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PODCAST

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.

society & culture documentary

All Episodes

7:59

The Six Percent: The Middle-Aged Couple Who Became...

Our American Stories ·

2026/09/09

On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1942, Elizabeth and Robert Dexter took charge of the Unitarian Service Committee's relief office in Lisbon, Portugal, as Jews and other desperate refugees fled Nazi-occupied Europe. Many arrived without valid papers, having crossed borders illegally and hidden in freight trains, vegetable carts, and anywhere else they could find safety. With Portuguese authorities watching their operation, the American couple helped these refugees find shelter and quietly

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10:49

The Colt Walker: The Legendary Revolver That Saved...

Our American Stories ·

2026/09/09

On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1847, Samuel Colt's firearms business was all but dead. Then Texas Ranger Captain Samuel Hamilton Walker came to him with an idea for a massive new revolver built for mounted combat. Walker had carried Colt's earlier guns in battle and knew exactly what he wanted improved. Together, the two developed a six-shot revolver unlike anything American soldiers had carried before. The Colt Walker was enormous, powerful, and helped resurrect Samuel Colt's

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9:29

Daniel and the Jewish Roots of American Liberty

Our American Stories ·

2026/09/09

On this episode of Our American Stories, from the American Revolution to the Civil Rights Movement, the biblical prophet Daniel has served as an enduring American symbol of courage in the face of unjust authority. His refusal to abandon his faith, even when threatened with the lions' den, offered Americans a powerful example of standing firm when human laws conflicted with a higher moral law.Rabbi Dr. Stuart Halpern, co-author ofThe Jewish Roots of American Liberty, shares how Daniel's story

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17:58

Dave Cobb: The Record Producer Behind Chris Stapleton

Our American Stories ·

2026/09/09

On this episode of Our American Stories, Dave Cobb grew up in Savannah, Georgia, listening to everything from church hymns to Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. He didn't discover country music until moving to California and working with Shooter Jennings, which introduced him to the music of Waylon Jennings and eventually led him to Nashville. There, Cobb became one of the most acclaimed producers in country music.In this conversation recorded in 2018, Cobb sits down with our host, Lee Habeeb, to share

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10:49

The Six Percent: The Couple Who Helped Children...

Our American Stories ·

2026/09/08

On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1940, 26-year-old Roswell and Marjorie McClelland put aside the academic and professional lives they had planned and sailed for Europe with the Quakers' American Friends Service Committee. War had already engulfed the continent, and the young American couple soon found themselves helping Jewish and political refugees fleeing the Nazis.For our ongoing seriesThe Six Percent, Deborah Dwork, author ofSaints and Liars, shares the story of the McClellands and

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9:29

The Civil War Battle So Fierce It Cut Down an Oak Tree

Our American Stories ·

2026/09/08

On this episode of Our American Stories, on May 12, 1864, a large oak tree stood in the middle of some of the fiercest fighting of the Civil War. For nearly 20 hours, Union and Confederate soldiers battled at close range at the Bloody Angle during the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House. Thousands of bullets ripped through the air, and so many struck the oak that they eventually cut through its trunk and brought the tree crashing down. What remained was a shattered, bullet-riddled stump.In this

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17:58

How PEZ Became an American Pop Culture Icon

Our American Stories ·

2026/09/08

On this episode of Our American Stories, before PEZ dispensers came topped with Mickey Mouse, Santa Claus, and superheroes, PEZ was a benign Austrian peppermint marketed to adults as an alternative to smoking. Then PEZ came to America and flopped. Instead of giving up, the company decided to change course, and a candy once meant for adults found an entirely new audience in American children.Shawn Peterson, author ofPEZ: From Austrian Invention to American Icon, shares the surprising story of how a

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30:17

Victoria Arlen: "I Had Prepared to Die. I Hadn't...

Our American Stories ·

2026/09/08

On this episode of Our American Stories, at 11 years old, Victoria Arlen's body began shutting down. Eventually, she lost the ability to move or communicate and spent nearly four years in a vegetative state while doctors told her family she would never recover. What they didn't know was that Victoria was still there. She could hear them, understand them, and remember everything. Then one day, she blinked twice for her mother and proved she had been there all along.Victoria would go on to win

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7:59

It Takes 3 Years and 300 Pairs of Hands to Make This...

Our American Stories ·

2026/09/08

On this episode of Our American Stories, a century ago, Tampa, Florida, was "Cigar City." Some 150 factories filled the city, where workers rolled more than 500 million cigars by hand each year. One by one, those factories disappeared as the industry changed and production moved overseas. Today, only one remains. The J.C. Newman Cigar Company still makes cigars in Tampa using many of the same methods that helped make the city famous.Drew Newman, the great-grandson of company founder Julius Caesar

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20:18

When a Grocery Store Gave Everything Away for Free

Our American Stories ·

2026/09/07

On this episode of Our American Stories, in February 2021, a historic winter storm brought much of Texas to a standstill. Tim Hennessey and his wife, Debbie, braved the icy roads to pick up groceries for themselves and some friends. Then, while they were shopping at their local H-E-B, the power went out. The checkout lines quickly filled, but instead of asking customers to wait, employees began waving them toward the doors. Take your groceries. Get home safely. Don't worry about paying.Tim couldn't

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9:59

Constantino Brumidi: America's Michelangelo

Our American Stories ·

2026/09/07

On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1852, Constantino Brumidi arrived in New York as a refugee from Rome. He was already an accomplished artist, but in America, he found the work that would consume the rest of his life. For the next twenty-five years, Brumidi climbed scaffolds, painted ceilings, and covered the halls of the U.S. Capitol with scenes drawn from American history and the ideals of his adopted country.His greatest work waited 180 feet above the Rotunda floor. There, inside the

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7:59

How Ritz-Carlton Co-Founder Horst Schulze Defines...

