On this episode of Our American Stories, Brian Jay Jones, author of Jim Henson: The Biography, tells the story of how some of America’s most beloved characters—the Muppets—got their start in advertising and television commercials.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Brian Jay Jones, author of&nbsp;<a href="https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FJim-Henson-Brian-Jay-Jones%2Fdp%2F0345526120&amp;data=05%7C02%7CUraelBlackshear%40iheartmedia.com%7C59022470b853494e40f008de85e86dff%7C122a527e5b714eba878d9810b495b9e3%7C0%7C0%7C639095430524420000%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=1khssXv%2BSSDpp35GY4FBI8CWIdRVryK24INhEqyA%2FeQ%3D&amp;reserved=0" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="2">Jim Henson: The Biography</a>, tells the story of how some of America&rsquo;s most beloved characters&mdash;the Muppets&mdash;got their start in advertising and television commercials.
Support the show (<a href="https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)">https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)</a>

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 refresh their spirit, and be inspired by our 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 refresh their spirit and be inspired by our stories.

Our American Stories tells stories that aren&rsquo;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&rsquo;ll be a place where listeners can refresh their spirit and be inspired by our stories.

The Story of How the Muppets Began as a TV Commercial

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/b9a6053a-17ed-456b-93be-b41300ec579d/transcript

On this episode of Our American Stories, in November 1863, Abraham Lincoln arrived in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, just months after one of the bloodiest battles in American history. What he saw there, the devastation, the loss, and the sacrifice, would shape the words he was about to deliver. At just 269 words, the Gettysburg Address would go on to become one of the most famous speeches in history. But at the time, it was largely overlooked and even criticized.

Our host, Lee Habeeb, shares the story behind the Gettysburg Address, how Lincoln redefined the Civil War as a fight not just to preserve the Union but to advance the principle that all men are created equal, and why those few words continue to shape America today.

Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)

On this episode of Our American Stories, in November 1863, Abraham Lincoln arrived in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, just months after one of the bloodiest battles in American history. What he saw there, the devastation, the loss, and the sacrifice, would shape the words he was about to deliver. At just 269 words, the Gettysburg Address would go on to become one of the most famous speeches in history. But at the time, it was largely overlooked and even criticized. Our host, Lee Habeeb, shares the story behind the Gettysburg Address, how Lincoln redefined the Civil War as a fight not just to preserve the Union but to advance the principle that all men are created equal, and why those few words continue to shape America today.
Support the show (<a href="https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)">https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)</a>

Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and the Story Behind America’s Most Famous Speech

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/1e2a8c5f-68cc-4bb2-92e1-b42c015c1436/transcript

On this episode of Our American Stories, before Devon Westhill became the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, he learned the meaning of perseverance from the woman who raised him. His mother faced poverty, long hours, and the weight of raising a family on her own in rural Florida. Yet through every setback, she refused to let her children see defeat.

Her story is one of grit and grace, a mother who built stability out of scarcity and taught her children that success isn’t handed down, it’s earned, day by day.

We’d like to thank our partners at Philanthropy Roundtable for sharing this story with us.

Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)

On this episode of Our American Stories, before Devon Westhill became the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, he learned the meaning of perseverance from the woman who raised him. His mother faced poverty, long hours, and the weight of raising a family on her own in rural Florida. Yet through every setback, she refused to let her children see defeat. Her story is one of grit and grace, a mother who built stability out of scarcity and taught her children that success isn&rsquo;t handed down, it&rsquo;s earned, day by day. We&rsquo;d like to thank our partners at&nbsp;<a href="https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.philanthropyroundtable.org%2Festher-larson-on-donorstrust-giving-ventures-podcast%2F%3Fgad_source%3D1%26gad_campaignid%3D22427844903%26gbraid%3D0AAAAABs5moTIwqoddiYojb8PBcouijWRm%26gclid%3DCj0KCQjwv-LOBhCdARIsAM5hdKeU-lA3BOTHOIaeb5vPAmoIu0dQu11-lMQhizdneYFIqb-xvpTqd3gaAhRzEALw_wcB&amp;data=05%7C02%7CUraelBlackshear%40iheartmedia.com%7C6d99ab97c4ff496b99b708de9724ae79%7C122a527e5b714eba878d9810b495b9e3%7C0%7C0%7C639114380993261008%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=ckzEWifemOM7UQb7ISUlCSx%2FnnXX3mRrfkek0%2F5RKk8%3D&amp;reserved=0" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="3">Philanthropy Roundtable</a>&nbsp;for sharing this story with us.
Support the show (<a href="https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)">https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)</a>

The Woman Who Refused to Let Her Children See Defeat

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/aaa0ad3f-4c7b-44c7-9c98-b42c015c1438/transcript

Marker 01

On this episode of Our American Stories, the week of April 1865 brought both the end of the Civil War and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. At Ford’s Theatre on Good Friday, a senior Washington police superintendent, largely forgotten to history, named A.C. Richards witnessed John Wilkes Booth enter the presidential box and fire the shot that would kill the nation’s leader.

Ford’s Theatre reenactor Mike Robinson shares A.C. Richards’s firsthand perspective and recounts the tragic events of April 14, 1865.

Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)

On this episode of Our American Stories, the week of April 1865 brought both the end of the Civil War and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. At Ford&rsquo;s Theatre on Good Friday, a senior Washington police superintendent, largely forgotten to history, named A.C. Richards witnessed John Wilkes Booth enter the presidential box and fire the shot that would kill the nation&rsquo;s leader. Ford&rsquo;s Theatre reenactor Mike Robinson shares A.C. Richards&rsquo;s firsthand perspective and recounts the tragic events of April 14, 1865.
Support the show (<a href="https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)">https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)</a>

April 14, 1865: A Police Chief Witnesses Lincoln’s Assassination

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/8fdddec5-8823-4dd3-b7f3-b42c015c1436/transcript

The Story of How the Muppets Began as a TV Commercial

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