Our American Stories

On this episode of Our American Stories, in the early years of television, few moments carried more weight than the night journalist Edward R. Murrow confronted Senator Joseph McCarthy. America was deep in the Cold War, and McCarthy’s accusations of communist influence had created an atmosphere of fear that silenced many. Murrow chose to speak anyway. On his CBS program See It Now, he aired McCarthy’s own words, letting the public judge for themselves. It was one of the first times television held political power to account, marking a turning point for both journalism and public trust in the media. Kirk Higgins, Senior Director of Content at the Bill of Rights Institute, brings us the story. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, Blair Linne grew up moving from place to place, never staying long enough to unpack completely. Her mother loved her deeply, but without a father, stability was something they could never hold on to. By the time Blair reached adulthood, she had lived in twenty-five homes. What she found along the way was not just struggle, but faith, community, and a new understanding of family. Her story gives voice to the quiet ache of growing up without a father and the strength it takes to build something lasting from the pieces left behind. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, Ken Wells always dreamed of flying. When that dream took him to the skies over Vietnam, he knew the risks but never imagined how quickly everything would change. Just two days before his wife, Candy, gave birth to their first child, Ken’s plane was shot down. He spent years in captivity at the infamous Hanoi Hilton, surviving hunger, isolation, and torture. Back home, Candy raised their child alone, clinging to faith and hope that he would return. Together, they tell a story of endurance and of a love that withstood the distance. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, for years, Tasha Layton lived the dream that countless young artists imagine. She toured the world, performed before massive crowds, and sang beside one of the biggest names in pop music. But beneath the lights, she felt a growing emptiness that success couldn’t fill. When she finally stepped away, she didn’t know what would come next, only that she needed to start over. Her path back began quietly, through faith, small moments of honesty, and music that spoke to something deeper than applause. Tasha joins us to tell us her story. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, it’s hard to imagine now, but there was a time when the automobile was hailed as an environmental savior. Cities at the turn of the century were suffocating under the burden of their own success. The horse had built them, but it was also destroying them. Streets were thick with waste, and the air carried the scent of disease. Into that chaos rolled the automobile—a machine that seemed to offer a vision of progress that was clean, modern, and under control. Miles C. Collier, founder of the Revs Institute, shares the story. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, it began with a few rare bottles and a collector who thought he’d found perfection. But what looked like the discovery of a lifetime turned out to be one of the most elaborate wine scams in modern history. Billionaire Bill Koch, known for his meticulous taste and love of authenticity, discovered that his prized collection included counterfeits, some forged so well that even experts were fooled. Rather than quietly move on, he poured millions into uncovering the truth. The investigation led to Rudy Kurniawan, a charismatic con artist whose deception stunned the wine world and exposed the lengths people will go to chase prestige. Here's Bill with the story. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, before he became America’s most celebrated poet, Walt Whitman was simply a man searching for his brother on a battlefield. What he discovered there transformed him. The war showed him suffering on a scale he had never imagined, yet it also revealed the resilience of the human spirit. In makeshift hospitals and tents, he tended to both Union and Confederate soldiers, writing, comforting, and listening when few others could. Those encounters reshaped his poetry and deepened his belief that every life, North or South, carried the same worth. Hillsdale College professor Kelly Scott Franklin shares the story. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, when American troops left for war, they carried reminders of home that came in the simplest form: food. Spam and Hershey’s chocolate became symbols of comfort in a world that had lost its sense of safety. Spam filled mess kits and fueled long marches through mud and heat. Hershey’s chocolate brought a quick burst of sweetness that could steady a soldier’s nerves or break the monotony of rations. Together they fed the body and the spirit, helping to turn familiar tastes into a quiet kind of strength that followed the American army wherever it went. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, during the darkest years of World War II, a woman from Baltimore slipped behind enemy lines with a fake passport, a limp, and a mission that would alter the course of the war. Her name was Virginia Hall, and the Gestapo called her “the most dangerous of all Allied spies.” Working for the Office of Strategic Services, she built resistance networks across France, trained fighters, and smuggled intelligence to London while evading capture again and again. Author Judy Pearson tells the story of how one woman with a wooden leg and an unbreakable will became a symbol of courage in a world ruled by fear. