On this episode of Our American Stories, Angelo Ruffino rows through the canals of Southern California, singing his original music to passengers and perfecting a tradition that goes back hundreds of years. But he’s more than a romantic oarsman. He’s a racer, a performer, and a champion for gondola culture, hoping one day to bring it to the Olympic stage.

Our own Lee Habeeb sits down with him for an interview.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, by the time Abraham Lincoln took the oath of office in March 1861, seven Southern states had already left the Union and formed the Confederate States of America. Virginia and the rest of the Upper South were still deciding what to do. Lincoln entered the presidency with no executive experience and a question hanging over the country: Could the Union survive?

In Episode 28 of our ongoing Story of Us—Story of America series, Hillsdale College professor Bill McClay, author of Land of Hope, shares the story of Lincoln's First Inaugural Address and his tumultuous first days in office.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, The iPhone, radar, and TV dinners don't appear to have much in common, but each tells a surprising story about how innovation really happens. The iPhone brought together technologies developed over decades, many of them originating in government and military research. Radar began with British scientists investigating the possibility of a "death ray" before becoming vital to Britain's defense during World War II. And while the washing machine gets credit for freeing women from hours of housework, prepared food may have actually saved them more time.

Economist Tim Harford, author ofFifty Things That Made The Modern Economy, shares the unexpected stories behind three inventions that transformed the way we live.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, before Spotify, playlists, and music on demand, there was the jukebox. Drop in a nickel, pick a song, and a machine glowing with lights and color could provide the soundtrack for a bar, restaurant, or teenage hangout. Along the way, jukeboxes helped spread new sounds, gave Black musicians another way to reach listeners during segregation, and became an unmistakable piece of American culture.

Ed Liss fell in love with jukeboxes as a three-year-old boy in the Bronx and has spent much of his adult life hunting down and painstakingly restoring them. He shares the history of the great American jukebox and explains why bringing these machines back to life isn't simply about preserving old technology.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Kevlar is now a staple of body armor, trusted by law enforcement, military personnel, and first responders, but when Stephanie Kwolek first developed the fiber in a DuPont lab, it was almost thrown away. The material didn’t behave like others, and no one saw a use for it. Kwolek pushed for further testing, convinced it was worth more. That decision led to one of the most important safety innovations of the twentieth century.

Kaela Rider from the Bill of Rights Institute shares how one overlooked discovery became the foundation for the modern bulletproof vest.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, they wanted to serve their country, but the U.S. military wouldn't let women fly its planes. So in 1942, a remarkable group of American women crossed the Atlantic and joined Britain's Air Transport Auxiliary, ferrying Spitfires, bombers, and battered aircraft between factories, repair depots, and frontline airfields. Some arrived as stunt pilots and flying instructors. Others were college graduates, debutantes, or women who had scraped together everything they had just to learn how to fly.

Their job was extraordinarily dangerous. They could be handed an aircraft they'd never flown before and given little more than a page of instructions. Yet these women became the first American women to fly military aircraft and played a crucial role in keeping Allied planes in the air. Becky Aikman, author of Spitfires: The American Women Who Flew in the Face of Danger During World War II, shares the forgotten story of America's "Atta Girls."

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Nancy 3 Hoffman started collecting the little sleeves that come with umbrellas after finding a few while cleaning her house. Soon, friends and family were giving her theirs, along with stories about where the umbrellas had been and how their covers had survived. Then came what Nancy jokingly calls her "crime of passion": stealing a particularly beautiful umbrella cover from a Portland department store.

What began on Nancy's kitchen wall eventually became the Umbrella Cover Museum on Peaks Island, Maine, home to covers from more than 70 countries. Nancy shares the story of the world's only museum devoted entirely to umbrella covers.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, the Mars family makes some of the most recognizable products in the world, from M&M's, Snickers, and Skittles to Pedigree pet food. Yet more than a century after Frank Mars founded the company in 1911, Mars remains privately held and controlled by the family, even as it has grown into one of the world's largest family businesses.

Victoria Mars, the founder's great-granddaughter and former chair of the Mars Board of Directors, explains how her family has managed something few businesses survive: passing a global company from one generation to the next. From the Five Principles that guide Mars to the rules, education, communication, and occasional family disagreements required to make it work, she shares what it takes to keep a business in the family.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, a legend and leader in the hotel industry, Horst Schulze has reshaped how service and hospitality are defined in business—setting standards that have become world-famous. Over the years, he worked for both Hilton Hotels and Hyatt Hotels Corporation before becoming one of the founding members of the luxury hotel chain, the Ritz-Carlton, in 1983. Horst is a Christian who lives out his faith in both his business and personal life.

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