Our American Stories

On this episode of Our American Stories, Douglas was the greatest debater of his day. Lincoln was an unknown trial lawyer from Illinois. Allen Guelzo tells the story of how the days-long debates between them would lead Lincoln to the Presidency and make America what it is today. Allen is the author of  Lincoln and Douglas: The Debates that Defined America . A special thanks to the Bill of Rights I...

On this episode of Our American Stories, the team broke hearts and left its city under the cover of night in moving vans - but the memory of the Baltimore Colts, and legendary quarterback Johnny Unitas, burns bright in the hearts of its fans. 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, Matt Parker, a comedian and mathematician from Australia, tells the story of the time Michael Larson surprisingly beat the game show, Press Your Luck, and gives a look into why computers can’t be random. 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, Richard Gatling hoped that the tremendous power of his new Civil War weapon would discourage large-scale battles and show the folly of war. Here to tell the story is Ashley Hlebinsky. 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, after the fall of the Philippines, over 70,000 Americans and Filipinos were taken captive by Japanese forces on the Bataan Peninsula. The death rate of these POWs was well over 30 percent. By contrast, the allies' POWs endured a death rate of three percent. Here to tell his harrowing story of surviving Japanese military savagery is Dr. Lester Tenney, author...

On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1966, an SR-71 "Blackbird" disintegrated at 78,000 feet. The pilot's first thought was "No one could live through what just happened". Therefore, I must be dead." 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 this "Rule of Law" Story, James King and his lawyer Patrick Jaicomo from the Institute for Justice tell the story of an extreme case of mistaken identity that led them down a long road to achieve justice. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener fo...

On this episode of Our American Stories, The History Guy remembers the 16th President’s son, Robert Todd Lincoln. Because of his father, Abraham Lincoln, Robert Todd's life has been largely forgotten—but it deserves to be remembered. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy infor...

On this episode of Our American Stories, this is the story of Chuck Colson's Watergate fallout—told by Chuck himself, who served as Special Counsel to President Richard Nixon. This was the last interview Chuck Colson granted before passing at 80 years of age in 2012. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnys...

On this episode of Our American Stories, on June 6, 1944, FDR delivered a prayer to the nation at 9:57PM ET. It would last 6 minutes long and be heard by over 100 million Americans—and millions more in Europe. Written with help from his daughter and his daughter's husband, it was the largest mass prayer in American (and world) history. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate )...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Anne Claire tells the story of the Battle of Midway, America's "make or break" moment in World War II. 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, when 85-year-old Lana Peters passed away in 2011 from complications due to colon cancer, the nation seemed to have forgotten the woman who had become a sensation during the Cold War. The History Guy recalls the extraordinary life of the woman whose defection to the United States represented a seminal moment in history. Support the show ( https://www.ouramer...

On this episode of Our American Stories, when Donna’s daughter, Cassie, was diagnosed with Chronic Paranoid Schizophrenia as a teenager, their daily jobs became more difficult. So they dropped everything and opened a resale shop. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Heather McPherson became the Curator of History at the South Carolina Military Museum. Hear her inspiring reason for her career.  Reply  Reply all  Forward 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, sometimes it's the principle of the thing. When you experience fraud, you can "wine" about it - or you can get the grapes of wrath involved. 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 is Pulitzer Prize-winning author and journalist, Scott Shane. Shane is the author of "Flee North: A Forgotten Hero and the Fight for Freedom in Slavery’s Borderland." Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Tracy Grant, the former managing editor at the Washington Post, shares the story of why the days taking care of her dying husband were the best 7 months of her life. 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, Tim Harford, author of the bestselling book  50 Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy , shares the stories of three inventions that changed the way we live today. 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, many Americans have heard of the famous Navajo Code Talkers who used their traditional language to transmit secret Allied messages in the Pacific Theater of combat during World War II. Our next story is told to us by one of these Marines. Peter MacDonald is the President at Navajo Code Talkers Association. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.c...

On this episode of Our American Stories, the director was a renegade filmmaker who'd never made a profitable picture. The producer was hired because he could stay below budget. The star had a reputation for being difficult. A formula for disaster? No, the makings of one of the greatest films of all time. Here to tell the story is Harlan Lebo, author of The Godfather Legacy. Support the show ( http...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Elisabeth Elliot was a missionary who returned to Ecuador with her toddler daughter to preach the Gospel to the Indian tribe that had killed her husband. Here's Elisabeth Elliot to tell us her 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, Thomas Bennett was a master salesman and businessman who helped, along with John Moses Browning, create the iconic American firearms brand Winchester. 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, a former high-powered media executive shares the story of how the 37-year horse racing Triple Crown drought broken in 2015 brought back a flood of memories of Sundays at the track with his Dad. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...

On this episode of Our American Stories, “Wild Bill" Donovan was one of America’s most exciting and secretive generals—the man President Franklin Roosevelt made his top spy in World War II. “Wild” Bill was the director of the Office of Strategic Services (the country’s first national intelligence agency). He is known as the founding father of both the CIA and the military's Special Operations Forc...

On this episode of Our American Stories, King Solomon was a gravedigger who may have saved the town of Lexington during the Cholera epidemic of 1833. Kentucky journalist Sam Terry tells the story of the man they called “King Solomon.” Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...