Our American Stories

On this episode of Our American Stories, Jackie Robinson didn’t plan to make history. He only wanted to play ball. But in a country that had barred Black baseball players for more than sixty years, that simple dream came with impossible expectations. After a short stint in the Negro Leagues in Kansas City, he became the first to cross into the majors, carrying not only a bat, but the burden of representing a nation’s pr...

On this episode of Our American Stories, The Civil War took more American lives than any other conflict in the nation’s history, but few families endured loss like the Littletons of Iowa. When the war broke out, all six brothers enlisted to serve in the Union Army. One by one, they were lost to battle, disease, captivity, and accidents, leaving behind four grieving sisters and no surviving sons. Their story nearly disapp...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Jameel McGee had just become a father when his life was derailed by a lie. In 2006, in Benton Harbor, Michigan, he was falsely arrested by narcotics officer Andrew Collins, whose fabricated reports and planted evidence led to a wrongful conviction and satisfied an internal push for arrest numbers. Although the truth eventually came out, Collins was sentenced to prison, and Jameel’s con...

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 terms “nest egg,” “no dice,” 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...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Paychex founder and entrepreneur Tom Golisano shares why having fun at work matters and how humor helped shape the culture of one of America’s most successful payroll companies. Known for his legendary office pranks and unconventional leadership style, Golisano explains how playfulness, trust, and creativity can coexist with discipline and hard work. Drawing from his book Built No...

On this episode of Our American Stories, in the 1800s, an impossible idea was born: to lay a wire under the ocean and send messages between continents in minutes. The result was the Transatlantic Telegraph Cable, a feat of engineering and endurance that rewired the world forever. Historian John Steele Gordon tells the gripping story of the people, ships, and setbacks that connected North America and Europe by a single thread of cop...

On this episode of Our American Stories, it was the Cold War on ice, and no one expected Team USA to win. But in 1980, a ragtag group of college kids stunned the world when they beat the seemingly unbeatable Soviet Union at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics. Mike Eruzione, captain of the U.S. Men’s Hockey Team and the man who scored the game-winning goal, tells the inside story of one of the greatest upsets in sports history.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, what does it take to stop the cycle? Jason Wolfe knows. As a child, he lived through abandonment, poverty, and the kind of instability no kid should endure. As an adult, he became a tech pioneer, a single father, and a man determined to rewrite his family story. His journey is a powerful testament to resilience, healing, and what real fatherhood looks like when you refuse to pass your pain o...

On this episode of Our American Stories, when Jim Keyes took the helm of 7-Eleven, he thought he was simply turning around a struggling convenience store chain. What he discovered instead was the human story behind the brand: a nationwide network of franchise owners, many of them immigrants, working long hours behind the counter while building businesses, supporting families, and living out the American Dream. Keyes shares how thes...

On this episode of Our American Stories, often, art imitates life. This time, life imitated art. A crime inspired by the 1995 film Heat, starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, would become one of the most infamous bank robberies in American history. The movie’s meticulous depiction of professional criminals, tactical planning, and high-stakes escape scenes provided a blueprint that real-world robbers attempted to follow with ...

On this episode of Our American Stories, in the introductory episode of our series tracing America’s rich history and cultural foundations, Wilfred M. McClay, a professor at Hillsdale College and author of the acclaimed book Land of Hope, shares the surprising story of how America’s beginnings were shaped by religious conflict, political power, and sheer chance. From a group of defiant Catholics to a violent Atlant...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Joel Wegener’s family had already learned what it meant to navigate the challenges and blessings of raising two children with Down syndrome. Then came a new idea: why not launch a small business they could run together? That idea became Special Neat Treats, a Cincinnati-based ice cream truck serving up more than just sweets.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, a soda company with submarines? In a bizarre twist of Cold War diplomacy, Pepsi brokered a trade deal with the Soviet Union that landed it an actual naval fleet, briefly making it the world’s sixth-largest navy by ship count. The History Guy shares the unbelievable true story of how American capitalism, Soviet politics, and global tensions collided in one of the weirdest moments in int...

On this episode of Our American Stories, James Pritchard spent his career running toward danger as a firefighter and fire captain, responding to car wrecks, house fires, and emergencies most people spend their lives hoping never to see. What he did not expect was how much of that job would follow him home. James reflects on the life of a firefighter, the emotional toll of repeated trauma, and what happens when years of pushing ever...

On this episode of Our American Stories Miami Dolphins owner and billionaire real estate developer Stephen Ross shares how being fired twice early in his career led him to conclude he was unemployable. That realization pushed him toward entrepreneurship, ultimately shaping his path to building a global real estate empire and becoming one of the most influential owners in professional sports. Ross reflects on failure, resilience, an...

On this episode of Our American Stories, one was a future president, the other a Seneca warrior-turned-engineer. Together, Ulysses S. Grant and Ely S. Parker would shape the final chapter of the Civil War and the early years of Reconstruction. Parker, a brilliant mind and proud Native American, served as Grant’s personal military secretary and later became the first Native American to hold a cabinet-level position in U.S. his...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Maggie Bailey started selling moonshine in the Appalachian hills at just 17 years old and kept her bootlegging business alive for the better part of a century. Known as the “Queen of the Mountain Moonshiners,” Maggie became a local legend not just for the quality of her shine, but for the way she used her profits. She paid college tuition for local kids, fed the hungry, and took ...