Our American Stories

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Latest Episodes:

Brian Wilson: My Friend Behind the Beach Boys Jun 16, 2026

Show notes

On this episode of Our American Stories, when Brian Wilson passed away in 2025, the world lost one of the most important and influential musicians in American history. As the creative genius behind The Beach Boys, Wilson helped redefine popular music through groundbreaking compositions, intricate harmonies, and a body of work that continues to inspire musicians today. Yet for many people, Brian Wilson's story seemed tragic. In the popular imagination, he was an eccentric recluse whose struggles and personal demons led to a breakdown that removed him from touring with the band he helped create and make great.
But David Leaf knew a different side of Brian. For nearly fifty years, he was not only Wilson's biographer and champion, but also his friend. In this moving tribute, originally delivered at Brian Wilson's Celebration of Life, Leaf reflects on the kindness, vulnerability, humor, and musical genius of the man he knew behind the legend, and on a friendship that lasted a lifetime.

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The Summer I Got Fired From an Ice Cream Shop Jun 16, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, a first job is a rite of passage for many. For Leslie Leyland Fields, it was something more. Hired by a quirky and struggling ice cream shop in New Hampshire, she hoped the job would bring in much-needed money for gas and offer some time away from a difficult home life. Instead, it ended with an experience she never expected: getting fired by her "crazy" manager. At the time, it broke her. After all, she considered herself the "good girl."
Years later, Leslie came to see that the job itself mattered far less than the lessons it left behind. She shares this moving reflection on a pivotal moment in her life, a story that also appears in her book Write Your Story, Change Your Life.

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The Story of America: The Frenchman Who Wrote About America Better Than Any American [Ep. 23] Jun 15, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, In 1831, a young French aristocrat named Alexis de Tocqueville traveled to the United States, ostensibly to study America's prison system. What he was really seeking was something much bigger: an understanding of democracy itself. The result was Democracy in America, a book that remains one of the most insightful works ever written about the United States.
As part of our ongoing Story of Us—Story of America series, Dr. Bill McClay, author of Land of Hope, shares the story of Tocqueville's remarkable journey and the observations that made him famous and best explained Americans to the world.

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How Two Civil Rights Lawyers Ended Red-Light Camera Tickets Jun 15, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, when red-light cameras began appearing across Missouri, many drivers saw them as little more than an annoyance. Civil rights attorneys Hugh Eastwood and Bevis Schock saw something else: a system that issued tickets to vehicle owners regardless of who was driving, generated millions in revenue for local governments, and raised serious questions about due process and fairness.
Hugh and Bevis share the story of how they challenged the red-light camera industry, took on cities and private contractors, and helped bring an end to one of Missouri's most controversial traffic enforcement programs.

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How the Wright Brothers Beat the World to the Sky Jun 15, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, before they made history, the Wright brothers were just two mechanics with a theory. Their shop in Dayton kept the lights on, but it was their time on the beaches of North Carolina that changed the world. While others with greater resources failed to get off the ground, Wilbur and Orville studied what moved through the air and why. In 1903, after years of testing and quiet experimentation, they lifted off the sand and became the first men to achieve powered flight, with a journey that lasted just 12 seconds.
Our own Lee Habeeb shares the story.

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How My Dad's Cancer Saved Our Relationship Jun 15, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, when Willy Lensch's father was diagnosed with cancer, the news brought fear, uncertainty, and the prospect of loss. It also opened a door that had been closed for decades.
As father and son spent more time together, old grievances began to fade, difficult truths were finally spoken, and a relationship that once seemed beyond repair slowly transformed. For our Final Thoughts series, Willy reflects on the unexpected blessing hidden inside a family tragedy and the final chapter that changed both their lives. This story originally appeared in The Boston Globe.

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How One Gross Invention Added Decades to Human Life Jun 12, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, before modern sanitation, cities were filthy, drinking water was often contaminated, and diseases like cholera and typhoid killed hundreds of thousands of people. Life in even the world's greatest cities could be dangerous, all because of a problem most people would rather not talk about.
Our own Greg Hengler explores the surprising history of the toilet, sewer systems, and sanitation, tracing their evolution from ancient Rome to modern America. Along the way, he tells the story of the inventors, engineers, and public health pioneers whose overlooked innovations helped add decades to human life and made modern civilization possible.

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My Grandfather Was the Best Storyteller I Ever Knew Jun 12, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, before television and smartphones, there were front porches, and there were storytellers. For Dennis Peterson, the greatest storyteller he ever knew was his grandfather, Frederick Newman “Paw” Summers, an East Tennessee jack-of-all-trades whose tales could keep neighbors, friends, and family listening for hours.
Dennis, a regular contributor to Our American Stories, shares a warm tribute to the grandfather who embodied the rich storytelling tradition of Southern Appalachia and helped preserve a way of life now fading into memory.

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The Surprising History of Air Conditioning and the Man Behind It Jun 12, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, before air conditioning, summer shaped how people worked, where they lived, and which cities could survive in the heat. That all began to change in 1902, when Willis Carrier designed a machine to solve humidity problems in a printing plant. His invention transformed the air around us and reshaped modern life forever.
Jesse Edwards, a frequent Our American Stories contributor, shares the story of how this once-overlooked breakthrough became one of the most important inventions in American history.

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I Thought I Knew My Father Until I Read His World War II Diary Jun 12, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, when Sally Grove was growing up, she thought she knew her father. He was a soft-spoken Maryland family man who loved fishing, hunting, and spending time with his children. But after he died unexpectedly when Sally was just twenty years old, she discovered a small notebook hidden among his belongings that revealed an entirely different side of him.
It was his World War II diary, and its pages told the story of a young soldier who crossed the Rhine under enemy fire, was wounded in combat, and survived capture by German forces. Sally shares the remarkable story of how an old notebook helped her see her father not just as Dad, but as a young man whose courage, faith, and perseverance carried him through the war and shaped the life he built afterward.

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