Our American Stories

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Latest Episodes:

The Story of the Town That Created Mark Twain: Hannibal, Missouri Apr 23, 2025

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On this episode of Our American Stories, the river town of Hannibal, Missouri, spared Mark Twain from nothing, exposing him to poverty, death, racism, and the need to make decisions for himself. Here's Richard Garey, a Mark Twain aficionado, with the story of this all-important town.

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"My Grandfather Was the Best Storyteller I Knew" Apr 23, 2025

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On this episode of Our American Stories, OAS listener from South Carolina, Dennis Peterson, shares the spellbinding story of his grandfather, "Paw" Summers.

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The Story of America's Mascot—Uncle Sam Apr 23, 2025

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On this episode of Our American Stories, many countries have mascots. Canada has Johnny Canuck, Israel has Srulik, the U.K. has John Bull—and the United States has Uncle Sam. But how did he come to be? It turns out it wasn’t the work of an intrepid cartoonist or a government initiative, but barrels full of meat during the War of 1812 that gave the USA its persona. Here’s the story of everything you’ve ever wanted to know about the man in red, white, and blue.

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The Story of The Television Deal That Made the NBA a Global Entertainment Powerhouse Apr 22, 2025

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On this episode of Our American Stories, for the longest time, the NBA was a financially unstable, mostly regional, and hard-to-sell property—at one point, they were nearly forced off of CBS. But thanks to business-savvy individuals like David Stern, the NBA became a money-making machine. The question was: would CBS re-up with them or cut them loose? David Stern decided to draw a hard line. Pete Croatto, author of From Hang Time to Prime Time, tells the story.

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The Civil War General Who Took His Dates to See His Severed Leg at the Smithsonian Museum Apr 22, 2025

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Gettysburg National Park Service Ranger Matt Atkinson tells the story of Dan Sickles—the man who pioneered the “temporary insanity” plea after murdering his wife's lover, had his leg shot off by Longstreet's cannon fire in a peach orchard, and later helped establish Gettysburg National Military Park.

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College Graduate Works for General Motors Remotely—On a Sailboat? Apr 22, 2025

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On this episode of Our American Stories, working remotely meant she could live remotely, too... so Emma decided to buy a sailboat and go to Florida. Here she is to explain why she made the unorthodox decision to set her sights on the high seas.

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The Story of the 1945 Empire State Building B-25 Crash Apr 21, 2025

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On this episode of Our American Stories, in July 1945, a U.S. B-25 Mitchell bomber got lost in heavy fog over Manhattan. Here’s The History Guy with the forgotten—and astonishing—story.

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The Story of a Miracle from the Man Who Brought Us the World's Hottest Pepper Apr 21, 2025

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On this episode of Our American Stories, “Smokin’” Ed Currie is an American chili pepper breeder and the founder and president of the PuckerButt Pepper Company. He’s best known for creating the world’s hottest chili peppers—the Carolina Reaper and now Pepper X—as recognized by Guinness World Records. A former addict, Ed is now a man of strong faith. Here’s Ed sharing a story about him and his wife.

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Some Indians, a Jew, a Hotel Partnership—and The American Dream Apr 21, 2025

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Mike Leven was the President and Chief Operating Officer of Las Vegas Sands Corp.—one of the great hoteliers of all time and a legend in his business. He’s also what you might call a “wise man.” Here’s Mike telling the story of how he—a Jew—helped start the Asian American Hotel Owners Association.

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How VHS Beat Betamax Apr 21, 2025

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On this episode of Our American Stories, format wars are nothing new—Edison and Berliner battled it out over phonograph methods, and 8-tracks and cassettes clashed in the ’60s and 70s—but those battles took place away from the public eye. The fight between VHS and Betamax played out in living rooms across America. Here to tell the story of how VHS came out victorious is Bill “Engineer Guy” Hammack.

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