Annie Oakley: Sharpshooter, Showwoman, American Legend

On this episode of Our American Stories, Annie Oakley was still a child when she began hunting to help feed her struggling family in Ohio. Before long, her extraordinary skill with a gun was helping pay off the family mortgage, winning her shooting contests, and eventually leading her to defeat pro…

When One Man’s Faith Helped Free 33 Trapped Chilean Miners

On this episode of Our American Stories, Greg Hall wasn’t looking for fame when Chile’s government asked for help rescuing 33 trapped miners. A businessman and Catholic deacon from Texas, he simply believed he could make a difference. Over 69 tense days, Hall and his team drilled through solid rock…

Weapons of WWII With Stephen Ambrose: Jeeps, Trucks, Horses, and Poison Gas

On this episode of Our American Stories, World War II is remembered for its tanks, bombers, and revolutionary weapons, but much of the fighting still depended on railroads, trucks, and even horses. Historian Stephen Ambrose explains how America's remarkable ability to move men and supplies helped g…

Lava Girl Returns: Why Taylor Dooley Left Hollywood and Came Back 15 Years Later

On this episode of Our American Stories, at just 13 years old, Taylor Dooley became a familiar face to millions of children when she starred as Lava Girl in The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl. But behind the excitement of Hollywood came an endless cycle of auditions, rejection, and the mountin…

Before He Became an Antiwar Candidate, George McGovern Flew 35 Combat Missions

On this episode of Our American Stories, on a bombing mission over Austria during World War II, George McGovern faced a moment that would haunt him for the next 40 years. His battered B-24 was struggling home when his crew was forced to release a bomb stuck in the bomb bay. McGovern watched helples…

The Story of America: The Most Divided Election in American History [Ep. 16]

On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1800, the United States faced one of the most uncertain moments in its early history. Tensions that had been building since the 1796 presidential race came to a head as John Adams and Thomas Jefferson battled for the future of the country. There’s a reaso…

How the Senate Candy Desk Became a Capitol Hill Tradition

On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1965, California Senator George Murphy started a sweet tradition, literally. He began stocking his desk on the Senate floor with candy to share with his colleagues. That desk, now known as the “Senate Candy Desk,” remains a Capitol Hill tradition to this …

The Time FDR Tried to Change the Date of Thanksgiving

On this episode of Our American Stories, most Americans grew up thinking Thanksgiving had always fallen on the same Thursday in November. In Lincoln’s time, it was set on the last Thursday of November, and that practice settled in for generations. Then Franklin D. Roosevelt shifted the holiday earl…

From 55 Cents an Hour to Maglite: The Immigrant Behind the “Cadillac of Flashlights”

On this episode of Our American Stories, Tony Maglica was born in New York but spent much of his childhood in Croatia, where World War II brought foreign occupation, hunger, and the constant threat of violence. When he returned to the United States in 1950, he arrived with little money, a limited c…

Why Boston Stood by Edwin Booth After His Brother Assassinated Lincoln

On this episode of Our American Stories, after John Wilkes Booth assassinated Abraham Lincoln in April 1865, the Booth name became synonymous with betrayal. But his older brother Edwin Booth was already one of America’s most celebrated actors, with deep roots in Boston and a reputation as a loyal s…