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:
The Medal of Honor Pilot Who Crashed His Plane to Save His Wingman
On this episode of Our American Stories, during the Korean War, Navy pilot Thomas Hudner made a decision that defied orders and nearly cost him his life. When his wingman, Jesse L. Brown, the Navy’s first Black aviator, was shot down behind enemy lines near the Chosin Reservoir, Hudner deliberately…
10:49
Dreaded Diseases of the Great Depression
On this episode of Our American Stories, award-winning storyteller Joy Neal Kidney shares a deeply personal family history from the Great Depression, when common childhood illnesses could still be deadly. Drawing from her Iowa roots, Kidney recounts how mumps and whooping cough devastated two relat…
09:29
How Indian American Hoteliers Built a Hospitality Empire, With Help From an Unlikely Ally
On this episode of Our American Stories, former Las Vegas Sands executive Mike Leven shares how an unlikely partnership helped launch the Asian American Hotel Owners Association in the 1980s. After hearing stereotypes inside the hotel industry about Indian American franchisees, Leven asked for the …
09:58
Pearl Harbor’s Overlooked Wrecks: The USS Oklahoma and USS Utah
On this episode of Our American Stories, regular contributor Anne Clare tells the lesser-known story of two ships lost at Pearl Harbor, the USS Utah and the USS Oklahoma. During the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941, the Utah, a retired battleship used as a target ship, was torpedoed and left whe…
07:59
Holy Rollers: The Card Counting Christians Who Beat Blackjack
On this episode of Our American Stories, one of the most successful blackjack teams in America was built around an unlikely bond: church friendships and trust. Colin Jones, founder of BlackjackApprenticeship.com, and David Drury, dubbed “the most notorious card counter in America,” tell how they le…
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David McCullough on Why the Founding Fathers Were Not Like Us
On this episode of Our American Stories, the late historian David McCullough explains why America’s Founding Fathers cannot be understood as ordinary people living modern lives. Drawing on his deep study of figures like John and Abigail Adams, McCullough describes a world shaped by slow communicati…
10:48
How “God of This City” Was Written in the Unlikeliest Place
On this episode of Our American Stories, while on a mission trip to Thailand, a modern worship band found itself playing an impromptu set inside a brothel in Pattaya, one of the world’s most notorious centers for sex tourism. In that unlikely setting, the song “God of This City” was written in real…
09:29
The Story of America: Failed Experiments in Utopia [Ep. 3]
On this episode of Our American Stories, In the earliest days of settlement, America became a testing ground for bold ideas about faith, freedom, and self-rule. In this episode of our ongoing Story of America Series, historian Wilfred McClay, author of Land of Hope, examines the colonies founded by…
17:58
The Slave-Turned Bishop Who Delivered George Washington’s Eulogy
On this episode of Our American Stories, Richard Allen was born into slavery in colonial America and went on to become one of the most influential religious leaders of the early United States. After purchasing his freedom, Allen became a successful entrepreneur, a powerful preacher, and the founder…
30:16
How One Doctor Tells Patients They Are Dying
On this episode of Our American Stories, Theodore Schwartz, a neurosurgeon at Weill Cornell Medicine and best-selling author of Gray Matters: A Biography of Brain Surgery, shares how he approaches one of the most difficult responsibilities in medicine: delivering bad news to patients with terminal …
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