Covering every hamlet and precinct in America, big and small, the stories span arts and sports, business and history, innovation and adventure, generosity and courage, resilience and redemption, faith and love, past and present. In short, Our American Stories tells the story of America to Americans.
About Lee Habeeb
Lee Habeeb co-founded Laura Ingraham’s national radio show in 2001, moved to Salem Media Group in 2008 as Vice President of Content overseeing their nationally syndicated lineup, and launched Our American Stories in 2016. He is a University of Virginia School of Law graduate, and writes a weekly column for Newsweek.
For more information, please visit ouramericanstories.com.
What a Cemetery Taught Me About Being an American
William Boeing: The Timber Millionaire Who Gave America Wings
On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1909, William Boeing watched an airplane fly for the first time and became fascinated by a machine many Americans still regarded as little more than an expensive toy. The wealthy timberman learned to fly, built his own seaplane, and became convinced that aviation was going to change the world. When World War I ended and the young aircraft industry nearly collapsed, Boeing put hundreds of thousands of dollars of his own money into keeping his company alive.
This is the story of the man who saw the future in the airplane and built his name into one of the giants of American aviation.
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The Knights of the Golden Circle: America's Would-Be Slave Empire Builders?
On this episode of Our American Stories, before the Civil War, thousands of Southern men joined a secret society complete with castles, passwords, elaborate oaths, medieval costumes, and dreams of conquest. They called themselves the Knights of the Golden Circle, and beneath all the pageantry was a serious ambition: expand slavery by building a vast new empire across Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.
Mark Kawar, author of America but Bigger, and David C. Keehn, author ofKnights of the Golden Circle: Secret Empire, Southern Secession, Civil War, share the strange story of the organization that ultimately discovered that dreaming of an empire was much easier than building one.
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How Kenny Rogers Found His Voice at 40
On this episode of Our American Stories, Kenny Rogers grew up poor in a Houston housing project, one of eight children in a family that had little money but plenty of music, faith, and humor. He wanted something more and relentlessly chased a career in music, even when that ambition came at a cost in his personal life.
By the time Rogers turned to country music, he was nearly 40 and had already bounced through jazz, folk, rock, and pop. Nashville told him he was too old, too pop, and looked all wrong for country. Rogers proved them wrong. With songs like “Lucille,” “Lady,” and “The Gambler,” he crossed musical boundaries and became one of the most recognizable entertainers in America. Our own Greg Hengler, along with the late Kenny Rogers himself, shares the life story of a man who bridged pop and country to create a sound all his own.
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How MIT Basketball Shaped Bill Koch’s View of Leadership
On this episode of Our American Stories, before he was a billionaire businessman and America’s Cup champion, Bill Koch was a student-athlete at MIT learning lessons that would shape his leadership. Told he wasn’t smart or skilled enough, he worked relentlessly and discovered the power of teamwork, accountability, and focus.
Koch shares how a coach, one play, and a group of “nerds” taught him that winning comes when everyone knows their role and works together.
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1941: The Year America Entered World War II
On this episode of Our American Stories, at the beginning of 1941, Britain stood virtually alone against Hitler while the United States remained bitterly divided over whether to enter the war. But across the Atlantic and Pacific, events were rapidly pulling America closer to the fight.
The late historian Stephen Ambrose shares the story of a fateful year and America’s precarious diplomatic balancing act as war raged around the globe. It all came to an end with Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, which suddenly united a divided nation and brought the United States into World War II.
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William Walker: The American Adventurer Who Conquered Nicaragua
On this episode of Our American Stories, in the 1850s, William Walker had an extraordinary idea: Why not conquer a country of his own? The Tennessee-born doctor, lawyer, and journalist gathered a small army of Americans, invaded Mexico, and declared himself ruler of a new republic. When that collapsed, he tried again. This time, he set his sights on Nicaragua.
Mark Kawar, author of America, but Bigger, shares the remarkable story of an American filibuster who dreamed of an empire stretching across Central America.
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The German Immigrant Who Built Coors Brewing
On this episode of Our American Stories, before Colorado was even a state, a young German immigrant named Adolph Coors arrived in Golden with years of hard-earned experience and a dream of building his own brewery. He had come to America with no money or papers, worked his way west, and in 1873 invested everything he had into a small brewery beside the waters of Clear Creek.
His great-grandson Pete Coors shares how Adolph survived fierce competition and a devastating flood to build a family business that would eventually give America Coors Banquet.
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How America Lost 4 Billion Chestnut Trees
On this episode of Our American Stories, there was a time when billions of American chestnut trees stretched across the eastern United States. In Appalachia, their nuts fed families and wildlife, their harvests provided income, and their rot-resistant wood was used for everything from fences and homes to cradles and coffins. Then, in the early 1900s, a deadly blight arrived from Asia and nearly wiped them out. Before long, the American chestnut had become a tree largely confined to memory and Christmas songs.
Michael Goergen, CEO of The American Chestnut Foundation, shares the story of how America lost one of its most important trees and how his group is working to bring it back.
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How a Room Full of Divided Delegates Found Unity in a Single Prayer
On this episode of Our American Stories, when the First Continental Congress gathered in Philadelphia, the delegates arrived anxious about what Britain might do next and unsure of what they themselves should do. Before they argued or planned, they asked for prayer.
The passage read that morning landed with surprising force and settled the room in a way no debate could have. Here to tell the story is Robert Morgan, author of 100 Bible Verses That Made America: Defining Moments That Shaped Our Enduring Foundation of Faith.
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