Our American Stories
Arts & Culture Podcasts
Our American Stories tells stories that aren’t being told. Positive stories about generosity and courage, resilience and redemption, faith and love. Stories about the past and present. And stories about ordinary Americans who do extraordinary things each and every day. Stories from our listeners about their lives. And their history. In that pursuit, we hope we’ll be a place where listeners can refresh their spirit, and be inspired by our stories.
Our American Stories tells stories that aren’t being told. Positive stories about generosity and courage, resilience and redemption, faith and love. Stories about the past and present. And stories about ordinary Americans who do extraordinary things each and every day. Stories from our listeners about their lives. And their history. In that pursuit, we hope we’ll be a place where listeners can refresh their spirit, and be inspired by our stories.
Location:
United States
Genres:
Arts & Culture Podcasts
Description:
Our American Stories tells stories that aren’t being told. Positive stories about generosity and courage, resilience and redemption, faith and love. Stories about the past and present. And stories about ordinary Americans who do extraordinary things each and every day. Stories from our listeners about their lives. And their history. In that pursuit, we hope we’ll be a place where listeners can refresh their spirit, and be inspired by our stories.
Twitter:
@realoastories
Language:
English
Email:
info@OANetwork.org
Episodes
American Freedom Machines: The Story of Harley-Davidson
8/19/2022
On this episode of Our American Stories, when Margie Siegal was a teenager, she had a boyfriend with a motorcycle. The boyfriend was forgettable—the motorcycle wasn’t. Since that time, she has written about motorcycle history and is the author of Harley-Davidson: A History of the World’s Most Famous Motorcycle. Aristotle says that the highest thing we can see is beauty and that it involves moral acts, and acts of courage. Dr. Larry Arnn of Hillsdale College tells the story of the man that...
Duration:00:38:16
Ford v. Ferrari 2: The Rematch
8/19/2022
On this episode of Our American Stories, Caleb Bailey shares his family’s story of hope and redemption after the loss of his father at 10 years old. As a part of its 100th anniversary celebration, Ford wanted a new supercar to showcase its heritage and future. Jon Elfner brings us this new Ferrari-slayer's story through the eyes of industry legends Neil Ressler, Scott Ahlman, and Mark McGowan.
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Time Codes:
00:00 - Raising...
Duration:00:47:05
How 911 At Ease International Saved This Police Officer’s Career
8/18/2022
On this episode of Our American Stories, Charles Scott was working as a Police Officer in the Central Valley of California. Things were going well. But things took a turn when he was a part of an officer involved shooting.
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Time Codes:
00:00 - How 911 At Ease International Saved This Police Officer’s Career
35:00 - The World's First Action Figure Museum?!
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Duration:00:38:43
An Aussie's Obsession with American Buffalo Wings
8/18/2022
On this episode of Our American Stories, Professor Art T. Burton tells us how he first found out about Bass Reeves and he didn't think much about him. It wasn't until later in life, and after hearing stories that sounded almost too good to be true, that he decided to dive into the life of one of the first black deputy U.S. marshals west of the Mississippi River.
Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Duration:00:48:51
Custer's Trials: A Life on the Frontier of a New America
8/17/2022
On this episode of Our American Stories, George Armstrong Custer, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, T.J. Stiles, casts surprising new light on one of the best-known figures of American history, a subject of seemingly endless fascination. Perhaps no name looms bigger in sports history, or American culture, than Babe Ruth. Here’s Mike Gibbons, Director Emeritus and Curator of the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum to tell us why.
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Time...
Duration:00:38:16
Moonshine Runners and the Birth of NASCAR
8/16/2022
On this episode of Our American Stories, long before NASCAR’s rampant commercialism lurks a distant history of dark secrets that have been carefully hidden from view—until now. Audrey Gruss is a Lithuianian American who created the #1 depression research foundation in the country.
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Time Codes:
00:00 - Moonshine Runners and the Birth of NASCAR
35:00 - Immigrant Audrey Gruss: “My Story Could Have Only Happened In Good Ole...
Duration:00:48:47
The Baltimore Colts: The Team that Helped Shape the NFL and Broke a City's Heart
8/16/2022
On this episode of Our American Stories, Mike Leven was President and Chief Operating Officer of Las Vegas Sands Corp. One of the great hoteliers of all time—a legend in his business. Here’s Mike with a story about what he learned from his unseemly college law professor. While ultimately a team that broke hearts and left its city under the cover of night, the memory of the Baltimore Colts, and legendary quarterback Johnny Unitas, burns bright in the hearts of its fans.
Support the show...
Duration:00:48:47
Walt Whitman Served the Union... And the Confederacy!
8/15/2022
On this episode of Our American Stories, Marshall Field's favorite gift wasn't the one that caused his name to be forever associated with Chicago's premiere museum, or even his massive chain of department stores he built after years of trial, error, and fire--but a small library bearing his name in the small town of Conway, Massacussets--the hometown he left in search of prosperity. Hillsdale professor Kelly Scott Franklin tells the story of how one of America's foremost literary figures was...
Duration:00:49:53
The Shocking History of PEZ Candy: Smoking Alternative for Adults?!
8/15/2022
On this episode of Our American Stories, PEZ had great success where it was invented, but changed its course drastically after initially failing in America. Shawn Peterson shares the story of how this manual candy dispenser came to be. First jobs are often our first taste in real adult responsibility, they teach us important skills, and they teach us how to deal with people. Brent Timmons shares the story of his first job at a crab house in Delaware.
