Our American Stories

On this episode of Our American Stories, as a young woman, Harmony Dust Grillo found herself pulled into the commercial sex industry, a world that promised independence but delivered something far more complicated. One friendship, however, changed everything. Here’s Harmony with the story. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, in the 1970s, spotting Elvis Presley on tour meant crowds, security, and long odds. For one twelve-year-old girl from Colorado, it meant something else entirely: an eight-hour car chase fueled by determination and the hope of catching a glimpse of the King of Rock and Roll. Our American Stories listener Patty shares her story. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, on March 5, 1770, tensions in colonial Boston erupted when British soldiers fired into a crowd, killing five men in what would soon be known as the Boston Massacre. The event became one of the most significant moments in the timeline of early American history. Then John Adams made a decision that stunned many of his fellow colonists.Though he believed British policy toward the colonies was unjust, Adams agreed to defend the soldiers in court. He understood that if the American cause stood for liberty and justice, it could not abandon those principles when they were inconvenient. Our own Greg Hengler shares the story. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, listener and regular contributor Joy Neal Kidney, from Des Moines, Iowa, shares the story of her uncle, Donald Wilson, a man she knew simply as “Uncle Don,” the quiet fisherman from Washington State who sent home pictures of himself holding salmon.But behind those snapshots was a story few would have guessed. Donald Wilson grew up in small-town Iowa and joined the Navy during the Great Depression. Serving aboard the USS Yorktown throughout its life, including during the pivotal Battle of Midway. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, The Klondike Gold Rush reshaped the Yukon and Alaskan frontiers almost overnight, drawing prospectors from around the world into one of the most unforgiving landscapes in North America. Among them was Belinda Mulrooney, a businesswoman who understood that the real opportunity of a gold rush often lies beyond the mines.Rather than search for gold herself, Mulrooney built the infrastructure that made the rush possible. She supplied miners, constructed hotels, and moved quickly in a volatile economy where fortunes appeared and vanished with startling speed. Her success brought international attention, and for a time she stood as the richest woman in the Klondike. Here to tell her story is historian Roger McGrath, author of Gunfighters, Highwaymen, and Vigilantes: Violence on the Frontier. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, when Tracy Grant’s husband became terminally ill, their lives shifted from planning for the future to paying close attention to the present. Over the next seven months, Tracy became her husband’s caregiver in every sense of the word. She managed medications and appointments, but she also found herself rediscovering the core of their marriage.Tracy joins us to reflect on those final months and why the season that looked like a loss from the outside became, for her, a profound and life-altering gift. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, there is a moment when you realize the toys are still in the room, but they are no longer being played with. Our regular contributor, Stephen Rusiniak, remembers the years when his daughter’s world revolved around stuffed animals, bedtime stories, and the small rituals of early childhood. He also remembers the first time he saw her step away from all of it, when she got rid of her Easy-Bake Oven. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, in the summer of 1787, delegates gathered in Philadelphia to draft what would become the Constitution of the United States. The Articles of Confederation had proven too weak, and the young nation faced a basic question: How should power be divided in a republic made up of very different states?The answer became known as the Great Compromise: a House based on population and a Senate with equal votes for every state. In our 10th episode of our ongoing Story of Us—The Story of America series, Dr. Bill McClay, author of Land of Hope, shares the story of how the Constitution was designed with our most partisan attributes in mind. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, on November 9, 1991, fifteen-year-old Hayden Perkins was driving home through the Mississippi Delta when a strong gust of wind pushed his SUV off the highway. The vehicle rolled, and he was thrown through the windshield, eventually leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.He returned to school in a wheelchair and, in time, returned to the question every teenager faces: what comes next? Prior to his accident, dentistry was never on his mind. But, years later, it became his main profession. Hayden joins us to share that harrowing story of that afternoon and how that path led him to his practice in Oxford, Mississippi, today. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, in parts of Burma, civilians live between armed groups with little protection. The Free Burma Rangers move into those areas to treat the wounded and help families escape.Founded by former Green Beret Dave Eubank, the group blends military training with humanitarian work. Their missions include medical rescue, documentation of human rights violations, and direct support for displaced communities. Dave joins us to tell his story. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.