Our American Stories

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America's First Multi-Millionaire: John Jacob Astor Sep 30, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, John Jacob Astor arrived in America in 1784 with little money and an eye for opportunity. He began trading furs, built a commercial empire that stretched across the continent, and then made an even bigger bet on the future of New York City. As Manhattan expanded, the land Astor had quietly accumulated became extraordinarily valuable. By the time he died, the German immigrant who had started with nothing had become the richest man in America.
Here’s the story of how an immigrant fur trader built the first great fortune in America.

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How Bananas Changed the World Sep 30, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Americans eat roughly 4.5 million tons of bananas every year. They’re cheap, plentiful, and so ordinary that most of us toss a bunch into the shopping cart without giving them a second thought. But getting that banana onto the supermarket shelf required ships, railroads, enormous corporations, and a global trade that helped shape American involvement in Central America. The fruit even gave us the term “banana republic” and one of America’s favorite desserts: the banana split.
Our regular contributor, The History Guy, shares the surprisingly complicated history behind one of America’s favorite fruits.

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From $1,000 Down to 1,500 Employees: Bob Huff's American Dream Sep 30, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Bob Huff grew up outside Dayton, Ohio, in a three-room house without indoor plumbing, raised largely by a single mother who taught him that when something needed to be done, you went to work. Years later, that lesson followed Bob and his wife, Lynn, into a struggling 35-bed nursing home they bought with $1,000 borrowed for the down payment. There was no staff of executives waiting for them. Bob and Lynn cooked meals, washed dishes, painted walls, cared for patients, and did whatever else was necessary to keep the place running.
Bob shares how that first gamble became a lifetime of buying troubled nursing homes and rebuilding them around a simple principle: care for every patient as you would your own mother or father.

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Sidney Poitier: The Actor Who Broke Hollywood's Color Barrier Sep 29, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Sidney Poitier arrived in New York as a teenager with almost nothing. He sometimes slept on rooftops and in pay toilets, worked as a dishwasher, and could barely read. When he auditioned for the American Negro Theater, he was thrown out and told to go find work washing dishes. Instead, Poitier taught himself to read, changed the way he spoke by imitating voices on the radio, and learned how to act. Within a decade, he was one of Hollywood's biggest stars.
Aram Goudsouzian, University of Memphis history professor and author of Sidney Poitier: Man, Actor, Icon, shares the story of how a poor boy from the Bahamas became a groundbreaking American actor.

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Bruce Wang, All-American: The Chinese Cowboy with a Southern Accent Sep 29, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Bruce Wang grew up in southwestern China and came to America for college, eventually finding his way to West Texas. Then someone took him to a rodeo. Bruce was fascinated. Before long, he was wearing cowboy boots, watching Duck Dynasty, studying Southern accents, and learning everything he could about cattle and the people who raised them.
Bruce shares how an international student who knew little about Texas found himself falling in love with cowboy culture and building a life in the cattle industry.

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The Surprisingly Strange History of Toilet Paper Sep 29, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, toilet paper might seem like a modern necessity, but the truth is messier—and much older. Long before perforated rolls and flushable comfort, people used whatever they could find: seashells, corn cobs, even stones.
Our American Stories regular contributor, The History Guy, shares the story of what people used before toilet paper was invented—and how one man’s idea for “medicated paper” launched an industry no one wanted to talk about.

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How One Hatmaker Shaped the Image of the American West Sep 29, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, the cowboy hat didn’t come from Texas or tumbleweeds. Instead, it came from a modest Philadelphia workshop. John B. Stetson transformed durable felt and a wide brim into a practical design that would become one of the most iconic symbols of the American frontier. His creation topped the heads of Western legends like Buffalo Bill and Will Rogers, and later, Hollywood cowboys like John Wayne.
Our own Reagan Habeeb shares the story of how a humble hatmaker helped shape the look and legacy of the American West.

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Wally Amos: The Real Man Behind Famous Amos Cookies Sep 28, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Wally Amos was a talent agent who worked with some of the biggest names in show business before a chocolate chip cookie changed his life. In 1975, with backing from friends including Marvin Gaye and Helen Reddy, Amos opened a cookie shop on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. His Famous Amos cookies soon became a national sensation.
His daughter, Sarah Amos, shares the remarkable and complicated story of her father, from his childhood in segregated Tallahassee, Florida, to building one of America's most recognizable brands, losing control of the company that bore his name, and finding purpose beyond it.

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Ten Cent Beer Night: When Cheap Beer Sparked Chaos in MLB Sep 28, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, on June 4, 1974, the Cleveland Indians hosted the Texas Rangers in what began as a regular MLB game and ended as one of the most infamous promotions in baseball history. Known as “Ten Cent Beer Night,” the evening promised cheap drinks to boost attendance. What followed was a riot on the field, a forfeit, and a chapter of baseball history that still stuns fans today.
The History Guy recounts the unbelievable story of the night chaos replaced baseball in Cleveland.

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When a Bathroom Drug Deal Was Interrupted by Jesus Sep 28, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, it started in a bathroom, where a man trapped in addiction waited to make another bad decision. Pastor Greg Laurie didn’t know what he was walking into—only that something told him to go. Inside, he found a man on the edge: tired, angry, and ready to give up. Instead of turning away, Greg spoke about grace, and in that small, stained room, something began to shift.
The encounter led to a renewed faith and a brand-new life rebuilt from the ruins of substance abuse. Pastor Greg joins us to tell the story.

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