Our American Stories ·

2026/09/07

On this episode of Our American Stories, Horst Schulze, co-founder of Ritz-Carlton and author ofExcellence Wins, built his career around a simple idea: every employee has the power to define an entire organization in the eyes of a customer. Years ago, before speaking to hundreds of managers at a Chicago bank, Schulze decided to experience the bank's heavily advertised customer service for himself. One encounter with a teller gave him a lesson he would repeat for the next fifteen years.Schulze shares

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10:49

Nellie Bly’s Race Around the World in Seventy-Two Days

Our American Stories ·

2026/09/07

On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1890, Nellie Bly completed a journey that seemed almost impossible, circling the globe in just 72 days. Inspired by Jules Verne'sAround the World in Eighty Days, Bly traveled by ship, train, horse, rickshaw, and more, even stopping in France to meet Verne himself. But her famous race around the world was only one chapter in the remarkable life of one of America's most fearless journalists.Born Elizabeth Jane Cochran in Pennsylvania, Bly challenged

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27:27

Before Rosa Parks, There Was Elizabeth Jennings:...

Our American Stories ·

2026/09/07

On this episode of Our American Stories, Elizabeth Jennings was on her way to church when a New York City streetcar conductor ordered her off. She refused. The conductor and driver forcibly dragged her from the car, leaving her bloodied and bruised. Jennings got back up and climbed aboard again. The year was 1854, nearly100 yearsbefore Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama.What followed was a court battle that would turn the city on its head, and Jennings would turn

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20:18

From Nation to State: Why Texas Joined the Union

Our American Stories ·

2026/09/04

On this episode of Our American Stories, after winning its independence from Mexico in 1836, Texas faced a new challenge: surviving as its own country. The young republic struggled with debt, threats from Mexico, conflicts on the frontier, and political divisions over whether its future lay as an independent nation or as part of the United States. Meanwhile, the question of annexing Texas became tangled in the national debate over slavery and America's growing belief in Manifest Destiny.Texas State

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17:58

The Green Bay Packers: The NFL Team That Shouldn't Exist

Our American Stories ·

2026/09/04

On this episode of Our American Stories, Green Bay, Wisconsin, has a population of just over 100,000 people. It is smaller than many cities with minor-league baseball teams, yet somehow it is home to one of the most famous and valuable franchises in professional sports. Almost every other small industrial town that helped build the early NFL eventually lost its team. So how did the Green Bay Packers survive and turn the city into "Titletown, USA"?This is the remarkable story of how community

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10:49

How a Small-Town Speaker Held the Line During Watergate

Our American Stories ·

2026/09/04

On this episode of Our American Stories, Carl Albert stood just 5 feet 4 inches tall, but during one of America’s biggest political scandals, he carried more than his share of the weight. As the Watergate scandal unraveled the Nixon presidency, the Speaker of the House, known as the "Little Giant from Little Dixie," became an anchor of stability. He put country over party and helped steer Congress through one of the most chaotic chapters in modern political history.Jeff Bloodworth, professor

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27:27

Simon Estes: The Jackie Robinson of Opera

Our American Stories ·

2026/09/04

On this episode of Our American Stories, Simon Estes grew up poor in the coal-mining town of Centerville, Iowa, in a tiny house without running water or electricity. His father, the son of former slaves, couldn't read, and segregation shaped Simon's childhood. But inside his family's church, there was music, faith in God, and a remarkable voice that would take him far beyond anything he could have possibly imagined.Simon Estes himself shares the story of how encountering opera for the first time

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38:16

Sergeant Alvin York: The Faithful Pacifist Who Became...

Our American Stories ·

2026/09/03

On this episode of Our American Stories, Sergeant Alvin York, the reluctant World War I infantryman who became one of America’s most decorated soldiers, has stood as a symbol of courage and sacrifice for over a century. Born in the mountains of Tennessee, Sgt. York’s early life was shaped by deep religious convictions that initially made him a conscientious objector. But on the battlefield, Alvin C. York single-handedly captured 132 German soldiers, killed 28 others, and earned the Medal

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10:49

The Three Phone Calls She Made Before She Passed

Our American Stories ·

2026/09/03

On this episode of Our American Stories, Leslie Leyland Fields flew from her home in Alaska to Indiana to spend two weeks beside her best friend, Linda, who was dying of stage IV ovarian cancer. When it was finally time to leave, Leslie believed they still had months together. A week later, she learned that Linda was nearing the end.Then, while Leslie was trying to make her way home, a mechanical problem grounded her flight. The delay gave the two friends something neither expected: three final

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