Our American Stories

On this episode of Our American Stories, it was scratched, heavy, and imperfect, but to Joy Neal Kidney, the old upright piano her mother left behind was priceless. She remembered the sound of hymns and simple songs filling the house, her mother’s hands steady on the keys. Years later, when the piano became hers, every touch of the keys carried those moments back. Joy shares the story of her mother's lasting memory through one prized possession. 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, few figures embody the rise of America’s economy in the nineteenth century more than Cornelius Vanderbilt. He began with nothing, working the waters of New York Harbor, and built a fortune that placed him among the wealthiest people in history. Known to some as a railroad baron and to others as the very model of a captain of industry, Vanderbilt created vast networks of steamships and railroads that fueled the Gold Rush, connected a growing nation, and forever changed the shape of New York City. Pulitzer Prize–winning biographer T.J. Stiles, author of The First Tycoon, shares how one man’s relentless drive to win laid the foundations for the modern corporation and the American economy itself. 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, Bill Bryk has spent years in the saddle, but in this story, he takes us to a place most riders overlook: the quiet, deliberate work of caring for a horse. Before a hoof hits the trail or a rider lifts the reins, there are coats to brush, manes to comb, and hooves to clean. Even teeth require attention—a reminder that a horse’s strength begins with small acts of care. 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, Clarence Smoyer, a gunner in the U.S. Army’s 3rd Armored Division—“Spearhead”—became one of World War II’s most unlikely heroes. In Cologne, his Pershing tank faced Gustav Schaefer’s Panzer in a duel captured on film, now one of history’s most famous armored battles. Best-selling author Adam Makos shares Smoyer’s story of courage, loss, and reconciliation, showing why remembering WWII tank heroes remains vital. 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, Skip Reeves grew up in a military family, traveling the world, making music, and building a life surrounded by love and stability. He never questioned the bond he had with his father, a man who taught him strength, respect, and decency. But decades later, as an adult with children of his own, Skip learned a secret that had been hidden since he was five years old: he was adopted. Skip reflects on what it means to learn such a truth as an adult and why, for him, adoption was not about loss but about a bond that had already been proven strong. 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 December 1968, 19-year-old Frank Olivo showed up at a Philadelphia Eagles game in a Santa suit, hoping to bring some holiday cheer to the crowd. What happened next became one of the strangest and funniest moments in football history. Instead of applause, Olivo was booed, jeered, and pelted with snowballs by frustrated Eagles fans. The story has lived on for decades, becoming part of both Philadelphia sports lore and Christmas legend. Richard Monastra, Frank’s cousin and closest friend, shares what really happened that day and how one young fan in a Santa costume became an unlikely icon in NFL history. 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, Tom and Lillian Lyons married in 1946 and spent a lifetime together on the south side of Chicago. Lillian’s opera career began before marriage, and it was her voice that first captured Tom’s heart. Through decades of family life, that music remained at the center of their love. When Lillian died, Tom thought he would never hear her sing again. But on his 97th birthday, an unexpected discovery gave him a final gift: her voice. For Tom, it was more than a recording. It was the return of the woman who had been his partner in everything, the sound that had shaped his life. 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, Albert E. Brumley, the son of Oklahoma sharecroppers, wrote “I’ll Fly Away,” the most recorded gospel song in history. Rooted in Southern gospel traditions, its message of faith and freedom has inspired churches, revivals, and concert halls for nearly a century. Brumley’s journey from poverty to the Gospel Music Hall of Fame shows how one man gave voice to the hopes of millions. Today, his granddaughters share the story of the man behind the song. 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, Our American Stories regular contributor Leslie Leyland Fields shares a heartwarming story about what she learned from a baby bald eagle at her Kodiak Island, Alaska, home—and how it connected to her own kids “leaving the roost” for the first time in their lives. 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 September 11, 2001, firefighter Niels Jorgensen ran toward the collapsing Twin Towers as part of the FDNY brotherhood that risked everything to save lives. Like so many first responders, he later faced a slower, quieter enemy: cancer caused by the toxic dust that blanketed Lower Manhattan after the attacks. His illness connected him with someone far outside the firehouse brotherhood: billionaire David Koch. Their backgrounds could not have been more different, yet their paths converged in the fight against 9/11-related disease. Jorgensen shares the story of the unexpected bond that grew out of tragedy. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.