Our American Stories

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Latest Episodes:

Why the Best Time in History to Be Alive Might Be Right Now May 08, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, people often talk about the past as something to be missed, but history tells a much harder story. Johan Norberg argues that many of the most interesting periods in history were also the hardest to survive, and that modern innovations have made everyday life more secure than at any other point in human history.
Johan Norberg, author of Progress: Ten Reasons to Look Forward to the Future, tells the story of why we are living in the best moment in human history.

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Women in WWII: Ilene Hall Enlisted to Follow Her Husband to War May 08, 2026

Show notes

On this episode of Our American Stories, during World War II, women entered the military and workforce in record numbers, taking on roles once occupied by men. The Women’s Army Corps became a path for thousands who wanted to support the war effort.
But for Ilene Hall, the decision was personal. After marrying in March 1943, and with her husband completing his training and preparing to ship overseas, the young woman from Canton, Ohio, decided not to let an ocean separate them. Here she is to share her story!

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Learning to Ride a Horse at 60 May 08, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, learning how to ride a horse is hard enough, but getting in the saddle at 60 years old can seem impossible. Not so for Our American Stories regular contributor Bill Bryk. Bill tells the story of the exciting and sometimes frightening experience of learning the basics of horseback riding after six decades.

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The Story of America: How Thomas Jefferson Doubled the United States in 1803 [Ep. 18] May 08, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, before the United States expanded westward, the young nation ended at the banks of the Mississippi River. France controlled the vast territory beyond these borders until Thomas Jefferson brokered a deal that doubled the size of the country. Despite his own reservations and personal view of the Constitution, Jefferson moved forward, expanding the nation and setting the stage for westward expansion.
As part of our ongoing Story of Us, Story of America series, Dr. Bill McClay, author of Land of Hope, shares the story of how the Louisiana Purchase changed the nation forever.

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A Gold Star Father on Loss, Service, and His Son’s Legacy May 07, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, on August 26, 2021, a suicide bombing at Abbey Gate in Kabul killed 13 American service members. Among them was Marine Lance Corporal Jared Schmitz. His father, Mark Schmitz, became part of what is known as a Gold Star family, a term used for the parents and loved ones of those killed in military service.
In the months that followed, he chose to carry forward his son’s legacy, founding The Freedom 13, a nonprofit focused on supporting military families and honoring the fallen. Here to share the story of his son’s life and the legacy that continues in his name is Mark Schmitz.

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My Family Spent 4 Months Playing Battleship in a Cornfield May 07, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1856, the steamboat Steamboat Arabia struck a snag and slipped beneath the Missouri River, taking with it cargo bound for stores and towns across the frontier. The Arabia did not stay buried forever. As the river changed course over time, the wreck was left behind beneath layers of earth.
More than a century later, a group of Kansas City men set out to uncover the long-buried treasure. Matt Hawley tells the story of his family’s quest to dig up the steamboat Arabia from the middle of a cornfield.

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The Plan Was Simple. The Road Trip Was Not May 07, 2026

Show notes

On this episode of Our American Stories, volunteering seemed simple enough. Then the plan fell apart. What started as a group effort quickly turned into a one-man road trip across state lines.
Robert Frohlich, an Our American Stories listener from Wisconsin, shares the story of a road trip gone wrong while volunteering to deliver trucks to impoverished communities in Appalachia.

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Orson Welles and the Night “War of the Worlds” Terrified America May 07, 2026

Show notes

On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1938, radio was the voice Americans trusted. News from Europe was growing more serious, and listeners relied on those broadcasts to understand what was happening in the world. When regular programming was interrupted, people paid attention and assumed what they were hearing was real.
So when urgent bulletins broke in with reports of an alien attack on American soil, many believed it. There were no extraterrestrial invasions, only an intricately crafted radio drama directed and narrated by the then-unknown Orson Welles, based on The War of the Worlds. The broadcast and the panic that followed changed the way news and media could be presented.
A. Brad Schwartz, author of Broadcast Hysteria: Orson Welles’s War of the Worlds and the Art of Fake News, shares the story.

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Dan Fogelberg and the Father Behind “Leader of the Band” May 07, 2026

Show notes

On this episode of Our American Stories, in the canon of personal songs, “Leader of the Band” is one of the most treasured. The song is Dan Fogelberg’s heartfelt tribute to his father, Lawrence, a high school band director who shaped both his life and his music.
As part of our Story of a Song series, Dan Fogelberg himself, along with our own Greg Hengler, share the story behind the song and the man who inspired it.

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Why Tyrone Power Left Hollywood to Fight in World War II May 06, 2026

Show notes

On this episode of Our American Stories, Tyrone Power was one of Hollywood’s biggest stars in the late 1930s and early 1940s, known for films like The Mark of Zorro and Blood and Sand. But at the height of his career, he stepped away from the screen and joined the Marines.
Power trained as a pilot and served in the Pacific during World War II, flying transport missions into some of the war’s most dangerous territory. For our ongoing Hollywood Goes to War series, Roger McGrath shares how one of the great actors of Hollywood’s Golden Age became a Marine aviator.

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