On this episode of Our American Stories, George Strake Jr. is a Texas oilman and lifelong adventurer with deep roots in both business and public service. But before all that, he was a groom racing against time. George shares a wild chapter from his younger days: the time he found himself stranded at sea as his wedding day loomed ever closer.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, the First World War ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. But not before one last man fell. His name was Henry Gunther, and he died just moments before peace officially began. Why he charged forward, and how his death came to symbolize the senselessness of war’s final moments, is a story often overlooked. Craig Du Mez brings Henry’s story back into focus, tracing the last casualty of a war that had already ended in words but not yet in action.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Harrison Mayes was born in the coalfields of Kentucky, where a life underground was all but guaranteed. But after surviving a near-fatal mine accident, he felt called to do something different. Using homemade concrete signs and backroad highways, Mayes dedicated the rest of his life to one mission: spreading the word of God. J.D. Phillips, also known as the Appalachian Storyteller, shares the quiet, determined legacy of a man who turned suffering into a lifelong message of faith.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, at an age when most kids were still in school, John Clem was marching into battle. He joined the Union Army as a drummer boy at just 12 and quickly became a symbol of bravery. Wounded at Chickamauga and promoted on the field, he was known across the country as “Johnny Clem.” Kristin O’Donnell Tubb shares the true story of one of the Civil War’s most remarkable young soldiers and how his courage helped shape his place in history.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt introduced a plan to expand the U.S. Supreme Court and shift its balance in favor of his New Deal legislation. The idea gained support...until a fellow Democrat pushed back. Hatton Sumners, a Texas congressman and New Deal ally, believed that court packing would harm the Constitution more than it would help the country. His decision to oppose FDR came at a political cost, but it helped preserve the structure of the Court. Historian Josiah Daniel shares the story of one man who stood on principle—and why the Court still has nine justices today.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Charles Urschel had money, influence, and a target on his back. When Machine Gun Kelly broke into his home and took him hostage, it seemed like just another high-profile crime in a lawless era. But Urschel didn’t panic. Instead, he took mental notes, tracking every moment, every voice, every clue. His memory became the FBI’s secret weapon and led to one of the first major takedowns of America’s new wave of gangsters. With insight from Joe Urschel and Dr. T. Lindsey Baker, this is the story of how a businessman played a crucial role in bringing down one of the most infamous names in 1930s crime.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, The GAR Cemetery in Miami, Oklahoma, doesn’t look like much at first. But among the weathered headstones are the stories of Union and Confederate veterans, British pilots, rodeo stars, and forgotten locals who lived big lives before fading from memory. Nancy Bro has spent years documenting them—making sure their names, and the histories behind them, aren’t lost.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, before engines and asphalt, movement meant muscle, yours or the horse’s. But riding bareback could only take humans so far. The saddle changed that. With structure, control, and later, the stirrup transformed the horse into a game-changing force in human history. From mounted armies to long-distance trade, this one invention shaped how empires rose, how people connected, and how the world moved. Our own Reagan Habeeb shares the story.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, before settlers arrived, and before maps labeled native nations, indigenous communities had already shaped the land we now call America. Their history reaches back thousands of years, far beyond the record books. Dr. Nathaniel Jeanson, a Harvard-trained biologist and author of They Had Names: Tracing the History of the North American Indigenous People, explores how genetics and archaeology are helping fill in the early chapters of indigenous history in North America. His work adds new insight into the deep roots of the Native American story and the origins of the people who shaped the continent long before colonization.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, he helped fight for America’s freedom, then shaped the city that would represent it. Pierre Charles L’Enfant designed Washington, D.C. with intention: circles, lines, and avenues that all meant something. But what began as a grand commission ended in conflict. L’Enfant’s refusal to give up control led to his removal. The plan moved on without him, and for years, so did history. Constituting America's award-winning student historian, Wyatt Hensley, shares the story of a designer with a vision too strong for his time, and how it still lives on in the streets of the capital.

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