Your History Your Story

Welcome to Your History Your Story . In this episode, we’re honored to have as our guest Pulitzer Prize-winning historian James M. McPherson. Renowned for his acclaimed work, Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era, which earned him the Pulitzer Prize, McPherson has also authored many other significant historical books, including the New York Times bestseller, Crossroads of Freedom: Antietam, the...

In this episode of Your History Your Story , we will be sharing the story of President William McKinley and his wife Ida, as recounted by their 2x great nephew, Massee McKinley . The McKinleys’ story is a tale of love, resilience, and tragedy that humanizes the 25th President and his First Lady beyond the pages of history books. William McKinley, known for his leadership during a transformative ti...

Welcome to Your History Your Story ! In this episode, we have a truly remarkable guest: George Meade . George was a Vietnam helicopter pilot, a man who faced the perils of combat from the cockpit and witnessed history from above. But his flying career didn’t end with the war. George went on to become the voice from the sky as a helicopter traffic pilot for WOR radio, guiding countless New Yorkers...

Welcome to Your History Your Story ! In this episode, we journey back to the late 1800s, the final days of the Wild West, when notorious outlaws found refuge in remote hideouts like Robbers Roost, Brown’s Hole and the infamous Hole in the Wall. We’re joined today by New York Times best-selling author Tom Clavin , who’s here to discuss his latest book, Bandit Heaven: The Hole in the Wall Gangs and...

Welcome to *Your History Your Story*! We're excited to welcome back Vincent and Robert Gardino, better known as "The Grave Trippers." These brothers have traveled across the country, uncovering and documenting the final resting places of some of the most fascinating and noteworthy figures in history. Today, we’re diving into their latest release, *Grave Trippers II: Remembering and Respecting Amer...

Just over twenty years ago, a group of Peoria, Illinois eighth grade English and History students, under the guidance of their teacher, Tim Pletkovich , embarked on an ambitious project requiring the students to write to the sons and daughter’s of Civil War Union veterans to collect information about the lives of their fathers. It was soon realized that many of the children of the Union soldiers w...

In 1981 President Ronald Reagan appointed New Jersey businessman, Raymond J Donovan to his cabinet as Secretary of Labor, a position he served in until 1985. During his tenure, Donovan carried out Reagan’s policies of advocating for free-market by reducing government regulation in labor issues. Donovan's tenure as Secretary of Labor was marked by controversy. He was accused of having ties to o...

In October 2024, we will be celebrating the 4th anniversary of Your History Your Story ! Over the years, we have received a number of questions from listeners about the podcast, such as: - What is the host, James Gardner ’s background and how did he develop a passion for history? - What inspired James and his wife, Kelly to launch the podcast? - Who are some of the guests that have had a significa...

Born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1811, Charles Sumner was a prominent American statesman and a fervent abolitionist. Sumner grew up in a society deeply divided over the issue of slavery. He eventually became a powerful voice in the fight against this institution, dedicating his life to the principles of equality and justice. Elected to the U.S. Senate in 1851, Sumner quickly became a leading figur...

In this episode of Your History Your Story , we will be speaking with Butch Patrick , famous for his iconic role as Eddie Munster on the classic 1960’s television series “The Munsters” . After completing two seasons and one movie as Eddie Munster, Butch appeared in numerous other television shows and films. Butch will share some stories about his time on the set of “The Munsters” and will talk abo...

Welcome to season 10 of Your History Your Story !! In this episode, we will be speaking with journalist and best selling author, Helene Stapinski about her book, “Murder in Matera, A True Story of Passion, Family and Forgiveness in Southern Italy” , which recounts her decade long investigation into an old family tale which suggested that there was a murderer within her family tree. Helene, who is...

2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the hit television series, “Little House on the Prairie”, which was based on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s classic books. The series ran from 1974 to 1983. In this episode of Your History Your Story , we will be speaking with actor and author, Dean Butler , who played the role of Almanzo Wilder, the husband of Laura Ingalls Wilder in the series. Dean will talk about his...

On Friday, November 22, 1963, nineteen year old Buell Wesley Frazier drove to his job at the Texas School Book Depository in Dallas, Texas. Sitting next to him in his car that morning was his coworker and occasional passenger, Lee Harvey Oswald. Little did Buell know that later that day his life would be permanently impacted by one of the most tragic events in American history, the assassination o...

