Our American Stories

On this episode of Our American Stories, before he was a television star, James Best was orphaned at the age of three. During WWII he served with the Military Police in war-torn Germany. He became one of the hottest acting coaches in Hollywood training the likes of Clint Eastwood, Burt Reynolds, Glen Campbell, Quentin Tarantino, and Regis Philbin.  Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanst...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Young Army Rangers scaled Normandy cliffs under rifle fire and grenade blasts. Why did they do it? Hear President Reagan celebrate the surviving Rangers at the site, near the monument to the daggers they drove in to top the walls of Hitler's "Fortress Europe." Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ouram...

On this episode of Our American Stories, the rock band Boston has sold over 75 million albums with classic hits like "More Than a Feeling,” “Peace of Mind,” “Rock and Roll Band,” “Smokin',” and “Don't Look Back.”  Here’s Greg Hengler with the story about a Home Depot employee and his favorite rock n roll band. Support the show ( http...

On this episode of Our American Stories, if you want to understand the history of America, it is essential to recognize the Bible's role in shaping our country. Our Founding Fathers—both Christian and non-Christian—were deeply influenced by it. Here to share another story is Robert Morgan, author of  100 Bible Verses That Made America . Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanst...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Kit Carson is one of the most complex characters in American history. The good and the bad that come with the great conquest of the American West are summed up in this one man’s unaccountable life. Our regular contributor Roger McGrath tells the story. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ouramer...

On this episode of Our American Stories, when Wild Bill Donovan penned a letter to President Roosevelt expressing the need for the United States to have special forces units in WWII (which would eventually become the OSS and later the CIA), he looked back at America’s first modern conflict—the Civil War—and the group that attempted the first color revolution in history: the Confe...

On this episode of Our American Stories, when Oliver Hazard Perry sailed into battle on Lake Erie in September of 1813, the words "don't give up the ship" were stitched into his battle flag—honoring the late Captain James Lawrence. Perry won—and won decisively. Here to tell the story of Perry—and his astonishing victory—is Craig Du Mez of the Grateful Nation Project . ...

On this episode of Our American Stories, the story of how Monopoly came to be often goes like this: Charles Darrow, an out-of-work salesman, sat down amid the Great Depression and created the board game after watching his friends play a game involving the buying and selling of properties. He'd bring the game to the Parker Brothers and the rest is history. The truth, however, is far more complicate...

On this episode of Our American Stories, miles outside of the motor city in South Bend, Indiana, one of America’s most iconic classic car companies battled for survival against the ever-increasing tides against it. Automotive historian Patrick Foster brings us the story of Studebaker. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstor...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Our American Stories listener and regular contributor Paul Kotz gives a touching tribute to his father for our' This Week in History' series. At a time when Paul needed a great deal of encouragement, his father turned to an American novelist to cheer him up. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ouramer...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Today, getting the flu (for most people) means a few days on the couch—or in the worst case—a visit to the hospital. In 1918, however, it was a potential death sentence, and the treatments might have been even worse. Dr. Jeremy Brown, author of  Influenza: The Hundred-Year Hunt to Cure the Deadliest Disease in History ,  tells the stor...

On this episode of Our American Stories, most know the famous line from the film A pocalypse Now , which showed Robert Duvall standing in a bombed-out field saying: “I love the smell of napalm in the morning!” The man who  actually  said that was Colonel David Hackworth. Here's his story! Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https:/...

On this episode of Our American Stories, in honor of the late justice's birth, Author James Rosen tells the story of Antonin Scalia's unlikely but inevitable rise to the U.S. Supreme Court. His family, his faith, and his immigrant roots were the drivers.  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, Elizabeth Smith Friedman's accomplishments were as many as they were vital to national security—so crucial that it took until the 2000s to declassify what she was doing in WWI and WWII. Hillsdale College student and substitute panelist on Constituting America’s podcast "Constitutional Chats" Lindsey Larkin tells the unknown story of this remarka...

On this episode of Our American Stories, storyteller Shiloh Carozza remembers her father in a moving portrait of his love, steadfastness, and faith. 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, they were serious people undertaking the very serious task of saving the new nation in a stuffy little room in Philadelphia. The late great David McCullough tells this remarkable story at a Constitution Day event at the National Archives in Washington D.C. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ourameric...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Boss Hogg, played by long-time actor Sorrell Booke, had a much wider range of skills and talents than the bumbling Boss would have some believe. Here to tell the story is Nick Ragaon, host of the popular YouTube channel, " This Date in History with Nick Ragone ." Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ou...

On this episode of Our American Stories, our regular contributor Lorna Jean shares the story of her first Christmas dinner without her dad—and the secret about turnips her mother carried with her for years to not break his heart. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy i...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Vince Benedetto of Bold Gold Media Group shares the remarkable story of George Washington's letter to a Hebrew congregation in Newport, Rhode Island that laid the groundwork for religious liberty in America. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener...

On this episode of Our American Stories, have you ever seen a buffalo race horses and win ? Harvey Wallbanger did—and on real racetracks against real racehorses. Francie Berg of  Buffalo Tales and Trails  tells this remarkable...and wacky story. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio....

On this episode of Our American Stories, our next story comes to us from a listener, Paul Bauer—a regular contributor out of the Great White North, Minneapolis, MN. 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, the late Judah Samet tells the harrowing story of how he and his family managed to survive the Holocaust. 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, Iceland's strategic location made it difficult to remain neutral during World War II. Here’s the History Guy with the story. 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, as mysterious as it is sacred, the Code is an unwritten set of rules—the Bible of hockey sportsmanship, if you will—that has been handed down from generation to generation. Ross Bernstein, author of  The Code: The Unwritten Rules of Fighting and Retaliation in the NHL , spent two years researching this story and is here to share it with you...

On this episode of Our American Stories, former Olympic gold medalist Tyler Hamilton rocked the world of professional cycling—and exposed the doping culture surrounding the sport and its most iconic rider, Lance Armstrong. As one of the world’s top-ranked cyclists—and a member of Lance Armstrong’s inner circle, Hamilton has quite an amazing story and is here to share it wit...