On this episode of Our American Stories, growing up in Bloomington, Minnesota, Paul Bauer idolized his oldest brother, Tom, a 6-foot-2 three-sport athlete everyone called “Moose.” When 10-year-old Paul watched his brother bang his head on the basement ductwork, he began ending every bedtime prayer with the same request: “Please, Lord, help me to grow to be as big as Moose.”

Paul eventually grew to 6-foot-6. Looking back, he shares how that childhood prayer shaped his understanding of faith, how his own father taught him that prayer is “talking to God with love,” and how becoming a father himself helped him understand why the conversation matters as much as the answer.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox on April 9, 1865, but his public life was far from over. During the final five years of his life, Lee faced a treason indictment, applied for a presidential pardon, took an oath of allegiance to the United States, and became president of Washington College in Lexington, Virginia.

Gettysburg National Military Park Ranger Matt Atkinson shares the riviting story of Lee’s largely overlooked postwar years and explains how the former Confederate general understood the power of his example in a country still deeply divided by war and Reconstruction. We'd like to thank the Gettysburg National Park Service for allowing us access to this audio.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, for thousands of years, human mobility depended on our own legs and the animals we could harness. By the early 20th century, millions of working horses powered American cities, hauling goods, carrying people, and creating problems of congestion, sanitation, and safety that the new automobile promised to solve.

Miles C. Collier, founder of the Revs Institute, explains how the horse, bicycle, and automobile transformed everyday life.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Vince Lombardi transformed the Green Bay Packers into a dynasty and helped turn football into a symbol of discipline, leadership, and the American experience. But behind the championships, the famous speeches, and the legendary Green Bay sweep was a far more complicated man shaped by faith, family, ambition, and struggle.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Maraniss discusses his landmark biography, When Pride Still Mattered, and explores the full life of Vince Lombardi: his Brooklyn upbringing, Catholic faith, coaching philosophy, devotion to excellence, complicated family life, and the leadership style that changed the NFL forever.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, few television comedies have had the lasting impact of I Love Lucy. When the show debuted in the early 1950s, Lucille Ball quickly became one of the most recognizable performers in American entertainment. Her success did not arrive quickly. For years, Ball struggled to find a role that truly fit her talent, moving through small film parts and studio setbacks before television offered a new opportunity.

Kathleen Brady, author of Lucille: The Life of Lucille Ball, joins us to tell the story of Lucille Ball’s long road to success and the breakthrough that made her one of the defining figures of early television.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Amelia Earhart had already crossed the Atlantic by airplane, but in 1928 she had done so as a passenger. Four years later, she climbed into a single-engine Lockheed Vega in Newfoundland and set out alone, battling storms and mechanical trouble before landing in a pasture in Northern Ireland nearly 15 hours later.

The flight made Earhart the first woman to fly solo nonstop across the Atlantic and earned her the Distinguished Flying Cross, the first awarded to a woman. Later that same year, she added another record by flying solo across the United States from Los Angeles to Newark.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Brent Timmons traveled to Louisville to spend a final few days with his Uncle Bud, who had recently been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Brent arrived hoping to help his uncle and wondering what they could possibly say to each other with so little time left.

Instead, the two spent hours talking about fathers, family, inherited traits, old wounds, and the people who shape us over a lifetime. Brent came to realize that even in his final days, Uncle Bud was still teaching him, leaving behind one last lesson about influence, patience, family, and the kind of legacy a life can leave behind. Brent Timmons is a regular contributor to Our American Stories.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1852, Constantino Brumidi arrived in New York as a refugee from Rome. He was already an accomplished artist, but in America, he found the work that would consume the rest of his life. For the next twenty-five years, Brumidi climbed scaffolds, painted ceilings, and covered the halls of the U.S. Capitol with scenes drawn from American history and the ideals of his adopted country.

His greatest work waited 180 feet above the Rotunda floor. There, inside the Capitol dome, Brumidi painted George Washington, known to many as "America's Indispensable Man," rising into the heavens surrounded by Liberty, Victory, Fame, and figures representing the original thirteen states. Our own Lee Habeeb shares how an Italian immigrant came to paint The Apotheosis of Washington, earning a remarkable nickname of his own in the process: “America’s Michelangelo.”

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On this episode of Our American Stories, LAPD Senior Lead Officer Deon Joseph walked into a juvenile detention center expecting the kids there to distrust him. Instead of leading with his badge, he told them something they did not expect to hear from a police officer: “I love you.” He kept returning, shared his own story, brought in mentors, and slowly began earning their trust.

Joseph shares how that same approach shaped his work in downtown Los Angeles, where he built relationships with homeless residents and community groups that had long been suspicious of police. Be sure to check out Officer Joseph's book, Stepping Across the Line: A Skid Row Cop's Story, for more stories of his efforts in L.A.'s most notorious neighborhood.

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