In this episode of Your History Your Story , we will be speaking with Parkinson’s disease advocate and author, Dr. George Ackerman . George and his family started the website, TogetherforSharon to honor his mother’s memory and to share the message of Parkinson’s awareness and hope for a cure. George’s mother Sharon passed away at age 69 on January 1, 2020 after bravely battling Parkinson’s for ove...

In this episode of Your History Your Story , our guest is Lisa Voelker, author of the recently released, award winning novel, “The Spoon: The Story of Two Families’ Survival of the Hungarian Revolution”. “The Spoon” is based on stories told to Lisa by people whose lives were hugely impacted by the events surrounding the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, which lasted only twelve days before it was crus...

In this episode of Your History Your Story , we will be speaking with Terrie Magro , co-founder of the Michael Magro Foundation . Back in 2004, Terrie and her husband, Paul faced an unimaginable situation when not one, but both of their two young sons, were diagnosed with cancer. While their younger son Marc recovered, their older son Michael lost his battle with Leukemia at age thirteen, just mon...

Many of you might remember a guest we had back in season six by the name of John “Lucky” Luckadoo , the last surviving original pilot from the 100th Bomb group. As a B-17 Bomber Pilot, he flew twenty five missions out of England during WWII. When we spoke with Lucky, he was with author, Kevin Maurer who told his story in a book called, “Damn Lucky, One Man’s Courage During the Bloodiest Military C...

In this episode of Your History Your Story , we will be speaking with Michael Curran , author of “French and Indian Wars 1609-1759: Conflicts That Shaped a Continent”. Michael will talk about the French, British, Colonial and Native American combatants in these wars and will discuss how each of their goals and strategies ultimately determined the outcome in this turbulent period in the history of...

Many of you may remember Academy Award winning actor Anthony Quinn for his roles in famous movies such as, Lawrence of Arabia, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Zorba the Greek. But some may not know that Anthony was also a gifted and prolific artist and art collector. His art was not limited to any specific medium, he loved oil painting, woodworking, sculptures and more. In this episode of Your His...

In 2003, nine year old presidential history buff Kurt Deion, presented his father with a gigantic request: to visit the graves of all the Presidents of the United States. Kurt’s dad accepted his son’s request and thus began a decade long adventure of a lifetime that came to include all of the Vice Presidents as well and took Kurt and his family all across the country! In this episode of Your Histo...

When you hear the term “The Gilded Age” which describes a period in US History that began after the Civil War and lasted until the end of the 19th century, you probably think of a period of industrialization, new technologies and economic growth. You might also think of names such as Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Carnegie and Morgan, all of whom achieved great wealth and influence during that time. But...

The name Benedict Arnold is almost always associated with being a traitor. In 1780 Arnold, who was then the commander of West Point, a strategic American fort on the Hudson River during the Revolutionary War , handed over military secrets to a British spy named Major Andre. However, Andre was captured and Arnold’s treasonous act was discovered. While Andre was tried and hanged by the Americans, Ar...

Since 1858 New York City’s Central Park has served as a peaceful oasis for New Yorkers and visitors from around the world to enjoy the park’s beautiful landscape, bridges, fountains, wildlife, sculptures and more. However, have you ever wondered who and what previously occupied the 843 acres that is now this beautiful park? In this episode of Your History Your Story , we will be speaking with Sara...

By the end of the 19th century, the city of Galveston, located on a barrier island off the southeast coast of Texas, had become a thriving commercial center and one of the busiest ports in the United States. Sadly, that all changed on September 8th 1900, when a catastrophic hurricane roared into Galveston from the Gulf of Mexico with heavy rain, powerful winds and a deadly storm surge. The storm r...

On Christmas Eve, 1741, a small group of Moravian settlers gathered together in a house at the confluence of the Monocacy & Lehigh rivers in what was then the colony of Pennsylvania. It was on that night that their leader, Count Nikolaus Zinzendorf decided to name their new home “ Bethlehem ”, after the birthplace of Jesus. Over the years, the Moravian settlement grew into a thriving religious...