Our American Stories

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Latest Episodes:

Jimmy Neary: The Irish Immigrant Who Built a New York City Legend Jan 20, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Jimmy Neary arrived in New York City from County Sligo, Ireland in 1954 with almost nothing but a gift for people. After finding work at the New York Athletic Club and learning the restaurant trade under famed Irish restaurateur P.J. Moriarty, he opened Neary’s near 57th Street and First Avenue and turned it into a Manhattan institution.
Told by his daughter, Una Neary, this is an Irish immigrant story about faith, family, and the kind of hospitality that made everyone feel like they belonged, from doormen to presidents. And when Jimmy died, the respect he’d earned was unmistakable: the NYPD shut down major New York City routes and escorted his funeral procession from St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

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Corrie ten Boom and the Secret Room That Saved Hundreds During the Holocaust Jan 19, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, Corrie ten Boom and her family turned their watchmaker’s home into a refuge for Jews facing deportation and death. Working with the Dutch underground, they built a hidden room behind a false wall, where hundreds found shelter from the Gestapo. Their courage came at a terrible cost. Corrie and her sister Betsie were arrested and sent to prison and then to the Ravensbrück concentration camp. In this powerful firsthand account, Corrie tells how faith sustained her through betrayal, imprisonment, and unimaginable suffering — and how light endured in one of history’s darkest chapters. This is the true story behind The Hiding Place.

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A Veteran Police Officer on Mental Illness, Homelessness, and the Frontlines of Crisis Jan 19, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Deon Joseph has worked in law enforcement for more than two decades, spending much of that time in places where support systems rarely hold. The people he meets are often in crisis, and the job asks more than it once did. He reflects on how expectations have shifted, how officers adapt when there’s nowhere else to send someone, and what it means to keep doing the work when most of the pressure lands on the same few shoulders.

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The Woman Behind Jack London: Charmian Kittredge London Jan 19, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, best known as the wife of Jack London, Charmian Kittredge London was far more than a companion to a literary giant. She was a writer, photographer, athlete, traveler, and intellectual partner whose contributions were long overlooked or misrepresented. Author and historian Iris Jamal Dunkle shares the story behind her groundbreaking biography, the first full-length account devoted solely to Charmian’s life. From global voyages aboard the Snark to creative collaboration, personal loss, and public erasure, this is the story of a remarkable woman whose legacy is finally being restored to its rightful place in American literary history.

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How the Night Stalker Was Identified by a Single Fingerprint Jan 19, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1984, Los Angeles police officer Bob Alaniz arrested a suspicious car thief without realizing he was detaining one of California’s most dangerous serial killers. That man was Richard Ramirez, later known as the Night Stalker. Though Ramirez was released, the fingerprints Alaniz took during booking would become the key to identifying him months later, after a single print was recovered from a crime scene. Alaniz recounts the moment he realized his routine police work had cracked the case, joined by firearms historian and regular contributor Ashley Hlebinsky. It is a story about chance, forensic science, and how one small detail helped stop a reign of terror.

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“Propose a Toast” and the Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions Jan 19, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Andrew Thompson shares another slice of his guide to understanding the baffling mini-mysteries of the English language—this time exploring the phrase “propose a toast” and others. His book, Hair of the Dog to Paint the Town Red: The Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions and Fun Phrases, uncovers the quirky roots behind the words we use every day. Be sure to check it out!

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The Medal of Honor Pilot Who Crashed His Plane to Save His Wingman Jan 16, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, during the Korean War, Navy pilot Thomas Hudner made a decision that defied orders and nearly cost him his life. When his wingman, Jesse L. Brown, the Navy’s first Black aviator, was shot down behind enemy lines near the Chosin Reservoir, Hudner deliberately crash-landed his own aircraft in the snow to try to save him. Trapped and badly injured, Brown could not be freed before darkness and freezing temperatures forced rescuers to withdraw. Told by the History Guy, this is the story of friendship, sacrifice, and an extraordinary act of selfless courage that earned Hudner the Medal of Honor and secured Brown’s place in American history.

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Dreaded Diseases of the Great Depression Jan 16, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, award-winning storyteller Joy Neal Kidney shares a deeply personal family history from the Great Depression, when common childhood illnesses could still be deadly. Drawing from her Iowa roots, Kidney recounts how mumps and whooping cough devastated two related families already struggling with poverty, farm loss, and scarce medical care. In one household, nine children fell ill at once, and twin infants did not survive. Through vivid detail and remembered hardship, Joy's story reminds us how fragile life once was, and how much modern medicine and vaccinations have changed everyday survival.

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How Indian American Hoteliers Built a Hospitality Empire, With Help From an Unlikely Ally Jan 16, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, former Las Vegas Sands executive Mike Leven shares how an unlikely partnership helped launch the Asian American Hotel Owners Association in the 1980s. After hearing stereotypes inside the hotel industry about Indian American franchisees, Leven asked for the data and found their properties performed like everyone else, often better. Working with hotel owner H. P. Rama and organizer Lee Duschoff, he helped form an association to fight discrimination, improve access to financing, and claim a rightful place in American hospitality.

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Pearl Harbor’s Overlooked Wrecks: The USS Oklahoma and USS Utah Jan 16, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, regular contributor Anne Clare tells the lesser-known story of two ships lost at Pearl Harbor, the USS Utah and the USS Oklahoma. During the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941, the Utah, a retired battleship used as a target ship, was torpedoed and left where it sank on Ford Island, where its quiet memorial still stands today. The Oklahoma was hit by multiple torpedoes and capsized in minutes, trapping hundreds inside. Ann recounts rescues, acts of bravery, and the memorials that honor the dead, including the 429 white pillars representing Oklahoma’s fallen crew, and what it means to remember them.

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