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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

9:29

What It Means to Be the Only Lawyer in Town

Our American Stories ·

2026/09/25

On this episode of Our American Stories, Bill Bryk may be the only practicing lawyer in his small New Hampshire town, so when a 17-year-old neighbor got a speeding ticket, her family knew who to call. The problem was that she had already paid the fine, assuming that would be the end of it. Instead, she'd unknowingly put her driver's license at risk. Bill agreed to help her fight to keep it.Regular contributor Bill Bryk shares what happened when a seemingly ordinary speeding ticket ended up before a

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17:58

How the USPS Stamped Itself onto American History

Our American Stories ·

2026/09/25

On this episode of Our American Stories, The Founders knew firsthand that a postal system could be used as a tool of government surveillance. Before the Revolution, British officials had opened and inspected colonial mail, giving Americans good reason to distrust putting their letters in government hands. But the new nation faced a different problem. Its people were scattered across vast distances, and a republic could hardly function if they couldn't remain connected.Daniel Piazza of the

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10:49

A Jewish Soldier’s Unbelievable Survival at the...

Our American Stories ·

2026/09/25

On this episode of Our American Stories, Milton Nadler grew up fast. The day after Pearl Harbor, his paper route turned into a rush of headlines about war. Within a few short years, he was living those headlines himself. During the Battle of the Bulge, Milton found himself surrounded, outnumbered, and facing death in the frozen forests of Europe. What happened next defied every expectation.Here's Milton himself with the story of how he survived an encounter by the skin of his teeth... kinda. We'd

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27:27

The Mad Scientists of Malibu: Surfing’s Early Pioneers

Our American Stories ·

2026/09/25

On this episode of Our American Stories, when Roger McGrath first paddled out at Malibu as a boy in the 1950s, surfing was still a small fraternity with only a few decades of history in California. The boards were heavy, the crowds were thin, and many of the men riding those waves were quietly reinventing the sport. Roger grew up among them, and decades later, he shares the story of the surfers who built the culture he fell in love with.It begins with George Freeth, who brought stand-up surfing to

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10:49

“Hey Kid, Catch!” The Coca-Cola Ad That Made Mean Joe...

Our American Stories ·

2026/09/24

On this episode of Our American Stories, few commercials have left a mark like Coca-Cola’s “Hey Kid, Catch!” starring "Mean" Joe Greene. Greene, already one of the greatest defensive players in the NFL, gained a new kind of fame as the spot played during football broadcasts nationwide.Our own Greg Hengler (and others) share the story of how a 60-second spot became one of the most memorable moments in sports and advertising history. Support the show

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9:29

“Son of a Gun” & “Steal My Thunder” and the Wonderful...

Our American Stories ·

2026/09/24

On this episode of Our American Stories, we use them without thinking. Someone gets “sold down the river.” A project has to “start from scratch.” An idea “steals our thunder.” But behind these familiar expressions are stories involving ancient athletes, biblical passages, British sailors, American slavery, theater rivalries, and baseball.Andrew Thompson, author of Hair of the Dog to Paint the Town Red: The Curious Origins of Everyday Sayings and Fun Phrases,

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17:58

Empathy Is Not Optional: The Professor Who Changed...

Our American Stories ·

2026/09/24

On this episode of Our American Stories, Mike Leven was studying law at the University of Chicago when a bad grade sent him to his professor's office looking for help. Instead, the professor gave him a verdict: “You don't understand contracts, and I don't think you ever will.” Mike walked out, sold his law books, and went home. His legal career was over almost as soon as it had begun.Leven would go on to become one of America's most successful hoteliers, but he never forgot how it felt

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30:17

Bloodletting, Whiskey, and the Strange History of...

Our American Stories ·

2026/09/24

On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1918, influenza swept across the world with terrifying speed, killing millions. Doctors were desperate to stop it, but there was a fundamental problem: they didn't even know what caused the flu. Patients were subjected to bloodletting and enemas, prescribed whiskey, and even exposed to toxic factory gases, while scientists pursued theories involving bacteria, the weather, and tainted Russian oats. Somewhere among the confusion was a disease medicine could

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7:59

How “Women and Children First” Began

Our American Stories ·

2026/09/24

On this episode of Our American Stories, when the HMS Birkenhead struck rocks off the coast of South Africa in 1852, chaos should have followed. Instead, what happened that night became one of history’s clearest displays of courage and order in the face of disaster. With lifeboats too few for the hundreds aboard, British soldiers stood their ground so that women and children could be saved. Their calm obedience became known as the Birkenhead Drill: a model of discipline that would inspire

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10:49

Smokin’ Ed Currie on The Miracle That Gave Him a Family

Our American Stories ·

2026/09/23

On this episode of Our American Stories, before “Smokin’” Ed Currie became famous for breeding the Carolina Reaper and Pepper X, he nearly destroyed his life with addiction. Recovery gave Ed a second chance, but it didn't erase the guilt he carried over the person he had once been. Years later, after he and his wife, Linda, endured miscarriage after miscarriage, they finally accepted that they might never have children of their own. Then, in the middle of the night, the phone

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19:28

The Boys of Milo: The Marine Recon Veteran Who Kept...

