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:
Abraham Lincoln’s Last Happy Days Before the Assassination
On this episode of Our American Stories, in April 1865, just days after the Civil War ended, Abraham Lincoln experienced what many described as one of the happiest periods of his life. The war was coming to a close, and Lincoln’s schedule reflected a shift toward rebuilding the nation. However, du…
10:48
Jelly Roll, a Tennessee Governor, and the Power of Redemption
On this episode of Our American Stories, before he was known as a country music artist, Jelly Roll had a record that included multiple arrests and time behind bars. Years later, after turning his life around and using his music to help others facing the same struggles, his story entered Tennessee’s…
09:29
An Australian’s First Taste of Buffalo Wings
On this episode of Our American Stories, Colin Bettles, an Our American Stories listener from Australia, had never heard of buffalo wings until a trip to upstate New York in the early 1990s. One plate was enough. The tender chicken, the heat of the sauce, and the cool bite of blue cheese made it lo…
17:58
Nala Ray’s Transformation from OnlyFans Success to a Life of Faith
On this episode of Our American Stories, Nala Ray was an early success story on OnlyFans, building a large following and earning significant income as the platform was still evolving. Over time, she began to feel a growing disconnect between her life online and who she wanted to be. Despite her lu…
38:16
Liquor and the Law: How a Tennessee Wine Case Reached the Supreme Court
On this episode of Our American Stories, Doug and Mary Ketchum moved to Tennessee to open a liquor store, only to run into a state residency law that blocked them from getting a license. What followed was a long legal battle that reached the Supreme Court, raising questions about constitutional law…
20:18
Brian Wilson and Good Vibrations: The Song That Redefined Pop
On this episode of Our American Stories, Brian Wilson didn’t record “Good Vibrations” the way most songs were made at the time. He built it section by section, using different studios and techniques to create a new kind of sound. The result pushed the boundaries of pop music and influenced the evol…
09:59
Richard Gatling and the Gun Meant to End All Wars
On this episode of Our American Stories, during the American Civil War, inventor Richard Gatling set out to solve a problem he believed defined modern warfare: too many soldiers were dying not only in battle, but from disease in overcrowded armies. His solution was the Gatling gun, a hand-cranked, …
07:59
America’s First Celebrity: Literary Legend, Washington Irving
On this episode of Our American Stories, in the early years of the United States, Washington Irving became one of the first writers to achieve both national and international fame. His stories, including Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, helped define early American literature and int…
38:16
The Day I Glued My Finger to My Son’s Face
On this episode of Our American Stories, during a quiet family visit, Brent Timmons, our regular contributor from Connecticut, found himself pulled out of conversation and into a situation with his young son that escalated quickly. A simple attempt to fix a small cut created a problem he hadn’t ant…
10:49
The Story of Captain Kangaroo
On this episode of Our American Stories, Bob Keeshan, a Marine, created Captain Kangaroo in 1955, at a time when television was still new and largely unstructured. He built the program around a simple idea: speak directly to children and hold their attention without noise or chaos. The show ran fo…
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