Our American Stories

On this episode of Our American Stories, Phil Anschutz writes in Out Where the West Begins: “Samuel Colt’s life was the American story written in capital letters.” Here to tell that story is Ashley Hlebinsky—former co-host of Discovery Channel’s Master of Arms, former curator in charge of the Cody Firearms Museum, and president of The Gun Code, LLC. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, as strange as it sounds, Pepsi (yes, the cola manufacturer) once owned a fleet of Soviet warships, briefly making it the sixth-largest navy in the world. Here's The History Guy with the story of how a soft drink company found itself in the middle of Cold War politics and an international trade deal gone sideways. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, they say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree—but that wasn’t true for Ben Franklin and his only son. While Franklin became one of America’s most celebrated founding fathers, his son William remained loyal to the British Crown. In one of the most dramatic father-son divides in history, king and country collided with revolution and independence—the costs were massive. Here’s the astonishing story of how Ben Franklin and his son ended up on opposite sides of history. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, Flannery O’Connor wanted to shake her readers awake. Her mother wanted her to write the next Gone with the Wind. Here to tell her story is Jonathan Rogers, author of The Terrible Speed of Mercy: A Spiritual Biography of Flannery O’Connor. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, Tony Mandarich’s story became immortalized by two Sports Illustrated covers—one hailing him as “The Incredible Bulk” heading into the 1989 draft, and another in 1992 labeling him “The NFL’s Incredible BUST” as his four-year career in Green Bay came to an end. Here’s Tony Mandarich himself, with his story. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, Sophia and Deshaun Olds were married in 2004 but didn’t immediately think about starting a family. They were busy serving overseas and pursuing their education. That all changed when, after 13 years without children, they became a family of nine—literally overnight. Here they are with their story. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1938, many Americans were scared. As the news from Europe grew increasingly grim, radio listeners had grown accustomed to urgent bulletins about a crisis that threatened to plunge the world into another war. Sensing an opportunity, Orson Welles—not yet a household name—seized on the public's anxiety and, on Halloween night, delivered a broadcast that gave America a scare it would never forget. It was a dramatic adaptation of a science fiction novel about an alien invasion. The fallout from that night would forever change the way news was presented. Here to share the story is A. Brad Schwartz, author of Broadcast Hysteria: Orson Welles's War of the Worlds and the Art of Fake News. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, Ben Franklin holds the distinction of many "firsts" in American history. He invented the lightning rod, the Franklin stove, bifocals, the urinary catheter, swim fins, and the odometer. He also founded America's first public library, the first volunteer fire company, fire insurance company, and hospital, and became the nation's first Postmaster General. As Chess.com notes, Franklin was also America's first known chess player and the first American to write about the game. Elliott Drago, a historian and the Editorial Officer at the Jack Miller Center, shares the story. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, Professor Jeff Bloodworth tells the story of John McCormack, who rose from humble beginnings in South Boston to become a masterful legislator and the first Catholic Speaker of the House. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, Britney Ruby Miller is the CEO of Jeff Ruby Culinary Entertainment, where she leads a team of more than 500 employees across seven luxury steakhouses in Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee. She’s also the author of 5-Star Life: The Faithful Fight to Overcome Obstacles and Pursue Excellence. Here she is with her story! Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, when a stadium full of excited sports fans pressed downhill against inadequate crowd control, tragedy struck in an instant. Michael Brin—a player on the field that day and now an emergency physician—shares his harrowing story of the infamous University of Wisconsin stampede and its aftermath. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, Robert Marovich, a writer for the Journal of Gospel Music, shares the story of Thomas A. Dorsey and how the tragic loss of his wife and newborn child in 1932 led him to write the gospel classic "Precious Lord, Take My Hand"—a hymn that would later become a favorite of Martin Luther King Jr. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, Dr. Theodore Schwartz, a neurosurgeon at Weill Cornell Medicine and best-selling author of Gray Matters: A Biography of Brain Surgery, shares how he approaches the difficult task of delivering bad news to patients with terminal and late-stage brain cancer. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, Jill Duggar and her husband, Derick, share the unedited truth behind TLC’s hit television show that captivated the nation, 19 Kids and Counting. Their story has become a New York Times instant bestseller with their memoir, Counting the Cost. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, when it comes to infrastructure that helps keep us safe while we drive, perhaps the greatest cost-to-benefit ratio in terms of saving lives is painted lane lines on roads. Here's the story of how they came to be. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, Canada is an independent nation, not part of the United States. A lot of that has to do with smallpox. Here to tell the story is William Federer, president of AmeriSearch. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, in part three of our five-part series, Brett Favre gets very personal about his miraculous Monday Night Football game, which occurred immediately after his father’s passing. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, we all have a Billy Graham story—Ruth Graham, Billy's daughter, shares hers in the touching eulogy she gave at her father's funeral as part of our ongoing Final Thoughts series. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, Stephen Ambrose wrote the definitive biography of Dwight Eisenhower. Ike was born in a small rented shack beside the railroad tracks in Denison, Texas. He was raised in a family of Mennonites—fundamentalists in their Christian faith who were also committed pacifists. Here's the late Ambrose himself with the story of our 34th president. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, today, the Super Bowl is the most-watched event on television—between 90 and 110 million people tune in to the "big game" each year. Americans consume 1.45 billion chicken wings (enough to circle the Earth three times), eat 28 million slices of pizza, and drink 325 million gallons of beer on this unofficial holiday. But it wasn’t always this way. Dennis Deninger, author of The Football Game That Changed America, tells the story of how the Super Bowl as we know it came to be—from nothing. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.