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Our American Stories tells stories that aren’t being told. Positive stories about generosity and courage, resilience and redemption, faith and love. Stories about the past and present. And stories about ordinary Americans who do extraordinary things each and every day. Stories from our listeners about their lives. And their history. In that pursuit, we hope we’ll be a place where listeners can refresh their spirit, and be inspired by our stories.
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On this episode of Our American Stories, The Indian Wars did not begin with a single event or a single clash. They formed slowly along the edges of a growing nation, where unfamiliar customs and competing claims to land created a series of misunderstandings that deepened over time. But why did Native Americans and settlers enter into a conflict that lasted for centuries? Here to tell the story is Ken LaCorte, host of the popular YouTube channel Elephants in Rooms. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On this episode of Our American Stories, candy corn, black licorice, and circus peanuts have been on American shelves for generations, and whether you love them or hate them, they're here to stay. But their longevity is more curious than their questionable (or delicious!) taste. Each came from a different corner of early candy history, shaped by manufacturing experiments and changing ideas about what exactly a treat should be. The History Guy traces the origins of these three polarizing confections and explains how they've managed to continue to divide opinions for years. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On this episode of Our American Stories, the Allied invasion of Normandy depended on more than military force. It required convincing Germany that the real attack would land somewhere else, and that task fell to one man working deep inside a world of fragile alliances and invented identities. Juan Pujol García, known to British intelligence as Agent Garbo, built an entire network of fictitious sources and delivered reports so convincing that German command relied on them without question. His work became one of the most striking examples of double-agent strategy in modern espionage, shaping the deception that shielded D-Day from German defenses. The late, great Stephen Ambrose tells Agent Garbo’s story. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On this episode of Our American Stories, when crowds wandered through Coney Island in the early twentieth century, they expected oddities, tricks, and performers who lived on the edge of spectacle. What they did not expect were rows of premature infants resting inside newly designed infant incubators. The exhibit belonged to Dr. Martin Couney, a man who operated far from traditional medical circles yet devoted his life to caring for babies who had almost no chance of survival anywhere else. His work unfolded in a setting that looked more like entertainment than medicine, but it forced the public to confront ideas that the established medical community had been slow to accept. Author Dawn Raffel traces how Couney’s unusual path ended up shaping medical innovations that would define modern neonatal care. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On this episode of Our American Stories, Jim Johnson has a habit of meeting people who stay with him long after the moment has passed. Everett Motl was one of those people—the kind you remember because something about their presence settles in and refuses to fade. What began as a small acquaintance turned into a story Johnson now carries into the holiday season, a reminder that the most meaningful Christmas stories often start in ordinary places. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On this episode of Our American Stories, every Sunday, Our American Stories host Lee Habeeb speaks with Mitchel “Big Mitch” Rutledge, who has spent more than forty years serving a life sentence in Alabama. Each call traces the shape of faith, regret, and forgiveness inside a place built for punishment. Today’s conversation starts with a different kind of introduction. Lee brings his friend Bo onto the line, hoping Mitch can help him think through a difficult decision. Mitch listens and responds with a patience he’s earned over decades of hard-learned experience. Speaking with Bo brings him back to the person who first taught him to talk to others with that kind of steadiness. He remembers Sister Lillian, the woman who encouraged him to take responsibility for his actions and to pay close attention to how his choices affected those around him. Her death from breast cancer in 2015 left a quiet ache, and Mitch talks about how her influence continues to shape him even now. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On this episode of Our American Stories, Jimmy Hawkins began acting when television was still defining itself, moving from show to show with the ease of a child who learned the business early. Viewers eventually recognized him from programs that shaped mid-century entertainment, but one of his first roles connected him to a film that would outgrow its modest beginnings. In 1946, Hawkins played Tommy Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life, joining a production that made little noise on release and gained its reputation only after years of quiet rediscovery. Jimmy Hawkins looks back on that experience and the work that surrounded it, offering a grounded view of how the film came together and how the film found its place in American culture. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On this episode of Our American Stories, pinball’s story winds back to a quiet corner of European parlor culture, where small tabletop games offered a brief challenge to anyone willing to try their luck. Those early ideas eventually migrated to America, where the game weathered citywide crackdowns and the tests of time. As the tables grew more complex, the machines slipped into public rooms that gave them steady use and helped shape the early world of classic arcade games. Jeremy Saucier of The Strong Museum of Play lays out how that path unfolded and how pinball machines became the fixtures they are today. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On this episode of Our American Stories, in the early 1920s, WSM filled its schedule with whatever talent it could gather, and one night a fiddler stepped into the studio with a tune that settled easily across the airwaves. The reaction from listeners changed the station’s direction. The music felt local in the best sense of the word, and the signal carried it into homes that had never heard anything like it. Those moments revealed how quickly a simple performance could influence the American music history taking shape around the radio. The Grand Ole Opry emerged within that momentum, and Nashville followed along with the shift. The influence created a bridge between regional tradition and the broader landscape of country-western music, giving the early threads of country-music origins a steady place to land. Craig Havighurst, author of Musicality for Modern Humans, joins us with a look into how WSM and the Opry reshaped Nashville’s music history and left a mark that continues to guide the way the city sounds today. