Our American Stories

On this episode of Our American Stories, Deon Joseph grew up believing police officers were the enemy. Influenced by personal experiences, the Rodney King beating, and the culture around him, he never imagined joining law enforcement himself. But after becoming an LAPD officer, Joseph found his calling serving the people of Los Angeles’ notorious Skid Row, where he spent decades trying to bring order, dignity, and hope to one of America’s toughest neighborhoods. Be sure to check out Deon's book Stepping Across The Line: A Skid Row Cop's Story for more. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, after Jonathan Diller was killed in the line of duty in Queens, his wife Stephanie stood before mourners with their young son and shared the story of the man she loved. In this moving eulogy, she remembers Jonathan not only as an NYPD officer, but as a devoted husband, father, and protector. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, long before he learned the history of Johnny Cakes, John Busbee believed the beloved breakfast food had been named after him because of the love his Iowa grandmother poured into making them. Busbee shares the heartwarming story, and history, behind one of America’s oldest dishes, and how his grandmother whipped them up in her kitchen. Be sure to check out more of John's work at his website The Culture Buzz. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, Fantasy football is now a multibillion-dollar industry played by millions of Americans every year. But it began in 1962 with a handful of frustrated Oakland Raiders fans sitting in a New York hotel bar trying to make watching bad football more fun. Peter Funt, the author of Inside Fantasy Football, shares the surprising story behind one of America’s favorite games. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, when George Washington took the oath of office in 1789, his hand rested on a Bible that would become one of America’s most treasured artifacts. That same Bible was on loan to Fraunces Tavern, a Revolutionary War landmark near the World Trade Center, on September 11, 2001. After the towers fell, the search for survivors gave way to the search for the dead and eventually to a search for the missing Bible. Robert J. Morgan, author of 100 Bible Verses That Made America, tells the remarkable story of how Washington’s inaugural Bible was recovered after 9/11. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, Our American Stories listener Jeff Shaw never planned on becoming a police officer. After drifting through jobs, flying lessons, and uncertainty about his future, a conversation at a restaurant changed the course of his life. Shaw shares why he decided to become a police officer, what he witnessed during 24 years in law enforcement, the emotional toll officers carry home with them, and why he eventually decided to write about it all in his book, Who I Am: The Man Behind the Badge. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, before John Hannah became a NFL Hall of Famer and one of the most respected offensive linemen in football history, he was a fourth grader being mocked for his weight on the playground. Hannah shares how his father and Alabama’s legendary coach Bear Bryant pushed him beyond what he thought were his limits and helped shape the mindset that carried him to greatness. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1974, Patty Hearst, granddaughter of publishing giant William Randolph Hearst, was kidnapped by the radical Symbionese Liberation Army. But what happened next stunned the country: Hearst eventually joined the group and took part in a bank robbery. Our American Stories regular contributor Ashley Hlebinsky shares the remarkable story behind one of the strangest criminal cases in modern American history. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, during his nearly 23 years with the Philadelphia Police Department, Sgt. Richard Mendez served his city, earned multiple college degrees, and built a life centered on family. Just days before his planned retirement, he was killed in the line of duty. In this moving tribute, his daughter Mia shares the story of the father she loved, the lessons he taught her, and the phrase he always repeated when life became difficult: “We got this.” Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, The War of 1812 nearly broke the young United States apart. Washington and the White House burned, New England leaders talked openly of secession, and the future of the country looked uncertain at best. In the 19th episode of our ongoing Story of Us, Story of America series, historian and Land of Hope author Bill McClay shares how a forgotten war with no clear victor helped forge a new national identity and set the United States on the path toward industrial growth, westward expansion, and the rise of Andrew Jackson. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, most people do not set out to make history, or even to live through it. More often, history simply happens to them. Gulf War veteran and Our American Stories regular contributor Richard Muniz, from Colorado, shares two stories about living through historic moments without realizing it at the time, and reflects on what he learned from those experiences. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) 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 president of the United States, Ronald Reagan was a young radio announcer in Des Moines, Iowa, calling sports for WHO Radio during the golden age of broadcasting. Armed with little more than a microphone and his imagination, Reagan recreated baseball games from telegraph reports, covered football and track events, and learned how to captivate an audience through storytelling. In his own words, Reagan reflects on the early days of radio, how he got his start at WHO, and the broadcasting career that helped shape one of the most recognizable communicators in American political history. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, when the brand-new Saturday Night Live first took the airwaves by storm, it was Chevy Chase’s clumsy impression of Gerald Ford, an All-American athlete turned commander in chief, that changed the way Americans saw their president. The sketch also helped shape the future of political satire, presidential impersonations, and even the 1976 election itself. Peter Funt, author of Playing POTUS: The Power of America's 'Acting Presidents', tells the story behind one of comedy’s most consequential impressions. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, Harry S. Truman was never expected to become president of the United States. He grew up as a farm boy in rural Missouri, and though he later served as Franklin D. Roosevelt’s vice president, he was not Roosevelt’s first choice for the role, nor did Truman initially seek it. But his presidency would shape the course of history. Truman oversaw the end of World War II with the use of the atomic bomb, introduced the Truman Doctrine to confront Soviet expansion, and led the country into the beginning of the Korean War. Here’s the story of Truman’s presidency and how his decisions helped shape the modern United States. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, people often talk about the past as something to be missed, but history tells a much harder story. Johan Norberg argues that many of the most interesting periods in history were also the hardest to survive, and that modern innovations have made everyday life more secure than at any other point in human history. Johan Norberg, author of Progress: Ten Reasons to Look Forward to the Future, tells the story of why we are living in the best moment in human history. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, during World War II, women entered the military and workforce in record numbers, taking on roles once occupied by men. The Women’s Army Corps became a path for thousands who wanted to support the war effort. But for Ilene Hall, the decision was personal. After marrying in March 1943, and with her husband completing his training and preparing to ship overseas, the young woman from Canton, Ohio, decided not to let an ocean separate them. Here she is to share her story! Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, learning how to ride a horse is hard enough, but getting in the saddle at 60 years old can seem impossible. Not so for Our American Stories regular contributor Bill Bryk. Bill tells the story of the exciting and sometimes frightening experience of learning the basics of horseback riding after six decades. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, before the United States expanded westward, the young nation ended at the banks of the Mississippi River. France controlled the vast territory beyond these borders until Thomas Jefferson brokered a deal that doubled the size of the country. Despite his own reservations and personal view of the Constitution, Jefferson moved forward, expanding the nation and setting the stage for westward expansion. As part of our ongoing Story of Us, Story of America series, Dr. Bill McClay, author of Land of Hope, shares the story of how the Louisiana Purchase changed the nation forever. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, on August 26, 2021, a suicide bombing at Abbey Gate in Kabul killed 13 American service members. Among them was Marine Lance Corporal Jared Schmitz. His father, Mark Schmitz, became part of what is known as a Gold Star family, a term used for the parents and loved ones of those killed in military service. In the months that followed, he chose to carry forward his son’s legacy, founding The Freedom 13, a nonprofit focused on supporting military families and honoring the fallen. Here to share the story of his son’s life and the legacy that continues in his name is Mark Schmitz. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1856, the steamboat Steamboat Arabia struck a snag and slipped beneath the Missouri River, taking with it cargo bound for stores and towns across the frontier. The Arabia did not stay buried forever. As the river changed course over time, the wreck was left behind beneath layers of earth. More than a century later, a group of Kansas City men set out to uncover the long-buried treasure. Matt Hawley tells the story of his family’s quest to dig up the steamboat Arabia from the middle of a cornfield. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.