Our American Stories

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How a Gravedigger Became a Hero: King Solomon and the 1833 Cholera Epidemic Jul 16, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, in the summer of 1833, Lexington, Kentucky, was brought to its knees by a cholera outbreak. Entire families were lost in a matter of days, and fear spread faster than the disease itself. When the dead outnumbered the living willing to bury them, one man stepped forward.
His name was Solomon. Most people in town dismissed him as a drunk gravedigger. But in the middle of the crisis, he dug without stopping, gave the dead their dignity, and kept the city from collapsing under the weight of its own fear. Kentucky journalist Sam Terry tells the story of King Solomon, the unlikely hero whose redemption came in the middle of one of the deadliest epidemics in American history.

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The Redemptive True Story of a Cocaine Drug Lord Jul 15, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, George Valdes fled Cuba with his family in 1966 believing the American Dream would give his life meaning. By age 21, he was helping run one of the largest cocaine operations in North America, earning millions of dollars each month, yet he had never felt more empty.
George Valdes, author of Coming Clean: The True Story of a Cocaine Drug Lord and His Unexpected Encounter with God, shares the remarkable story of how prison, his family, and an unexpected search for truth transformed his life.

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Recovery Began When I Stopped Doing It Alone Jul 15, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, addiction kept Ryan Stewart at a distance from nearly everyone around him. For years, he tried to manage it alone, convinced that asking for help meant losing control. But when things began to fall apart, the people around him stayed. Friends, counselors, and even strangers showed up in ways he never expected. Recovery came slowly, marked by setbacks and quiet progress, but each step forward was built on trust and a willingness to let others walk with him.

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Bernard Irwin: America's First Medal of Honor Hero Jul 15, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, in February 1861, Assistant Surgeon Bernard John Dowling Irwin volunteered to lead just 11 soldiers on a dangerous mission to rescue troops surrounded by Apache warriors in what became known as the Bascom Affair.
The History Guy shares how Irwin earned the first Medal of Honor by date of action and how one misunderstood confrontation helped spark the Apache Wars, a conflict that would shape the American Southwest for decades.

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How a 2.4-Mile Ocean Swim Changed My Life Jul 15, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, in 2009, Scott Stewart found himself spiritually, emotionally, and financially broken. Sixteen years later, a 2.4-mile open-water swim off Cape May, New Jersey, became the moment everything came into focus.
Scott shares how one extraordinary day in the ocean transformed years of quiet spiritual growth into a life-changing awakening. We'd like to thank our regular contributor, Leslie Leyland Fields, whose book Write Your Story, Change Your Life features Scott's story.

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The Only Car Ever Made to Honor God Jul 15, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Barry Meguiar, CEO of Meguiar's, set out to buy a 1901 automobile simply because it matched the founding year of his family's company. What he discovered after the auction surprised even one of the world's foremost car collectors.
Barry shares the remarkable story of the rare Duryea brother's automobile he believes is the only car ever made to honor God, and how its history has given him an unexpected way to share his faith.

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Billy The Kid: The Story Behind the Legend and the Myth Jul 14, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Billy the Kid lived just 21 years, but he became one of the most enduring figures of the American West. Roger McGrath, author of Gunfighters, Highwaymen, and Vigilantes: Violence on the Frontier, separates fact from fiction, tracing Henry McCarty's journey from orphan to outlaw, the Lincoln County War that made him famous, and the legend that outlived him.

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Remembering Erika, the Teacher Who Brought the Cold War to Life Jul 14, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, for Lawson Bader, one teacher changed everything. Erika, his German instructor, wasn’t content to simply drill vocabulary. She wanted her students to see history with their own eyes. That meant taking Lawson to Berlin when the Wall still loomed large, dividing families and a nation. Standing at the Cold War’s most visible fault line, he learned more than any textbook could teach: the consequences of tyranny, the meaning of freedom, and the power of one teacher to shape a student’s life forever.

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The Teenage Girl Turned Patriot Spy Who Fought Redcoat Raiders: Dicey Langston Jul 14, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, our regular contributor from South Carolina, Dennis Peterson, shares the story of Dicey Langston, an American Revolutionary War heroine who, at the age of 15, saved her family and fellow patriots from one of the most notorious gangs of Loyalist outlaws of the time: the so-called "Bloody Scouts."

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How Crayola Crayons Came to Be: The True Story Behind America’s Most Colorful Creation Jul 14, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, from bifocals and the cotton gin to the automobile and the iPhone, America has a long history of inventions that changed the world. But not every invention was born from necessity—some were created simply for fun. In this episode, author Natascha Biebow joins us to share the colorful true story of Edwin Binney, the inventor of Crayola crayons, as told in her children's book The Crayon Man: The True Story of the Invention of Crayola Crayons.

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