Our American Stories

On this episode of Our American Stories, on April 14, 1865, Abraham Lincoln looked forward to peace for the first time in four years. By the following morning, the president lay dead after John Wilkes Booth's assassination at Ford's Theatre. What followed became one of the largest public displays of mourning in American history.

Over the next 20 days, Lincoln's funeral train carried him 1,700 miles from Washington, D.C., back to Springfield, Illinois. Nearly 1.5 million Americans viewed his coffin, while millions more gathered along the tracks to pay their respects. Louis Picone, author of The President Is Dead, shares the remarkable story of Abraham Lincoln's final journey home.
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On this episode of Our American Stories, in late 1939, thousands of Jewish refugees poured into Vilna, Lithuania, hoping to escape Nazi Germany and Soviet-occupied Poland. Moses Beckelman, a young American social worker with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, organized food, housing, and relief while searching for a way to get as many people out as possible before the borders closed.

Working alongside Dutch Consul Jan Zwartendijk and Japanese diplomat Chiune Sugihara, Beckelman helped turn a narrow escape route into a lifeline for thousands of families. Deborah Dwork, author of Saints and Liars, shares the story of another member of the "6 Percent" who refused to stand by as Europe descended into war.
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On this episode of Our American Stories, Lawrence Tureaud grew up as the youngest of 12 children in Chicago's public housing, where his mother taught him to work hard, trust God, and treat others with respect. After serving in the U.S. Army, working as a nightclub bouncer, and winning a national competition, he caught Sylvester Stallone's attention and landed the role that introduced the world to Mr. T.

The man behind the gold chains and Mohawk built his famous persona around lessons from his family, his Christian faith, and a belief that every man deserved respect. Greg Hengler shares the story of one of America's most recognizable pop culture icons.
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On this episode of Our American Stories, on December 4, 1956, Elvis Presley walked into Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee, where Carl Perkins was recording with Jerry Lee Lewis at the piano. Johnny Cash stopped by soon afterward. The four young musicians spent the afternoon singing together, and much of what they sang wasn't rock 'n' roll. It was gospel.

Greg Hengler shares the story behind one of the most famous jam sessions in American music history, the photograph that gave the group its "Million Dollar Quartet" nickname, and the gospel roots that united four future legends.
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On this episode of Our American Stories, on Kodiak Island, Alaska, Leslie Leyland Fields discovered a young bald eagle wandering outside its nest just days before her own son and daughter were due to leave for a dangerous commercial salmon fishing season in Bristol Bay. Her instinct was to protect the eaglet, just as every mother's instinct is to protect her children.

But the encounter with the young eagle, an overeager sparrow, and God's quiet lessons in nature transformed the way she thought about love, trust, and letting go. Leslie shares the story.
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