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.
Bite the Bullet and Bless You: The Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions (Part 6)
The Most Unlikely Tank Kill of World War II
On this episode of Our American Stories, during the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944, an American reconnaissance armored car faced one of Nazi Germany’s most feared weapons, a massive Tiger tank. By every measure, it should have been an impossible fight.
Our regular contributor, The History Guy, shares the tale of how a lightly armed U.S. M8 armored car encountered a German Tiger tank near the crossroads town of St. Vith, Belgium, and how quick thinking, timing, and nerve turned the encounter into one of the most extraordinary armored victories of World War II.
Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
A Son’s Eulogy for His Biker Father, by Taylor Brown
On this episode of Our American Stories, writer Taylor Brown shares a deeply personal eulogy for his father, a lifelong motorcyclist who taught him about patience, character, and what it means to choose what is hard over what is easy.
Originally published in Garden & Gun, the piece traces their bond through long rides, shared roads, and the quiet lessons passed from father to son. From childhood trips on the back of a Harley to the final ride that took his father’s life, Brown reflects on grief, inheritance, and the ways a parent stays with us long after they’re gone.
Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Shooting Bunnies From a Motorboat and Other Bizarre US Laws
On this episode of Our American Stories, why is it illegal to shoot rabbits from a motorboat? Or to import skunks into certain states? And who decided these things needed to be written into law in the first place?
Author Winter Prosapio joins Our American Stories to explore the strange, funny, and often forgotten laws that still exist across the United States. Drawing from her book Weird U.S. Laws, she explains how many of these rules began as practical solutions to real problems, from livestock theft to public safety, before becoming historical leftovers on the books.
Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jimmy Neary: The Irish Immigrant Who Built a New York City Legend
On this episode of Our American Stories, Jimmy Neary arrived in New York City from County Sligo, Ireland in 1954 with almost nothing but a gift for people. After finding work at the New York Athletic Club and learning the restaurant trade under famed Irish restaurateur P.J. Moriarty, he opened Neary’s near 57th Street and First Avenue and turned it into a Manhattan institution.
Told by his daughter, Una Neary, this is an Irish immigrant story about faith, family, and the kind of hospitality that made everyone feel like they belonged, from doormen to presidents. And when Jimmy died, the respect he’d earned was unmistakable: the NYPD shut down major New York City routes and escorted his funeral procession from St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Corrie ten Boom and the Secret Room That Saved Hundreds During the Holocaust
On this episode of Our American Stories, during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, Corrie ten Boom and her family turned their watchmaker’s home into a refuge for Jews facing deportation and death. Working with the Dutch underground, they built a hidden room behind a false wall, where hundreds found shelter from the Gestapo. Their courage came at a terrible cost. Corrie and her sister Betsie were arrested and sent to prison and then to the Ravensbrück concentration camp. In this powerful firsthand account, Corrie tells how faith sustained her through betrayal, imprisonment, and unimaginable suffering — and how light endured in one of history’s darkest chapters. This is the true story behind The Hiding Place.
Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
A Veteran Police Officer on Mental Illness, Homelessness, and the Frontlines of Crisis
On this episode of Our American Stories, Deon Joseph has worked in law enforcement for more than two decades, spending much of that time in places where support systems rarely hold. The people he meets are often in crisis, and the job asks more than it once did. He reflects on how expectations have shifted, how officers adapt when there’s nowhere else to send someone, and what it means to keep doing the work when most of the pressure lands on the same few shoulders.
Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Woman Behind Jack London: Charmian Kittredge London
On this episode of Our American Stories, best known as the wife of Jack London, Charmian Kittredge London was far more than a companion to a literary giant. She was a writer, photographer, athlete, traveler, and intellectual partner whose contributions were long overlooked or misrepresented. Author and historian Iris Jamal Dunkle shares the story behind her groundbreaking biography, the first full-length account devoted solely to Charmian’s life. From global voyages aboard the Snark to creative collaboration, personal loss, and public erasure, this is the story of a remarkable woman whose legacy is finally being restored to its rightful place in American literary history.
Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How the Night Stalker Was Identified by a Single Fingerprint
On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1984, Los Angeles police officer Bob Alaniz arrested a suspicious car thief without realizing he was detaining one of California’s most dangerous serial killers. That man was Richard Ramirez, later known as the Night Stalker. Though Ramirez was released, the fingerprints Alaniz took during booking would become the key to identifying him months later, after a single print was recovered from a crime scene. Alaniz recounts the moment he realized his routine police work had cracked the case, joined by firearms historian and regular contributor Ashley Hlebinsky. It is a story about chance, forensic science, and how one small detail helped stop a reign of terror.
Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“Propose a Toast” and the Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions
On this episode of Our American Stories, Andrew Thompson shares another slice of his guide to understanding the baffling mini-mysteries of the English language—this time exploring the phrase “propose a toast” and others. His book, Hair of the Dog to Paint the Town Red: The Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions and Fun Phrases, uncovers the quirky roots behind the words we use every day. Be sure to check it out!
Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.