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.
The Story of Alexander Hamilton
The Story of the Town That Created Mark Twain: Hannibal, Missouri
On this episode of Our American Stories, the river town of Hannibal, Missouri, spared Mark Twain from nothing, exposing him to poverty, death, racism, and the need to make decisions for himself. Here's Richard Garey, a Mark Twain aficionado, with the story of this all-important town.
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"My Grandfather Was the Best Storyteller I Knew"
On this episode of Our American Stories, OAS listener from South Carolina, Dennis Peterson, shares the spellbinding story of his grandfather, "Paw" Summers.
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The Story of America's Mascot—Uncle Sam
On this episode of Our American Stories, many countries have mascots. Canada has Johnny Canuck, Israel has Srulik, the U.K. has John Bull—and the United States has Uncle Sam. But how did he come to be? It turns out it wasn’t the work of an intrepid cartoonist or a government initiative, but barrels full of meat during the War of 1812 that gave the USA its persona. Here’s the story of everything you’ve ever wanted to know about the man in red, white, and blue.
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The Story of The Television Deal That Made the NBA a Global Entertainment Powerhouse
On this episode of Our American Stories, for the longest time, the NBA was a financially unstable, mostly regional, and hard-to-sell property—at one point, they were nearly forced off of CBS. But thanks to business-savvy individuals like David Stern, the NBA became a money-making machine. The question was: would CBS re-up with them or cut them loose? David Stern decided to draw a hard line. Pete Croatto, author of From Hang Time to Prime Time, tells the story.
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The Civil War General Who Took His Dates to See His Severed Leg at the Smithsonian Museum
On this episode of Our American Stories, Gettysburg National Park Service Ranger Matt Atkinson tells the story of Dan Sickles—the man who pioneered the “temporary insanity” plea after murdering his wife's lover, had his leg shot off by Longstreet's cannon fire in a peach orchard, and later helped establish Gettysburg National Military Park.
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College Graduate Works for General Motors Remotely—On a Sailboat?
On this episode of Our American Stories, working remotely meant she could live remotely, too... so Emma decided to buy a sailboat and go to Florida. Here she is to explain why she made the unorthodox decision to set her sights on the high seas.
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The Story of the 1945 Empire State Building B-25 Crash
On this episode of Our American Stories, in July 1945, a U.S. B-25 Mitchell bomber got lost in heavy fog over Manhattan. Here’s The History Guy with the forgotten—and astonishing—story.
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The Story of a Miracle from the Man Who Brought Us the World's Hottest Pepper
On this episode of Our American Stories, “Smokin’” Ed Currie is an American chili pepper breeder and the founder and president of the PuckerButt Pepper Company. He’s best known for creating the world’s hottest chili peppers—the Carolina Reaper and now Pepper X—as recognized by Guinness World Records. A former addict, Ed is now a man of strong faith. Here’s Ed sharing a story about him and his wife.
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Some Indians, a Jew, a Hotel Partnership—and The American Dream
On this episode of Our American Stories, Mike Leven was the President and Chief Operating Officer of Las Vegas Sands Corp.—one of the great hoteliers of all time and a legend in his business. He’s also what you might call a “wise man.” Here’s Mike telling the story of how he—a Jew—helped start the Asian American Hotel Owners Association.
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