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, when Brandon Burlsworth first stepped onto the University of Arkansas practice field, almost no one believed he belonged there. He had no scholarship, no athletic pedigree, and nothing to recommend him beyond an unshakable work ethic. Yet every morning, he showed up before the sun and stayed long after the lights went out. Over time, the kid from Harrison earned his place among the Razorbacks’ best. His discipline transformed him from an overlooked walk-on into an All-American lineman, respected by coaches, teammates, and fans who saw something rare in his character. Brandon’s family and coaches share the story of the man for whom the national award for the best walk-on player is named. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, when Led Zeppelin stormed onto the music scene, their sound felt untouchable. It was raw, electric, and entirely new. Yet beneath the roar of the guitars was a rhythm that didn’t begin in London. Its roots were planted in the American South, crafted by a bluesman whose work shaped the foundation of rock long before the world knew Jimmy Page or Robert Plant. Years later, echoes of that melody landed Led Zeppelin in a courtroom, where a judge had to decide whether the greatest band of its era had borrowed too much from the past. Stephen Davis and Kirby Ferguson share the story of how a single blues riff forced rock and roll to face its origins. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, few thought a quiet cartoon about a sad little tree could work on television. But Charles Schulz believed that A Charlie Brown Christmas would speak to people in a way that noise and spectacle never could. The animation was rough, the dialogue understated, and the jazz soundtrack unlike anything audiences had heard before. But when it aired in December of 1965, families across the country sat down to something that felt simple and true. Lee Habeeb shares the story of how the now-famous festive cartoon special was made. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, only weeks after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Prime Minister Winston Churchill made an all-important stop in the United States to meet with President Roosevelt and address Congress about the difficult road ahead. He knew better than anyone what that path looked like—he had been walking it alone for some time. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, Nancy "3" Hoffman has spent her life chasing delight in the unexpected. A professional accordionist and world traveler, she built a museum that no one else in the world had thought to create: a home for umbrella covers. On Peaks Island, Maine, her collection began as a joke among friends and grew into a destination that celebrates the overlooked details of everyday life. Visitors come from across the country to laugh, browse, and rethink what it means to find meaning in small things. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, along the shores of Lake Michigan sits a story stranger than fiction: a man preserved in a glass coffin. He was part of the House of David, a communal religious group whose followers built amusement parks, baseball teams, and their own legends. Visitors came from across the country to see him—but not all came with good intentions. Thieves once tried to steal the diamond necklace that lay inside the coffin. For decades, the figure has fascinated locals and outsiders alike, raising questions about faith, spectacle, and how we remember the dead. Chris Siriano of the House of David Museum shares the story of America’s man in the glass coffin. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, when 16-year-old Hector Boiardi stepped off the ship at Ellis Island, he carried more ambition than belongings. Trained as a chef, he brought Old World recipes to his new country and eventually opened a restaurant that made his pasta sauce famous. Soon, his name—changed to Boyardee so Americans could pronounce it—appeared on canned foods across the nation. Our own Greg Hengler shares the remarkable story of a man you know, but whose story you don’t. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, Taylor Dooley’s breakout role as Lava Girl launched her into sudden fame, but it also came with pressures few young actors are prepared to handle. By her late teens, she stepped away from Hollywood to live life outside the spotlight. Years later, Dooley returned to reprise the role that defined her childhood in Netflix’s We Can Be Heroes. Here, Taylor opens up about the challenges of child stardom and the joy of reconnecting with her character as an adult. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, Tommy Emmanuel grew up in Australia with a guitar in his hands and a dream in his heart. Inspired by country guitar legend Chet Atkins, he taught himself to play with a style and energy that amazed audiences. That dream eventually led him to America, where he found a home for both his music and his talent. Here, Emmanuel reflects on how his music continues to bridge the gap between passion and perseverance—and why he believes America is the best country on Earth for musicians. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, escaping war-torn, Nazi-occupied Croatia during World War II, Tony Maglica started over in the United States with nothing but ambition and skill. He worked tirelessly, built his own tools, and eventually invented the Maglite: a flashlight that redefined quality and reliability. For decades, Maglite has been proudly made in America, carried by first responders, explorers, and anyone who needed a light they could trust. Here’s Tony with his remarkable story of survival and the fulfillment of his American Dream. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1961, a group of young men and women boarded buses to test whether the Supreme Court’s desegregation rulings would be honored in the South. They became known as the Freedom Riders. Their mission was met with brutal violence as mobs and members of the Ku Klux Klan attacked them for daring to sit as equals. But they refused to turn back. Kirk Higgins of the Bill of Rights Institute shares the story of one of the most dangerous journeys of the Civil Rights Movement and the courage that carried the Freedom Riders through. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.