Our American Stories
Our American Stories
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 ref…Follow the podcast:
What My Father Taught Me on the Job Site
On this episode of Our American Stories, every summer, Dennis Peterson and his brother went to work with their father, a self-employed brick mason. As young boys, they hauled bricks, cleaned tools, and worked long days on construction sites. At the time, it felt like hard labor. Looking back, it wa…
10:49
Uncle Nearest: The Former Slave Who Taught Jack Daniel How to Make Whiskey
On this episode of Our American Stories, in 2016, entrepreneur Fawn Weaver was struggling through one of the most difficult seasons of her life. A disappointing business venture had left her frustrated, and the sudden death of her beloved niece, Brittany, left her heartbroken. Looking for a distrac…
27:27
How Patrick Henry Saved America from Its First Civil War
On this episode of Our American Stories, long before the Civil War, in 1799, the United States was facing one of the greatest political crises in its young history. With tensions rising between the federal government and the states, some feared the nation could fracture or even descend into civil w…
10:48
Brian Wilson: My Friend Behind the Beach Boys
On this episode of Our American Stories, when Brian Wilson passed away in 2025, the world lost one of the most important and influential musicians in American history. As the creative genius behind The Beach Boys, Wilson helped redefine popular music through groundbreaking compositions, intricate h…
19:28
The Summer I Got Fired From an Ice Cream Shop
On this episode of Our American Stories, a first job is a rite of passage for many. For Leslie Leyland Fields, it was something more. Hired by a quirky and struggling ice cream shop in New Hampshire, she hoped the job would bring in much-needed money for gas and offer some time away from a difficul…
07:59
The Story of America: The Frenchman Who Wrote About America Better Than Any American [Ep. 23]
On this episode of Our American Stories, In 1831, a young French aristocrat named Alexis de Tocqueville traveled to the United States, ostensibly to study America's prison system. What he was really seeking was something much bigger: an understanding of democracy itself. The result was Democracy in…
38:16
How Two Civil Rights Lawyers Ended Red-Light Camera Tickets
On this episode of Our American Stories, when red-light cameras began appearing across Missouri, many drivers saw them as little more than an annoyance. Civil rights attorneys Hugh Eastwood and Bevis Schock saw something else: a system that issued tickets to vehicle owners regardless of who was dri…
20:18
How the Wright Brothers Beat the World to the Sky
On this episode of Our American Stories, before they made history, the Wright brothers were just two mechanics with a theory. Their shop in Dayton kept the lights on, but it was their time on the beaches of North Carolina that changed the world. While others with greater resources failed to get off…
09:59
How My Dad's Cancer Saved Our Relationship
On this episode of Our American Stories, when Willy Lensch's father was diagnosed with cancer, the news brought fear, uncertainty, and the prospect of loss. It also opened a door that had been closed for decades. As father and son spent more time together, old grievances began to fade, difficult t…
07:59
How One Gross Invention Added Decades to Human Life
On this episode of Our American Stories, before modern sanitation, cities were filthy, drinking water was often contaminated, and diseases like cholera and typhoid killed hundreds of thousands of people. Life in even the world's greatest cities could be dangerous, all because of a problem most peop…
20:17