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Duration:00:49:40
Edgar Allen Poe, Father of Modern Horror… Detective, Science Fiction, and Treasure Hunt Stories
8/12/2022
On this episode of Our American Stories, Edgar Allen Poe is known for his scary short stories and poems, and when we look at his life, early tragedies explain a lot of his stories… but what we don’t often think of when we consider Poe are his comedic writings, his detective stories, and even… a bit of early Science Fiction. Chris Semtner, Curator at the Poe Museum in Richmond, Virginia pulls back the curtain on Poe.
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See...
Duration:00:46:01
They're One of the Youngest Couples in Their Community and Doing Aerobics... at 90?!
8/12/2022
On this episode of Our American Stories, author Richard Rhodes shares the amazing story of Austria-born turned Hollywood movie star, Hedy Lamarr. She was known for her beauty, but her accomplishments go far beyond her appearance, including inventing what would become WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth. David and Zela Flor give us a look at what "Blue Zone" living in Loma Linda, California, is really like and how there way of clean living produces results you'd never imagine.
Support the show...
Duration:00:46:01
The Transatlantic Cable: How ONE Underwater Cable Changed the World
8/11/2022
On this episode of Our American Stories, historian John Steele Gordon tells the story of how the telegraph went from Samuel Morse to winning WWI and how one man spearheaded the effort to connect America to Great Britain and, in doing so, the rest of the world. Former CEO of 7-Eleven, Jim Keyes, tells the story of how their company has led countless immigrants to the American Dream.
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Time Codes:
00:00 - The Transatlantic Cable:...
Duration:00:47:22
A Store Named "Piggly Wiggly" Created the Modern Supermarket
8/11/2022
On this episode of Our American Stories, meet Ron Brown, a man who grew up in a rough area of Chicago, was practically abandoned by his father, and would mend their relationship later on in life. Clarence Saunders developed “self-service” grocery shopping in his Piggly Wiggly stores at a time when store assistants usually collected products for their customers. By introducing checkouts, clearly priced goods, and itemized receipts, he set the foundations for the supermarkets of...
Duration:00:47:22
The Woman Who Stood Up To George Washington
8/10/2022
On this episode of Our American Stories, during the Revolutionary War, Esther Reed decided the Patriot troops needed a morale boost. Reed, along with other Patriot Women began a campaign to raise money for the cause. When she brought her idea to General Washington, he had another idea of what she should do with the money. At a time when women were only expected to fire up the oven, Annie Oakley fired her way to fame as the world’s greatest sharpshooter. In her personal life she was a...
Duration:00:39:46
Stalin’s Daughter: American Citizen, Wisconsin Cheesehead?!
8/10/2022
On this episode of Our American Stories, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and America’s Cup winner Bill Koch doesn’t like being cheated. Tom Acitelli, author of Pilsner: How The Beer of Kings Changed The World, tells the story of how America's favorite drink came here and stayed here despite a world war and Prohibition. When 85-year-old Lana Peters passed away in 2011 from complications due to colon cancer, the nation seemed to have forgotten the woman who had become a sensation during the Cold...
Duration:00:48:18
One of the Last Navajo Code Talkers Remembers WWII’s “Unbreakable Code”
8/9/2022
On this episode of Our American Stories, many Americans have heard of the famous Navajo Code Talkers who used their traditional language to transmit secret Allied messages in the Pacific Theater of combat during World War II. This story is told to us by one of these Marines, Peter MacDonald, the President at Navajo Code Talkers Association.
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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Duration:00:49:40
When Shooting Weddings And Chasing Storms Collide
8/9/2022
On this episode of Our American Stories, Dr. John Marszalek and Eddie Rangel of the Grant Presidential Library tell the story about how Grant went from selling firewood on a street corner, to leading the US Army to victory in the Civil War. Mike Olbinski is an Arizona based photographer. He takes family photos, shoots weddings and also... chases storms.
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Time Codes:
00:00 - A Presidential Sized Comeback: The Story of U.S...
Duration:00:49:06
The WWII Attack America Chose to Forget
8/8/2022
On this episode of Our American Stories, because of the devastating nature of the attack, the U.S. government chose to keep the details of the HMT Rhona hushed. Grove City College PoliSci professor Paul Kengor brings us the details through the eyes of Sergeant Frank Bryer. T.J. Stiles tells the dramatic story of Cornelius “Commodore” Vanderbilt’s humble birth during the presidency of George Washington to his death as one of the richest men in American history. The Commodore helped to launch...
The Greatest Fighter Pilot in American History, Dick Bong
8/8/2022
On this episode of Our American Stories, after the United States pulled out of Vietnam, their allies in Indochina were all alone. Faced with the prospect of slavery, torture, and death at the hands of the Communists they fought against, many asked to be resettled in the United States. Robert Ray, the governor of Iowa, stepped up. Here again with his reoccurring series is Andrew Thompson as he continues to share another slice from his ultimate guide to understanding these baffling mini...
A Crooked Cop, An Innocent Man, And An Unlikely Journey Of Forgiveness And Friendship
8/5/2022
On this episode of Our American Stories, here again with his reoccurring series is Hair of the Dog to Paint the Town Red: The Curious Origins of Everyday Sayings and Fun Phrases author, Andrew Thompson, as he continues to share another slice from his ultimate guide to understanding these baffling mini mysteries of the English language. It all went down in the city of Benton Harbor, Michigan, in 2006. Andrew Collins was a narcotics officer. Jameel McGee was a new father of a baby boy. This is...