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.
Why a Billionaire Founder Encouraged Office Pranks
How the Beastie Boys Took Hip-Hop From New York to the Nation
On this episode of Our American Stories, in the early days of hip-hop, the music grew out of Black and Latino communities in New York City. It was local, raw, and deeply rooted in the neighborhoods where it began. So when three white, Jewish kids from New York entered that world, it raised more than a few eyebrows.
Our own Greg Hengler shares the story of the Beastie Boys, how they found their place in a culture that wasn’t originally their own, and how their music helped carry hip-hop to audiences far beyond the city.
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How Yogi Berra Became an American Original
On this episode of Our American Stories, before Yogi Berra became one of the greatest catchers in baseball history, he was an 18-year-old U.S. Navy sailor headed toward Omaha Beach on D-Day. After World War II, the son of Italian immigrants from St. Louis helped build one of the greatest careers in American sports, winning 10 World Series championships with the New York Yankees and becoming one of the most beloved figures in baseball.
Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist George Will shares how Berra's remarkable career reflected not only excellence on the field, but also the story of immigration, opportunity, and America itself.
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The Marine Who Taught Me How to Fight... and the Man Who Taught Me How to Live
On this episode of Our American Stories, when Lance Cpl. Tom Morton deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan, he found much more than a squad leader in Sgt. Joe L. Wrightsman. He found a mentor whose hardnosed training and leadership prepared a young Marine for the realities of combat. Then, during a mission across the Helmand River, Wrightsman gave his life trying to save an Afghan police officer from drowning.
Tom shares the story of the worst day of his life, and the long road to finding peace after war through craftsmanship and meaning.
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"Take the Cake" & "The Third Degree" and the Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions (Pt. 22)
On this episode of Our American Stories, as part of his ongoing series on the origins of everyday expressions, Andrew Thompson, author of Hair of the Dog to Paint the Town Red, shares the fascinating backstories behind the phrases "take the cake," "the third degree," and others.
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How Elvis Reinvented Las Vegas
On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1956, Elvis Presley bombed in Las Vegas. Thirteen years later, he returned to a city that was struggling to attract a new generation, and together they changed each other's future.
Author Richard Zoglin shares the story of Elvis's legendary 1969 comeback at the International Hotel and explains how the King of Rock 'n' Roll reinvented the Las Vegas stage with a concert unlike anything the Strip had ever seen. His book is Elvis in Vegas: How the King Reinvented the Las Vegas Show.
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White Feather: The Original American Sniper
On this episode of Our American Stories, before American Sniper introduced millions to Chris Kyle, there was Carlos Hathcock, the legendary U.S. Marine sniper known throughout Vietnam as "White Feather." Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Hathcock grew up hunting to help feed his family before becoming one of the greatest marksmen in American military history.
Military veterans Colin D. Heaton and Mike Droberg of Forgotten History, along with Hathcock himself via archival audio, share the story of the dangerous missions, sniper duels, and battlefield heroism that made him a Marine Corps legend.
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What Exactly Is Bubblegum Flavor — and Why Pink?
On this episode of Our American Stories, we all know the look and taste of bubblegum, but few people know where it came from. The first bubblegum was invented in 1928 by Walter Diemer, who used the only food dye available: pink. That color stuck, and so did the flavor, a blend of fruit notes now simply called "bubblegum."
Simon Whistler, from the Today I Found Out YouTube channel and its sister podcast, The Brain Food Show, shares the story of how bubblegum was created and how a simple candy became a lasting invention of the 20th century.
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“Black Harry” Hoosier: The Story Behind Indiana’s Namesake
On this episode of Our American Stories, Indiana did not choose its nickname so much as grow into it. The term Hoosier appeared in jokes, travel accounts, and frontier banter, yet no one ever agreed on where it started. Despite the uncertainty, the name kept rising to the surface until it became part of the state's character.
What survives is a word tied closely to the people who shaped Indiana in its earliest years. Dr. Stephen Flick explains how a bit of regional language became a lasting identity.
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Louis Zamperini's Story—in His Own Words
On this episode of Our American Stories, Olympian, World War II airman, Pacific castaway, and prisoner of war, Louis Zamperini lived one of the most extraordinary lives in American history. In this rare recording, he tells his own remarkable story—from his troubled childhood and the 1936 Berlin Olympics to surviving 47 days adrift at sea, enduring brutal captivity in Japan, and ultimately finding peace through forgiveness and faith.
While Unbroken introduced millions to Zamperini's story, some of its most powerful chapters were left out of the film. You'll hear them here—from Louis himself.
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