Our American Stories

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Latest Episodes:

How a Tone-Deaf Lawyer Wrote America’s National Anthem Jul 03, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Francis Scott Key wasn't a musician, a soldier, or even a master wordsmith. But after witnessing the British bombardment of Fort McHenry during the War of 1812, he scribbled out a rough poem that captured a nation's defiance.
Set to the tune of a British drinking song, his words became "The Star-Spangled Banner," the unexpected anthem of a young country. Marc Leepson, author of What So Proudly We Hailed, shares the remarkable story of how America's national anthem came to be.

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The 6 Percent: Running on Thin Ice Against Hitler Jul 03, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1939, as Hitler tightened his grip on Europe, between 88 and 94 percent of Americans opposed entering the war. Martha and Waitstill Sharp were part of the small minority who believed they couldn't look away. Leaving behind their children and the safety of home, they traveled into Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia to rescue people marked for persecution.
In the first installment of our 6 Percent series, Deborah Dwork, author of Saints and Liars, shares the extraordinary true story of two ordinary Americans whose faith drove them to risk imprisonment, torture, and even death before the United States entered World War II.

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The College Boys Who Fought to Save the Union Jul 02, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, when the Civil War began, students at Hillsdale College didn't wait to be called. Within hours of President Lincoln's request for volunteers, they formed a military company and offered their services to the Union. By war's end, more than 500 Hillsdale students and alumni had served, four had earned the Medal of Honor, and nearly half had been killed or wounded.
Hillsdale College professor Peter Jennings shares the extraordinary story of the student soldiers who traded classrooms for battlefields, fought in nearly every major campaign of the Civil War, and lived out their college's founding principles of liberty, duty, and sacrifice.

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Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and the Story Behind America’s Most Famous Speech Jul 02, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, in November 1863, Abraham Lincoln arrived in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, just months after one of the bloodiest battles in American history. What he saw there, the devastation, the loss, and the sacrifice, would shape the words he was about to deliver. At just 269 words, the Gettysburg Address would go on to become one of the most famous speeches in history. But at the time, it was largely overlooked and even criticized.
Our host, Lee Habeeb, shares the story behind the Gettysburg Address, how Lincoln redefined the Civil War as a fight not just to preserve the Union but to advance the principle that all men are created equal, and why those few words continue to shape America today.

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George Washington's War Tent: America's First Oval Office Jul 02, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, George Washington didn't lead the American Revolution from a grand office or government building. He led it from a canvas tent that traveled with the Continental Army across the colonies. Inside its weathered walls, Washington planned campaigns, met with officers, and made decisions that would shape the future of a new nation.
Our regular contributor, Ashley Hlebinsky, shares the remarkable story of George Washington's war tent, the portable headquarters that became America's first Oval Office and one of the most important surviving artifacts of the Revolutionary War.

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The Ferris Wheel: America's Answer to the Eiffel Tower Jul 02, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago needed a showstopper. France had unveiled the Eiffel Tower just four years earlier, and America wanted an attraction that would leave the world equally amazed. Most engineers proposed taller towers. George Ferris had a different idea: build a giant wheel that could lift more than 2,000 people into the sky.
Our own Greg Hengler shares the story of the impossible invention that became the Ferris wheel, one of the most recognizable rides in the world and an enduring symbol of American ingenuity.

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The Story Behind the Internet's Most Famous Bridge Description: Jul 02, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, in Durham, North Carolina, an ordinary railroad bridge has become one of the internet's most unlikely celebrities. Nicknamed the "11-foot-8 Can Opener," it has shredded the roofs off hundreds of trucks despite flashing lights, warning signs, and every effort to stop drivers from hitting it.
Our own Jesse Edwards shares the remarkable story of the bridge, the YouTube channel that made it famous, and why people around the world can't stop watching trucks make the same mistake over and over again.

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David McCullough on 1776: The Year America Was Born Jul 01, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, the founding of the United States didn't happen in a single moment. It unfolded across one of the most difficult years in American history. The late, great historian and author of 1776, David McCullough, shares the story of how a fragile army, led by an untested commander, struggled to hold the cause together against overwhelming odds. Between Boston and New York, the future of the Revolution was shaped not by grand strategy or stirring speeches, but by exhaustion, retreat, and the lingering question of whether the American experiment would survive.

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Satchel Paige: The Pitcher Who Changed Baseball Forever Jul 01, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Satchel Paige didn’t just pitch; he dazzled. Known for fastballs with names like the Midnight Creeper and the Bat Dodger, he played for five decades without a relief pitcher in sight. Bob Kendrick, president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, shares the life and legend of one of the greatest to ever take the mound.

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The Story of America: Theodore Roosevelt, the Bull Moose, and the Election of 1912 [Ep. 42] Jul 01, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, for our ongoing Story of Us—Story of America series, Dr. Bill McClay, author ofLand of Hope, expands upon the story of Theodore Roosevelt, the energetic and fiercely ambitious president who believed America needed a stronger executive and a more active federal government. Even after leaving the White House, Roosevelt was convinced his work was unfinished, setting the stage for one of the most dramatic presidential campaigns in American history.
Roosevelt's decision to challenge his own political party as the Bull Moose candidate divided Republicans, captivated the nation, and cleared the way for Woodrow Wilson's victory in 1912. McClay explains how that election reshaped American politics, further expanded the power of the federal government, and marked the beginning of a new era in the nation's history, one that America's Founding Fathers likely would not have recognized.

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