On this episode of Our American Stories, Christine Handy had spent most of her life in front of a camera. She began modeling at 11 and eventually landed campaigns with Pepsi, J.Crew, Petco, and Target. But as her career grew, Christine's sense of worth became tied almost entirely to how she looked. Then a routine wrist surgery went terribly wrong. A missed infection left the bones in her wrist destroyed and her right arm permanently fused. Before she could adjust to her new life, Christine found a lump in her breast.

The diagnosis was an aggressive form of breast cancer. Christine decided she wanted to give up, but her friends refused to let her. Christine herself shares how friendship and faith gave her a reason to keep fighting and ultimately transformed a life built around appearance into one devoted to serving others.

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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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On this episode of Our American Stories, Andrew Thompson returns with more from his guide to the baffling mini-mysteries of the English language, this time diving into how phrases like "gung-ho" and "cheesy smile" came to be. His book, Hair of the Dog to Paint the Town Red: The Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions and Fun Phrases, is full of these fascinating stories. Be sure to check it out!

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Art Rooney, Sr., the founding owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, believed that the measure of a man was often found in the quiet things he chose to do. Jim O'Brien, who came to see Rooney as the grandfather he had been missing, remembers one moment that revealed exactly who Rooney was.

Rooney attended the funeral of a man he hardly knew because he believed showing respect in times of loss mattered more than anything else. O’Brien joins us to share how that simple act left a lasting impression on his life.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, when Andrew Jackson arrived in Washington for his inauguration in 1829, thousands of Americans came with him. He was unlike the presidents who had come before, an orphan from the frontier who had risen from humble beginnings to become a general and the self-proclaimed champion of the common man. To his supporters, his election represented a changing of the guard in American politics.

Then Jackson opened the White House to the people. The crowd poured inside, climbed onto furniture for a glimpse of the new president, broke china, spilled refreshments, and packed the rooms so tightly that Jackson's friends feared he might be crushed. Keith Hardison, former director of interpretation at Jackson's home, The Hermitage, shares the story of the rowdy inauguration that announced the arrival of the "People's President."

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Dawn Newland watched helplessly as her husband took his own life. Army veteran William Lambert came home from three deployments carrying the guilt of surviving when 15 men from his unit did not. Both were living with PTSD, and both reached points where moving forward seemed almost impossible.

Dawn found an unexpected refuge in wild mustangs. Caring for them quieted her mind and slowly helped her reclaim her life. Then she realized the horses might be able to help others, too. That's how William met Dawn and eventually a horse named Faith. Dawn and William share how horses helped them confront trauma, rediscover trust, and ultimately use their own pain to help save the lives of others.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1949, Bill Ruger and Alexander Sturm started a firearms company with a $50,000 investment and a new .22-caliber pistol. Within months, orders were coming in faster than their small operation could fill them. Then, just as the company was taking off, Sturm died unexpectedly at only 28 years old.

Ruger pressed ahead. He expanded into revolvers and rifles, took the company public, survived a costly attempt at building automobiles, and even weathered a controversy that angered some of his most loyal customers. Firearms historian Logan Metesh shares how a handful of men working out of a red barn built Sturm, Ruger & Company into one of America's major firearms manufacturers.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Quentin Wedan was barely out of fifth grade when some friends told him about a summer job at the Lazy B Chuckwagon and Show in Estes Park, Colorado. The pay was $10 a night, the work was hard, and Quentin loved it. He spent the next ten summers there, earning enough to cover much of his college tuition while learning from owner Tom Justin that doing a job well meant more than working hard. It meant never settling for anything less than your best.

Years later, the Lazy B closed its doors. But Quentin never forgot the place or the lessons he'd learned there. In 2017, he brought the business back to life. Quentin shares the story of how his first job became his own business and why he's working to preserve a piece of the American West for another generation.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Benjamin Rush signed the Declaration of Independence, but politics was only one part of his extraordinary life. A physician by profession and reformer by temperament, Rush treated Philadelphia's poor when other doctors wouldn't, demanded humane treatment for the mentally ill, fought slavery, championed public education, and followed George Washington's army into battle to care for wounded soldiers. His work would help lay the foundations for American psychiatry, military medicine, and even veterinary care.

Harlow Giles Unger, author of Dr. Benjamin Rush: The Founding Father Who Healed a Wounded Nation, shares the remarkable story of one of America's most accomplished and overlooked Founding Fathers.

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