Our American Stories

On this episode of Our American Stories, our host, Lee Habeeb, tells his wife's story. Decades after years of sexual abuse and crisis, Valerie leaned on her faith to forgive her abuser, and to powerfully heal. 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, Jeremy Swick of the College Football Hall of Fame recounts the remarkable story of the street dog turned soldier turned mascot. 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, JD Phillips tells the story of Ches McCartney, the man who traversed the United States in a ramshackle wagon drawn by a herd of Goats. His mission was to travel the country, spread the word of God, and have a few adventures (and misadventures) along the way. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ouramer...

On this episode of Our American Stories, tank strategists involved with winning World War I favored a supporting role for tanks. In the 1930s, the losers were about to get aggressively creative. Hear from Stephen Ambrose about the "Queen of the Battlefield," and the realities of war and victory. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate ) Support the show: https://www.ouramerica...

On this episode of Our American Stories, the United States Postal Service was established in 1792. It’s hard to believe that a service that was created over two centuries ago is still used by everyone every day. But what’s even more shocking is that there was actually a lot of debate about whether there should even be a federal post office in the first place… Here’s Daniel Piazza of the Smithsonia...

On this episode of Our American Stories, for much of his early life, success and status were the driving factors of Neil White's life. This mindset led him to being imprisoned for a white-collar crime in Carville, Louisiana. But this wasn't any normal prison... 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, Jerre Stead, who's been the CEO of 10 publicly traded companies and has served on 37 corporate boards, shares with us how his lofty business career began at the age of 9, delivering newspapers in the early morning hours in Iowa. 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, Jay Moore tells us an emotional story of meeting a real life World War II hero before going to see Saving Private Ryan for a second time in theaters. 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, Dr. Seuss was raised as a Lutheran and had a strong religious background. His books often included strong moral messages… but, he was always very careful with how he went about it. Here to share a bit about Dr. Seuss’s “The Lorax” and “The Grinch” is Brian Jay Jones, author of Becoming Dr. Seuss: Theodor Geisel and the Making of an American Imagination. Sup...

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, The History Guy remembers when explorers raced to go where no one had gone before, Amundsen, Byrd, and the future of aviation. 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, Texas boys don’t write poetry, and certainly don’t cry. Roger Latham did, though, after discovering a poem written by his deceased mother. 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, Dr. Theodore Schwartz is an attending neurological surgeon and professor of neurological surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine in NYC, one of the busiest and highest ranked neurosurgery centers in the world. His book, "Gray Matters: A Biography of Brain Surgery" is part memoir and part medical history and tells a compelling story of the life of a neurosurgeon,...

On this episode of  Our American Stories , on the day Pearl Harbor was attacked, FDR's speechwriting team wasn't in Washington. Roosevelt, with the help of a few aides, penned the most important speech of his presidency, and one of the most important speeches in American history. Support the show  (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/dona...

On this episode of  Our American Stories , in 1902, the first successful, commercially available gun silencer was invented by Hiram Percy Maxim. He also developed mufflers for internal combustion engines using much the same technology. Maxim was an American inventor, graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and son of Sir Hiram Stevens Maxi— inventor of the first portable, fully auto...

On this episode of  Our American Stories , Lowell Lytle has been one of the privileged few who has seen Titanic first-hand. Lowell has played the part of Captain Smith at Titanic events all over the globe and has been entertaining guests at the Titanic Museum for more than fifteen years. He is also the author of the inspiring read, Diving Into The Deep. Here’s Lowell Lytle to tell his story and th...

On this episode of  Our American Stories , in 1974, Patricia Hearst—heiress of the William Randolph Hearst newspaper empire—was abducted by an American far-left militant organization… but she eventually joined their cause. 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 , Dr. Larry Arnn, President of Hillsdale College and a Churchill scholar, tells the story of Winston Churchill on Education. 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 , Bruce Wigo—the former CEO of the International Swimming Hall of Fame—is here to share a story of an unknown American WWII hero. 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 a career in the Marines, Mike Joens worked for some of the most successful animation studios (Hanna Barbera and Marvel Productions). He left Marvel to produce and direct “McGee and Me" and animated “Adventures in Odyssey.” Finally, after 30 years, “Theo Presents” was released. Mike tells his story. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/...

On this episode of Our American Stories, most know the now famous line from the film Apocalypse 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://www.ouramericanstories....

On this episode of Our American Stories, a tragic event brought a racist (Wallace) and a radical (Chisholm) together and forged an unlikely alliance. 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 story of Richard King and his "King Ranch" has much to tell us about America. Here is the pulse of the national epic of cattle and cowboys, ranchers and horses, a vast fortune created out of the oldest source of wealth there is, land and cattle. Roger McGrath brings us the story along with William Yancey from Texas A&M University, Kingsville. Suppor...

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. The  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/donate Se...

On this episode of  Our American Stories , the new Constitution was an experiment—a unplayed sheet of music— and we wouldn't know what it would look like in actuality until people picked up their instruments. Here to tell the story of the first real test is Bill McClay, author of Land of Hope. Support the show  (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanst...