Our American Stories

On this episode of Our American Stories, “The Great Vowel Shift” was the single greatest change in the history of the English language that has now become the official language in over 75 countries. Here’s the History Guy with the story of “The Great Vowel Shift” and the making of modern English. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ourameric...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Charles Ponzi may not have invented the Ponzi Scheme, but he certainly lent his name to it. Here to tell the story is Jonathan Small of the podcast  Write About Now . 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, remaining effective and calm under fire, from the undergrowth of the Vietnamese jungle to the rivers and skies, Ted Godlove concerned himself not with the hopelessness of a situation or who would get the credit for a victory, but rather with fighting the enemy and protecting his brothers in arms. Michael Williams, author of The Boys of Milo , tells the stor...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Our American Stories listener Richard Muniz tells the story of his boss who participated in atomic bomb testing in Nevada in the 1950s. 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, here to tell the story of explorer, accused spy, and American military hero, Zebulon Pike is Craig du Mez of the Grateful Nation Project . 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, outside of 1776, 1864 is perhaps the most consequential year in American history. Here's the story of how Abraham Lincoln almost  wasn't re-elected. 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, fantasy football is a 13-billion-dollar empire and 29 million Americans play it—but it wasn't always this way. Here to tell the story about its origins is Peter Funt, author of Inside Fantasy Football .   Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Dr. Theodore Schwartz, A neurosurgeon as well as a professor of neurosurgery at Weill Cornell Medicine—and the author of  Grey Matters , shines some light into the dark history of the lobotomy—and how it led to innovation and modern-day brain surgery. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ouramericansto...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Jonathan Alexandratos is a toy historian whose knowledge was featured in the film, Billion Dollar Babies: The True Story of the Cabbage Patch Kids. Here’s Jonathan with the story of the Cabbage Patch Kids and how they set the wheels in motion for modern-day Black Friday. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https:...

On this episode of Our American Stories, some of Walter Hunt's inventions include a saw, a steamer, inkstands, the nail-making machine, a rifle, a revolver, bullets, bicycles, a shirt collar, a boot heel, and a ceiling-walking circus device....but his most successful invention was designed in just three hours to settle a $15 debt to one of the many draftsmen he tasked with drawing up his patents....

On this episode of Our American Stories, Our American Stories listener Roger Latham shares a story he wrote entitled "The Real Santa". 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, professional football began on the factory clock and bank loans, and the first teams were bought for hundreds of dollars. John Eisenberg, author of The League ,  tells how the pioneers of American sports culture, win or lose, went all-in to make American Football the best and most dramatic game it could be. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories....

On this episode of Our American Stories, author Kristin O'Donnell Tubb tells the riveting story of the family that lived in the New York Public Library. 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, everyone’s a New Yorker on Thanksgiving Day, when young and old rise early to see what giant new balloons will fill the skies for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Our next story is about the man who first invented these "upside-down puppets”—Tony Sarg. Here to tell the story is Deborah Sorensen, Curator of Exhibitions at the Nantucket Historical Association...

On this episode of Our American Stories, 400 million pounds of cranberries are consumed by Americans each year. Twenty percent of that is during the week of Thanksgiving. That's 80 million pounds! And 5,062,500 gallons of jellied cranberry sauce are consumed by Americans every holiday season. Here’s the History Guy to share the story of the Great Cranberry Scare of 1959. Support the show ( https:/...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Thanksgiving is the only American holiday that has remained relatively innocent—it’s not something we've been able to commercialize. But something is happening here more than feasting, family, and football. Robert Tracy McKenzie, professor of history at Wheaton College and author of  The First Thanksgiving,  tells the story of this quintessentially American...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Thanksgiving used to be one of many days—"If you planned your itinerary carefully, you could have a good Thanksgiving dinner every day between Election Day and Christmas Day." That all changed when a songwriter worked long and hard to crystallize American culture as distinct from that of Britain - including by a new official holiday in the midst of the Civi...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Robert Shaw's "Quint" told the world about what happened to the USS Indianapolis in the hit movie "Jaws." The late Edgar Harrell, the last surviving Marine from the downed ship, tells the real-life story of that fateful day. It's a story you won't soon forget. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ouram...

On this episode of Our American Stories, how did Indiana get its nickname “The Hoosier State?” And how did people from Indiana come to be called “Hoosiers?” Here to answer these questions and tell the story is Dr. Stephen Flick. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informat...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Our American Stories listener, Lindsey Gallant, tells her story of the time she was challenged to an eating contest by a boy at her church. 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, before Bob Funk founded Express Employment Professionals, he wanted to be an actual minister, but his real calling in helping people find work (and hope) has likely had a much bigger impact—with over 800 franchises around the world. The purpose of the business? Connect workers to work. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support t...

On this episode of Our American Stories, everyone’s a New Yorker on Thanksgiving Day, when young and old rise early to see what giant new balloons will fill the skies for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Our next story is about the man who first invented these "upside-down puppets”—Tony Sarg. Here to tell the story is Deborah Sorensen, Curator of Exhibitions at the Nantucket Historical Association...

On this episode of Our American Stories, when Iowa listener Joy Neal Kidney's church took in refugees from war torn Bosnia, her family took it upon themselves to provide one of the families in the group with their first American Thanksgiving. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for pr...

On this episode of Our American Stories, if you want to know about the history of America, it is imperative that you know the role that the Bible played in shaping our country. Our Founding Fathers—both Christian and non-Christian—were heavily influenced by the Bible. Here to share another story is Robert Morgan who is the author of 100 Bible Verses That Made America: Defining Moments That Shaped...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Thanksgiving is the only American holiday that has actually remained relatively innocent—it’s not something that we have been able to commercialize. But there’s something going on here more than feasting, family, and football. Robert Tracy McKenzie is a professor of history at Wheaton College and is the author of The First Thanksgiving. He’s here to tell us...