Our American Stories

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How MIT Basketball Shaped Bill Koch’s View of Leadership Aug 18, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, before he was a billionaire businessman and America’s Cup champion, Bill Koch was a student-athlete at MIT learning lessons that would shape his leadership. Told he wasn’t smart or skilled enough, he worked relentlessly and discovered the power of teamwork, accountability, and focus.
Koch shares how a coach, one play, and a group of “nerds” taught him that winning comes when everyone knows their role and works together.

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1941: The Year America Entered World War II Aug 17, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, at the beginning of 1941, Britain stood virtually alone against Hitler while the United States remained bitterly divided over whether to enter the war. But across the Atlantic and Pacific, events were rapidly pulling America closer to the fight.
The late historian Stephen Ambrose shares the story of a fateful year and America’s precarious diplomatic balancing act as war raged around the globe. It all came to an end with Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, which suddenly united a divided nation and brought the United States into World War II.

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William Walker: The American Adventurer Who Conquered Nicaragua Aug 17, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, in the 1850s, William Walker had an extraordinary idea: Why not conquer a country of his own? The Tennessee-born doctor, lawyer, and journalist gathered a small army of Americans, invaded Mexico, and declared himself ruler of a new republic. When that collapsed, he tried again. This time, he set his sights on Nicaragua.
Mark Kawar, author of America, but Bigger, shares the remarkable story of an American filibuster who dreamed of an empire stretching across Central America.

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The German Immigrant Who Built Coors Brewing Aug 17, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, before Colorado was even a state, a young German immigrant named Adolph Coors arrived in Golden with years of hard-earned experience and a dream of building his own brewery. He had come to America with no money or papers, worked his way west, and in 1873 invested everything he had into a small brewery beside the waters of Clear Creek.
His great-grandson Pete Coors shares how Adolph survived fierce competition and a devastating flood to build a family business that would eventually give America Coors Banquet.

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How America Lost 4 Billion Chestnut Trees Aug 17, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, there was a time when billions of American chestnut trees stretched across the eastern United States. In Appalachia, their nuts fed families and wildlife, their harvests provided income, and their rot-resistant wood was used for everything from fences and homes to cradles and coffins. Then, in the early 1900s, a deadly blight arrived from Asia and nearly wiped them out. Before long, the American chestnut had become a tree largely confined to memory and Christmas songs.
Michael Goergen, CEO of The American Chestnut Foundation, shares the story of how America lost one of its most important trees and how his group is working to bring it back.

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How a Room Full of Divided Delegates Found Unity in a Single Prayer Aug 17, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, when the First Continental Congress gathered in Philadelphia, the delegates arrived anxious about what Britain might do next and unsure of what they themselves should do. Before they argued or planned, they asked for prayer.
The passage read that morning landed with surprising force and settled the room in a way no debate could have. Here to tell the story is Robert Morgan, author of 100 Bible Verses That Made America: Defining Moments That Shaped Our Enduring Foundation of Faith.

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John Cazale: The Greatest Actor You Don't Know Aug 14, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, John Cazale never became a movie star. He never received an Academy Award nomination, and his film career lasted only six years. Yet Al Pacino considered him an acting idol, Meryl Streep fell in love with him, and every one of the five films he appeared in was nominated for Best Picture.
Jonjo Powers, author of A Small Perfection: John Cazale and the Art of Acting, shares the remarkable story of the man who brought Fredo Corleone to life, made some of Hollywood's greatest actors better, and died at just 42 years old with a nearly perfect body of work behind him.

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How Carole King and Gerry Goffin Wrote "A Natural Woman" for Aretha Franklin Aug 14, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1967, Atlantic Records producer Jerry Wexler approached the songwriting team of Carole King and Gerry Goffin with an idea. He needed a hit for Aretha Franklin and even had a title in mind: "A Natural Woman."
After putting their children to bed, King and Goffin went to work. By the next day, they had written a song specifically for a singer they had never met. Lee Habeeb shares the story of the unlikely collaboration that gave Aretha Franklin one of the defining songs of her career.

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The Six Percent: The Woman Who Worked With the Enemy to Save Lives Aug 14, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Laura Margolis arrived in Shanghai to help Jewish refugees who had fled persecution in Europe. Then Pearl Harbor changed everything. With the city under Japanese occupation and some 20,000 Jewish refugees now trapped there, Margolis found herself classified as an enemy alien while desperately trying to secure the food and money needed to keep them alive.
For our ongoing The Six Percent series, Deborah Dwork, author of Saints and Liars, shares the remarkable story of how Margolis worked with the Japanese and rebuilt Shanghai’s relief operation, helping thousands of Jewish refugees survive.

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Clarence Birdseye: The Arctic Adventurer Who Invented Frozen Food Aug 14, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Clarence Birdseye was always looking for his next adventure. He hunted coyotes in the American West, collected dangerous ticks in the Rocky Mountains, and eventually took his young family into the frozen wilderness of Labrador.
There, Birdseye noticed how Inuit people could freeze freshly caught fish almost instantly in the bitter cold. Years later, that memory gave him an idea that would change the way Americans eat. Mark Kurlansky, author of Birdseye, shares the remarkable story of the adventurer who turned quick-freezing into an industry.

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