Our American Stories

On this episode of Our American Stories, Francis Scott Key wasn’t a musician, a soldier, or a master wordsmith. But after witnessing the British bombardment of Fort McHenry during the War of 1812, he scribbled out a rough poem that captured a nation’s defiance. Set to the tune of a British drinking song, his words became "The Star-Spangled Banner" and the unexpected anthem of a young c...

On this episode of Our American Stories, On July 4, 1986, moments before the largest fireworks display in American history, President Ronald Reagan gave a rousing speech from the deck of the  USS John F. Kennedy  in New York Harbor. Standing beneath the Statue of Liberty, he reminded the country and the world what freedom really means. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.co...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Uncle Sam is the iconic face of American patriotism, pointing from posters, stamped on recruitment ads, and etched into national memory. But how did he come to be? The real story begins with a New York meatpacker named Samuel Wilson. What started as a shipping label turned into one of the most enduring symbols of liberty and national service. Support the sh...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Art Burton, author of numerous books on African Americans in the West, tells the story of Cherokee Bill: one of the most feared and notorious outlaws in Indian Territory. Known for his violent robberies and multiple killings during the 1890s, Cherokee Bill became a legendary figure whose brief but deadly career earned him comparisons to Jesse James and Bill...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Scooby-Doo, where are you? Americans have been asking themselves this question for over half a century. Our own Greg Hengler shares the story of one of the most iconic cartoons of all time. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)   Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Tim Harford, an economist and bestselling author of  Fifty Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy , shares the story of these three underappreciated inventions in history—air conditioning, the barcode, and the elevator brake! Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)   Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.c...

On this episode of Our American Stories, James Arness is recognized as one of America's most beloved actors. Generations have grown up watching him as Marshal Matt Dillon on television’s longest-running series,  Gunsmoke . Here to share another “Hollywood Goes to War” story is Roger McGrath. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)   Support th...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Maureen Elwyn shares the heartfelt story of a moment with her elderly grandfather and his beautiful singing as she played the organ. We’d like to thank Leslie Leyland Fields for introducing us to this story. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)   Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.c...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Bill Corum, author of  The Ultimate Pardon , shares his incredible story of redemption and explains how he went from being a feared enforcer in the Kansas City underworld to becoming a free man and a prison minister on a mission. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)   Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/do...

On this episode of Our American, there is no Burger King in Mattoon, Illinois. There isn’t even a Burger King within 20 miles of the small town. The reason? A small burger joint known as  the  Burger King took the national brand to court... and won. Chris Suerdieck, a curator at the Mattoon History Center, shares the story. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/dona...

On this episode of Our American Stories, in 2021, former Negro Leagues baseball player Buck O'Neil was finally inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame—years after being rejected, to the surprise of his friends, by just one vote. Bob Kendrick, president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, tells the story of how Buck handled that loss, in Bob's words, "like...

On this episode of Our American Stories, our regular contributor from South Carolina, Dennis Peterson, shares the story of Dicey Langston, an American Revolutionary War heroine who, at the age of 15, saved her family and fellow patriots from one of the most notorious gangs of Loyalist outlaws of the time: the so-called "Bloody Scouts." Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Candy corn. Black licorice. Circus peanuts. Chances are, you have a strong opinion about one or all of these three candies. For some, they're a nostalgic treat... for others, they belong in the trash. But chances are, you've never thought about how they came to be. Here to tell the story of America's three most controversial candies is a man simply known as...

On this episode of Our American Stories, armed with only a walking cane and a pistol, Theodore Roosevelt Jr., the son of the former president, stormed the beaches of Normandy at an age when most men were thinking about retirement. He had a lot to live up to, and despite his privileged upbringing, he succeeded in making a name for himself much like his father. Craig Du Mez, president of the Gratefu...

On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1974, Patricia Hearst, heiress to the William Randolph Hearst newspaper empire, was abducted by an American far-left militant organization. But in a shocking turn of events, she eventually joined their cause. Here’s the remarkable story. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)   Support the show: https://www.ouramericanst...

On this episode of Our American Stories, in the early 1980s, Brig and Jon Sorber, then high school students in Lansing, Michigan, started a local moving service using an old, beat-up pickup truck. They called it Two Men and a Truck—and their mom drew the original stick-figure logo. When the boys left for college, she took over the business, incorporated it, and—using the meager $350 pr...

On this episode of Our American Stories, JD Phillips (a.k.a. The Appalachian Storyteller) shares the true story of Ches McCartney—a man who traversed the United States in a ramshackle wagon drawn by, of all things, a herd of goats. His mission? To spread the word of God—and have a few adventures (and misadventures) along the way. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/do...

On this episode of Our American Stories, for our regularly occurring Final Thoughts  series,  Our American Stories  listener and regular contributor, Bill Bryk, gives us a tour of his local cemetery in Antrim, New Hampshire, painting a vivid picture of the people buried there and the lives they lived well. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)   Support...

On this episode of Our American Stories, John Robert Fox's last recorded words, radioed from his hideout in the besieged Italian mountain village of Sommocolonia, were:  "Fire it! There's more of them than there are of us. Give them hell!"  Seconds later, Allied artillery rained down on both him and the advancing German troops. For his heroic actions, First Lt. Fox was posthumously award...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Richard Gatling hoped that the tremendous power of his new Civil War weapon would discourage large-scale battles and reveal the true folly of war. Here to share the story is Ashley Hlebinsky, one of the nation's foremost firearms experts and former curator of the Cody Firearms Museum.  Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) &nbsp...

On this episode of Our American Stories, John D. Rockefeller had a highly unusual childhood. His father, known as “Devil Bill,” was a smooth-talking snake oil salesman, while his mother was a devout and disciplined Christian who taught John to work hard, save diligently, and give generously to charity. Often demonized as a so-called Robber Baron, Rockefeller reshaped America by buildin...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Scott Shane shares the true story of Thomas Smallwood, a man born into slavery who became one of the first to write about and name the “Underground Railroad.” Risking everything, Smallwood teamed up with white abolitionist Charles Torrey to help enslaved families escape from Washington, D.C., and Maryland, openl...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Senior Lead Officer Deon Joseph shares a vivid story about how he helped the women living on L.A.'s notorious Skid Row. 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,  Witness:  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, Mike Leven was the President and Chief Operating Officer of Las Vegas Sands Corp.—one of the greatest hoteliers of all time and a legend in the business. He’s also what you might call a “wise man.” In this story, Mike shares what he learned from an uncaring law professor. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)...