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.
She Buried Over 60 Unclaimed People, Including Many Veterans
The Forgotten First Memorial Day: Freed Slaves Honoring Fallen Union Soldiers in Charleston
On this episode of Our American Stories, formerly enslaved people in Charleston, SC, decided to honor the Union soldiers who had perished at a racecourse converted into a POW camp. Then, as Dan Welch of the Gettysburg Foundation puts it: "A procession at a gravesite, a procession with 9,000 spectators - was all but forgotten in just two years.". Here's the story of the real first Memorial Day. We'd like to thank the Gettysburg NPS for allowing us access to this wonderful audio.
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Abraham Lincoln: From Poverty to Frontier Genius
On this episode of Our American Stories, when Abraham Lincoln was asked on a questionnaire to describe his education, he wrote just one word: "defective." But that didn’t stop him from becoming one of the premier thinkers of his time—and the only U.S. President to ever hold a patent. David J. Kent, author of Lincoln: The Fire of Genius, shares the story.
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Horse Jumping Was Dull—So They Jumped Mules
On this episode of Our American Stories, everyone knows a horse can jump a good-sized fence—but the folks in Pea Ridge, Arkansas, thought it was much more interesting to see if a mule could do the same. Here’s the story of how their unique competition got started.
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Amelia Earhart: The First Woman Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
On this episode of Our American Stories, most people know Amelia Earhart for the mystery surrounding her disappearance over the Pacific Ocean—but far fewer know the incredible accomplishments she achieved during her lifetime. In this astonishing story, we'll tell the story of the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, the first woman to fly solo coast to coast across the United States, and the first person, man or woman, to fly solo from the U.S. mainland to Hawaii.
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Joplin’s EF-5 Tornado: A Story of Loss, Love, and Hope
On this episode of Our American Stories, on May 22, 2011, Joplin, Missouri, took a direct hit from the deadliest and costliest tornado in U.S. history, an EF-5 that left a devastating scar on the community. But in the years since, Joplin has rebuilt in extraordinary ways. Former KSNF Channel 16 weatherman Jerimiah Cook, and reporter Gretchen Bolander share a powerful story of loss, love, resilience, and hope in the face of disaster.
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Have Pool Cue, Will Travel—The Story of St. Louie Louie, a Local Legend.
On this episode of Our American Stories, Mark O'Brian, a listener of Our American Stories, shares the story of St. Louie Louie—one of the greatest pool players to ever grace the scene—from his rise to his rather untimely fall.
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How a 19-Year-Old Single Mother Built the Largest Female-Owned Trucking Company
On this episode of Our American Stories, Marcia Taylor went from being a pregnant teenager to running one of the largest trucking companies in America, Bennett International Group. In this episode, Marcia shares how she pulled the fat from the fire and became one of the most influential female business leaders in the nation today.
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The Case of the Mysterious Senate Candy Desk
On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1965, California Senator George Murphy started a sweet tradition, literally. He began stocking his desk on the Senate floor with candy to share with his co-workers. That desk, now known as the “Senate Candy Desk,” remains a Capitol Hill tradition today. Jesse Edwards shares the history, mystery, and origins behind one of the Senate's most interesting traditions.
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John Brown: The Radical Abolitionist Who Killed Slavery, Sparked a Civil War, and Seeded Civil Rights
On this episode of Our American Stories, to Southerners, he was a dangerous villain. To many Northerners, a fanatic. But to himself, he was an instrument of God, sent to end slavery. Bestselling author David S. Reynolds (John Brown, Abolitionist) tells the powerful story of the man who helped ignite the Civil War and laid the groundwork for the Civil Rights Movement.
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