Our American Stories

David Klein: The Man Who Invented Jelly Belly (and Lost It All)

On this episode of Our American Stories, David Klein loved candy so much that he studied candy bars as a kid, sold popcorn out of the back of his car, and eventually walk

Edie Hand: When Being the Strong One Gets Lonely

On this episode of Our American Stories, Edie Hand grew up on 40 acres of rolling hills in Burnout, Alabama, where some of her happiest memories were made inside an old f

The Small Act of Courage That Led to 54 Years of Marriage

On this episode of Our American Stories, Lori Coan was on her second date with a boy she wasn’t sure about when something happened that would change her mind and her life

The Story of America: The Civil War Begins [Ep. 29]

On this episode of Our American Stories, Abraham Lincoln entered the Civil War with no military experience and no blueprint for putting down a rebellion of eleven states.

How George Washington's Bible Survived 9/11

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 treasu

Five Floors Up: The Heroic Family Story of Four Generations in the FDNY

On this episode of Our American Stories, William M. "Bill" Feehan spent his life fighting fires in New York City. He rose through every uniformed rank in the FDNY, surviv

FDNY Fireboats and the Largest Water Evacuation in History

On this episode of Our American Stories, on September 11, 2001, hundreds of thousands of people reached the southern tip of Manhattan and found themselves trapped between

Cantor Fitzgerald’s CEO Remembers 9/11 and the Brother He Lost

On this episode of Our American Stories, when the planes struck the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, Cantor Fitzgerald was left devastated. The investment firm’s

They Will Be Remembered: Tony Dolan's Tribute to America's Fallen

On this episode of Our American Stories, Tony Dolan was inside the Pentagon when American Airlines Flight 77 struck on September 11, 2001. In the years that followed, he

Faith and Friendship After the 9/11 Pentagon Attack

On this episode of Our American Stories, Jocelyn Green didn’t lose anyone on September 11, but she still felt the weight of that day in ways she couldn’t have predicted.

Noah Webster: The Man Who Gave America Its Voice

On this episode of Our American Stories, Noah Webster believed winning the Revolution was only the beginning. If Americans were going to become a truly independent people

For Nearly 20 Years, the U.S. Nuclear Launch Code Was 00000000

On this episode of Our American Stories, during the height of the Cold War, the United States worked tirelessly to stay ahead of the Soviet Union in the global arms race.

The Hope Story of John Humphrey: "Prayer Is a Very Strong Thing"

On this episode of Our American Stories, John Humphrey had been told his heart could stop without warning. Doctors had discovered a dangerous arrhythmia, and surgery was

Ed Sullivan: The Man Who Made Sunday Night an American Tradition

On this episode of Our American Stories, Ed Sullivan couldn't sing, dance, act, or tell a joke. He wasn't even particularly comfortable in front of a camera. Yet for more

The Confederate Secret Service's Secret Plot to Defeat Lincoln and Spark a Revolution

On this episode of Our American Stories, by 1864, the Confederacy was losing the Civil War on the battlefield. But hundreds of miles behind Union lines, Confederate agent

The Six Percent: The Middle-Aged Couple Who Became American Spies

On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1942, Elizabeth and Robert Dexter took charge of the Unitarian Service Committee's relief office in Lisbon, Portugal, as Jews

The Colt Walker: The Legendary Revolver That Saved Samuel Colt

On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1847, Samuel Colt's firearms business was all but dead. Then Texas Ranger Captain Samuel Hamilton Walker came to him with an i

Daniel and the Jewish Roots of American Liberty

On this episode of Our American Stories, from the American Revolution to the Civil Rights Movement, the biblical prophet Daniel has served as an enduring American symbol

Dave Cobb: The Record Producer Behind Chris Stapleton

On this episode of Our American Stories, Dave Cobb grew up in Savannah, Georgia, listening to everything from church hymns to Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. He didn't di

The Six Percent: The Couple Who Helped Children Escape the Holocaust

On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1940, 26-year-old Roswell and Marjorie McClelland put aside the academic and professional lives they had planned and sailed fo