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 Day I Played Hockey with Wayne Gretzky (Hungover)
The First Martyr to the Radio: The Story of Lester Wolf
On this episode of Our American Stories, when the radio first crackled to life in the 1920s, it transformed how Americans shared news, music, and hope. But behind those first transmissions were young innovators like Lester Wolf, who saw endless promise in a brand-new medium. Working at one of Chicago’s early radio stations, Wolf helped shape the early days of commercial broadcasting, unaware that his ambition would come at a devastating cost. His great-grandnephew Robert Anderson revisits a forgotten family story that mirrors the birth of modern communication in the United States.
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How George Strait’s “Love Without End, Amen” Was Born
On this episode of Our American Stories, before “Love Without End, Amen” became one of George Strait’s most beloved hits, it was a prayer set to music. Songwriter Aaron Barker wrote it after a painful argument with his teenage son, an experience that brought him to his knees before his guitar. Out of that moment came a song about grace, fatherhood, and the unconditional love that defines family. Our own Lee Habeeb shares the story.
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Halloween: The Strange and Storied History of an American Holiday
On this episode of Our American Stories, every October, porches glow with carved pumpkins and streets fill with costumed children, but the roots of Halloween reach much deeper than candy and costumes. The holiday began as All Hallows’ Eve, a night of remembrance that blended Christian and Celtic traditions. When Irish and Scottish immigrants arrived in the United States, they carried those customs with them, reshaping the celebration into something distinctly American. Historians Lesley Bannatyne and Lisa Morton explain how an ancient ritual became a modern holiday—and why Halloween in America continues to reflect both superstition and joy. Lesley Bannatyne is the author of Halloween: An American Holiday, an American History, and Lisa Morton is the author of Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween.
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Valley Forge: George Washington’s Winter of Resolve
On this episode of Our American Stories, in the winter of 1777, the Continental Army arrived at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, hungry, freezing, and unsure if the Revolution would survive. Disease spread through the camp, morale collapsed, and even George Washington wondered how much longer his soldiers could endure. Then came a Prussian officer named Baron Friedrich von Steuben, a man with no English but a gift for turning chaos into order. His relentless drills, translated by aides as he barked commands across the snow, reshaped a band of volunteers into a real army. By the spring thaw, Washington’s men were transformed into disciplined and unified soldiers ready to fight the British on equal terms. Historians Bob Drury and Tom Clavin revisit this turning point in the American Revolutionary War, when perseverance and training at Valley Forge became the foundation of American independence.
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The Story of America: The Closing of the American Frontier
On this episode of Our American Stories, in the 36th episode of our Story of America series, Hillsdale College professor and author of Land of Hope, Bill McClay, explores one of the turning points in American history: the moment the American frontier finally closed. For generations, the pioneers of the Westward Expansion had defined what it meant to be American. They built homesteads, followed old trails west, and carried with them the restless belief known as Manifest Destiny. By the end of the nineteenth century, that era had vanished. The vast wilderness that once promised endless renewal was now parceled, fenced, and settled. McClay reflects on what was gained through western settlement—and what was lost.
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Benedict Arnold: The Hero Who Became America’s Most Famous Traitor
On this episode of Our American Stories, in the early days of the American War for Independence, Major General Benedict Arnold was one of the Revolution’s brightest stars. His victories at Fort Ticonderoga and Saratoga made him one of the most admired American Revolutionary War leaders of his time. Yet the same ambition that drove his heroism would also lead to his downfall. Feeling overlooked and underpaid, Arnold made a secret pact with the British, trading loyalty for money and rank. His name became a permanent shorthand for betrayal, but the truth of his story reveals a man torn between duty, pride, and disappointment.
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Titanic Thompson and the Hustles That Fooled Al Capone
On this episode of Our American Stories, from card tables to golf courses, Titanic Thompson made a career out of winning bets nobody else could. Often called the greatest cheat of all time, he lived a life as daring as any gambling movie. The History Guy joins us to explain how his name became synonymous with risk, deception, and the thrill of the game.
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The Apollo 8 Christmas Eve Message That Stopped the World
On this episode of Our American Stories, before Neil Armstrong ever stepped on the Moon, the Apollo 8 crew made history. More than one billion people listened as Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders took turns reciting the story of creation from the Bible. It was the first time human beings had traveled that far from home—and the first time they had seen the whole planet suspended in darkness. Robert J. Morgan, author of 100 Bible Verses That Made America, shares the story of one of the most powerful broadcasts in history.
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Dick Bong: America’s Greatest Fighter Pilot
On this episode of Our American Stories, Richard "Dick" Bong was a farm boy who learned to fly and never stopped pushing the limits of what a pilot could do. Flying the P-38 Lightning, he downed forty enemy aircraft, making him the nation’s Ace of Aces and one of the most decorated WWII aviators in history. Yet behind the record was a quiet Midwestern pilot who wrote letters home, worried about his friends, and carried the weight of fame he never sought. The History Guy shares the story of how Major Richard Bong rose from his rural Wisconsin roots to the national hero we all know today.
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