Our American Stories

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More Americans Died on This British Prison Ship Than in Battle Jul 20, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, during the American Revolution, the British converted the HMS Jersey into a floating prison off Brooklyn, New York. Disease, starvation, contaminated water, and deliberate cruelty turned the ship into what its prisoners called “Hell Afloat,” where more Americans died than in all the war’s battles combined.
Historian Robert P. Watson, author of The Ghost Ship of Brooklyn: An Untold Story of the American Revolution, shares the forgotten story of the prisoners who suffered aboard the HMS Jersey and the remarkable discovery of a 13-year-old survivor’s diary more than two centuries later.

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The Small-Town Lessons That Built a World Series Champion Jul 20, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Ken Kendrick grew up in Princeton, West Virginia, where lifelong friendships, youth baseball, and small-town values shaped the course of his life. Long before he became the principal owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks and won a World Series, he learned lessons about leadership, failure, perseverance, and character that never left him.
Ken shares remarkable stories about building a software company from scratch, owning one of baseball's greatest card collections, and the people who taught him that success is measured by far more than championships.

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The Rivalry That Saved the NBA and Changed Two Lives: Larry Bird and Magic Johnson Jul 20, 2026

Show notes

On this episode of Our American Stories, in the late 1970s, the NBA was struggling to capture America's attention. The league was failing to make money, the talent wasn't great, and storylines were hard to come by. Then two young superstars from remarkably different worlds entered the league and transformed professional basketball forever.
Larry Bird grew up in the tiny town of French Lick, Indiana. Magic Johnson came from Lansing, Michigan. Their fierce rivalry fueled one of the greatest eras in sports history before giving way to an unlikely friendship that changed both men forever. Our own Greg Hengler shares the story.

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The Only Photographer Inside the Manhattan Project Jul 17, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1943, the U.S. government transformed farmland outside Oak Ridge, Tennessee, into a top-secret city of 75,000 people racing to build the atomic bomb before Nazi Germany. Cameras were forbidden, except for one.
Richard Cook, author of Ignored Heroes of World War II: The Manhattan Project Workers of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, shares the remarkable story of photographer Ed Westcott, whose images became the definitive visual record of America's greatest wartime secret.

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The Estate Sale That Solved the Mystery of Alan Shepard's Moon Golf Balls Jul 17, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1971, Apollo 14 astronaut Alan Shepard famously hit two golf balls on the Moon. For decades, NASA never revealed their brand, and Shepard never publicly told the story.
Then an estate sale in Rogers, Arkansas, uncovered a signed photograph that led Joe Murfin to an extraordinary discovery involving Daisy Outdoor Products, a longtime public relations executive, and what may be one of the greatest untold stories of the Apollo program. Joe himself tells the tale.

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Why Victorian Women Fainted So Often: What Science Says Now Jul 17, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, picture a crowded parlor in the 1800s. The air is heavy, the fire is roaring, and the women are laced into corsets that leave little room to breathe. In moments like these, fainting became common, so common that homes often had special couches set aside for recovery. What we now think of as a Victorian cliché was, for many women, an ordinary interruption to daily life.
Simon Whistler, host of Today I Found Out, explains how fainting reflected the health, fashion, and culture of the nineteenth century.

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Possum for Supper and Other Memories from the Great Depression Jul 17, 2026

Show notes

On this episode of Our American Stories, during the Great Depression, Joy Neal Kidney's family didn't eat strange food for fun. They ate what they could find. Sometimes that meant possum. Other times, it meant even less. But in the middle of the hardship, they found ways to stay connected, to laugh when they could, and to keep going.
Joy reflects on the meals that got them through and what they taught her. Joy is a regular contributor to Our American Stories and the author of Leora's Dexter Stories: The Scarcity Years of the Great Depression.

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Abraham Lincoln's Most Dangerous Journey Jul 16, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Abraham Lincoln's presidency began long before he took the oath of office. During a 13-day journey from Springfield, Illinois, to Washington, D.C., he faced secession, death threats, and a nation already coming apart.
Ted Widmer, author of Lincoln on the Verge: Thirteen Days to Washington, shares the gripping story of the journey that tested America's president-elect before he ever entered the White House.

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The Irish Forced Across the Atlantic Jul 16, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, most Americans know the story of Irish immigrants arriving during the Great Famine. Far fewer know about an earlier chapter, when thousands of Irish men, women, and children were forcibly removed from their homeland and sent across the Atlantic under English rule. Their story stretches from Viking raids to Cromwell's conquest and the earliest English colonies in the New World.
Colin D. Heaton, military veteran and co-host of the Forgotten History YouTube channel, shares this often-overlooked chapter of Irish history and explains why it remains one of the most misunderstood stories of the colonial era.

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King David and the Jewish Roots of America's Founding Jul 16, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, why did America's founders and most important men keep turning to King David? From the Revolution to Abraham Lincoln's efforts to reunite the nation after the Civil War, the biblical king and his family helped generations of Americans understand courage, rebellion, leadership, and reconciliation.
For our ongoing series, Rabbi Stuart Halpern, co-author of The Jewish Roots of American Liberty, shares the story of the surprising influence of King David on the American experiment.

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