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.
A Big Company with Big Pranks!
A Thread Across the Ocean: The Story of the Transatlantic Cable
On this episode of Our American Stories, in the 1800s, an impossible idea was born: to lay a wire under the ocean and send messages between continents in minutes. The result was the Transatlantic Telegraph Cable, a feat of engineering and endurance that rewired the world forever. Historian John Steele Gordon tells the gripping story of the people, ships, and setbacks that connected North America and Europe by a single thread of copper.
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Beating the Soviets: Mike Eruzione on the 1980 Olympic Upset
On this episode of Our American Stories, it was the Cold War on ice, and no one expected Team USA to win. But in 1980, a ragtag group of college kids stunned the world when they beat the seemingly unbeatable Soviet Union at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics. Mike Eruzione, captain of the U.S. Men’s Hockey Team and the man who scored the game-winning goal, tells the inside story of one of the greatest upsets in sports history.
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Generational Trauma Ends With Me: One Father’s Fight to Heal
On this episode of Our American Stories, what does it take to stop the cycle? Jason Wolfe knows. As a child, he lived through abandonment, poverty, and the kind of instability no kid should endure. As an adult, he became a tech pioneer, a single father, and a man determined to rewrite his family story. His journey is a powerful testament to resilience, healing, and what real fatherhood looks like when you refuse to pass your pain on to the next generatio
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The “LA Speed Check”: A Story from a Pilot of the Fastest Plane in the World
On this episode of Our American Stories, the late Major Brian Shul shares his legendary “LA Speed Check” story, an absurd and unforgettable moment from the cockpit of the fastest plane in the world, the SR-71 Blackbird.
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How 7-Eleven Helped Immigrants Build the American Dream
On this episode of Our American Stories, when Jim Keyes took the helm of 7-Eleven, he thought he was simply turning around a struggling convenience store chain. What he discovered instead was the human story behind the brand: a nationwide network of franchise owners, many of them immigrants, working long hours behind the counter while building businesses, supporting families, and living out the American Dream. Keyes shares how these entrepreneurs reshaped his understanding of leadership, capitalism, and what success really looks like in small businesses across America.
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My Mom Told Me to Leave the House and Not Come Back Until I Had a Job
On this episode of Our American Stories, according to Russ Jones, his mother telling him to get out of the house and get a job in his teenage years was the best thing that ever happened to him. Russ shares the story of how a mother’s intervention and persistence led him to a lifetime of good, hard work.
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How a Hollywood Movie Inspired the North Hollywood Shootout
On this episode of Our American Stories, often, art imitates life. This time, life imitated art. A crime inspired by the 1995 film Heat, starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, would become one of the most infamous bank robberies in American history. The movie’s meticulous depiction of professional criminals, tactical planning, and high-stakes escape scenes provided a blueprint that real-world robbers attempted to follow with deadly consequences. This story examines how Hollywood realism intersected with reality, why Heat became a cult classic among both film enthusiasts and criminals, and how a work of fiction contributed to shaping a true crime moment that stunned the nation.
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The Story of America: In the Beginning… [Ep. 1]
On this episode of Our American Stories, in the introductory episode of our series tracing America’s rich history and cultural foundations, Wilfred M. McClay, a professor at Hillsdale College and author of the acclaimed book Land of Hope, shares the surprising story of how America’s beginnings were shaped by religious conflict, political power, and sheer chance. From a group of defiant Catholics to a violent Atlantic storm and the iron will of a powerful English queen, McClay explains how a handful of unlikely forces helped determine the course of American history, and how the nation we know today might have turned out very differently.
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He Bought an Ice Cream Truck To Empower His Children with Down Syndrome
On this episode of Our American Stories, Joel Wegener’s family had already learned what it meant to navigate the challenges and blessings of raising two children with Down syndrome. Then came a new idea: why not launch a small business they could run together? That idea became Special Neat Treats, a Cincinnati-based ice cream truck serving up more than just sweets.
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