Our American Stories

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How “Women and Children First” Began Sep 24, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, when the HMS Birkenhead struck rocks off the coast of South Africa in 1852, chaos should have followed. Instead, what happened that night became one of history’s clearest displays of courage and order in the face of disaster. With lifeboats too few for the hundreds aboard, British soldiers stood their ground so that women and children could be saved. Their calm obedience became known as the Birkenhead Drill: a model of discipline that would inspire generations and set the standard for what it means to put others first.
The History Guy shares the story.

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Smokin’ Ed Currie on The Miracle That Gave Him a Family Sep 23, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, before “Smokin’” Ed Currie became famous for breeding the Carolina Reaper and Pepper X, he nearly destroyed his life with addiction. Recovery gave Ed a second chance, but it didn't erase the guilt he carried over the person he had once been. Years later, after he and his wife, Linda, endured miscarriage after miscarriage, they finally accepted that they might never have children of their own. Then, in the middle of the night, the phone rang.
Ed shares the deeply personal story of the unexpected events that followed.

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The Boys of Milo: The Marine Recon Veteran Who Kept Cheating Death Sep 23, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Ted Godlove was only months out of high school in Milo, Iowa, when he volunteered for the United States Marine Corps. Before long, he was serving with a reconnaissance unit deep in the jungles of Vietnam, where small teams of Marines operated dangerously close to much larger enemy forces. Godlove survived firefights, desperate escapes, and one helicopter extraction that ended with him and his fellow Marines being dragged through a river. Then, during a deadly mission in 1969, Ted believed his life had come to an end.
Michael Williams, author of The Boys of Milo, shares the story of what happened next. As Ted lay wounded, he experienced what he believed was an encounter with Jesus and heard five words: “You have to go back.” Ted survived.

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How Johnny Carson Saved Twister Sep 23, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1966, Twister looked like a flop. Retailers thought Milton Bradley's new game was too risqué, Sears refused to put it in its Christmas catalog, and the company was preparing to pull it from stores. Then Johnny Carson spread the colorful mat across the stage of The Tonight Show and invited actress Eva Gabor to play.
Our Ameican Stories regular contributor Christopher Klein shares what happened next. As Carson and Gabor tangled themselves across the mat, the studio audience erupted in laughter and millions watched at home. The next morning, shoppers went looking for Twister. Soon, factories were struggling to keep up with demand.

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Did Benjamin Franklin Believe in God? Sep 23, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Benjamin Franklin rarely attended church and questioned some of Christianity's central doctrines. Yet he never abandoned belief in God. He believed in Providence, immortality, moral accountability, and the importance of religion to a healthy society. Franklin's faith never fit neatly into a single category, and he spent much of his long life thinking, questioning, and occasionally changing his mind about what he believed.
Dr. D. G. Hart, author of Benjamin Franklin: Cultural Protestant, and historian Dr. Thomas Kidd share the complicated story of Franklin's religious life.

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The Best Worst Counterfeiter in American History Sep 23, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, for nearly a decade, the Secret Service couldn't catch one of America's most persistent counterfeiters. The strange thing was that he wasn't very good at counterfeiting. Mister 880 produced only one-dollar bills, printed them on the wrong paper, drew a lousy George Washington, and occasionally even misspelled Washington's name. Still, the phony dollars kept appearing across New York City, one or two at a time, and their mysterious maker kept slipping away.
Our American Stories regular contributor Bill Bryk shares the hilarious and true story of Mister 880, otherwise known as Emerich Juettner, an elderly widower.

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James Madison: The Quiet Founder Who Built a Nation Sep 22, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, James Madison rarely chased the spotlight, and he knew his character flaws. He was short, balding, awkward, and didn’t always play well in group settings. Yet despite his stature, his big ideas built and shaped America. He drafted the Bill of Rights, argued for ratification in The Federalist Papers, and turned quiet conviction into lasting policy through partnerships with Washington, Jefferson, and Monroe. His marriage to Dolley Madison added another kind of influence—one that worked in rooms where politics met people.
David O. Stewart, author of Madison's Gift, shares the story of how Madison earned the title “Father of the Constitution” and how his humility often obscured his achievements. We would like to thank the U.S. National Archives for granting us access to this audio.

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When 7-Year-Old John Quincy Adams Watched the Battle of Bunker Hill Sep 22, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, on June 17, 1775, Abigail Adams climbed Penn's Hill with her seven-year-old son, John Quincy. Across the water, British and American soldiers were fighting the Battle of Bunker Hill. Cannon fire echoed in the distance, smoke rose over the battlefield, and Charlestown burned before their eyes. The American Revolution was no longer something happening somewhere else. A future president was watching it unfold beside his mother.
With her husband away and war unfolding around her family, Abigail turned to the Bible for strength and taught her young son to do the same. She gave John Quincy a prayer to carry with him, one he would remember long after the smoke over Boston had cleared. Robert J. Morgan, author of 100 Bible Verses That Made America, shares the story of a mother, her son, and the faith that sustained them through the frightening opening months of the American Revolution.

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How Bear Bryant Changed My Life Sep 22, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Jeremiah Castille grew up surrounded by poverty, alcoholism, drugs, and violence. At 13 years old, he found the Christian faith and began imagining a different life for himself. He set his sights on one goal: earn a football scholarship to the University of Alabama, get an education, and someday give his own family the life he never had.
Castille made it to Alabama and played for the legendary Paul “Bear” Bryant during the coach's final season. He shares how a few words from Bryant changed the way he saw himself, the lessons about character and excellence that stayed with him long after football, and the final game when Castille got the chance to thank the coach who had helped him become the man he hoped to be.

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Thomas Jefferson: America's “Everyman” Sep 22, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, for more than two centuries, Americans who agreed on almost nothing have found something to admire in Thomas Jefferson. Presidents, abolitionists, liberals, and conservatives have all claimed the man who wrote that “all men are created equal” while holding hundreds of people in slavery. He's a complicated figure, and that might say something about all of us.
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Joseph J. Ellis, author of American Sphinx, shares why Jefferson remains one of the most fascinating and contradictory figures in the American story, and why those contradictions make him America's first true "everyman." We'd like to thank the U.S. Library of Congress for providing this audio to the American public.

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