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On this episode of Our American Stories, what does it mean when a highway that no longer exists still carries more recognition than the roads that replaced it? Route 66 was born out of a practical need to move people across long distances, yet it quickly grew into something else entirely. Its motels, garages, and storefronts formed a line of small anchors through the heart of the country, each one shaping the rhythm of life along the pavement. Parts of old Route 66 have disappeared, but the imprint remains. Historian Jim Hinckley traces the winding tale of Route 66’s history, from its early promise to its quiet revival. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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—this time diving into how the phrases "in a nutshell" and "in the doghouse" came to be. His book, Hair of the Dog to Paint the Town Red: The Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions and Fun Phrases, is a must-read. Be sure to check it out! Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On this episode of Our American Stories, long before travelers drove the Pike’s Peak Highway or stood at the summit that rises more than fourteen thousand feet above Colorado, a determined young officer named Zebulon Pike set out to understand the far edge of a country still finding its shape. Craig Du Mez of the Grateful Nation Project traces how Pike’s early failures, his encounters with Spanish authorities, and his later military service shaped the story behind the peak that still carries his name. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On this episode of Our American Stories, Stephen Ambrose spent his life showing readers that the heart of history lives in the people who shape it. His gift for storytelling made complex events feel personal, and that gift continues to resonate long after his passing in 2002. Thanks to the stewardship of his estate, his work can now be heard here at Our American Stories. In this installment of his D-Day series, Ambrose explores the decisive role General George Patton played in the push across Europe and explains how Patton’s leadership helped turn momentum into victory. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On this episode of Our American Stories, long before Hollywood gave the Lone Ranger his mask and his horse, the Old West was full of riders and lawmen whose real stories were far more compelling. The History Guy shares the life of Bass Reeves, an African American Deputy U.S. Marshal who kept order across a violent and rapidly changing frontier. His work as a tracker and lawman became part of the folklore that later reached radio, comics, and television. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On this episode of Our American Stories, when the war in Afghanistan was still unfolding, many Americans only saw brief clips on the news. Peter Braxton lived it at twenty-two years old. His first combat mission came with no slow introduction. He lifted off, crossed into Afghan airspace, and heard the words that still stay with him: “You are getting shot at.” His story offers a grounded look at the human side of the Afghanistan war, the stress of long missions, and the weight carried by the United States military members who served there. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On this episode of Our American Stories, long before the familiar kettles and bell ringers appeared outside stores around Christmastime, The Salvation Army began as a small ministry founded by William and Catherine Booth, two people determined to reach those who had nowhere else to turn. With help from Vision Video and their documentary Our People: The Story of William and Catherine Booth, we look back at the movement’s earliest days and how the Booths shaped The Salvation Army into a global force for relief and spiritual care. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On this episode of Our American Stories, viewers knew Boss Hogg as the blustering figure in The Dukes of Hazzard, yet the man behind that role, Sorrell Booke, carried a life shaped by intellect, training, and service. Nick Ragone revisits the actor’s work and reveals how much more existed beneath the familiar white suit, the quick temper, and the laughter that filled Hazzard County. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On this episode of Our American Stories, when you dial 911 in a medical emergency, you are using a system that did not always exist. Identical twins Alfred and Blair Sadler, one a physician and one a lawyer, worked with emergency medical services pioneers to shape modern EMTs, paramedics, and early 911 call centers, so that trained responders could reach people faster and save more lives. Here’s Alfred and Blair Sadler with their story. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On this episode of Our American Stories, more than three hundred sets of brothers have played Major League Baseball, yet few have left a mark like the DiMaggio brothers. In this segment, author Tom Clavin tells the family story behind Joe DiMaggio, his older brother Vince, and his younger brother Dom DiMaggio, tracing their journey from a fisherman’s household in San Francisco to All-Star outfields in New York and Boston. Along the way, we hear how Joltin Joe built the legendary Joe DiMaggio hit streak, why Dom DiMaggio became a beloved Boston star in his own right, and how the quiet rivalry between the brothers helped shape one of the most famous careers in baseball history. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On this episode of Our American Stories, Henry G. Plitt returned from WWII as a hero to many Americans, and his story carried special meaning for Jewish American soldiers in WWII who understood exactly what he had been fighting against. He was among the first men to land in Holland during Operation Market Garden and had already jumped into Normandy as a parachuting pathfinder. His wartime record became even more significant when he captured Julius Streicher, the founder of Der Stürmer, whose propaganda had fueled anti-Jewish hatred long before the war began. Here, the late Major Henry G. Plitt reflects on his service. We thank the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection for preserving and sharing this audio. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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McCullough is ignorant: Hitler didn't call his followers "Nazis" (He called them "SOCIALISTS" by the very word). He is ignorant of discoveries by Historian Dr. Rex Curry: Hitler's flag symbol represented "S means SOCIALIST" (& Hitler didn't call it a swastika); Hitler's socialist salute came from the USA socialist Francis Bellamy. Soviet socialism joined German socialism to start WW2 into Poland & onward. Stop misgendering Hitler. Don't repeat modern socialist lies.
saw something about this podcast via a video on my Facebook and thought it looked intriguing
Nice storu
Amazing Ms Lamar
this is the first hit for conservative alt. to /morning edition/ is there such a show? mix of daily news weather and human interest, well produced, and with different ideología?
I love to hear the stories they are uplifting and informative thanks for all the work you guys do
I can't get these episodes to open.