Our American Stories ·

2026/09/23

On this episode of Our American Stories, Ted Godlove was only months out of high school in Milo, Iowa, when he volunteered for the United States Marine Corps. Before long, he was serving with a reconnaissance unit deep in the jungles of Vietnam, where small teams of Marines operated dangerously close to much larger enemy forces. Godlove survived firefights, desperate escapes, and one helicopter extraction that ended with him and his fellow Marines being dragged through a river. Then, during a deadly

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7:59

How Johnny Carson Saved Twister

Our American Stories ·

2026/09/23

On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1966, Twister looked like a flop. Retailers thought Milton Bradley's new game was too risqué, Sears refused to put it in its Christmas catalog, and the company was preparing to pull it from stores. Then Johnny Carson spread the colorful mat across the stage of The Tonight Show and invited actress Eva Gabor to play.Our Ameican Stories regular contributor Christopher Klein shares what happened next. As Carson and Gabor tangled themselves across the

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30:17

Did Benjamin Franklin Believe in God?

Our American Stories ·

2026/09/23

On this episode of Our American Stories, Benjamin Franklin rarely attended church and questioned some of Christianity's central doctrines. Yet he never abandoned belief in God. He believed in Providence, immortality, moral accountability, and the importance of religion to a healthy society. Franklin's faith never fit neatly into a single category, and he spent much of his long life thinking, questioning, and occasionally changing his mind about what he believed.Dr. D. G. Hart, author of Benjamin

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7:59

The Best Worst Counterfeiter in American History

Our American Stories ·

2026/09/23

On this episode of Our American Stories, for nearly a decade, the Secret Service couldn't catch one of America's most persistent counterfeiters. The strange thing was that he wasn't very good at counterfeiting. Mister 880 produced only one-dollar bills, printed them on the wrong paper, drew a lousy George Washington, and occasionally even misspelled Washington's name. Still, the phony dollars kept appearing across New York City, one or two at a time, and their mysterious maker kept slipping away.Our

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30:17

James Madison: The Quiet Founder Who Built a Nation

Our American Stories ·

2026/09/22

On this episode of Our American Stories, James Madison rarely chased the spotlight, and he knew his character flaws. He was short, balding, awkward, and didn’t always play well in group settings. Yet despite his stature, his big ideas built and shaped America. He drafted the Bill of Rights, argued for ratification in The Federalist Papers, and turned quiet conviction into lasting policy through partnerships with Washington, Jefferson, and Monroe. His marriage to Dolley Madison added another

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7:59

When 7-Year-Old John Quincy Adams Watched the Battle...

Our American Stories ·

2026/09/22

On this episode of Our American Stories, on June 17, 1775, Abigail Adams climbed Penn's Hill with her seven-year-old son, John Quincy. Across the water, British and American soldiers were fighting the Battle of Bunker Hill. Cannon fire echoed in the distance, smoke rose over the battlefield, and Charlestown burned before their eyes. The American Revolution was no longer something happening somewhere else. A future president was watching it unfold beside his mother.With her husband away and war

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20:18

How Bear Bryant Changed My Life

Our American Stories ·

2026/09/22

On this episode of Our American Stories, Jeremiah Castille grew up surrounded by poverty, alcoholism, drugs, and violence. At 13 years old, he found the Christian faith and began imagining a different life for himself. He set his sights on one goal: earn a football scholarship to the University of Alabama, get an education, and someday give his own family the life he never had.Castille made it to Alabama and played for the legendary Paul “Bear” Bryant during the coach's final season. He

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9:59

Thomas Jefferson: America's “Everyman”

Our American Stories ·

2026/09/22

On this episode of Our American Stories, for more than two centuries, Americans who agreed on almost nothing have found something to admire in Thomas Jefferson. Presidents, abolitionists, liberals, and conservatives have all claimed the man who wrote that “all men are created equal” while holding hundreds of people in slavery. He's a complicated figure, and that might say something about all of us.Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Joseph J. Ellis, author of American Sphinx, shares why

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7:59

"Tie the Knot" & "Blackballed" and the Wonderful...

Our American Stories ·

2026/09/22

On this episode of Our American Stories, why do we say a married couple "tied the knot"? How did rejecting someone become known as "blackballing" them? And what do sailing ships have to do with being "under the weather" or finding yourself in a "touch and go" situation?Andrew Thompson, author of Hair of the Dog to Paint the Town Red: The Curious Origins of Everyday Sayings and Fun Phrases, returns with the surprising stories behind some of the expressions we use every day, from "double cross" and

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10:49

Who Wrote “We the People”? The Story of Gouverneur...

Our American Stories ·

2026/09/21

On this episode of Our American Stories, Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. James Madison became known as the Father of the Constitution. But the man who gave the Constitution much of its final language, including the famous words “We the People of the United States,” is largely forgotten. His name was Gouverneur Morris.Dennis C. Rasmussen, author of The Constitution's Penman and a Jack Miller Center Fellow, shares the extraordinary story of the Founding Father who

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