Our American Stories

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Justice Scalia on Why The Constitution is Unique Jan 30, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, a bill of rights depends on a government that actually manifests restraint. Otherwise, Justice Scalia suggests, it is just a bill of goods.

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What I Learned After Getting a Dog I Didn’t Understand Jan 29, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, after becoming an empty nester, Paul Bauer decided to get a dog, despite knowing almost nothing about dogs. What he got instead was Gizmo, a stubborn, charming King Charles Cavalier Spaniel who quickly made it clear who was really in charge.
With humor and humility, Paul shares the lessons Gizmo has taught him about patience, routine, pride, and love, and how sometimes the best teachers arrive with fur, a strong will, and no interest in playing fetch.

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He Was Closer to Death Than We Knew Jan 29, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, in the early months of the COVID pandemic, when fear and uncertainty were everywhere, Stephen Rusiniak received a call that stopped him cold. His brother was sick, struggling to breathe, and finally asking for help.
What followed was a quiet, urgent drive to the hospital, shaped by fear, duty, and love. Stephen tells the story of a moment when concern for his own safety faded beside something stronger, the bond between brothers, and the simple truth that sometimes carrying the weight is not a burden at all.

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How Charles Lindbergh Became America’s Most Famous Airman Jan 29, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Before he became the most famous pilot in the world, Charles Lindbergh was a barnstormer, a daredevil wing walker, and a U.S. airmail pilot flying dangerous routes with little margin for error. Long before his historic Atlantic crossing, Lindbergh learned to trust machines, weather, and his own instincts in the air.
Kirk Higgins of the Bill of Rights Institute shares the lesser-known story of Lindbergh’s early years and the unlikely experiences that prepared him to attempt what no one else dared: flying solo across the Atlantic when others insisted it could only be done with a crew.

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What Calvin Coolidge Said About the True Meaning of Independence Jan 29, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1926, on the 150th anniversary of American independence, Calvin Coolidge delivered a Fourth of July address that went far beyond celebration. Speaking in Philadelphia, he argued that America’s prosperity did not create its founding ideals, but that its founding ideals created America’s prosperity.
Coolidge warned that abandoning the principles of the Declaration of Independence would mean losing the very source of American freedom. Drawing on the same moral tradition invoked by Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, he defended equality, natural rights, and self-government as final truths, not outdated ideas. Vince Benedetto, joined by Coolidge interpreter Tracy Messer, share the story of a speech that still challenges Americans to remember the real heart of their independence.

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Escape From Libby Prison: The Civil War’s Greatest Jailbreak Jan 29, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, deep in Richmond, Virginia, a converted warehouse known as Libby Prison held more than 1,200 Union officers during the Civil War. Prisoners survived on rotting cornbread, slept on bare floors, and shared the space with rats that outnumbered both guards and captives. Escape or death were the only ways out. Historian Robert P. Watson, author of Escape!, shares the astonishing and forgotten story of the largest and most daring jailbreak of the Civil War, when Union officers dug a tunnel through raw sewage, emerged onto the streets of Richmond, and risked everything to rejoin the fight.

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Why “Once in a Lifetime” Is One of the Greatest Songs Ever Written Jan 28, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, few pop songs sound like nothing that came before them. Talking Heads’ “Once in a Lifetime” is one of them, a hypnotic blend of rhythm, repetition, and existential wonder that has puzzled and inspired listeners for decades.
Music critics and musicians alike have called it a perfect song, praising its strange power and its lyrics, which feel both meaningless and deeply profound. Our own Greg Hengler traces how the song came together, why it resonated so strongly, and how it became one of the most enduring and influential tracks in modern music.

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How the Lawn Became a Symbol of the American Dream Jan 28, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, the lawn began as a practical patch of grass, a village common, and even a defensive buffer around medieval castles. Over time it became a status symbol on European estates, then a centerpiece of suburban life and a marker of the American Dream.
The History Guy tells how one invention changed everything, the lawn mower, and traces the lawn’s evolution from grazing animals and scythes to Levittown suburbia, billion-dollar lawn care, and today’s debates over water, time, and the future of turf.

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Was Dropping the Atomic Bomb on Japan Necessary to End World War II? Jan 28, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, few decisions in American history remain as controversial as the choice to drop atomic bombs on Japan in the final days of World War II. Supporters argue the attacks hastened the war’s end and saved lives. Critics say they crossed a moral line that reshaped warfare forever.
Ken LaCorte, host of the YouTube channel Elephants in Rooms, examines the historical context, military calculations, and ethical questions surrounding Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and why the debate over whether the bomb was necessary continues decades later.

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Doug Williams and the Super Bowl That Changed the NFL Jan 28, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, for decades, Black athletes were welcomed in nearly every position in professional football, except one. Quarterback was considered a “thinking man’s” role, and many coaches and owners believed Black players did not belong there.
That belief collapsed in 1988 when Doug Williams, a backup QB who had been out of the leauge for a few years, led Washington to a Super Bowl victory over the John Elway–led Denver Broncos, becoming the first Black quarterback to lift the Lombardi Trophy. Sports historian John Eisenberg, author of Rocket Men, shares the story of the barriers Williams faced, the racism he endured, and the performance that permanently changed the NFL.

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