“Remember it is the fifth of March, and avenge the death of your brethren!”
This is the story of the expiration of hope for reconciliation between the American colonies and the "Mother Country." Bunker Hill's a blood bath. Congress sends King George III their "Olive Branch Petition;" it's D.O.A. Things only devolve further as Thomas Paine rips the King a new ... Show More
Jun 30
182: A Prologue to World War II: US Army Interwar Preparation
This is the story of interwar preparation–not that the United States realized it was preparing for World War II, new technologies, innovation, and a constant pushing of the limits in the 1930s did indeed help Uncle Sam prepare for the fight to come. To get us into an interwar min ... Show More
49m 50s
Jun 16
181: American Aviation: The Growth of the Industry Through the Eyes of Amelia Earhart, Charles Lindbergh, and Howard Hughes
“If he is lost it will be the most universally regretted single loss we ever had. But that kid ain’t going to fail.” This is the story of the high-fliers in early twentieth-century American aviation. Wright brothers Orville and Wilbur stunned the nation and the world with their p ... Show More
1h 8m
Jun 2
180: “A Race to the Sky”: The Rise of New York City’s Chrysler, Manhattan Company, and Empire State Buildings
“If this is to be a skyscraper… why not make it scrape the sky.” This is the story of the race for the tallest building in New York City—in the world. Erstwhile partners-turned-bitter rivals, architects William Van Alen and Craig Severance are both looking to build the tallest sk ... Show More
1h 5m
Jul 2023
348: The Boston Tea Party (Part 2)
“Last night three cargos of tea were emptied into the sea. This morning a man of war sails. This is the most magnificent movement of all. There is a dignity, a majesty, a sublimity, in this last effort of the patriots, that I greatly admire.”The Boston Tea Party occurs amid the g ... Show More
1 h
Jul 2023
349: The Birth of the United States (Part 3)
“O ye that love mankind! Ye that dare oppose, not only the tyranny, but the tyrant, stand forth!” The U.S. Congress votes for independence on the 2nd of July 1776, and George Washington reads the Declaration of Independence to his troops a few days later, after which they pull do ... Show More
51m 8s
Jul 2018
Revolution | The Empire Builder | 2
In 1776, the British Under Secretary of State for the American Colonies was giddy. The Americans needed to be punished like children for their bad behavior. “Roman severity,” he called it, and then when he crushed the rebellion, the American children could come crawling back to t ... Show More
38m 45s
May 2023
The Forage War of 1777 Saw George Washington Launch Numerous Hit-and-Run Assaults on the British that Crippled the Army
In late December 1776, the American War of Independence appeared to
be on its last legs. General George Washington’s continental forces had
been reduced to a shadow of their former strength, the British Army
had chased them across the Delaware River into Pennsylvania, and
enlistm ... Show More
33m 49s
Jan 2021
Coal Wars | Charles Keeney on Restoring His Great Grandfather’s Legacy | 5
Once the coal miners lost the Battle of Blair Mountain, the story of their uprising was suppressed, and their leader Frank Keeney eventually faded into obscurity—even among members of his own family. But historian Charles Keeney, Frank Keeney’s great grandson, has made it a perso ... Show More
45m 29s
Jan 2024
Founding Father Benjamin Rush: Father of Psychiatry, the Army Medical Corps, Veterinary Care, Biblically-Based Public Schools
On this episode of Our American Stories, Dr. Benjamin Rush is America’s Forgotten Founding Father; perhaps it’s because many historians don’t know what to do about his outspoken faith. Rush was the one who encouraged Thomas Paine to write “Common Sense,” which fueled the American ... Show More
30m 17s