Our American Stories
Our American Stories
Playlist by Our American StoriesOur 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 abo…Follow the podcast:
4,180 clip(s) in playlist
Inside It’s a Wonderful Life with Actor Jimmy Hawkins
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 firs…
30:17
How Pinball Found Its Way Through Bans, Backrooms, and the Arcade Boom
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 …
07:59
How the Opry Gave Country Music a National Voice
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…
20:18
How Route 66 Became the World’s Most Famous Highway
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 motel…
09:59
“In a Nutshell” & “In the Doghouse” and the Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions
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: Th…
07:58
The Story of Zebulon Pike: The Namesake of Colorado’s Most Famous Mountain
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. Crai…
10:49
Stephen Ambrose on Patton’s Fight to Win D-Day
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 stewards…
09:29
The Forgotten Black Lawman Who Inspired the Lone Ranger — Bass Reeves
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 …
09:58
“You’re Getting Shot At” — The Story of My First Combat Mission in Afghanistan
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 …
07:59
The Surprising Story Behind The Salvation Army and Its Founders William and Catherine Booth
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 …
38:15