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 Neon Museum in Las Vegas: Inside the Signs That Built the Strip
Jay Van Andel and the Family Lessons Behind the Amway Founder’s Success
On this episode of Our American Stories, Jay Van Andel, co-founder of Amway, built one of the most successful businesses in American history. But at home, his greatest lessons weren’t about business, they were about family, discipline, and faith.
Each night at the dinner table, Jay and his wife Betty made time to teach their children through real-life experiences, sharing the challenges of building a company and the values that sustained them. From family meals to a life-changing trip into the Soviet Union, their children saw firsthand the difference between systems, and the importance of freedom, responsibility, and perseverance.
In this tribute, Dave Van Andel and Barb Gaby reflect on their parents’ marriage, their struggles with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, and the lasting lessons that shaped their lives.
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Balloonfest ’86: The World Record That Went Wrong
On this episode of Our American Stories, in September 1986, Cleveland set out to break a world record with Balloonfest ’86, a mass balloon release staged in the heart of downtown. Organizers planned to send nearly two million helium balloons into the air as both a fundraising stunt and a civic spectacle, making it one of the most ambitious public events of the decade.
Instead, shifting weather pushed the balloons back toward the ground, where they created problems across the city and along Lake Erie. What had been billed as the biggest balloon release ever quickly became a disaster, affecting traffic, airport operations, and even the search for two missing fishermen.
Jesse Edwards shares the story.
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Joseph Warren: The Forgotten Patriot Who Fell at Bunker Hill
On this episode of Our American Stories, before the Declaration of Independence was signed, Joseph Warren was already at the center of the resistance in Boston. A physician by trade, he became a political writer, an organizer, and a trusted figure among the patriots, and one of the few men who signed the Declaration with his own blood.
Historian Jeffrey McKenna, author of Saving Dr. Warren: A True Patriot, shares the story of Joseph Warren’s rise, his devotion to the patriot cause, and his death at the Battle of Bunker Hill.
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The First Black Naval Aviator: Jesse Brown
On this episode of Our American Stories, Jesse Brown had already made history as the first Black pilot in U.S. naval aviation. His service in the Korean War would come to define how he is remembered. After his plane went down behind enemy lines, fellow pilot Tom Hudner made a decision that would follow both men for the rest of their lives.
Brown’s granddaughter, Jessica Leroyce Knight Henry, shares his story from the beginning, tracing his path from his roots in Mississippi to the mission that continues to shape his legacy today.
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Anorexia Recovery, Faith, and the Road to Motherhood
On this episode of Our American Stories, eating disorder recovery rarely moves in a straight line, and Randi Wilson’s story makes that clear. After developing an eating disorder as a young woman in Charlotte, North Carolina, she went through hospitalization, residential treatment, and years of working to rebuild a healthy relationship with her body.
Wilson shares how that process carried into adulthood and how recovery made room for a future she once thought might not have been possible, including the chance to become a mother.
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The Story of America: Washington’s Final Message to a Divided Nation [Ep. 15]
On this episode of Our American Stories, as George Washington prepared to step down as president in 1796, the United States was already showing signs of bitter political division among those who had fought for American independence. In his Farewell Address, he focused on the growing influence of political parties and what that shift could mean for the future of the country.
As part of our ongoing Story of Us, Story of America series, Dr. Bill McClay, author of Land of Hope, explains the context behind Washington’s Farewell Address and why his message continues to matter
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He Believed His Father Was Dead Until One Phone Call
On this episode of Our American Stories, Ron Brown grew up in Chicago and lost contact with his father at a young age. Over time, the absence became permanent, and he eventually came to believe his father had died.
But after Ron appeared on Family Feud and introduced himself on air, his father, who was still alive and watching, recognized him. He followed the details shared during the episode and began making calls until he was able to track him down.
Ron Brown joins us to talk about that call and what happened after they reconnected.
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She Made Sure No One Was Buried Without Honor
On this episode of Our American Stories, at a funeral home in Iowa, a number of urns had gone unclaimed for years, with no clear path back to family. Lanae Strovers was asked to try to track someone down, but many of the names led nowhere or to people who could not take them.
Instead of leaving them there, she arranged the burials herself and made sure each person was treated with care.
Here’s Lanae with her story.
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Jackie Robinson Didn’t Just Change Baseball. He Changed America
On this episode of Our American Stories, Jackie Robinson didn’t plan to make history. He only wanted to play ball. But in a country that had barred Black baseball players for more than sixty years, that simple dream came with impossible expectations.
After a short stint in the Negro Leagues in Kansas City, he became the first to cross into the majors, carrying not only a bat but the burden of representing a nation’s progress. From racism on the field to isolation in the clubhouse, Robinson endured what few could. And because he did, the integration of Major League Baseball finally began.
Bob Kendrick, president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, tells the story of one of America’s greatest players.
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