead, he discovered that helping people find jobs could become a calling of its own. Raised in poverty and shaped by hard work from an early age, Funk built a staffing company grounded in integrity, faith, and service. Over four decades, hi...

On this episode of Our American Stories, as a child, Deborah Freeburg learned what faith, perseverance, and family looked like by watching her parents care for their own. Years later, she entered a new and frightening season when her father’s health declined and the roles reversed. In this listener's story, Deborah shares what it meant to become her father’s caregiver, tending to him t...

On this episode of Our American Stories, when Jamie Scott was born, he was placed for adoption and raised by loving parents in North Carolina. For decades, he lived a full life without searching for his biological family. Then a simple DNA test changed everything. In this listener's story, Jamie explains how taking a test through AncestryDNA revealed siblings, cousins, and a family history hidden...

On this episode of Our American Stories, The Chosen  is the first multi-season television series about the life of Jesus Christ, and it has become one of the most successful faith-based projects in entertainment history. What began as a small, crowdfunded Christmas special has grown into a global phenomenon with hundreds of millions of views worldwide. Here to tell the story behind the series...

On this episode of Our American Stories, when Roger Latham was handed a few handwritten pages years after his mother’s death, he did not expect them to change the way he understood her, or himself. Written in pencil and tucked away without intention of publication, the poem revealed a depth and inner life he never knew she possessed. In this moving story, Roger reflects on discovering his mo...

On this episode of Our American Stories, more than 150 years after his death, Jesse James remains one of the most famous and misunderstood figures in American history. Was he a Robin Hood style folk hero, or a ruthless criminal shaped by war and revenge? Historian Roger McGrath traces Jesse James’s life from his childhood in Civil War–era Missouri through his years as a Confederate gue...

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, this time diving into how the phrases “bite the bullet” and "bless you" came to be. His book,  Hair of the Dog to Paint the Town Red: The Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions and Fun Phrases , is a must-read. Be sure...

On this episode of Our American Stories, during the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944, an American reconnaissance armored car faced one of Nazi Germany’s most feared weapons, a massive Tiger tank. By every measure, it should have been an impossible fight. Our regular contributor, The History Guy, shares the tale of how a lightly armed U.S. M8 armored car encountered a German Tiger tank ne...

On this episode of Our American Stories, writer Taylor Brown shares a deeply personal eulogy for his father, a lifelong motorcyclist who taught him about patience, character, and what it means to choose what is hard over what is easy. Originally published in  Garden & Gun , the piece traces their bond through long rides, shared roads, and the quiet lessons passed from father to son. From...