Our American Stories

On this episode of Our American Stories, Bill Bryk brings us the tale of the day British forces evacuated New York City after the Revolutionary War... a full 2 years after the British Army surrendered. Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, James Swanson, the NYT Bestseller of  Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer ,  shares the story of the frantic and determined search for John Wilkes Booth. 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, Kent Nerburn, author of  Letters to My Son: A Father's Wisdom on Manhood, Life, and Love , shares how one friend changed his life forever by simply telling him to be more sociable. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Jon Meacham, the bestselling author of  Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power , shares with an audience at the Library of Congress the story of Thomas Jefferson...and explains why his life mirrors the lives of many Americans today. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate Se...

On this episode of Our American Stories, teacher, organist, choir director, Our American Stories listener, and World War II history buff Anne Clare shares the story of how a small town on the West Coast changed the course of history.  Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for priva...

On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1948, Richard Wurmbrand publicly stated Communism and Christianity were incompatible. As a result, he was imprisoned and tortured by the Communist régime of Romania. After serving a total of fourteen years, he and his wife Sabina—who had also been imprisoned— were ransomed for $10,000 and immigrated to America. Richard Wurmbrand founde...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Senior Lead Officer Deon Joseph recounts how he built community connections and relationships—and changed police perceptions with one profound phrase: "I love you." 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, by 1869, the 'Commodore’s' wealth had grown so much that his private interests intersected with the general public's. T.J. Stiles, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography  The First Tycoon , shares the story of Cornelius Vanderbilt at his most skillful—and chilling.  Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate )...

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. His book is  Hair of the Dog to Paint the Town Red: The Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions and Fun Phrases. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/don...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Walter Isaacson, author of  the biography of Steve Jobs, tells the story of the man who created the 21st century—and shares the story of how the glass screen on the iPhone showed his intense and unwavering idealism in making his products. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstori...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Tim McCoy was a major film star most noted for his roles in Western films. He was so popular with youngsters as a cowboy star that he appeared on the cover of Wheaties cereal boxes. As part of our ongoing 'Hollywood Goes to War' series, Roger McGrath shares the story of his acts of service overseas.  Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.co...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Paul Monti was able to keep - and drive - a meaningful memorial of his son Jared, who was killed in action defending his comrades. Here's Paul—and our own Lee Habeeb—with the story.  Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for priv...

On this episode of Our American Stories, “Genius,” wrote poet Charles Baudelaire, “is only childhood recalled at will.” Few people have given more credence to this notion than Maurice Sendak, who was—in the words of The New York Times—“widely considered to be the most important children’s book artist of the 20th century.” Here’s Greg Heng...

On this episode of Our American Stories, she was the youngest person ever to be featured on the cover of Entrepreneur magazine. Alina Morse, CEO of Zolli Candy, is here to tell 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, Ford's Theater reenactor Mike Robinson tells the full unknown story through the eyes of A.C. Richards, Washington's Superintendent of Police. 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, Scot Bertram and Christian Schneider of the podcast Wasn't That Special: 50 Years of SNL  tell the story of how a reserved Canadian and a rag-tag group of unknown comedians from across the country created one of the longest-lasting and most important shows of all time.  Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the sho...

On this episode of Our American Stories, for generations, students in American elementary schools were taught Christopher Columbus “sailed the ocean blue” to discover America in 1492. Today, that lesson is changing in schools across the suburbs and country. Here to tell the story of Christopher Columbus is Laurence Bergreen, who wrote the definitive biography Columbus: The Four Voyages...

On this episode of Our American Stories, you've heard that you, "Don't Mess with Texas." This story from our regular listener/contributor Roger Latham, from Fort Worth, Texas, exemplifies that statement. 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, our host, Lee Habeeb shares the story behind  the story of Lincoln's most important words—the Gettysburg Address. 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, in our 33rd episode of "The Story of America" series, Bill McClay, author of  Land of Hope , tells the story of what happened after the guns fell silent across America following our deadliest man-made disaster to date—the Civil War—and how despite massive gains in bringing "liberty and justice to all", not all was well in transforming and h...

On this episode of Our American Stories, A listener, Paul Bauer, tells the story of his prayer to be as tall as his very big brother, "Moose." 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, Jim Johnson, a listener of Our American Stories from Minnesota, tells the story of when he sold hotdogs for the Minnesota Twins as a young boy.  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, following the Charles Manson murders, Manson's lead henchman, Tex Watson, stayed in Los Angeles for almost two months before fleeing to Texas where he was arrested. But it’s those two months following the Manson murders, where this story from our listener (Patty Kingsbaker) picks up. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Suppo...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Rod Serling was the most prestigious writer in American television. As creator, host, and primary writer for The Twilight Zone, Serling became something more: an American icon. Here to tell the story is Nick Parisi, author of  Rod Serling: His Life, Work, and Imagination . Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show:...

On this episode of Our American Stories, our next story is about a 17-year-old kid named Bob Heft who designed the 50-star American flag we fly proudly to this very day!  Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.